Research

Research overview

The majority of the experimental and analytical research I have performed lays in the fields of acoustics, non-destructive evaluation (NDE), sensor-based structural health monitoring (SHM), and structural dynamics. 

As a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (10/2015 – 08/2018), I have been involved in researching novel monitoring and assessment approaches for railroad tracks, bridges, and wind turbine blades using:  (1) non-destructive and optically based measurement techniques, (2) unmanned aerial vehicles, and (3) MEMS-based devices. Moreover, I have contributed to the investigation of non-contact excitation methods for experimental modal analysis using focused ultrasonic transducers (FUTs).

Monitoring of a hairline crack on a bridge shoulder using a customized three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC) payload attached to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
Evaluation of the mechanical and dynamic behavior of a 60-meter long utility-scale wind turbine blade using a multi-camera three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC) approach.
Characterization of the acoustic pressure field generated by a focused ultrasonic transducer (FUT) used for non-contact modal excitation.

 

Before my post-doctoral period, my Ph.D. work focused on advancing approaches for performing structural dynamics analyses with emphasis on condition monitoring. I held a position as a research associate at Columbia University and another as a research assistant at the University of Calabria, Italy. During the first appointment (03/2013 – 07/2014), I had a leading role in a research project focused on structural monitoring of oil-drilling pipelines for reducing the risk of oil-spill and environmental disasters funded by British Petroleum (BP). In addition to that, I was involved in the instrumentation of heritage buildings for the measure of earthquake-induced vibrations and continued my doctoral research on the use of wireless MEMS-based accelerometers for vibration monitoring. In the second appointment (02/2012 – 02/2013), I performed research in the wide field of environmental acoustics and workers protection from noise and impulse sounds.

Washington D.C. National Cathedral's pinnacle earthquake-induced vibration monitoring using wireless, MEMS-based accelerometers (i.e., ALE) and traditional sensors.
Experimental setup (left) and accelerometers placement (right) used for studying variations in pressure and temperature inside an oil-drilling pipeline by changes in the dynamic properties.

 

For a detailed description of the main projects I participated in, please navigate the following links or the tab on the left.

Acoustics

Environmental and workplace noise

Non-Destructive Evaluation

Sensors development

Structural dynamics

Structural Health Monitoring