Alberto Pirrera
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View article: Gust load alleviation performance of a passively actuated spoiler: an aircraft-scale aeroelastic study
Gust load alleviation performance of a passively actuated spoiler: an aircraft-scale aeroelastic study Open
Passive gust load alleviation systems have the potential to significantly reduce airframe mass without reliance on complex systems of sensors and actuators. Recent experimental work by the authors has shown that a passive, strain-actuated …
View article: A Bistable Assistive Device for Wireless Control of a Dysfunctional Bladder Under Minimal Stress
A Bistable Assistive Device for Wireless Control of a Dysfunctional Bladder Under Minimal Stress Open
A wireless system for real‐time bladder volume sensing and timely voiding can manage underactive bladder (UAB) but should avoid imposing long‐term stress on the bladder during application. Here, this work develops a flexible sensing‐actuat…
View article: Proof of concept of a nonlinear structural stability constraint for aeroelastic optimisation
Proof of concept of a nonlinear structural stability constraint for aeroelastic optimisation Open
In the past few decades, substantial work has been directed towards the design of aircraft structures that maximise fuel efficiency, improve performance and curtail emissions. Aeroelastic optimisation offers an effective way to devise ligh…
View article: A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak
A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak Open
Biology is a wellspring of inspiration in engineering design. This paper delves into the application of elastic instabilities—commonly used in biological systems to facilitate swift movement—as a power-amplification mechanism for soft robo…
View article: Adhesive Snap-Fit Joints for Modular Wind Turbine Blades: A Numerical Feasibility Study
Adhesive Snap-Fit Joints for Modular Wind Turbine Blades: A Numerical Feasibility Study Open
Larger rotor diameters are sought by wind turbine manufacturers as they favour cost-effective energy generation. However, manufacturing, transporting, and installing longer blades gets increasingly complicated, time-consuming, and costly. …
View article: Wrinkling of differentially growing bilayers with similar film and substrate moduli
Wrinkling of differentially growing bilayers with similar film and substrate moduli Open
The study of growth-induced surface wrinkling in constrained bilayers comprising a thin film attached to a thick substrate is a canonical model for understanding pattern formation in many biological systems. While the bilayer model has rec…
View article: Dataset for computational and experimental buckling analysis of constant-stiffness and variable-stiffness composite cylinders
Dataset for computational and experimental buckling analysis of constant-stiffness and variable-stiffness composite cylinders Open
This dataset encapsulates comprehensive information and experimental outcomes derived from the buckling test of variable-stiffness composite cylinders subjected to axial compression. It is the first dataset about the correlation between ex…
View article: Buckling-induced sound production in the aeroelastic tymbals of <i>Yponomeuta</i>
Buckling-induced sound production in the aeroelastic tymbals of <i>Yponomeuta</i> Open
The loss of elastic stability (buckling) can lead to catastrophic failure in the context of traditional engineering structures. Conversely, in nature, buckling often serves a desirable function, such as in the prey-trapping mechanism of th…
View article: Sensitivity of cross-sectional compliance to manufacturing tolerances for wind turbine blades
Sensitivity of cross-sectional compliance to manufacturing tolerances for wind turbine blades Open
Wind turbine blades are complex structures and, despite advancements in analysis techniques, differences persist between predictions of their elastic response and experimental results. This undermines confidence in the ability to reliably …
View article: Sensitivity of cross-sectional compliance to manufacturing tolerances for wind turbine blades
Sensitivity of cross-sectional compliance to manufacturing tolerances for wind turbine blades Open
Wind-turbine blades are complex structures and, despite advancements in analysis techniques, differences persist between predictions of their elastic response and experimental results. This undermines confidence in the ability to reliably …
View article: Active reconfiguration of multistable metamaterials for linear locomotion
Active reconfiguration of multistable metamaterials for linear locomotion Open
Buckling-driven shape-shifting is increasingly being used in metamaterials to achieve mechanical programmability and novel functionality. Here, we show that the post-buckling response and the ensuing behavior, of lattice metamaterials can …
