At the end of the course, students will be able to: 1- appreciate the role of lightweight design in modern mechanical and automotive engineering; 2- critically compare metallic materials and fiber-reinforced composites, recognizing the differences in properties, manufacturing routes, and structural design strategies; 3- understand and discuss the mechanics of orthotropic materials, composite laminae, and laminates; 4- gain practical awareness of composite manufacturing and laboratory testing, and interpret the experimental characterization of composites under quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions; 5- understand the basic principles of FEM modelling for composite structures, including the integration of experimental data into composite material cards.

A good background in structural mechanics is required. Attendance of the Machine Design course is recommended.

Lightweight design and materials overview: advanced steels, UHSS, light alloys, and fiber-reinforced composites Composite constituents and classification: matrices, reinforcing fibers, and main classes of composite materials Micromechanics of composites: micromechanical behaviour of fiber-reinforced composites Lamina and laminate mechanics: orthotropy, stiffness, strength, constitutive equations, and interlaminar stresses Strength and damage analysis: behaviour under complex loading conditions, fatigue, and impact Numerical and design methods: FEM-based modelling laboratories and design methodologies for composite structures Experimental activities: manufacturing-related laboratory activities and testing of composite materials Advanced structural applications: sandwich structures

The teaching activities are organized into lectures, methodological classroom sessions, and laboratory activities, for a total of 60 hours. Lectures (41 hours), including seminars delivered by companies active in the lightweight sector, provide the theoretical background for the design of lightweight structures, with primary emphasis on composite materials and with reference to metallic lightweight solutions for comparison. Methodological classroom sessions (3 hours) are devoted to the basic principles of strain measurement and to the main testing standards adopted for the experimental characterization of composite materials. Hands-on laboratory activities (13 hours) are focused on composite manufacturing and on the experimental characterization of composites under quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions. Depending on the specific laboratory organization, these activities may include, for example, manufacturing processes such as vacuum bag infusion, as well as mechanical testing in tension, bending, and impact. Additional FEM laboratory activities (3 hours) are devoted to the integration of experimentally obtained material data into composite material cards for numerical modelling and analysis. Students are required to collect and organize the results of classroom and laboratory activities in individual or group presentation, which will be discussed during the final examination.

Reference textbooks • A. Kaw, Mechanics of Composite Materials • P.K. Mallick, Fiber-Reinforced Composites: Materials, Manufacturing, and Design • R.M. Jones, Mechanics of Composite Materials • S.W. Tsai, Theory of Composites Design • J.C. Halpin, Primer on Composite Materials Analysis • D. Gay and S.V. Hoa, Composite Materials: Design and Applications

Lecture slides; Exercise with solutions ; Video lectures (previous years);

Exam: Compulsory oral exam;

The final assessment consists of an individual compulsory oral exam and a final presentation/report on the laboratory activities. The presentation may be prepared either individually or in groups of up to five students. During the oral exam, each student individually chooses one section of the presentation and summarizes it briefly; the examiners then ask a question on one of the other sections of the presentation. Finally, one theoretical question about the discussion of the solution of an exercise discussed during the course. For this part, students may be allowed to refer to their own notes, if authorized by the examiners. The final grade is the average of three components: one laboratory activity chosen and presented by the student, one laboratory activity selected by the examiners, and theory. Additional points may be assigned on the basis of attendance at company seminars. No textbooks, calculators, or other devices are allowed during the oral exam.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.