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Mark Schenk

Introduction

Mark Schenk (MSc, BSc)

I am a post-doctoral researcher working with the Advanced Structures Group, and in collaboration with Dr. Simon Guest. I did my PhD in Structural Engineering at the University of Cambridge, and studied studied Mechanical Engineering at Delft University of Technology where I obtained my BSc. and MSc. degrees.

For more information, see my CV on my personal website.

Contact Details

E-mail:
ms652
Office:
INO-16
Department of Engineering
Trumpington Street
Cambridge CB2 1PZ
United Kingdom
Tel.:
+44 (0)1223 (3)2666

Research

Current Research

My PhD research focused on the analysis and manufacture of novel "folded shell structures". By introducing a local texture to thin-walled shells we modify, and eventually hope to tailor, their global mechanical properties. The folded shell structures consist of thin-walled shells joined at distinct fold lines, which form meso scale unit cells that are subsequently tesselated across the sheet. It is the hierarchical deformation of these unit cells which prescribes the global mechanics of the shells. The observed mechanics include large in-plane strains (due to the opening and closing of the folds), as well as decoupled out-of-plane deformation modes which exhibit an opposite Poisson's ratio to the in-plane behaviour. The sheets considered for my PhD thesis are either directly derived from Origami patterns (meaning they can be folded from flat sheet material) or strongly inspired by origami folding. A current list of literature can be found here.

As shown in the video, the Miura sheet is very flexible and exhibits some very interesting mechanical properties. Video courtesy of Prof. dr ir Just Herder.

Previous Research

For my Master thesis I investigated the "Theory and Design of Statically Balanced Tensegrity Mechanisms". Tensegrities are a special class of prestressed bar frameworks, where the self-stress is required for stability. I researched the combination with static balancing, by replacing the tension elements with zero-free-length springs. This allows the construction of structures that are in equilibrium over a continuous range of positions, require no external work to move and thus have zero stiffness. More information can be found on my tensegrity website.

Journal and Conference Publications

2011
Schenk, M. Allwood, J.M. & Guest, S.D. (2011), "Cold Gas-Pressure Folding of Miura-ori Sheets". Accepted for presentation at the International Conference on Technology of Plasticity (ICTP 2011), September 25-30th, 2011, Aachen, Germany. Selected for publication in Steel Research International. Pre-print: [PDF]
Schenk, M., Guest, S.D., (2011), "Origami Folding: A Structural Engineering Approach". In Origami5, proceedings of 5OSME, 5th international conference on Origami in Science, Mathematics and Education, July 14-15th 2010, Singapore. pp. 293-305. ISBN: 9781568817149. Pre-print: [PDF]
Barents, R., Schenk, M., Van Dorsser, W.D., Wisse, B.M., & Herder, J.L. (2011), "Spring-to-Spring Balancing as Energy-Free Adjustment Method in Gravity Equilibrators", ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, Volume 133, Issue 6, pp 061010. [DOI | PDF]
Winner of the Best Paper Award at the ASME IDETC/CIE 2009 conference, August 30-September 2, 2009, San Diego, CA. Paper number DETC2009-86770.
2009
Schenk, M., Guest, S.D. (2009), "Folded Textured Sheets", In proceedings of IASS 2009 Symposium, September 28-October 2, 2009, Valencia, Spain. [PDF]
2008
Van Dorsser, W.D., Barents, R., Wisse, B.M., Schenk, M. & Herder, J.L. (2008), "Energy-Free Adjustment of Gravity Equilibrators by Adjusting the Spring Stiffness", Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part C, Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, Volume 222, Issue 9, pp. 1839–1846. [DOI]
2007
Schenk, M., Guest, S.D. & Herder, J.L. (2007), "Zero Stiffness Tensegrity Structures", International Journal of Solids and Structures, Volume 44, Issue 20, pp. 6569–6583. [DOI | PDF]
2006
Schenk, M., Herder, J.L. & Guest, S.D. (2006), "Design of a Statically Balanced Tensegrity Mechanism", In proceedings of ASME IDETC/CIE 2006 conference, September 10-13th 2006, Philadelphia, USA. Volume 2: 30th Annual Mechanisms and Robotics Conference, Parts A and B, pp. 501-511. [PDF]

Theses & Reports

2011
Schenk, M. (2011). "Folded Shell Structures", PhD Thesis at University of Cambridge.
2006
Schenk, M. (2006). "Theory and Design of Statically Balanced Tensegrity Mechanisms", Master's thesis at Delft University of Technology. [PDF]
2005
Schenk, M. (2005). "Statically Balanced Tensegrity Mechanisms — A Literature Review", Literature review at Delft University of Technology. [PDF]

