Dr. Soo-Ho Jo, post-doctoral researcher at the Laboratory for System Health & Risk Management (Advisor: Prof. Byeng Dong Youn), received Best Thesis Award at the 2021 Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers CAE & Applied Dynamics Fall Conference, heldline from August 25 to 27.

The title of his doctoral thesis is “Modeling and Design of a Phononic Crystal with Piezoelectric Defects for Broadband Energy Localization and Harvesting.” The research covers (1) Parametric studies the structural and electrical circuit designs of a phononic crystal (PnC) with piezoelectric defects, (2) Designing a PnC with piezoelectric defects for broadband piezoelectric energy harvesting, and (3) Mathematical modeling of PnCs with piezoelectric defects for the formation of splitting of defect bands. This work combines as well as provides a systematic analysis of elastic wave mechanics of a PnC and the electro-mechanical multiphysics coupling of piezoelectric energy harvesting, the academic value of which warranted the Best Thesis Award.