Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026136010

Authors: Kuo-Tsang Huang Pei-Lun Fang Hung-Peng Chang

A framework was developed in this study for setting and adjusting energy-saving targets for existing public-sector office buildings. Using self-reported energy data, we removed outliers and grouped buildings by average daily operating hours. We analyzed electricity use intensity distributions and assigned reduction rates based on each building’s percentile within its group, allowing for larger improvements from high-consumption buildings while limiting pressure on already efficient ones. The framework achieved an average annual energy-saving effect of about 1% and can inform future revisions of energy management policies and target values for public office buildings.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026140008

Authors: Kavita Behara

Power electronics is a cornerstone of modern electrical engineering, underpinning technologies from renewable energy systems to electric vehicles. Traditional lecture-based methods often emphasise rote learning and procedural skills but provide limited opportunities for higher-order thinking or experiential practice. To meet the needs of Generation Z learners and align with industry expectations, new pedagogical frameworks are required that combine cognitive rigour with authentic, technology-enhanced learning. This study introduces a Higher-Order Thinking Skills with Real-Time Simulation pedagogical framework to enhance learning outcomes in diploma-level power electronics. A quasi-experimental mixed-methods design was applied with 40 students divided into control and experimental groups. The control group received lectures, while the experimental group engaged with the HOTS–RTS framework across four topics: rectifiers, converters, inverters, and applications. Pre- and post-tests, Likert-scale surveys, reflections, and instructor observations provided data for both quantitative (t-tests, effect sizes) and qualitative thematic analysis. The experimental group achieved higher post-test gains (20.1 vs 9.5 points), with a large effect size (d = 1.9). Surveys revealed that 65 per cent of respondents rated RTS as highly effective, and Likert scores improved by 1 or more points in HOTS-related skills. Reflections emphasised clarity, confidence, and collaboration. HOTS–RTS effectively integrates cognitive rigour with real-time practice, aligning with STREAMS principles and equipping learners with next-generation industry competencies.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133120

Authors: Robert Rogólski

This paper presents the application of a structural finite element model (FEM) of a light patrol aircraft for numerical flutter analysis. The thin-walled structure was developed using 2D shells and additional 1D beam elements. The virtual structure was supplemented with additional point elements imitating lumped masses of non-structural on-board components. The model was subjected to validation for qualities such as the mass distribution, its CG location, the structural stiffness of its airframe units, and the similarity of natural modes. The comparative analyses showed satisfactory consistency of the mass and stiffness properties of the FEM with the actual aircraft. Numerical flutter analysis was then performed with the MD Nastran for an integrated aeroelastic model consisting of the FEM and the simplified aerodynamic model. The critical velocities of basic flutter modes were determined. Using simplified kinematic models of flight control systems built into the FEM, an analysis of the sensitivity of control surface flutter due to the pilot’s influence was carried out. The stick grip and the support of control pedals with the pilot’s legs cause specific conditions related to the imposition of additional stiffness and mass on the control manipulators. These conditions directly affect the natural frequencies of control surface modes, which translates into a change in the critical flutter speed of the tail. For the established range of changes in stiffness and mass added to the stick and pedals, a series of analyses of natural vibrations and flutter were carried out. The influence of the change in the support conditions of control manipulators was illustrated in graphs.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026140004

Authors: Kavita Behara Ramesh Kumar Behara

High penetration of converter-based wind generation reduces system inertia. It poses challenges to frequency stability in modern distribution networks, particularly in doubly fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind-energy-conversion systems (WECSs), where frequency regulation is coupled with point-of-common-coupling (PCC) voltage and power factor (PF) dynamics. This study presents a multi-objective comparative evaluation of proportional–integral (PI), proportional–integral–derivative (PID), fractional-order PID (FOPID), and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) controllers for a DFIG-based WECS connected to a radial distribution feeder. Controller parameters are tuned using multi-objective optimisation, considering frequency deviation, overshoot, settling time, disturbance robustness, control smoothness, and computational cost, while maintaining PCC voltage and PF within acceptable limits. MATLAB/Simulink simulations are conducted under turbulent wind conditions, load variations, voltage disturbances, and measurement noise. The results indicate that conventional PI and PID controllers exhibit limited performance under low-inertia conditions, whereas FOPID improves damping and voltage/PF behaviour. ANFIS achieves the best overall performance, providing reduced frequency deviation, faster settling time (below 3 s), improved disturbance rejection, and significantly lower integral absolute error (up to ~90%) compared to PI control. These findings offer practical guidance for selecting and tuning controllers to enhance frequency-centric stability in wind-integrated distribution networks.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026140005

