The main focus of Professor Dafalias’ research is the development and implementation of constitutive models for engineering materials and biomaterials such as metals, soils, concretes, polymers, soft tissues etc. Particular issues and attributes of this research effort are as follows:
- Inelastic constitutive modeling under cyclic loading conditions. The concept of the bounding surface plasticity has been developed and applied.
- Anisotropy as a result of texture development at large plastic deformations, and relation between micro and macro mechanical perspectives. The concepts of constitutive and plastic spins have been developed and applied.
- Soil constitutive models for monotonic and cyclic loadings with focus on liquefaction, critical state theory, the role of fabric development and heat dissipation under shearing.
- Objectivity in turbulence modeling and development of corresponding models.
- Soft biomechanical tissues modeling and application to cell motility.
