People

Current PhD Students

Ioan Bîrgăoanu-Acăei (TU Delft)

Topic: Modelling of thermoplastic composites for advanced manufacturingPromotor: Clemens Dransfeld

Hauke Maathuis (TU Delft)

Topic: Aeroelastic tailoringPromotor: Roeland de Breuker

Alex Pereira do Prado (TU Delft)

Topic: Aeroelastic tailoringPromotor: Roeland de Breuker

Mohamed El-Alfy (TU Delft)

Topic: Postbuckling in low-fidelity aeroelastic tailoringPromotor: Roeland de Breuker

Shreyas Anand (TU Delft)

Topic: Design for CrashworthinessPromotor: René Alderliesten

Arne Schiller (TU Delft)

Topic: Analytical formulation of more sustainable jointsPromotor: Chiara Bisagni

Hammad Rahman (TU Delft)

Topic: Simultaneous layout and sizing optimization of wing structuresPromotor: Roeland de Breuker

Hammad Rahman, Roeland De Breuker, Saullo G. P. Castro. "Optimal design of stiffened panels under buckling constraints: a design methodology considering CAD-based parameterization with simultaneous layout and sizing optimization". Conference: 33rd Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical SciencesAt: Stockholm, Sweden, 2022. View/Download

Eva Smeets (TU Delft)

Topic: Modelling and design of ultrasonically spot-welded joints
Promotor: René AlderliestenCo-promotors: Calvin Rans, Irene Fernandez Villegas

Current Master Students


Tiago Costa (with Calvin Rans)

Topic: Crashworthiness of the Flying-V wing-fuselage

Melvin Post (with Wydo van de Waerdt from GKN Fokker)

Topic: Validated models for bird strike crashworthiness

Yi-Hsiu Wu

Topic: Design for crashworthiness of hydrogen-powered aircraft

Shreyasi Mitra (with Shreyas Anand)

Topic: Reduced-order models for crashworthiness of composite structural elements

Aslan Bagirov (with Roelof Vos)

Topic: Design methodology of unconventional aircraft structures, Flying-V

Ioana Ciobotia (with Daniël Peeters and GKN Fokker)

Topic: Aircraft crashworthiness within a multidisciplinary optimization framework

Floris de Vries (with Tim Janssen from GKN Fokker)

Topic: Inverse-problem methodologies for optimum rib design

Kübra Almaz (with Mohamed El-Alfy)

Topic: Designs exploring the unexploited strength of materials with postbuckling

Koen Zandbergen (with Wydo van de Waerdt from GKN Fokker)

Topic: Design for crashworthiness, bird strike

Michał Skarka (with Sofia Teixeira de Freitas and Airbus)

Topic: Crashworthiness of bonded joints

Rowan Koenderink (with René Alderliesten)

Topic: Design methodology for engine supporting structures of unconventional aircraft applied to the Flying-V

Rafael Pereira da Silva (with Flávio Luiz Bussamra, ITA, Brazil)

Topic: Design for post-buckling

Jonas Bertholdt (with Wydo van de Waerdt from GKN Fokker)

Topic: Design for crashworthiness, bird strike, compliant structures for maximum elastic energy absorption

Rolijne Pietersma

Topic: Design of lightweight imperfection-insensitive shells

Bruno Ilves

Topic: Design of reusable lightweight space structures

Current Honours Students

Alex Nedelcu (with Daniël Peeters)

Topic: Advanced design constraints in automated fiber placement

Damien Keijzer

Topic: Multi-disciplinary optimization of a long-range eVTOL aircraft under uncertain mission parameters

Former PhD Students

Yanwei Zhang (visiting PhD from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China)

Topic: Reliability-based design and optimization of flapping wings

Yanwei Zhang, Zhonglai Wang, Saullo G. P. Castro. Data set for bionic simulation of double clap-and-fling wing mechanism with SPH FSI method [Data set]. Zenodo, 2022. 10.5281/zenodo.7256436 

Higor Luis Silva (visiting PhD from the University of Uberlândia)

Topic: Aeroelastic analysis and optimization of advanced composite structures
Higor Luis Silva, Thiago A. M. Guimarães, Saullo G. P. Castro. "Design and aeroelastic analysis of truss-based modular wing structures". AIAA Scitech 2023 Forum. 10.2514/6.2023-1677. View/Download Watch PresentationSILVA, Higor Luis. Structural and aeroelastic design and optimization of truss-based modular wing structures. 2022. 179 f. Tese (Doutorado em Engenharia Mecânica) - Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, 2022. DOI http://doi.org/10.14393/ufu.te.2022.345.





