Description:

The Group of Aerospace Structures is active in the Department of Engineering and promotes research and high education on topics related to the analysis, design and maintenance of lightweight structures for aerospace applications.

The Group's main topics include the static and dynamic analysis of lightweight stiffened shells, typically employed in aircraft and space vehicles, the study of structural and aero-elastic instabilities and the analysis of the effects of damage on the structural performance and safety.

Other topics of interest include the study of materials mechanics and micromechanics, either for traditional materials or for advanced composite, multi-functional and micro-architectured materials, with a specific focus on the initiation and propagation of damage.

The Group is especially active in the development of effective and innovative numerical models for the analysis of aerospace materials and structures.

Main research topics:

• Semi-analytical and numerical formulations for the non-linear, buckling and post-buckling analysis of composite plates and shells, also in presence of damage.
• Advanced formulations for the structural analysis of smart multi-functional plates, e.g. piezo-electric or magneto-electro-elastic plates.
• Computational modelling of Variable Angle Tow and Functionally Graded plates and shells.
• Micro-mechanical and multi-scale computational analysis of degradation and failure in polycrystalline and composite materials, also in presence of environmental effects (e.g. corrosion) and cyclic fatigue loads.
• Computational modelling of micro-architectured materials to support the development of additive manufacturing technologies.
• Discontinuous Galerkin methods for fluid-structure interactions.

Main recent projects:

• 2015 - PON Ricerca e Competitività 2007-2013 - CERVIA Project (Advanced and Innovative Certification and Assessment Methods).
• 2015-2016 - DITECO Project - Fracture mechanics of composite structures with stiffeners - stage II - Funding: Leonardo Company.
• 2017-18, SPIA Project – Computational post-buckling analysis of composite plates - Funding: Leonardo Company.
• 2019 - PRIN - DEVISU - Development and applications of a Virtual hybrid platform for multiscale analysis of advanced Structures of aircraft

Keywords: Aerospace Structures, Research, High Education