Authors: Senthil Krishnamurthy Abuyile Mpaka

The addition of renewable energy sources (RES), including photovoltaic (PV) and wind generation technology, has introduced new challenges and opportunities for modern power systems. This paper examines the functionality and reliability of a hybrid PV–-wind-integrated 9-bus power system evaluated in DIgSILENT PowerFactory. The system has been designed with two solar PV plants, two offshore wind farms, multiple loads, and transformer interconnections, and aims to evaluate steady-state, dynamic, and contingency behavior. The system was evaluated using load-flow, quasi-dynamic, and RMS simulations to assess power balance, voltage stability, and fault recovery. The outcomes indicated convergence, balanced power flow, and system resilience under single-contingency conditions. This paper shows the effectiveness of the power system simulation tool for analyzing hybrid renewable power systems.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133121

Authors: Nikolaos Kalliatakis Nabih Naeem Prajwal Shiva Prakasha

The year 2025 saw the continuing trend of worsening wildfire severity and impact with escalating costs, burnt area and casualties. Subsequently, the capability for a rapid response operation is ever-growing, with aerial assets providing a key role in fulfilling this function. One problem with aerial suppression is the reliance on updated fire data and precise fire front information. Drones or other long-endurance vehicles are commonly used to assist in this matter, providing real-time data and imagery to the manned suppression bombers. The interactions and collaboration between these systems to achieve an improved wildfire suppression can be classified as a system-of-systems (SoS). To facilitate the design, interaction and communication of the surveillance drones and suppression aircraft, this paper develops a holistic framework using an agent-based simulation. The framework allows for the analysis of top-level drone design parameters and operational considerations with their communication and collaboration both with each other and the suppressive agents. The results showcase the importance of swath radius for better wildfire coverage and suppression, with radii less than 50 m preventing successful exploration of the fire. The importance of monitoring is highlighted by the observed greater reductions in burnt area and fleet energy usage when increasing the monitoring agent fleet size by 50% compared to the same increase in suppression agent fleet size.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026140006

Authors: Ajibola Oyedeji Peter Olukanmi

Detecting anomalies in high-dimensional temporal data in modern power grids is important for operational resilience. A long short-term memory (LSTM) autoencoder framework was introduced to detect anomalous windows. In the first phase, due to the lack of labeled anomalous data, the first 75% of the multi-feature nodal dataset was taken to represent normal operational patterns. From the normal, 75% was allocated for training and 25% for validation. In phase 2, statistical filtering was used to select the windows in the top 80% with the lowest reconstruction error calculated after training the phase 1 model. The LSTM autoencoder achieved a better reconstruction loss value of 0.000179 and identified 3062 anomalous windows in comparison to a standard autoencoder.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026140001

Authors: Maysam Soltanian David Oyedokun Pitambar Jankee Hilary Chisepo

The increased penetration of renewable energy resources with low inertia poses a risk to the frequency and voltage stability of modern power systems. Therefore, it is important to investigate grid-support functions from inverter-interfaced technologies. While conventional software simulations provide valuable insights into system behavior, they fail to capture physical interactions and hardware dynamics. This paper presents a power-hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) platform used to evaluate inverter grid-support functions in a physical microgrid supplied by two synchronous generators connected to a load bus. The inverter is implemented in Simulink, executed on a real-time simulator and interfaced to the physical load bus through a power amplifier. The inverter controller uses droop control to inject power in response to frequency and voltage deviations. Experimental results demonstrate that the PHIL platform captures dynamic interactions between virtual and physical components. The paper concludes with practical guidelines and key considerations for the reliable application of PHIL in validating inverter control strategies in small-scale microgrids.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133119

