- Docente: Alfonso Micucci
- Credits: 6
- SSD: ICAR/05
- Language: Italian
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
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Corso:
Second cycle degree programme (LM) in
Mechanical Engineering (cod. 5724)
Also valid for Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Civil Engineering (cod. 0930)
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from Feb 17, 2025 to Jun 12, 2025
Learning outcomes
The aim of the course is to teach the student the fundamental principles of Forensic Engineering. At the end of the course the student is able to manage advanced techniques for the technical and kinematic reconstruction of road accidents and, consequently, for the continuous improvement of traffic safety.
He is able to:
- evaluate how the different types of set-up and the active and passive safety devices affect the dynamic behavior of a vehicle;
- conduct inspections and surveys on the site of the accident and on the vehicles involved;
- identify the causes in humans, infrastructure and vehicles;- develop motion calculations;
- independently draw up a written paper correctly.
Course contents
The student enrolling in this course has already acquired foundational knowledge in physics and rational mechanics. Additionally, they possess advanced proficiency in using Office suite applications (Excel, PowerPoint, Word), which are provided for free by the university under a student license. Further applications will be provided with free or temporary licenses directly by the instructor.
All lectures are conducted in Italian; therefore, understanding the Italian language is necessary to follow the lectures effectively and to utilize the provided teaching materials.
The course is predominantly attended by students of mechanical engineering and civil engineering, each with a different technical background, which the instructor takes into account during the course. The course aims to complement the theoretical discussion of the topics with practical aspects. Specific exercises, possible company visits, and seminars with industry experts are therefore planned.
The following topics are covered:
- Introduction: elements of forensic engineering, application principles, the role of the justice auxiliary, operational fields, difference between CTP (Technical Consultant of the Parties), CTU (Court-Appointed Expert), and Expert, judicial and extrajudicial activities. Liability of the technical consultant, civil/criminal, contractual and non-contractual. Current obligations.
- Italian Regulatory framework: sector regulations, highway code, implementation regulations, appendices, decrees on the characteristics of roads, intersections, barriers.
- Locomotion mechanics: characteristic equations of kinematics and dynamics, automotive wheel, adhesion phenomenon, tires in general and their characteristic parameters, interaction with the ground, drift, skid, suspensions, viscous dampers and springs, design choices and search for optimal road usage conditions, setup angles including camber, toe, caster, and Ackermann.
- Resistance to motion and lateral forces: aerodynamic resistance, tire rolling resistance, and path resistance, tire and infrastructure interaction; centrifugal force, wind thrust, effect of pavement inclination. Traction diagram.
- Steering: devices, kinematic steering, clearance envelope of road vehicles with two or more axles, dynamic steering, oversteering and understeering conditions, critical speed.
- Braking: generalities, braking devices, adhesion curves on different road surfaces, activation transient, braking distance and time.
- Active and passive safety: general framework of active safety systems in road vehicles, evolution and state of the art, ADAS and "Safety assist" systems. Design and operational criteria of passive safety systems, historical evolution of the airbag and passenger restraint systems, controlled deformation of the vehicle, the importance of crash tests for designing passive safety devices for vehicles, chassis, passenger compartment, and infrastructure. Functioning, data analysis, and usability of the black box.
- Field accident surveys: search for clues, survey of planimetric and altimetric conditions, any anomalies, signage, presence and efficiency of protection devices and lighting sources, visibility; UNI standards, traditional techniques, laser scanner, photogrammetry.
- Vehicle surveys: search for clues, fault detection, survey of deformations, black box reading, survey of seat belt status, speedometer status, chronotachograph recordings.
- Elements of traffic psychology: cognitive load, danger visibility, also in relation to site conditions, danger perception and reaction, central and peripheral vision. Characteristic times.
- Types and peculiarities of road accidents: classification of road accidents, axial collisions, side collisions, rollovers, accidents involving vulnerable users.
- Examination of pre-impact, impact, and post-impact phases: 'backward' and 'forward' techniques; identification of the impact point, followed trajectories, kinematics of the material point, energy balance, principle of conservation of momentum, result variability and usability limits, evaluation of energy dissipated in permanent damages, system of equations. Impact injuries and relations with the medical examiner. Accident avoidability: identification of alternative behaviors that would have prevented the collision and evaluation of their feasibility.
- Practical exercises: field survey of characteristic parameters, photogrammetry, numerical exercises.
A video presentation of the course is available through the links to further information at the top right of the page.
Course materials will be made available through a shared OneDrive folder.
Readings/Bibliography
Reference texts:
- A. Orlandi, Meccanica dei Trasporti, Pitagora Editrice
- G. Genta, Meccanica dell'autoveicolo, Levrotto & Bella
- A. Pietrini, Approccio alla ricostruzione degli incidenti stradali, EGAF
- M. Cassano, L'assetto in pratica. Set up statico, pista e corsa, Sandit
- N. Rose, Motorcycle Accident Reconstruction, SAE
The teacher provides teaching material and slides through a OneDrive shared folder.
Teaching methods
Lectures and practical exercises are held in the classroom. Practical exercises are also scheduled to take place outdoors.
To successfully follow the course, it is necessary to have a high-performance Windows PC, on which the following university-licensed educational applications must be installed: OneDrive, Office, AutoCAD LT, Kinovea, VLC.
Given the types of activities and teaching methods adopted, attendance in this educational activity requires all students to complete modules 1 and 2 in e-learning mode and to participate in module 3 of specific training on health and safety in study environments. Information on dates and attendance methods for module 3 can be found in the dedicated section of the course website.
Visits to companies (Ducati Motor Holding, Maserati, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Toro Rosso, Wind Tunnel, ...) may be arranged exclusively for students enrolled in the course. Access is not guaranteed as it is subject to the availability of the host companies during the course period.
Assessment methods
Before the end of the course, a partial written exam is scheduled, which includes solving a numerical exercise based on the application of the principle of conservation of momentum.
The result of this partial exam serves as a starting point for the final evaluation and can only be improved during the oral examination.
The oral examination consists of:
- Self-correction of the written exam. After comparing with the provided solution, the candidate will explain any mistakes made.
- A presentation, lasting a maximum of 10 minutes, using PowerPoint or similar, of a technical report on a topic agreed upon with the instructor, closely related to the course topics. The goal is to encourage the student to research field-relevant parameters. The work must be done individually. If the topic involves practical field tests, collaboration in pairs is allowed. The report and slides must be emailed to the instructor at least two days before the oral exam.
- A general question on the topics covered in the course and, if requested to improve the score, the impromptu development of a numerical calculation.
The originality of the topic of the report, the depth of the technical report, the student's ability to form a coherent understanding of the course topics and their critical use, as well as demonstrating mastery of expressive and specific language, will be positively evaluated.
A mostly mechanical and/or mnemonic understanding of the subject, unarticulated synthesis and analysis abilities, and correct but not always appropriate language will result in satisfactory evaluations.
Educational gaps and/or inappropriate language, even within the context of minimal knowledge of the exam material, will lead to grades that do not exceed the minimum passing mark.Educational gaps, inappropriate language, and a lack of familiarity with the bibliographic materials provided during the course will be evaluated negatively.
Teaching tools
The course is part of the University's teaching experimentation project.
In order to improve preparation, manage the path towards an exam with the best possible results, and make the lectures accessible to those who may occasionally be unable to attend, the lectures are recorded and made available upon request.
Links to further information
Office hours
See the website of Alfonso Micucci
SDGs




This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.