Zhihua Wang (visiting PhD from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China)

Topic: Reliability-based design and optimization of advanced composite structures
Zhihua Wang, José Humberto S. Almeida Jr., Luc St-Pierre, Zhonglai Wang, Saullo G. P. Castro. "Reliability-based buckling optimization with an accelerated Kriging metamodel for filament-wound variable angle tow composite cylinders". Composite Structures, Vol. 254, 2020. 10.1016/j.compstruct.2020.112821Castro, S. G. P., Almeida, J. H. S., Jr., St-Pierre, L., & Wang, Z. "Measuring geometric imperfections of variable-angle filament-wound cylinders with a simple digital image correlation setup". Composite Structures, 2021. 10.1016/j.compstruct.2021.114497José Humberto S. Almeida Jr., Luc St-Pierre, Zhihua Wang, Marcelo L. Ribeiro, Volnei Tita, Sandro C. Amico, Saullo G. P. Castro. "Design, modeling, optimization, manufacturing and testing of variable-angle filament-wound cylinders". Composites Part B, 2021. 10.1016/j.compositesb.2021.109224 Zhihua Wang, José Humberto S. Almeida Jr., Aravind Ashok, Zhonglai Wang, Saullo G. P. Castro. "Lightweight design of variable-angle filament-wound cylinders combining Kriging-based metamodels with particle swarm optimization". Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, 2022. 10.1007/s00158-022-03227-8

Former Master Students

Akshay Kulkarni (TU Delft)

Title: Design methodology and optimization of kick stage main structuresSupervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroCo-supervisors: Richard Degenhardt, Robert MeitznerDefense: 27/March/2023

Sankalp Bangera (TU Delft)

Title: Global optimization using a deflation-based method for the design of composite structuresSupervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 27/March/2023

Marco Desiderio (TU Delft)

Title: Flying-V Crashworthiness: a Preliminary AssessmentSupervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroCo-supervisors: René Alderliesten, Michiel SchuurmanDefense: 20/March/2023
Data set:Marco Desiderio. Data set: Fokker F-28 Fellowship typical fuselage surface model for crashworthiness. Zenodo, 2023. 10.5281/zenodo.7702918.

Marloes Nanninga (TU Delft)

Title:  High-Fidelity Structural Sizing Method for Weight Estimation of a Flying-VSupervisor: Roelof VosCo-supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 11/January/2023

Rutger Voeten (TU Delft)

Title: A design methodology for unconventional engine mounting structures applied to the Flying-VSupervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroCo-supervisor: Roelof VosDefense: 18/October/2022

Ioan Bîrgăoanu-Acăei (TU Delft)

Title: Digital Image Correlation For Fatigue Life Characterization Of Ultrasonically Welded Lap Shear JointsSupervisor: Calvin RansCo-supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 07/September/2022

Paolo Minigher (TU Delft)

Title: Shape Sensing and Load Reconstruction for Static and Dynamic ApplicationsSupervisor: Saullo G. P. Castro,Co-supervisor: Janto Gundlach (DLR)Defense: 05/August/2022
Paolo Minigher, Janto Gundlach, Saullo G. P. Castro, Yves Govers. "Shape Sensing with Sparse Strain Information for Aerospace Applications". Preprint, 2022.  10.31224/2546 Dataset:Paolo Minigher, Janto Gundlach, Saullo G. P. Castro. ISTAR Demo Wing Abaqus Model [Data set]. Zenodo, 2022. 10.5281/zenodo.7030874

Sam van Elsloo (TU Delft)

Title: Proposal and Validation of an Immersed Interface Method applied to the Lattice-Boltzmann MethodSupervisors: Saullo G. P. Castro, Alexander van ZuilenDefense: 27/June/2022

Irene Solbes Ferri (TU Delft)

Title: Dynamic continuous fiber optical strain sensing for damage diagnosis on beam-like composite structuresSupervisors: Saullo G. P. Castro, Roger GrovesCo-supervisor: Johannes Knebusch (DLR)Defense: 10/February/2022

Thom Dotman (TU Delft)

Title: "A structural sizing methodology for the wing-fuselage of the Flying-V"Supervisors: Saullo G. P. Castro, René AlderliestenDefense: 16/December/2021

Aravind Ashok (TU Delft)

Title: "Bayesian Optimization for Lightweight Design of Variable Stiffness Composite Cylinder"Supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 22/October/2021

Zhihua Wang, José Humberto S. Almeida Jr., Aravind Ashok, Zhonglai Wang, Saullo G. P. Castro. "Lightweight design of variable-angle filament-wound cylinders combining Kriging-based metamodels with particle swarm optimization". Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, 2022. 10.1007/s00158-022-03227-8

Harshavardhan Vijaya Kumar (TU Delft)

Title: "Modularization of topology optimized structures: An image moment approach"Supervisors: Sergio Turteltaub, Saullo G. P. CastroCo-supervisor: Ad Eijkelenboom (SAFRAN)Defense: 28/September/2021

Deacon Foulds (TU Delft)

Title: "Validation of Breathing Modes in Wind Turbine Blade Finite Element Models"Supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroCo-supervisors: Janto Gundlach (DLR), Johannes Knebusch (DLR)Defense: 20/August/2021
Dataset: Deacon Foulds, Johannes Knebusch, Janto Gundlach, Saullo G. P. Castro, Yves Govers. SmartBlades 2.0 Rotor Blade Nastran Models (Version 2021-11-26) [Data set]. Zenodo, 2021. 10.5281/zenodo.5729717.