Authors: Paolo Aliberti Emina Hadžialić Marco Sorrentino Helmut Kühnelt

The aviation sector is under increasing pressure to cut emissions, prompting strong interest in alternative propulsion systems. This study examines the potential of hybrid-electric aircraft relying on electrochemical energy storage and conversion units (EC-ESC), consisting of proton exchange membrane fuel cell systems coupled with batteries. A design space exploration framework is proposed to size and control these systems for regional aircraft, treating fuel cell system nominal power and battery C-rate as key design variables, while also accounting for in-flight degradation. A flexible degradation-aware control strategy manages power sharing within the co-design strategy, which seeks a configuration minimizing the total EC-ESC equivalent mass. The entire procedure is designed versatilely enough to be applicable for the model-based design and energy management of EC-ESC units destined for several end uses, e.g., short/medium-haul, and long-haul aircraft or automotive.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133117

Authors: Raphael Gebhart Franciscus L. J. van der Linden

Contrail emissions are aviation’s largest non-CO2 contribution to global climate change. According to the Schmidt–Appleman criterion, potential future aircraft propulsion systems may enhance contrail formation relative to conventional engines through three mechanisms: (1) increased overall efficiency, (2) the use of hydrogen as fuel, and (3) external cooling in low-temperature fuel cell propulsion systems, which is the most critical factor. This paper presents the thermodynamic background and a system concept for contrail prevention applicable to conventional gas turbines, hydrogen combustion, and fuel cell propulsion systems. First, it is shown that fuel cell propulsion and hydrogen combustion exhibit equivalent thermodynamic contrail propensity when fuel cell exhaust is mixed with cooling air, analogous to core–bypass mixing in a conventional turbofan engine. Second, contrail mitigation via controlled condensation of exhaust water vapor is analyzed. It is demonstrated that the required cooling for LT-PEM fuel cell systems is 3–5 times lower than for turbofan engine, due to the already extensive thermal management in fuel cells. Since contrail avoidance is only necessary in ice supersaturated regions, a control scheme is proposed that limits condensation to the minimum required amount of water, thereby significantly reducing the overall drag impact. Avoiding contrail formation could provide a substantial climate benefit for future propulsion architectures.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133113

Authors: Victor Norrefeldt Arnav Pathak Marie Pschirer

Today’s cargo bay uses Halon 1301 gas for fire suppression. While effective, this fluid is broadly banned due to its high global warming potential (GWP) of 5700 and its high ozone depletion potential. Hence, alternative agents for cargo fire protection are being sought. In this framework, tests were conducted in the Fraunhofer Flight Test Facility with the goal of evaluating the uniformity of spread of various fire suppression agents, specifically a blend of a Hydrofluoroolefine (HFO) and CO2. The facility’s cargo area, with a volume of 38 m3, features a low-pressure vessel integrating a previously operated aircraft segment. In a series of tests, the alternative extinguishing agent was supplied into the cargo hold demonstrator and concentrations were measured in different locations to understand the uniformity of distribution and the system behaviour under a realistic flight envelope. Test results show several interesting outcomes. In the empty cargo hold with air movement due to leakage, initial bottle filling weight and extinguishing agent initial concentration are consistent. When no flow movement is applied to the cargo hold, a separation between upper and lower cargo hold concentrations is found. The heavy extinguishing agent necessitates a buoyancy correction of the measured pressure differential by air density and elevation.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133118

Authors: Leonard John Arne Dekeyser Lars-Fredrik Berg Jens Tübke

The increasing electrification in aircraft propulsion and assistant systems necessitates innovative approaches in battery safety design. This work presents an investigation into a lightweight, fire-resistant composite battery housing tailored for modular battery applications with potential for high-volume production. Utilizing the promising thermal capabilities of phenolic polymers, the housing parts were tailored around the identified fire protection baseline functions like bulkheads, outer walls and a venting concept consisting of burst valves and a venting channel. Component-level fire resistance tests were performed to close the testing gap between material and battery module-level testing.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133111

Authors: Victor Norrefeldt Arnav Pathak Simon Holz Jonas Pfaff Marie Pschirer Sebastian Schopferer Jürgen Kuder

