Francesco Braghin – författare

The Engineering Approach to Winter Sports presents the state-of-the-art research in the field of winter sports in a harmonized and comprehensive way for a diverse audience of engineers, equipment and facilities designers, and materials scientists. The book examines the physics and chemistry of snow and ice with particular focus on the interaction (friction) between sports equipment and snow/ice, how it is influenced by environmental factors, such as temperature and pressure, as well as by contaminants and how it can be modified through the use of ski waxes or the microtextures of blades or ski soles. The authors also cover, in turn, the different disciplines in winter sports:  skiing (both alpine and cross country), skating and jumping, bob sledding and skeleton, hockey and curling, with attention given to both equipment design and on the simulation of gesture and  track optimization.

The Engineering Approach to Winter Sports presents the state-of-the-art research in the field of winter sports in a harmonized and comprehensive way for a diverse audience of engineers, equipment and facilities designers, and materials scientists. The book examines the physics and chemistry of snow and ice with particular focus on the interaction (friction) between sports equipment and snow/ice, how it is influenced by environmental factors, such as temperature and pressure, as well as by contaminants and how it can be modified through the use of ski waxes or the microtextures of blades or ski soles. The authors also cover, in turn, the different disciplines in winter sports:  skiing (both alpine and cross country), skating and jumping, bob sledding and skeleton, hockey and curling, with attention given to both equipment design and on the simulation of gesture and  track optimization.

The Engineering Approach to Winter Sports presents the state-of-the-art research in the field of winter sports in a harmonized and comprehensive way for a diverse audience of engineers, equipment and facilities designers, and materials scientists. The book examines the physics and chemistry of snow and ice with particular focus on the interaction (friction) between sports equipment and snow/ice, how it is influenced by environmental factors, such as temperature and pressure, as well as by contaminants and how it can be modified through the use of ski waxes or the microtextures of blades or ski soles. The authors also cover, in turn, the different disciplines in winter sports:  skiing (both alpine and cross country), skating and jumping, bob sledding and skeleton, hockey and curling, with attention given to both equipment design and on the simulation of gesture and  track optimization.

The book investigates acoustic cloaking for elliptical targets, starting from the development of a systematic approach to deal with such non-axisymmetrical shapes by adopting transformation acoustics in elliptic coordinates, and concluding with numerical and experimental validation of a microstructured cloak in the underwater environment. The book thus comprises all the steps from theory to practice that led to the first experimental validation of acoustic invisibility for non-cylindrical objects, whose results are presented in the last chapter. Indeed, despite Transformation Theory is now an established tool to design material distributions capable to unlock the design of invisibility devices, it is not trivial to apply it for shapes different than the sphere and the cylinder, which are thus the ones mainly addressed in the literature. This book paves the way for exploration of other shapes, demonstrating the effectiveness of a pentamode cloak in reducing the acoustic visibility of anelliptical target, and discussing design choices that can make the implementation of the required microstructure less cumbersome despite the lack of axial symmetry of the problem, from both the numerical and manufacturing point of views.

The book investigates acoustic cloaking for elliptical targets, starting from the development of a systematic approach to deal with such non-axisymmetrical shapes by adopting transformation acoustics in elliptic coordinates, and concluding with numerical and experimental validation of a microstructured cloak in the underwater environment. The book thus comprises all the steps from theory to practice that led to the first experimental validation of acoustic invisibility for non-cylindrical objects, whose results are presented in the last chapter. Indeed, despite Transformation Theory is now an established tool to design material distributions capable to unlock the design of invisibility devices, it is not trivial to apply it for shapes different than the sphere and the cylinder, which are thus the ones mainly addressed in the literature. This book paves the way for exploration of other shapes, demonstrating the effectiveness of a pentamode cloak in reducing the acoustic visibility of anelliptical target, and discussing design choices that can make the implementation of the required microstructure less cumbersome despite the lack of axial symmetry of the problem, from both the numerical and manufacturing point of views.

This open access book highlights the latest advances, innovations, and applications in the field of vehicle systems dynamics and control, as presented by leading international researchers at the 16th JSAE International Symposium on Advanced Vehicle Control (AVEC), held at Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy, on September 2-6, 2024. It covers a diverse range of topics such as vehicle dynamics theory, steering, brake, tire, suspension, chassis control, powertrain, electrified vehicles, stability enhancement systems, driver-vehicle systems, advanced driver assistance systems and automated driving systems, driving simulator dynamics and control. The contributions, which were selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, present a wealth of exciting ideas that will open novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaboration among different specialists.

This open access book highlights the latest advances, innovations, and applications in the field of vehicle systems dynamics and control, as presented by leading international researchers at the 16th JSAE International Symposium on Advanced Vehicle Control (AVEC), held at Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy, on September 2-6, 2024. It covers a diverse range of topics such as vehicle dynamics theory, steering, brake, tire, suspension, chassis control, powertrain, electrified vehicles, stability enhancement systems, driver-vehicle systems, advanced driver assistance systems and automated driving systems, driving simulator dynamics and control. The contributions, which were selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, present a wealth of exciting ideas that will open novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaboration among different specialists.

This book presents a rigorous yet practical framework for analyzing and optimizing the nonlinear dynamic behavior of mechanical systems, with applications spanning microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), robotics, and advanced structural components. Centered on Spectral Submanifold (SSM) theory, it shows how modern optimization techniques can be integrated to design systems that operate reliably under complex nonlinear dynamic conditions. The book begins by introducing the fundamentals of SSM theory and its role in modeling and understanding nonlinear vibrations. It then reviews key structural and topology optimization methods, such as density-based formulations and size optimization, highlighting their relevance for engineering design. Building on this foundation, the authors develop an SSM-based optimization framework for tailoring the nonlinear dynamic response of mechanical systems. Dedicated chapters address adjoint-based sensitivity analysis for frequency response and backbone curves, enabling efficient gradient-based optimization in large-scale design spaces, including topology optimization problems involving thousands of design variables. The proposed framework is illustrated through a series of parametric and topology optimization examples, including oscillator chains, resonators, and MEMS gyroscopes, demonstrating its scalability, versatility, and industrial relevance. Each chapter balances theoretical insight with practical implementation, guiding readers from foundational concepts to real-world applications. Aimed at graduate students, researchers, and practicing engineers in applied mechanics, nonlinear dynamics, and structural optimization, this book offers both a deep theoretical foundation and practical tools for modern mechanical system optimization.