Yibin Fu

Biography

I obtained a BSc in Mathematics and Mechanics (1982) from Central South University, China, and an MSc (1986) and a PhD (1988) in Theoretical Mechanics both from the University of East Anglia and supervised by Dr. Nigel Scott. I then spent three years in Exeter University as a post-doctoral research fellow working with Prof. Philip Hall on a US Air Force funded project. In 1991 I was appointed to a Lectureship at the University of Manchester. Six year later, I moved to Keele University as a Senior Lecturer. I was promoted to Reader in 1999 and became Professor of Applied Mathematics in 2001.

Research and scholarship

I view myself as a typical applied mathematician and I work in the general area of solid mechanics. My main research interest is in characterizing linear and nonlinear elastic waves and stability/bifurcation of pre-stressed elastic solids and structures. Studies of elastic waves have important applications in signal processing, seismology and non-destructive testing, whereas stability/bifurcation analysis has applications in assessing the integrity of structures under stress and in the design of smart materials and structures. My recent contributions include (i) resolution of a long-standing dispute concerning the derivation of evolution equations for nonlinear surface acoustic waves, (ii) a Hamiltonian interpretation of the well-known Stroh formalism which provides the necessary framework for extending the Stroh formalism to other situations such as plate bending, (iii) further insight into the problem of localized bulging in inflated membrane tubes which has applications in aneurysm modelling, and (iv) derivation of an explicit initiation condition for localized bulging in an inflated cylindrical tube of arbitrary thickness, which can be used to precisely characterize the effects of bending stiffness and fibre-reinforcement, and to assess how good the membrane theory is.

Scholarship: I am a co-Editor for
   (1) Journal of Mechanics of Materials and Structures,
and an editorial board member of
   (2) Proceedings of the Royal Society A
   (3) Acta Mechanica Solida Sinica,
   (4) International Journal of Applied Mechanics,
   (5) Acta Mechanica Sinica,
   (6) Mechanics of Soft Materials,
   (7) Forces in Mechanics,
   (8) Applications in Engineering Science,
   (9) Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids

I served as a Joint Editor-in-Chief of the IMA Journal of Applied Mathematics between 2005-2018.

Teaching

• MAT-30003: Partial Differential Equations
• MAT-40012: Continuum Mechanics

Admin Roles

• Director of Research
• Library Liaison

Research themes

• Theoretical Solid Mechanics

• Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering