Overview

I am a researcher at the University of Salerno, Department of Civil Engineering, .

My current research activities are devoted to the computational design, modeling and manufacturing of multiscale innovative materials and structures in engineering fields where current knowledge of such systems is only partial. I study lattice structures at different scales, to form cellular solids; devices; fibers and fabrics; and building-scale structures.

A modeling research line of my research project studies the effects of internal and external prestress on nonlinear lattice mechanics, with the aim of designing arbitrary lattice behaviors. Material-scale applications of multiscale lattices deal with novel dynamic devices and hierarchical composite materials. A structure-scale application exploits lattices with morphing abilities to design adaptable envelopes for energy efficient buildings.

Previously, I have extensively studied the mechanical properties of dense, vertically aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) assemblies, through the formulation of a mechanical model directly inspired by the micromechanical response reported experimentally for such structures. Infinitesimal portions of the tubes have been represented by collections of bistable elastic springs. Under cyclic loading, the proposed model predicts switching between different elastic phases, hysteretic buckling, material densification, and fatigue damage.