When, where and why cracks nucleate and propagate in solids: Applications to transportation materials

By Oscar Lopez-Pamies on 08/27/2026 from 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. in 1611 Titan Dr., Rantoul, IL 61866

Join Oscar Lopez-Pamies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Colonel Harry F. & Frankie M. Lovell Endowed Professor, as he presents in-person at the Fall 2026 Kent Seminar Series on Thursday, August 27 from 2:00-2:50 p.m. (CT).

The Fall 2026 Kent Seminar will explore advances in transportation engineering modeling. The 13-speaker series will begin August 27 and end November 19. 

Pizza and soft drinks will be provided beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the ICT Classroom. 

All presentations will be held on Zoom, but some speakers will present in person at ICT.

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Abstract and Bio

This presentation introduces a macroscopic, or continuum, theory that brings resolution to a fundamental, centuries-old problem in mechanics: describing, explaining and predicting when and where cracks nucleate and propagate in elastic and viscoelastic brittle materials under monotonic, quasi-static but otherwise arbitrary mechanical loads. It also examines the theory’s practical implications for transportation materials, namely concrete and asphalt.

Lopez-Pamies is the Colonel Harry F. and Frankie M. Lovell Endowed Professor in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on solid mechanics and physics, developing mathematical theories and numerical methods to predict macroscopic material behavior, stability and failure from microscopic properties. He holds doctorates in applied mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania and École Polytechnique, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and mathematics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.