Ing. Martin Horák, Ph.D.
Department of Mechanics, Assistant Professor
The fund resources were used within activity: Support for short-term international cooperation between a young researcher at the Faculty of Civil Engineering CTU in Prague and prestigious foreign experts
How much money from the Initiation Fund did you get and what did you use it for?
I got ca CZK 50 thousand from the Initiation Fund and the money was spent on the organization of a foreign scientist’s stay at CTU.
Who arrived in particular and how long did he stay?
We managed to arrange two one-week visits of Antonio J. Gil, Professor of Computational Mechanics at Swansea University in Great Britain.
What does Prof. Gil deal with in particular?
In the field of research, he focuses, among other things, on computer modelling of nano membranes, the interaction of fluids and structures, or electro-magneto-mechanical devices. For example, in collaboration with the Siemens Company, they use computer modelling to improve the design of MRI scanners to reduce their noise. Prof. Gil has received a number of awards for his scientific work, in 2011 he was awarded the prestigious UK Philip Leverhulme Prize and in 2016 the ECCOMAS Olgierd Cecil Zienkiewicz Award for young scientists.
What research topic did you address?
We started working together on the modelling of electroactive polymers. These materials deform when exposed to an electric current, and, besides, they are very flexible. They can be applied, for example, in robotics as artificial muscles.
Was any workshop or a lecture held at the Faculty?
Yes, a public lecture was organized called A New Framework for Large Strain Electromechanics Based on Convex Multi-Variable Strain Energies, which presented the modelling of the above mentioned electroactive materials. The abstract is available here.
In which way did you profit from the expert’s participation?
International cooperation in science is very important, it is also one of the criteria in the evaluation of the Czech Science Foundation research projects. Thanks to the Initiation Fund, I was able to establish cooperation with a leading foreign scientist and thus start focusing on an interesting research topic.
Responsible: prof. Dr. Ing. Bořek Patzák
Czech Technical University in Prague
Faculty of Civil Engineering
Czech Technical University in Prague
Faculty of Civil Engineering
Thákurova 7/2077
166 29 Praha 6 – Dejvice