The carriage of portable electronic devices (PED) powered by lithium-ion batteries in the aircraft cabin today is a fact. Passengers carry several such batteries in mobile phones, tablets, laptops, e-cigarettes, power banks, etc. Even though rare, there is a remaining risk that a Li-ion battery experiences thermal runaway. This typically results in the emission of smoke and gas as well as the emergence of flames and fire, thus posing a threat to safe operation. To meet this challenge, procedures have been defined, and additional mitigation means have emerged on the market. This study presents an anonymized assessment of additional mitigation means. For this, manufacturers provided samples of their product on a voluntary basis to test the potential to contain a Li-ion battery fire. Furthermore, handling was evaluated by a panel of cabin crew members. As a result, a series of recommendations for additional mitigation means and procedures was derived.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133110

Authors: Moritz Bäß Lukas Kettenhofen Kai-Uwe Schröder

In the preliminary design of aircraft structures, efficient modelling techniques are essential to balance accuracy and computational cost. Shear Panel Theory (SPT) offers a simple yet effective idealisation of thin-walled, stiffened structures such as wings. It captures more structural detail—like ribs, sweep and taper—than traditional beam idealisation and would otherwise require detailed finite element analysis. However, compared to a finite element model, the degrees of freedom of the structure as well as the meshing effort are significantly reduced, as SPT idealisation uses a structural element approach. This improves mass estimation and structural response calculation and makes SPT particularly well-suited for optimisation tasks in early design phases. This work presents a methodology to derive structural properties of wing segments based on NACA airfoils using SPT. This offers adjustment of the wing’s geometry for use in aeroelastic analysis and enables fast evaluation of structural behaviour and gradient computation, supporting integration into multidisciplinary design optimisation frameworks. The proposed methodology advances the use of idealised structural models in aircraft design by bridging the gap between high-fidelity analysis and system-level aeroelastic simulations, supporting faster and more informed early design iterations.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026135021

Authors: Enrico Chinchella Arianna Cauteruccio Luca G. Lanza

This work focuses on the wind-induced bias in measurements from three commonly avail-able non-catching precipitation instruments. The bias was evaluated using a numerical approach to compute the velocity field around the instrument body in windy conditions and the effect that such aerodynamic disturbance has on raindrop trajectories. The instrument performances are shown in terms of Catch Ratios and Collection Efficiency for drop size distribution and rainfall intensity measurements, respectively. Both overestimation and underestimation were observed, depending on wind speed and direction. The correction of raw measurements can be performed based on collocated anemometer measurements.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133105

Authors: Sebastian Merbold Franz-Theo Schön Prabhjot Singh Chetan Sain Jeffrey Hänsel Stefan Kazula Stefanie de Graaf

Effective thermal management is crucial for the development of future electrified aircraft propulsion systems. One of the most challenging phases is the take-off phase, which imposes particularly high demands on cooling systems. In addition, the aerodynamic drag during cruise flight has to be kept to a minimum. This study introduces a novel experimental thermal management system using a test stand with a modular air duct (TMTmad), which is designed specifically to investigate different configurations of air supply and heat exchanger in fuel cell-based electrified propulsion systems. Given the versatility of nacelle-integrated electrified propulsion architectures, this approach offers high flexibility in the design and integration of thermal management systems. This includes aspects such as the location, orientation and geometry of an air-cooled heat exchanger (HEX), as well as the inlet and outlet configurations. Moreover, the optimization of the uniform flow guidance of the duct flow within the nacelle and the integration of additional fans to ensure airflow under critical conditions can be studied. The main heat source delivers up to 6 kW of heating power with a temperature range from −20 °C to 200 °C. The study measures the heat flux and pressure losses within these systems and includes a thorough fluid flow analysis. Furthermore, the experimental data serves as a valuable resource for validating numerical models of cooling ducts, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of future design iterations.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133103

Authors: Fermin Navarro-Medina Pablo Solano-López Ester Velázquez-Navarro Marta Moure Cuadrado

Deep space missions face challenges in guidance, navigation, and control due to subtle non-gravitational forces, such as the Pioneer Anomaly—an unexplained acceleration toward the Sun observed in Pioneer 10 and 11. The most plausible cause is thermal recoil from anisotropic infrared emission by onboard systems, RTGs, and radiators. This study models thermal acceleration based on spacecraft geometry and heat-source placement, analyzing two spacecraft configurations for outer solar system missions. By parametric analysis, we assess the influence of geometric, thermo-optical properties, and emitted power, and we propose design recommendations—symmetrical layouts, optimized materials, and heat management—to mitigate or exploit thermal forces for improved navigation passive control.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133115

