Research

My Research Motivation in a Nutshell

Interests

  • Adhesively bonded structures
  • Fracture & Damage mechanics
  • Experimental mechanics
  • Composite-to-metal bonded joints

The Research Team

Romina Lopes Fernandes

Romina Lopes Fernandes

Ph.D. candidate

Fracture mechanisms of Steel-to-GFRP adhesively bonded structures with extra-thick bondlines Follow
Julian Kupski

Julian Kupski

Ph.D. candidate

On the influence of the composite adherend properties and joint topology on the failure mechanisms of overlap bonded joints Follow
Márcio Arouche

Márcio Arouche

Exchange Ph.D. candidate

Fracture mechanisms of composite-to-metal bonded joints under ageing conditions Follow
Mohamed Nasr Saleh

Mohamed Nasr Saleh

Postdoctoral Researcher

Fracture mechanisms of composite-to-metal adhesively bonded joints (maritime structures) Follow

Alumni

Wandong Wang – Postdoctoral researcher – Topic: Fatigue & Fracture of Titanium-to-CFRP adhesively bonded joints

Chantal de Zeeuw – Master student – Thesis topic: The behaviour of steel bonded joints under hygrothermal and creep loading

Christophe Severijns – Master student – Thesis topic: Susceptor-assisted induction curing behaviour of a two component epoxy paste adhesive for aerospace applications 

Xavier Deville – exchange Master student (EPFL, Switzerland) – Thesis topic: Induction heating with carbon nanotube fibres

Vacancies

Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in working in my team.

I always like to be inspired by the students creativity, so  if you like to discuss a topic of a Master or Bachelor thesis you can always drop by.

There is currently no vacancies for PhD or Postdoc positions in my team.

A Great Team!

I have the privilege to work  with bright and talented researchers, to whom I acknowledge the motivation and the hard-work behind my research activities. To the left you can find the list of researchers currently working in my team.

Research Projects

  • DURABOND

    Durable composite-to-metal bonded joints for heavily loaded structures at extreme environmental conditions

    This project studies the effects of hygrothermal aging conditions on thick bonded joints between steel and composite structures in heavy loaded structures, such as ships, offshore construction and bridges. The increasing demand for higher load capacity on these structures opens a generous opportunity for the next generation of heavily loaded hybrid structures.

  • FlyBond

    Novel design concept for composite bonded joints

    This project investigates novel concepts for composite bonded joints, focusing mainly on the effect of the composite adherend properties and joint topology on the overall joint performance.

  • TICO-AJO

    TItanium COmposite Adhesive JOints

    The aircraft of the future will consist of different materials with optimized properties for each structural role. Joining different materials is inevitable in those hybrid structures.

    Aiming for a better prediction of the performance of those bi-material joints, this project is focused on the understanding of the fracture properties in quasi-static and fatigue loading of composite-to-titanium bonded joints.

  • QUALIFY

    Enabling Qualification of Hybrid Structures for Lightweight and Safe Maritime Transport