LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Mechanics of Materials Lab
Machine-translated · View original
A lab that examines objects and mechanisms, from plants to metals, through the lens of mechanics of materials.
AboutAbout the lab
From plants to metals, thinking through mechanics of materials.
The Mechanics of Materials Lab examines a wide variety of objects and mechanisms, from plants to metals, through the lens of mechanics of materials.
From the standpoint of structural mechanics, the lab uncovers the mechanical rationality hidden in plant forms, such as the hollow cross-section and nodes of bamboo.
For metals, it develops a surface modification technique that refines the surface microstructure by repeatedly applying low compressive loads.
The lab also applies mechanics of materials to sports, for example by measuring impact in tennis and baseball.
Key terms
- Mechanics of materials
- The study of how a material deforms under force and where it breaks
- Structural mechanics
- The study of how the shape of an object and the way it is assembled affect its strength against forces
- Rigidity
- A quantity expressing resistance to deformation when a force is applied. Resistance to bending is called bending rigidity
ResearchResearch themes
The lab uncovers, from the standpoint of structural mechanics, the mechanical rationality hidden in plant forms (plant mimetics). It also applies mechanics of materials to techniques for strengthening metal surfaces and to measuring impact in sports.
*Illustrative imagePlant Mimetics
Bamboo is a plant that combines lightness with strength. Focusing on three features, the hollow cross-section, nodes, and vascular bundles, the lab clarifies the mechanical rationality of bamboo's form, such as the distribution of vascular bundles that maximizes bending rigidity and the balance between resistance to crushing and weight.
*Illustrative imageMeasuring Impact Force with Mechanics of Materials
This research measures and formulates the impact deflection produced by hits in tennis and baseball. It measures the strain that occurs in actual hits and, using vibration analysis and momentum analysis, determines the natural frequency, the damping ratio, and the impulse delivered to the ball.
*Illustrative imageStrengthening Metals by Surface Modification
The lab has developed a method called Scanning cyclic press, which repeatedly applies low compressive loads of several to several tens of kgf to a metal surface to obtain a fine microstructure. It aims to strengthen the surface by a route different from conventional refinement techniques that deform the material heavily.
*Illustrative imageMechanics of Plant Form
The stems of herbaceous plants maintain their shape using tensile stress generated by internal pressure. The lab considers plant stiffness as divided into bending rigidity and geometric rigidity (tension structure), and investigates the mechanical strategies of plants, which have no muscles.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Mechanics of Materials Lab consist of faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and administrative assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorMotohiro Sato
- ProfessorNao Fujimura
- Project Associate ProfessorHiroyuki Kato
- Associate ProfessorSatoru Tsugawa
VoicesStudent voices
Ratings and reviews reflect the experiences of individual current or former students, not the lab's official views. Whether a lab has reviews, or how many, says nothing about the lab itself.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
Student ratings (0 students)
--
--
--
--
--
--
Student voices answer questions like these
- What's great about this lab?
- What did you learn after joining?
- What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
- Who is this lab for?
- Where do graduates go?
Your experience can help younger students choose their lab. Your name won't be shown.
Write a lab reviewAnonymous · Your draft is saved if you stopRelatedLabs similar to Mechanics of Materials Lab
Materials Function Engineering LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Intelligent Systems EngineeringMicromechanics of composite materials, interfacial strength …
Intelligent Structural Systems LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Intelligent Systems EngineeringSmart structures, motion and vibration control, laser-based …
Plasma Materials Engineering LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Intelligent Systems EngineeringPlasma diagnostics, plasma electronics, plasma X-ray sources…
Biomaterial and Biomechanical Design LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Intelligent Systems EngineeringBiomechanical design, biomechanics of living bone, orthopedi…The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “2256 bamboo - Alain Van den Hende 17072256 licence CC40” Alain Van den Hende / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Plant Mimetics: “2336 - bamboo - Alain Van den Hende 17072336 Licence CC BY-SA-4.0” Alain Van den Hende / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Measuring Impact Force with Mechanics of Materials: “Cmglee tennis ball interior” Cmglee / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Strengthening Metals by Surface Modification: “Aluminium etched” Alchemist-hp (talk) (www.pse-mendelejew.de) / CC BY-SA 2.0 de (cropped)
- Mechanics of Plant Form: “Petasites japonicus subsp. giganteus Jardin des Plantes” This illustration was made by Citron You must credit this : Citron / CC-BY-SA-3.0 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (材料機能工学): “Al tensile test” Sigmund / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (知的構造システム): “Taipei 101 tuned mass damper 06” Johan Jönsson (Julle) / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (プラズマ材料工学): “Plasma generation in air” Rcaravit / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (バイオマテリアル・バイオメカニカル
デザイン): “Scanning electron microscopy of collagen fibers” NIH Image Gallery / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
About LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.