Structural vibration is the key to engineering aircraft so that their wings and other structures can survive high speed flight, or spacecraft that can survive the shaky ride to space. It is also responsible for the noise you hear when driving down the freeway in a cheap car, or the quiet and smoothness of a luxury car. Our research group works at the boundary between experimental and analytical structural dynamics. Our current projects are involved with characterizing, modeling and testing nonlinear dynamic systems. We are also interested in novel systems such as micro- or nano-scale devices (e.g. devices measured in millionths or billionths of a meter) and also dynamic motion of the human body.
Past projects have focused on identifying models for dynamic systems from measured response data, on developing more robust methods for predicting the response of assemblies structures in the presence of uncertainties, and novel ways of using lasers to measure a structure’s response. A few past projects are highlighted below.
Selected Research Highlights
AFOSR Research on Nonlinear Dynamics of Hypersonic Vehicles
Allen was Awarded an AFOSR Young Investigator award to study nonlinear vibration of assemblies of subcomponents. The project aims to facilitate design of hypersonic vehicle skin panels. (click here to read press release)
National Science Foundation Funded Project on Linear Time Periodic Systems
Allen & Sracic create a new continuous-scan laser vibrometry method that can reduce test time by orders of magnitude (click on image below for more information).
Dr. Allen’s talk on WPTV on Structural Dynamics Challenges for Launch
Dr. Allen’s Doctoral Research on Structural Health Monitoring for a Highway Bridge
BYU Structural Dynamics Research Group 