PhD in Mechanics and Advanced Engineering Sciences (DIMSAI)

Curriculum 1: Aerospace Engineering, Machine Elements, Manufacturing Processes and Metallurgy

 The curriculum pursues the education of researchers and high-qualified engineers, operating in the fields of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and able to address issues related to design and research activities in disciplines such as: 
- Aerodynamics and fluid dynamics
- Tribological behavior of metallic materials, with and without surface modifications 
- Metallurgical features of metallic components produced by innovative process such as additive manufacturing
- Mechanical and aerospace design and structures
- Aerospace plants and systems
- Microstructure and mechanical properties of advanced metals and metal matrix composites
- Flight mechanics and control
- Experimental stress analysis, characterization and development of constitutive models
- Design methods and tools in industrial engineering
- Mechanical and aerospace technologies and materials

Curriculum 2: Internal Combustion Engines, Fluid Machinery, Energy Conversion Systems, Mechanics of Machines and Industrial Mechanical Plants
The curriculum includes different subjects, ranging from internal combustion engines to industrial mechanical plants.
For the cultural fields Internal Combustion Engines, Fluid Machinery, Energy Conversion Systems the curriculum studies fluid machinery and energy conversion systems, addressing thermodynamic, fluid dynamic, energetic, ecological and technological issues by means of modeling, control and testing. In particular, the main research areas are:
- Modeling, control and testing of internal combustion engines and hybrid vehicles;
- Fluid dynamics simulation of internal combustion engines and fluid machinery;
- Numerical and experimental analysis in the field of gas turbines, combined cycles, steam engines, prime movers, and integrated systems for the processing and storage of energy from renewable and non-renewable sources.
For the cultural fields Mechanics of Machines and Industrial Mechanical Plants the curriculum comprises scientific and operative issues concerning the analysis, design and management of devices, machines, processes and industrial plants, through the adoption of a systemic approach and of methodologies drawn from theoretical, applied and experimental mechanics, industrial plants and production.
The main research areas are:
- Automation, robotics and mechatronics
- Biomechanics
- Vehicles, transport and lifting systems
- Dynamics and machine vibrations
- Monitoring, diagnostics and prognostics of mechanical systems
- Industrial plants and production systems
- Maintenance and industrial safety
- Instrumentation
- Logistics and operations

Curriculum 3: Thermal Physics, HVAC Systems, Acoustics, Nuclear Technologies and Industrial Applications of Plasmas
- Heat transfer and convection theory.
- Thermal analysis of porous media.
- Thermal and fluid-dynamic aspects of single-phase and two-phase flows in conventional devices and microdevices (microfluidics).
- Applied thermal engineering and HVAC systems.
- Heat exchangers and heat recovery systems.
- Renewable energy for HVAC (heat pumps, solar plants).
- Environmental acoustics, building acoustics, architectural acoustics, sound absorbing materials and systems, noise control techniques, digital processing of acoustic signals and lightning.
- Energy efficient buildings.
- Design of nuclear plants.
- Radioprotection.
- Risk analysis and safety.
- Modelling of neutron, charged particle and photon transport.
- Applications of nuclear technologies to medicine, industry and cultural heritage.
- Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) of two-phase flow.
- Development and validation of advanced computing platforms.
- Thermo-hydraulics of advanced nuclear reactors.
- Reliability and risk analysis at the system level.
- Calculation of thermodynamic and transport properties of plasmas.
- Physical modelling and design oriented simulation of plasma assisted processes.
- Diagnostics of plasma sources and processes.
- Biomedical applications of cold atmospheric plasmas and plasma medicine.