Authors: Jorge García Rodríguez Pablo Lopez Domene Alejandro Camps Cabezas

In long-haul flights, cold non-insulated structural zones within aircraft cabins can lead to discomfort for passengers and crew, particularly during cruise phases. Moreover, during ground operations in cold weather, maintaining the thermal conditioning of the cabin becomes challenging, especially with open doors. This article presents the development of an active air curtain designed to address these issues by isolating significant cold zones and enhancing cabin comfort. The conceptual design is based on redirecting conditioned air to form a controlled barrier, which reduces thermal gradients and air mixing. The cold stream infiltrating from non-insulated structures was characterized under typical cruise scenarios using flight test data, while the open-door scenario on the ground was characterized analytically. A CFD analysis was performed to optimize nozzle geometry, airflow rate, and placement. Based on simulation results, a prototype was manufactured and tested in a controlled laboratory environment. The experimental validation confirmed the effectiveness of the air curtain in minimizing heat loss and improving thermal comfort. This paper discusses design trade-offs, thermal performance, and integration considerations, highlighting the potential of air curtains as a lightweight and low-impact solution for environmental control systems in modern transport cargo aircraft.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133100

Authors: Javier Hernandez-Olivan Panagiotis Kolozis Andrea Calvo-Echenique José Manuel Royo Susana Calvo Elias P. Koumoulos

Ultrasonic Guided Wave (UGW)-based Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is a promising strategy for detecting damage to aeronautical structures, although its application is complicated by signal complexity and experimental uncertainty. This work seeks to identify damage-sensitive signal features for integration into Machine Learning (ML) frameworks, offering physics-informed indicators. The study combined experimental monitoring of damage to Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) plates and finite element models. To overcome the numerical–experimental mismatch, an ML algorithm predicted experimental characteristics from numerical data. The robustness of the model was validated by extrapolation (prediction of future damage) and generalization (prediction on unseen plates) strategies, confirming that ML can robustly correct for uncertainty. These results validate hybrid strategies that feed Digital Twin approaches to structural diagnosis and real-time forecasting.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133102

Authors: Carmelo-Javier Villanueva-Cañizares Álvaro Gómez-Rodríguez Cristina Cuerno-Rejado

Studying the effect of gusts on aircraft is an essential task in aerodynamic and structural design and analysis, as well as in airworthiness certification. The singular design and operational characteristics of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) demand a specific study of gust effects on these vehicles. This investigation uses the discrete gust criterion prescribed in current fixed-wing RPA codes to analyse the gust behaviour of RPA from a conceptual design viewpoint. The results obtained from the flight envelope analysis allow us to assess the influence of stall, manoeuvring, and gust effects on the overall envelope, with these aspects showing significant differences with respect to conventionally piloted aircraft.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133114

Authors: Nikolaos Ziakos Andrea Cini

An automated framework for the parametric FE model generation and sizing of composite aircraft wings suitable for early-stage studies is presented. Implemented in Python and HyperMesh TCL, the tool controls both outer-geometry parameters, such as span, taper ratio, and twist, and internal-structural layout parameters, such as spar locations, rib spacing, and stringer layouts, and generates analysis-ready 2D composite GFEM models with material assignment and layups for size optimization. To demonstrate the workflow, a Design of Experiments (DoE) is performed on a representative transport wing internal structural layout, while keeping the outer geometry fixed. For each DoE point, OptiStruct performs gradient-based composite-size optimization to minimize structural mass, subject to composite strength (max strain), buckling, and metallic no-yielding constraints. A staged multi-run strategy is implemented to mitigate the effects of local minima. DoE results show a strong correlation and a non-monotonic effect of stringer number, an increase in mass as the front spar moves aft, and a comparatively weaker effect of the number of aluminum ribs. As a preliminary baseline, a Random Forest surrogate trained on the DoE predicts the wing structural mass with reasonable accuracy (RMSE =0.081), motivating the future implementation of Gaussian process models with uncertainty modeling. The framework accelerates early-stage structural design exploration and is amenable to surrogate-based optimization.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133101