View article: Structural function from sequential, interacting elastic instabilities
Structural function from sequential, interacting elastic instabilities Open
Elastic instabilities have traditionally been considered a failure mechanism; however, recent years have seen numerous studies exploiting instabilities as a means to achieve structural functionality. By contrast, interacting instabilities …
View article: Probing in situ capacities of prestressed stayed columns: towards a novel structural health monitoring technique
Probing in situ capacities of prestressed stayed columns: towards a novel structural health monitoring technique Open
Prestressed stayed columns (PSCs) are structural systems whose compressive load-carrying capacity is enhanced through pre-tensioned cable stays. Much research has demonstrated that PSCs buckle subcritically when their prestressing levels m…
View article: Increasing reliability of axially compressed cylinders through stiffness tailoring and optimization
Increasing reliability of axially compressed cylinders through stiffness tailoring and optimization Open
The capabilities of the rapid tow shearing (RTS) process are explored to reduce the well-known imperfection sensitivity of axially compressed cylindrical shells. RTS deposits curvilinear carbon fibre tapes with a fibre-angle-thickness coup…
View article: Probing the stability landscape of cylindrical shells for buckling knockdown factors
Probing the stability landscape of cylindrical shells for buckling knockdown factors Open
The buckling response of axially compressed cylindrical shells is well known for its imperfection sensitivity. Mapping out a stability landscape by localized probing has recently been proposed as a rational means for establishing shell buc…
View article: Building blocks that govern spontaneous and programmed pattern formation in pre-compressed bilayers
Building blocks that govern spontaneous and programmed pattern formation in pre-compressed bilayers Open
Surface wrinkling in stiff-film/soft-substrate bilayers is a common phenomenon in biological systems and is increasingly being exploited in thin-film technology. While the onset of surface wrinkling in end-compressed bilayers is well under…
View article: Comparison of blade optimisation strategies for the IEA 15MW reference turbine
Comparison of blade optimisation strategies for the IEA 15MW reference turbine Open
Reference wind turbine models are crucial for enabling the research community to advance technology and meet the challenges associated with upscaling. The IEA 15 MW is one such reference model, designed using NREL’s WISDEM tool, which enab…
View article: Structural Design of Wind Turbine Blades with an Additively Manufactured Graded Lattice Core using Topology Optimisation
Structural Design of Wind Turbine Blades with an Additively Manufactured Graded Lattice Core using Topology Optimisation Open
Conventional wind turbine blade manufacture relies on large, expensive moulds. Instead, using additive manufacturing to print the internal structure of blades, upon which it would be possible to lay composite plies, could significantly red…
View article: Manufacture and buckling test of a variable-stiffness, variable-thickness composite cylinder under axial compression
Manufacture and buckling test of a variable-stiffness, variable-thickness composite cylinder under axial compression Open
View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-0664.vid Variable-angle tow (VAT) manufacturing methods significantly increase the design space for elastic tailoring of composite structures by smoothly changing the fiber angle and …
View article: Design of Shape-Adaptive Deployable Slat-Cove Filler for Airframe Noise Reduction
Design of Shape-Adaptive Deployable Slat-Cove Filler for Airframe Noise Reduction Open
Mechanical instabilities and elastic nonlinearities are emerging means for designing deployable and shape adaptive structures. Dynamic snap-through buckling is investigated here as a means to tailor the deployment and retraction of a slat-…
View article: A repair algorithm for composite laminates to satisfy lay-up design guidelines
A repair algorithm for composite laminates to satisfy lay-up design guidelines Open
Composite materials, due to their high specific strength and stiffness, are commonly used to design lightweight structures. However, the anisotropy of composite laminates induces complex multi-modal failure mechanisms and often undesired m…
View article: Imperfection-Insensitive Continuous Tow Sheared Cylinder
Imperfection-Insensitive Continuous Tow Sheared Cylinder Open
Geometric imperfection sensitivity is the largest influencing factor that limits the design of thin-walled monocoque cylinders. Current generation cylindrical architectures, such as those found in rocket launch vehicles, rely on the use of…