Biography

My main scientific activity is related to theoretical and computational continuum mechanics, with emphasis on structural mechanics and the simulation of plastic forming manufacturing processes. More particularly, the innovative character of my research is related to the development of new finite elements and algorithms for large strains and deformations, nonlinear anisotropic constitutive behaviours, structural instabilities, contact nonlinearities and complex strain hardening formulations.


Related to industrial applications, my research activities focus on traditional metal forming processes as well as unconventional ones, such as tubular hydroforming and incremental forming for automotive industry. In this area, my scientific activities also involved the study of hydroforming of tailor-welded dissimilar tubes, which then evolved to the modelling and simulation of Friction Stir Welding operation in similar and dissimilar materials. Another research field involves optimization algorithms for metal forming processes, with emphasis in die and tool design. This topic is intended to be applied to demanding industrial applications - such as in the beverage cans industry - and within plastically formed components.


Still related to sheet metal formed products, I was responsible for developing a line of research within the prediction and characterisation of compressive instabilities coming from plastic forming (commonly known as wrinkling patterns), which represents a strong and common drawback (both from structural and economical standpoints) in automotive and beverage cans industries, among others. This line of research was funded, between 2007 and 2010, by the Portuguese National Science Foundation (FCT), with obtained results being ranked as "excellent" by the funding agency (based on the quality of published papers in international journals and international conferences, books and book chapters, supervision of PhD and MSc students, organisation of international conferences, etc.).


Another area of research is related to the structural characterisation and stability of light-weighted structures for aeronautic and aerospace applications. In this field, I am currently developing a research line focusing on integrally-stiffened-based fuselage panels and their structural characterisation, regarding catastrophic elasto-plastic buckling and failure, under static and dynamic loading. This line of research is representative of a ongoing collaboration between Queen's University Belfast (UK) and the University of Salerno (Italy). Together with the latter, a particular focus is placed on the modelling and numerical simulation of Friction-Stir welded operations for aeronautic structures subjected to dynamic alternating loads, and the influence of welding process parameters in the structural behaviour of the final industrial components.


Additionally, I am involved in the study of the constitutive behaviour and characterisation of advanced steel (high strength) alloys, a line of research also supported by another FCT research project (of which I was the leading Researcher), and developed in collaboration with the IFAM research group, of the RWTH Aachen University, Germany.


Since the beginning of 2011, I have started a line of research related to Isogeometric Analysis (IgA) and formulations, dedicated to (i) material forming processes and (ii) structural stability; in close collaboration with the Computational Mechanics and Advanced Materials Group, Department of Structural Mechanics, University of Pavia, Italy. Within my sabbatical leave from Aveiro, I have been working in Italy with this group from September 2011 to April 2012 as an Invited Researcher, and from May 2012 to August 2012 I have worked at the RWTH University of Aachen, Germany, within the continuity of my research on Isogeometric Analysis applied to solid and structural mechanics.


Since 2015, I am deeply involved in the area of Engineering Education (global strategies, teaching/learning methodologies, curricula design, public policies), following the most recent strategic lines of the European Commission regarding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) careers promotion within young people, particularly with the goal of filling the gap between academia and society (community, industry, policy makers) and providing paths for engineering education focused on societal challenges and needs.