Inertial micro-cavitation rheometry (IMR) is a novel experimental technique that enables the characterization of soft material viscoelasticity at a high strain rate (103 – 108/s). What we learn from these experiments could be relevant to applications such as non-invasive laser- and ultrasound-based tissue surgery and the development of injury criteria and protective gears for blast mitigation.
I have been enhancing the theoretical and computational framework behind IMR to broaden its applicability. Our 2025 paper (see publication [3]) introduced an analytical model and an accompanying inverse characterization procedure to rapidly quantify viscoelastic model parameters according to the size-dependent scaling of bubble collapse time duing laser-induced cavitation experiments. This advancement reduced the computational cost of the characterization process from hours to fractions of a second, creating the possibility to estimate material properties in real time. In my ongoing work, I am developing analytical and finite-element-base numerical frameworks to characterize more complex materials that may lead to non-spherical bubble geometry.
Calibrating nonlinear elastic models via magnetic resonance cartography
Magnetic resonance cartography (MR-u) collects fully three-dimensional displacement field data in a material experiencing finite deformation. It does not require the placement of fiducial speckle patterns or internal contrast fluorescent particles, as is the case for techniques such as digital image correlation (DIC) and digital volume correlation (DVC).
Our 2026 paper (see publication [4]) introduced a group of highly efficient and robust procedures to calibrate hyperelastic models according to the displacement field data collected by MR-u. I developed a variation-matching method that analytically identifies the optimal virtual displacement field to senstively identify constitutive model parameters via the principle of virtual work.