Micro-Manufacturing and Mechanics of Metallic Micro-Components and Architected Structures

Dear Colleagues,

The continuing trend toward miniaturization, lightweight design, and high-performance engineering systems has driven increasing demand for metallic micro-components and architected structures with precisely controlled geometries and mechanical properties. These components and structures are increasingly used in micro-electromechanical systems, precision devices, biomedical engineering, micro-energy systems, electronics, and other advanced applications. However, when characteristic dimensions decrease to the micro- and nano-scales, conventional manufacturing theories and material behavior established at the macro-scale may no longer be directly applicable. Size effects, surface conditions, microstructural characteristics, geometrical constraints, and manufacturing-induced defects can significantly influence deformation and mechanical performance.

Micro-manufacturing technologies, including microforming, micro-machining, precision micro-fabrication, and micro-scale additive manufacturing, provide important routes for producing metallic micro-components and complex architected structures. Meanwhile, advances in structural design and additive manufacturing have enabled micro-lattice, cellular, auxetic, and other architected structures with highly tailorable mechanical responses. Understanding the interactions among manufacturing processes, material behavior, structural architecture, and size-dependent mechanics is therefore essential for the development of reliable and high-performance micro-scale engineering systems.

This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate recent advances in the manufacturing, forming, design, characterization, and mechanics of metallic micro-components and architected structures. We invite original research articles and review papers addressing experimental, theoretical, and numerical investigations of micro-/nano-scale manufacturing, deformation mechanisms, size effects, micro-scale additive manufacturing, and the mechanical response of architected structures. Particular interest is given to studies that clarify process–structure–property relationships and reveal how manufacturing conditions, material characteristics, and structural geometry affect mechanical performance at small scales.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:

• Microforming and micro-scale plastic deformation;
• Micro-/nano-manufacturing of metallic materials and components;
• Size effects in micro-scale deformation and forming;
• Material behavior and deformation mechanisms at small scales;
• Micro-machining and precision micro-fabrication;
• Micro-scale additive manufacturing of metallic components and structures;
• Micro-lattice, cellular, and other architected structures;
• Auxetic and negative-Poisson's-ratio structures at micro-scales;
• Mechanical metamaterials and architected materials;
• Mechanical behavior, damage, and failure of micro-components and architected structures;
• Surface, interface, and microstructural effects in micro-manufacturing;
• Manufacturing defects, dimensional accuracy, and mechanical reliability;
• Experimental characterization and in situ testing at micro-/nano-scales;
• Numerical and multi-scale modeling of micro-manufacturing and micro-mechanics.

Dr. Jiaqi Ran
Prof. Dr. Jilai Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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