Robert Gracie's Home Page

PhD Candidate
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Northwestern University
2145 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208-311
847-467-2435

Supervisor: Ted Belytschko

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Multiscale Modelling
- The coupling of continuum based models with mesoscale and atomistic models.
- Focus on prediction of plasticity and failure
Material design through simulation.
- Development of predictive numerical models of crystal plasticity in thin films and MEMS devices.
- Dislocation Dynamics modelling using XFEM in collaboration with Dr. G. Ventura
Experimental Verification and Validation of multiscale models.
Fracture Mechanics using the Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM)

PhD Candidate: 2004-present
Northwestern University, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Supervisor: Ted Belytschko
Scholarship: Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
Bachelor in Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering: 2002
University of Ottawa, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Graduated Summa Cum Laude
Gold Medal Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineers (CSME)
Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) Scholarship
Bachelor of Science in Computing Technologies: 2002
University of Ottawa, Department of Mechanical Engineering and School of Information Technology and Engineering
Graduated Summa Cum Laude

Natural Resources Canada, Government of Canada
Ottawa, ON.

Development of explicit Eulerian Finite Element models to analyze the effect of ice scours on buried offshore artic pipelines, and of implicit/explicit models to analyze the effect of the impact of objects on pressurized concrete encased pipelines.
Developed an object oriented Finite Element framework.
Supervised the work of several co-op students

2005-2008 Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
2005 Best Paper at Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering 2005
2004 Walter P. Murphy Scholarship
2001 Gold Medal Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineers (CSME)
2001 Earl Dudgeon Memorial Scholarship
2000 Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) Scholarship
1999 J.V. Marsh Memorial Award
1998 J.L. Richards Award
1998-2001 University of Ottawa Merit Scholarship

2006-present: Reviewer for International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering.
2007-2008 President for the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Society (MEGSS)
2006-2007 Treasurer for the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Society (MEGSS)
2005-2006 Faculty Coordinator for the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Society (MEGSS)

R. Gracie, H.W. Wang, and T. Belytschko, Blending in the eXtended Finite Element Method by Discontinuous Galerkin and Assumed Strain Methods. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, (early view 2007). (PDF) (DOI)
R. Gracie, J. Oswald, and T. Belytschko, On a new extended finite element method for dislocations: core enrichments. Journal of Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 56:200-214, 2008. (DOI)
T. Belytschko and R. Gracie, On XFEM applications to dislocations and interfaces. International Journal of Plasticity. 23(10-11):1721-1738, 2007. (PDF) (DOI)
R. Gracie, G. Ventura, and T. Belytschko. A new fast method for dislocations based on interior discontinuities. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, 69:423-441, 2007. (PDF)
Konuk, I. and R. Gracie A three-dimensional Eulerian finite-element model for ice scour. Journal of Pipeline Integrity. 3(4):207-220, 2004. (link)
R. Gracie, I. Konuk and F. Abdelfettah, An FEM analysis of the impact of external objects on pipelines. Journal Pipeline Integrity 2(4):241-250, 2003. (link)

T. Belytschko, J.H. Song, H.W. Wang and R. Gracie, On applications of XFEM to dynamic fracture and dislocations: IUTAM Symposium on Discretization Methods for Evolving Discontinuities: Proceedings of the IUTAM Symposium held Lyon, France, 4-7 September, 2006. Combescure, A., Borst, de, R., Belytschko, T. (Eds.), Vol. 5, 2007, ISBN 978-1-4020-6529-3 (link)

R. Gracie and T. Belytschko, 2D dislocations modelled by interior discontinuities in a Discontinuous Galerkin method. 9th US National Congress on Computational Mechanics (USNCCM), San Francisco, July 2007. (PDF)
R. Gracie and T. Belytschko, On a new method for modelling dislocations. 21st Canadian Congress of Applied Mechanics, Toronto June 2007. (PDF)
R. Gracie and T. Belytschko, An assumed strain blending element formulation for linear elastic fracture mechanics. 7th World Congress on Computational Mechanics, Los Angeles July 2006. (PDF)
I. Konuk, S. Yu, and R. Gracie, A 3-dimensional continuum ALE model for ice scour - study of trench effects. Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering, Halkidiki, Greece, June 2005. (PDF) Awarded Best Paper
I. Konuk, S. Yu, and R. Gracie, An ALE FEM Model of Ice Scour. Proceeding of the 11th International Conference of the International Association of Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics, Turin, Italy, June 19-21, 2005. (PDF)
I. Konuk, and R. Gracie, A 3-Dimensional Eulerian FE Model for Ice Scour. International Pipeline Conference, Calgary, Alberta, October 2004, paper IPC04-0075. (link)