Tulio Gomes de Paula Machado (ITA - Aeronautics Institute of Technology)

Title: "Design and optimization of wing stiffened panels using variable stiffness laminates with coupled variable thickness"Supervisor: José Antônio HernandesCo-supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 31/March/2020 
Machado, T. G., Hernandes, J. A., Capacia, V., and Castro, S. G., 2021, “Design of Compressed Variable Stiffness Panels with Steering-Thickness Coupling,” AIAA Scitech 2021 Forum, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Reston, Virginia. View/Download Watch Presentation Rogério Rodrigues dos Santos, Tulio Gomes de Paula Machado, Saullo G. P. Castro. "Support Vector Machine Applied to the Optimal Design of Composite Wing Panels". Aerospace, 2021. 10.3390/aerospace8110328 

Thomas Janssens (TU Delft)

Title: “Semi-analytical modelling of VAT laminates with cut-outs: Behaviour of discontinuous variable stiffness laminates using Enriched Rayleigh-Ritz method”Supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 07/February/2020

Janssens, T. A., and Castro, S. G., 2021, “Semi-Analytical Modelling of Variable Stiffness Laminates with Cut-Outs,” AIAA Scitech 2021 Forum, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Reston, Virginia. View/Download Watch Presentation 

Lander Vertonghen (TU Delft)

Title: “Semi-Analytical Buckling and Optimisation of Variable Stiffness, Variable Thickness Laminates”Supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 13/December/2019


Lander Vertonghen, Saullo G. P. Castro. "Modelling of fibre steered plates with coupled thickness variation from overlapping continuous tows". Composite Structures, 2021. View/Download

Victor Capacia (ITA - Aeronautics Institute of Technology)

Title: “Optimization of post-buckling composite wings using lamination parameters in Lagrange mapped domains”Supervisor: José Antônio HernandesCo-supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 22/May/2018 
Capacia, Vi., Almeida, S. F., and Castro, S. G., 2021, “Circumferential and Radial Lamina Application for Natural Frequencies Problems,” AIAA Scitech 2021 Forum, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Reston, Virginia. View/Download Watch Presentation Victor N. Capacia, José A. Hernandes, Saullo G. P. Castro. "Composite panel optimization using lamination parameters and inverse distance weighting interpolation". Proceedings of the 25th ABCM International Congress of Mechanical Engineering (COBEM 2019). Brazil, Uberlândia-MG. DOI: 10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2019.COB2019-1745, 2019. View/Download

Dalton Assumpção Leite (ITA - Aeronautics Institute of Technology)

Title: “Estabilidade aeroelástica de painéis laminados de material compósito sujeitos a cargas de cisalhamento”Supervisor: Maurício Vicente DonadonCo-supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 28/February/2018

Marcelo de Lima Marcolin (ITA - Aeronautics Institute of Technology)

Title: “Fatigue analysis for frequency response with multiple loads and events”Supervisor: Maurício Vicente DonadonCo-supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 27/February/2018

Raul Baston Olympio (ITA - Aeronautics Institute of Technology)

Title: “Nonlinear Finite Element Formulation for Composites Morphing Beams with Embedded Piezoelectric Layers”Supervisor: Maurício Vicente DonadonCo-supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 11/October/2017
Raul Olympio, Mauricio V. Donadon, Saullo G. P. Castro. "An active-passive nonlinear finite element model for electromechanical composite morphing beams". 31st Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, ICAS 2018 (2018). Belo Horizonte, Brazil. View/Download 

Odeny Dias de Matos Júnior (ITA - Aeronautics Institute of Technology)

Title: “Aeroelastic Behavior of Stiffened Composite Laminated Panel with Embedded SMA Wire Using the Hierarchical Finite Element Method”Supervisor: Maurício Vicente DonadonCo-supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 23/February/2017

Odeny Dias de Matos Junior, Mauricio V. Donadon, Saullo G. P. Castro. "Aeroelastic Behavior of Stiffened Composite Laminated Panel with Embedded SMA Wire using the Hierarchical Rayleigh–Ritz Method". Composite Structures, Vol. 181, Pages 26-45, December, 2017. 10.1016/j.compstruct.2017.08.060 

