Flight and Structural Mechanics

This thematic area includes Space Flight Dynamics, and Mechanics of Materials and Structures

Since 1975 the Space Flight Dynamics Laboratory provides flight dynamics support to national and international space projects, covering new or very specific topics and tasks not suitable for industry involvement. To maintain a competitive edge in a rapidly changing environment, the areas of interest and the know-how progressively evolved, adapting to changing needs, innovative technologies and new problems. For these reasons, after having acquired a good reputation in flight dynamics control systems and spacecraft on-orbit operations, the laboratory extended over the years its activities in the fields of mission analysis, satellite re-entry predictions, space debris, stratospheric balloons, astrodynamics and planetary science, maintaining a unique role and mission in the Italian space landscape.

Since 1980 the Mechanics of Materials and Structures Laboratory has been carrying out research, software development and consulting in the field of continuum mechanics, with particular focus on structural engineering. The main research topic addressed is the thermo mechanical behaviour of elastic-plastic and non-linear elastic solids. The constitutive models studied and the numerical methods formulated for the solution of equilibrium and evolution problems are implemented in the finite element code for non-linear structural analyses NOSA.