Mary Frecker
· Department Head of Mechanical EngineeringPennsylvania State University · Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
Active 1996–2026
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About
Mary Frecker is the Department Head of Mechanical Engineering at Penn State University and holds the Riess Chair of Engineering. She is a professor with affiliations in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, the Center for Acoustics and Vibration, and other related research centers. Her research areas include biomechanics and mechanobiology, design and manufacturing, and mechanical sciences, with particular interest in optimal design, compliant mechanisms, smart structures, and medical device design. Dr. Frecker has contributed extensively to the fields of compliant mechanisms, morphing structures, and bioinspired engineering, with a focus on innovative applications such as medical devices, aerospace structures, and adaptive systems. Her work involves the development of advanced modeling, optimization, and fabrication techniques to enhance the performance and functionality of complex mechanical systems.
Research topics
- Computer science
- Materials science
- Mechanical engineering
- Structural engineering
- Engineering
Selected publications
Additive manufacturing · 2020-05-16 · 165 citations
articlePseudo rigid body model for a nonlinear folding compliant mechanism
Mechanism and Machine Theory · 2022-07-11 · 25 citations
articleOpen accessAdditive manufacturing · 2023-03-12 · 15 citations
articleSenior authorJournal of Mechanical Design · 2023-07-03 · 6 citations
articleSenior authorAbstract In this article, we present a design methodology for resonant structures exhibiting particular dynamic responses by combining an eigenfrequency matching approach and a harmonic analysis-informed eigenmode identification strategy. This systematic design methodology, based on topology optimization, introduces a novel computationally efficient approach for 3D dynamic problems requiring antiresonances at specific target frequencies subject to specific harmonic loads. The optimization’s obje…
JASA Express Letters · 2022-11-01 · 6 citations
articleOpen accessControl of guided waves has applications across length scales ranging from surface acoustic wave devices to seismic barriers. Resonant elastodynamic metasurfaces present attractive means of guided wave control by generating frequency stop-bandgaps using local resonators. This work addresses the systematic design of these resonators using a density-based topology optimization formulated as an eigenfrequency matching problem that tailors antiresonance eigenfrequencies. The effectiveness of our sys…
Recent grants
NSF · $2.1M · 2012–2017
NIH · $382k · 2010
High-Strength High-Strain Structures Using Ceramic Cellular Contact-Aided Compliant Mechanisms (C3M)
NSF · $629k · 2009–2013
Frequent coauthors
- 35 shared
Timothy W. Simpson
Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek
- 27 shared
George A. Lesieutre
- 26 shared
James E. Hubbard
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
- 23 shared
Zoubeida Ounaies
- 18 shared
Aimy Wissa
Princeton University
- 17 shared
Eric Mockensturm
Pennsylvania State University
- 16 shared
James H. Adair
Pennsylvania State University
- 15 shared
Saad Ahmed
National University of Sciences and Technology
Labs
Biomaterials and Biomechanics LabPI
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