Diego Daroz Ayusso (ITA - Aeronautics Institute of Technology)

Title: “The Effects of Stiffener Imposed Warping Constraints on the Aeroelastic Behaviour of Reinforced Composite Panels”Supervisor: Maurício Vicente DonadonCo-supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 21/March/2016

Guilherme Pedroso Pires Abreu (ITA - Aeronautics Institute of Technology)

Title: “Local Buckling Optimization of Composite Wing Panels with Advanced Constraints via Nastran’s SOL 200 with a Structure and Finite Element Model Manager Tool”Supervisor: José Antônio HernandesCo-supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 21/March/2016
Guilherme P. P. Abreu, Saullo G. P. Castro, José A. Hernandes. "A tool for local buckling optimization of composite panels using NASTRAN® SOL 200", Proceedings of the 24th ABCM International Congress of Mechanical Engineering (COBEM 2017). Brazil, Curitiba-PR. doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2017.COB17-2396, 2017. View/Download 

Alexandre Moreto Massoca (ITA - Aeronautics Institute of Technology)

Title: "Otimização de uma asa multi-longarinas em compósito com restrições de manufatura"Supervisor: José Antônio HernandesCo-supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 14/January/2014 

Vinicius Leite Lemos (ITA - Aeronautics Institute of Technology)

Title: "A two-step approach for structural optimization of blended composite wing-box""Supervisor: José Antônio HernandesCo-supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 02/December/2013
Vinicius L. Lemos, Saullo G. P. Castro, José A. Hernandes. "Integrating automatic zone modeling with GA in a two-step approach for structural optimization of a composite wing". Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Engineering Optimization (ENGOPT), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. July 1 - 5, 2012. View/Download Poster View/Download 

Vinicius Magalhaes Cunha (ITA - Aeronautics Institute of Technology)

Title: "Envelope de cargas em interiores de aeronaves"Supervisor: Flávio Luiz de Silva BussamraCo-supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 04/March/2013

Johannes Solaß (Bauhaus-University Weimar)

Title: "Investigation of buckling behavior of carbon fiber reinforced composite shell structures with respect to imperfections"Advisor: Carsten KönkeCo-advisor: Richard DegenhardtDaily-supervisor: Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 29/November/2012

Annemarie Herrmann (Bauhaus-University Weimar)

Title: "Investigation of buckling behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced composite shell structures with openings"Advisor: Carsten KönkeCo-advisor: Richard DegenhardtDaily-supervisor: Saullo G. P. Castro, Mariano ArbeloDefense: 29/November/2012
Mariano A. Arbelo, Annemarie Herrmann, Saullo G. P. Castro, Regina Khakimova, Rolf Zimmermann, Richard Degenhardt. "Investigation of buckling behavior of composite shell structures with cutouts". Applied Composite Materials, November, 2014. 10.1007/s10443-014-9428-x

Thiago Augusto Machado Guimarães (ITA - Aeronautics Institute of Technology)

Title: "Modelagem de zonas de laminação e otimização da sequência de empilhamento em estruturas de materiais compostos "Supervisor: Prof. Dr. José Antônio HernandesCo-supervisor: Dr.-Ing. Saullo G. P. CastroDefense: 04/August/2010
Thiago A. M. Guimaraes, José A. Hernandes, Saullo G. P. Castro. "A two-step approach to multi spar composite vertical empennage structure optimization". Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Engineering Optimization (ENGOPT), Lisbon, Portugal. September 6 - 9, 2010. View/DownloadThiago A. M. Guimaraes, José A. Hernandes, Saullo G. P. Castro. "Multi spar composite vertical empennage structure optimization". Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Engineering Optimization (ENGOPT), Lisbon, Portugal. September 6 - 9, 2010. View/DownloadSaullo G. P. Castro, Thiago A. M. Guimaraes, José A. Hernandes. "Comparison of free stacking sequence approach (T-THETA) versus a predefined 0/+45/-45/90 sequence in a typical aircraft wing optimization". Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Engineering Optimization (ENGOPT), Lisbon, Portugal. September 6 - 9, 2010. View/Download   Poster View/DownloadSaullo G. P. Castro, Thiago A. M. Guimaraes, José A. Hernandes. "Composite optimization performance comparison between Genesis's BIGDOT and modeFRONTIER's MOGA II algorithms". Proceedings of the VI Congresso Nacional de Engenharia Mecânica (CONEM), Campina Grande-PB, Brazil. August 18 - 21, 2010. View/Download   Poster View/Download

Former Honours Students

Raphael Ummels

Topic: Design and optimization of advanced composite structures

Raphael Ummels, Saullo G. P. Castro. "Overlap-stiffened panels for optimized buckling performance under minimum steering radius constraints". Composites Part C, 2021. 10.1016/j.jcomc.2021.100174