RESEARCHER. EXPLORER. WORK IN PROGRESS.
I’m Xingyu. I explore how structures deform,
how ideas take shape, and what happens in between.
01THE QUESTIONS THAT PULL ME IN
Mechanics is a way of looking at the world.
I move between geometry, computation, and experiment to understand how things change.
01 / FORM
From pattern transport to conformal integration, geometry gives a structure its possibilities — and its constraints.
02SELECTED EXPLORATIONS
From thin films to engineering uncertainty.
A closer look at the questions, methods,
and people behind the work.
First author · 2026 / 2027
Reading the hidden mechanics of a stiff film on a soft substrate — from indentation to the onset of penetration.
Co-author · 2026
How patterned thin sheets meet a sphere, carry a pattern, and remain attached to a curved surface.
Project lead · 2023
A national student innovation project on centrifugal pump design with machining uncertainty.
03AN OPEN EXPERIMENT
Pull a parameter. Follow the response.
Small experiments to make abstract mechanics a little more tangible.
Increase the indentation and watch a thin sheet change shape. Geometry makes a local input visible across the whole surface.
A geometric sketch to build intuition. No material model, physical units, or research results are implied.
04THE PUBLISHED RECORD
02 published papers, and room for what’s next.
Full citations. Direct sources. Open questions.
FIRST AUTHOR · PUBLISHED
Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 218, 106826.
Published online 2026-09-01 · Citation year 2027
Scaling laws, nonlinear finite-element simulations, and model experiments connect indentation-based characterization of layered soft materials with rupture initiation and the buckling-limited minimum probe size.
First author · Methodology, formal analysis, investigation, validation, data curation, and manuscript drafting/revision.
Behind the researchXingyu Zhou, Wei Jian, Yingchao Zhang, Xue Feng. (2027). Deep indentation and penetration of stiff thin film on soft substrate. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 218, 106826. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2026.106826
@article{zhou-2027-indentation,
title = {Deep indentation and penetration of stiff thin film on soft substrate},
author = {Xingyu Zhou and Wei Jian and Yingchao Zhang and Xue Feng},
journal = {Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids},
year = {2027},
volume = {218},
pages = {106826},
doi = {10.1016/j.jmps.2026.106826},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2026.106826},
note = {Available online 2026-09-01}
}CO-AUTHOR · PUBLISHED
Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 216, 106744.
Published online 2026-07-01 · Citation year 2026
A mechanics framework connects petal-to-sphere attachment and pattern transport with the stability of the wrapped interface.
Co-author · Investigation; writing — review & editing.
Behind the researchWei Jian, Xingyu Zhou, Yingchao Zhang, Xue Feng. (2026). Mechanics of attachment and interfacial stability in wrap-like transfer printing. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 216, 106744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2026.106744
@article{jian-2026-wrap,
title = {Mechanics of attachment and interfacial stability in wrap-like transfer printing},
author = {Wei Jian and Xingyu Zhou and Yingchao Zhang and Xue Feng},
journal = {Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids},
year = {2026},
volume = {216},
pages = {106744},
doi = {10.1016/j.jmps.2026.106744},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2026.106744},
note = {Available online 2026-07-01}
}05AWAY FROM THE EQUATIONS
the other side of the notebook
A space for everyday observations, unfinished thoughts, and the moments between the work.
06THE PERSON BEHIND THE QUESTIONS
I’m Xingyu, a mechanics researcher with a foundation in Engineering Mechanics at Northwestern Polytechnical University.
My work moves between analytical reasoning, computation, and experiment. This website is a place for that work to meet the rest of life.
A little more about meBegan studying Engineering Mechanics at Northwestern Polytechnical University.
Led a national student innovation project and a mechanics competition team.
Spoke as the outstanding student representative at the school’s undergraduate graduation ceremony.
Two JMPS studies published online: one on wrap-like transfer printing, and a first-author study on indentation and penetration.
ONE QUESTION LEADS TO ANOTHER.