Talks

2011
"Folded Shell Structures — Analysis & Manufacture". Structures Group Seminar, Cambridge University Engineering Department, October 14th 2011. [PPT]
"Cold Gas Pressure Folding of Miura-ori Sheets". Presented at the 10th International Conference on Theory of Plasticity (ICTP) 2011, September 28th, Aachen, Germany, by Julian Allwood. [PPT]
"Designing a New Rosetta Stone: Making the Web last 500 Years". At the Clare Dilettante Society (May 16th 2011) I spoke about the standardisation of HTML and its role in preserving documents for future generations. The ensuing discussion raised a large number of interesting questions, and highlighted a lack of any real historical parallel.
2010
"Innovation in Origami for Engineering and Architecture. An ancient art spanning Mathematics, Engineering and Architecture". As part of the 4th year Building Innovations course at the Cambridge University Engineering Department, I gave a lecture and workshop on 21st October 2010. Presentation [PPT] | More info.
"Origami Folding: A Structural Engineering Approach". Presented at the 5OSME, 5th international conference on Origami in Science, Mathematics and Education, July 15th, 2010, Singapore. [PPT]
"Morphing Structures". This presentation was shown at our stand at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2010, to illustrate applications of Morphing Structures. [PPT]
"Folded Textured Sheets as Doubly-Curved Formwork". Presented at the Institution of Structural Engineers, for the Young Researchers Conference 2010, March 10 2010, London, UK. [PPT]
"Folded Textured Sheets — from Origami to Concrete Formwork". Presented at the 3rd Clare College Research Symposium, March 11th 2010, Cambridge, UK. The Clare Research Symposium is an interdisciplinary symposium showcasing the research done by members of Clare College, Cambridge. [PPT]
2009
"Origami: Art, Architecture & Engineering". I was asked to give a guest lecture for the Architectural Engineering course at the Cambridge University Engineering Department, November 12 2009. [PPT]
"Folded Textured Sheets". Structures Group Seminar, Cambridge University Engineering Department, October 16 2009. [PPT]
"Folded Textured Sheets". Presented at IASS 2009, September 28, 2009, Valencia, Spain. [PPT]
"Origami: Art, Architecture & Engineering". I was invited to speak at Atelier One, a London based structural engineering firm, on February 3rd 2009.
"Introduction to JabRef". At the structures groups Student Research Session I gave a brief overview of how to use JabRef to manage your BibTeX references. I here provide the talk outline. [PDF]
2008
"Origami for Engineers: Folded Shell Structures". Graduate Research Forum (GRF), Clare College, Cambridge, December 9 2008. [PPT]
2007
"Zero Stiffness Tensegrity Structures". CUED Structures Seminar, Cambridge, November 23 2007. [PPT]

Posters

2009
"Folded Shell Structures". Poster presented in the House of Commons on 9th March 2009, for the Engineering Session of SET for BRITAIN. [PDF]
2008
"Folded Shell Structures". Poster for Vitae EE Hub poster competition, presented December 4th 2008. The poster previously won the GSCUED poster competition, on October 22nd 2008. [PDF]
"Morphing Structures". Poster for International Visiting Committee visit to CUED, October 2008. [PDF]
The poster describes past and present work on Morphing Structures, done within the research group. Although it does not actually contain an example of my work, I designed the poster and wrote the content.

Teaching

For the 2011/2012 academic year I will assume the following teaching tasks:

For the 2010/2011 academic year I supervised, demonstrated and lectured the following courses:

For the 2009/2010 academic year I demonstrated and supervised the following courses:

During the 2008/2009 academic year I demonstrated and supervised the following courses:

Supplementary Materials

Background reading on Cables and Arches
Some supplementary material on the shape of catenary cables, and their use in architecture. [Cables and Arches].
Matlab simulation for Example Paper 1, Question 7
I wrote a Matlab simulation for Example Paper 1, Question 7, which aims to illuminate what happens. [Matlab files].
Revision Paper IA Structures 2010/2011
This revision example paper covers free body diagrams, friction and distributed loads. It also illustrates how (structural) mechanics can be applied to `daily life' problems. [Example Paper | Cribs]

Research Tools

MiKTeX
MiKTeX is the de facto standard LaTeX installation for Windows, and many LaTeX-related applications rely on its presence.
TeXmaker
TeXmaker is a full-featured editor for LaTeX documents. LaTeX is the markup/formatting language of choice for scientific publications.
Q10
Q10 is a minimalistic full-screen text editor. I've tried a couple, but kept returning to Q10 for its simplicity. It provides a distraction-free typing environment, and has (optional) typewriter sound-effects, sampled from Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain...
JabRef
JabRef is a reference manager, using the BibTeX bibliography format. It allows for easy management of your references and corresponding files, and allows for a wide range of export options.
Mercurial & BitBucket
When writing articles or a thesis it is nice to be able to work from different locations, whilst maintaining a single version of your files. One way to achieve this is using version control software, which allows you to synchronize and merge different versions of files you are working on. I use Mercurial, a DVCS and use BitBucket to host the main repository on a central server.
BibTeX4Word
Occasionally one is forced to submit a paper in Word (doc) format. Fortunately Mike Brookes has written BibTeX4Word, which allows you to use your BibTeX file directly in Word. The UI is a bit crude, but it works and you don't need Endnote, c.s..
TeX4PPT
Having written all your equations in LaTeX, it is a pain to have to retype your equations when writing a presentation in Powerpoint. TeX4PPT provides a solution by allowing you to embed TeX-formatted equations into Powerpoint.
DeTeXify
Tired of looking up the appropriate symbols for LaTeX? Just sketch the symbol you're looking for, and this app returns the desired code.
Export_Fig
This set of scripts provides superior export options for Matlab figures, into a range of file formats.

Licensing

Creative Commons License
Unless otherwise noted, the files shared on this page are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0.

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Information provided by Mark Schenk (ms652)
Last updated: September 2011