Prof. Richard M. Christensen

Emeritus Professor, SACL, Aeronautics & Astronautics

Office: Durand Building, Room 387A

Phone: (650) 723-7969 | Fax: (650) 725-3377

Email: christensen [AT] stanford.edu

Personal Webpage: Failure Criteria

Degrees

DEng	Civil Engineering, Yale University, 1961.
MEng	Civil Engineering, Yale University, 1956.
BSc	Civil Engineering, University of Utah, 1955.

Research Interests

• Professor Christensen's research is concerned with the mechanics of materials. The behavior of polymers and polymeric fiber composites are areas of specialization. Of particular interest is the field of micro-mechanics which focuses upon materials' functionality at intermediate length scales between atomic and the usual macro scale. Applicable techniques involve the methods of homogenization for all types of composite materials. The intended outcomes of his research are useful means of characterizing the yielding, damage accumulation and failure behavior of modern materials. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, Fellow and Honorary Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and Fellow of the Society of Engineering Science. He also is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Materials Research Society.

Recent Publications

• "The Hierarchy of Microstructures for Low Density Materials", ZAMP, Vol. 46, pp 5506-5521 (1995)
• "The Relationship of Minimal Conditions to Low Density Material Microstructures", J. Mech. Phys. Solids, Vol. 44, pp. 2113-2123 (1996)
• "Stress Based Yield/Failure Criteria for Fiber Composites", Int. J. Solids Structures, Vol. 34, pp. 529-543 (1997)
• "The Kink Band Mechanism for the Compressive Failure of Fiber Composite Materials", (with S.J. DeTeresa), J. Appl. Mech., Vol. 64, pp.1-6 (1997)
• "Yield Functions/Failure Criteria for Isotropic Materials", Pro. Royal Soc. Lond., Vol. 453, pp. 1473-1491 (1997)