Materials | Interview with the Newsletter Author—Prof. Dr. Aniello Riccio

Prof. Dr. Aniello Riccio is one of the corresponding authors of the Newsletter Article entitled “Non-Conventional Wing Structure Design with Lattice Infilled through Design for Additive Manufacturing” published in Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944). 

Prof. Aniello Riccio graduated in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Naples Federico II, Italy, in 1996 and obtained his PhD in 1999 from the Second University of Naples (SUN). In 2000, his doctoral thesis on the structural behavior of damaged composites was awarded the “Pratt & Whitney-EREA Award”, reserved for the best European doctoral theses. 

Between 2000 and 2010, he worked as a researcher at CIRA (Italian Aerospace Research Center), where he participated as project manager in several European research projects, military projects, national projects, and ASI-ESA projects, serving as task leader in some cases. His research, which defines his scientific profile, focuses on the development of numerical models and experimental approaches to study the behavior of multifunctional smart materials and additive manufacturing of composite and metallic structures in the presence of damage. These activities have been conducted in collaboration with universities, research centers, and European industries. 

Since 2003, as a member of the Structures and Materials Group of GARTEUR (Group for Aeronautical Research and Technology in Europe), Prof. Riccio has promoted several research topics within the organization. He served as chairman from 2008 to 2011, receiving official recognition for his work in 2012 (GARTEUR Certificate). 

From 2010 to 2014, Prof. Riccio was a university researcher at the Department of Engineering at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (formerly the Second University of Naples). He became an associate professor in 2014 and a full professor in 2018. He teaches courses in Aeronautical Construction, Aerospace Structures and Construction, and Composite Aerospace Structures.

Since 2020, he has been an associate researcher at the National Research Council (CNR), at the IPCB Institute (Institute for Composite Polymers and Biomaterials) of the Italian National Research Council.

Prof. Riccio serves as a referee, associate editor, and guest editor for numerous prestigious international journals on structures and materials. He is also regularly involved in European and national committees for the evaluation of research projects. 

From 1999 to the present, Prof. Riccio has authored numerous publications in leading international journals and proceedings of international and national conferences. For a detailed list of his main publications, please refer to the SCOPUS database (Author ID: 57891175700). 

Based on the positive evaluations by the reviewers and academic editors for Prof. Dr. Aniello Riccio’s group article, we have selected their article as the Newsletter Article for further promotion. 

“Non-Conventional Wing Structure Design with Lattice Infilled through Design for Additive Manufacturing”
by Numan Khan, Valerio Acanfora and Aniello Riccio
Materials 2024, 17(7), 1470; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17071470 

The following is an interview with Prof. Dr. Aniello Riccio: 

1. Congratulations on your published paper. Could you please briefly introduce the main research content of the published paper?
   Thanks! Our paper investigates the feasibility of replacing conventional spar–rib wing structures with lattice-infilled designs enabled by additive manufacturing. By combining nTop implicit modeling with ANSYS simulations, we evaluated five different lattice configurations. The results demonstrated that the Kelvin lattice offers the best balance of stiffness, weight reduction, and stress distribution. This work highlights lattice infill as a promising alternative for lightweight aerospace wing structures. 

2. What are the key takeaways you hope readers will gain from your paper?
   We hope readers will appreciate that lattice-infilled designs, when optimized using advanced computational tools, can achieve significant weight savings—up to approximately 9.5%—without compromising structural integrity. Furthermore, we hope the paper clarifies that the choice of lattice unit cell has a strong influence on stress distribution and wing-tip deflection, making design-driven lattice selection crucial for optimal performance. 

3. Was there a specific experience or event in your research career that led you to focus on your current field of research?
   Yes. During my experience as a lecturer in aerospace structures and through subsequent collaborations on aerospace structural design with aircraft manufacturing companies, I became increasingly aware of the limitations imposed by conventional manufacturing technologies on implementing innovative geometries. Working with additive manufacturing, I recognized its potential to overcome these constraints and to rethink traditional aerospace structures by leveraging unprecedented design freedom. 

4. Could you describe the difficulties and breakthrough innovations encountered in your current research?
   A major challenge was managing the complexity of lattice generation and optimization, which traditional CAD tools cannot efficiently handle. The breakthrough came with the adoption of implicit modeling using nTop, combined with automated, Python-based iterative optimization. This approach enabled us to systematically evaluate multiple lattice topologies and directly link design parameters to finite element performance. 

5. Does technological progress provide new opportunities for the topic you are researching? Does it bring any potential risks? How do you think these factors will affect future research trends on this topic?
   Technological advances in additive manufacturing and generative design, including the integration of AI, clearly open new opportunities for lightweight aerospace structures. However, challenges remain, such as controlling process variability, meeting certification requirements, ensuring the robustness of AI approaches, and the necessity for complex experimental tests for validation of numerical results. Future research will likely focus on integrating multi-material printing, real-time process monitoring, and establishing robust certification pathways to ensure the safe adoption of these technologies in the aerospace industry. 

6. How do you evaluate research trends in this field, and what advice would you give to other young researchers?
   The field is rapidly evolving toward design for additive manufacturing (DfAM), with growing emphasis on lattice and metamaterial-based structures. My advice to young researchers is to build a strong foundation in structural mechanics, develop expertise in computational optimization and additive manufacturing technologies, and maintain an open mindset toward interdisciplinary collaboration. 

7. What appealed to you about the Materials journal that made you want to submit your paper? In your opinion, what can authors expect when they submit to Materials?
   We chose Materials because of its strong reputation for publishing high-quality research at the intersection of advanced materials and engineering applications, its broad multidisciplinary readership, and its efficient publication process. Authors can expect fair peer-review, constructive feedback, and timely publication. 

8. What is your experience publishing with Materials?
   Our experience was very positive. The review process was rigorous yet constructive, the editorial handling professional, and the publication timeline efficient. This enabled us to refine our work and reach a wider audience quickly. 

9. How do you think the open access way of publishing impacts authors?
   Open access significantly enhances the visibility and accessibility of research, ensuring that both academic peers and industry professionals can benefit without barriers. For authors, it increases citations, fosters collaboration, and accelerates the translation of research into practical applications.