Authors: Noor ul Ain Ahmed Maksim Shundalau Marialuigia Raimondo Vidmantas Gulbinas Maria Sarno Claudia Cirillo Patrizia Lamberti

Multijunction solar cells employing a GaInP/GaAs/Ge triple-junction configuration are the dominant technology for space photovoltaic applications. The choice of an efficient electrode is crucial in solar cells, as it enables effective charge carrier collection and transport while allowing maximum light to reach the active layer. Indium tin oxide (ITO)/graphene hybrid electrodes have emerged as smart transparent conductors offering significant advantages over conventional brittle ITO films. Graphene electrodes were prepared by cold-wall chemical vapor deposition and ITO electrodes were commercially obtained and used as a base for hybrid ITO/graphene electrodes. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the successful integration and characteristic G and 2D bands on the ITO surface. Nanoscale current mapping via Tunneling Atomic Force Microscopy (TUNA-AFM) verified continuous conductive pathways throughout the film with ~60% increase in nanoscale tunneling current at graphene/ITO interfaces, indicating improved local charge transport pathways. These results demonstrate the suitability of ITO/graphene hybrid electrodes a promising material for multijunction solar cells and other aerospace technologies.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133107

Authors: Francisco Javier Colmenero Jorge Ocón Mercedes Alonso Raquel Jalvo Javier Ramos

A software autonomy framework provides a vital solution to the challenges posed by growing congestion in Earth’s orbits and the increasing complexity of planetary exploration. For satellite constellations, IOS & ISAM missions, autonomy minimizes dependence on ground control by enabling real-time decision-making for spacecraft collision avoidance, client capture, robotic servicing operations, resource optimization, and resilience against cyber threats in a crowded and geopolitically sensitive space environment. Similarly, autonomous frameworks allow rovers to operate efficiently on distant planets, where communication delays make manual control impractical. By integrating adaptive navigation, fault management, and cooperative behaviors, these systems enhance mission success, reduce operational costs, and ensure rapid responses to dynamic conditions, both in orbit and on planetary surfaces. This paper presents the ERGO Autonomy SW Framework as a mature solution to deal with these space challenges.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133109

Authors: Georgios Iosifidis Richard Haidl Koji Hasegawa Bernhard Weigand

Future aircraft propulsion concepts (e.g., water-enhanced engines and fuel cells) will depend on efficient water recovery to enhance cycle efficiency and environmental performance. Operating conditions commonly involve droplet (mist) transport in turbulent air and wall-bounded films formed by droplet–wall interactions. This work develops an Eulerian–Lagrangian model within the RANS/URANS framework that accounts for air–droplet–wall phenomena—interfacial shear, impingement, and film advection. A dynamic contact-angle model, implemented and calibrated from static contact angle measurements performed in this study, represents wall wetting at the liquid–solid interface. The model is validated against experiments using two design metrics: pressure loss across the unit and recovered water mass fraction. At a low Mach number (Ma=0.1), saturated and dry air produce nearly identical pressure losses in the circular test section, whereas the separation lip geometry exerts a strong influence via local acceleration and separation. The simulations reproduce measured pressure drops and water mass recovery with close agreement.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133108

Authors: Armand-Ioan Curpanaru Philippe Pastor Fabrice Demourant Eric Nguyen Van

The development of aircraft with high-aspect-ratio (HAR) wings and flexible lightweight structures is at the forefront of efforts for a more sustainable aviation. Nevertheless, this change in aircraft configuration is accompanied by significant complexity. Specifically, it calls for the modelling of strong aero-structural couplings and the concurrent synthesis of active control laws to mitigate the higher structural loads generated by HAR wings. Managing these challenges from the very onset of the preliminary design phase demands a unified approach. Consequently, this paper leverages a Flexible Wing Co-design framework that integrates aeroelastic wing design and robust H∞ controller synthesis for gust load alleviation (GLA). This co-design capability is deployed to conduct a sensitivity analysis of wing aspect ratio effects, as well as a multidisciplinary design optimisation (MDO) approach focused on minimising mission block fuel. The results confirm that the proposed approach delivers substantial mass savings and superior aircraft performance, establishing it as an indispensable tool for the early stage development of next generation configurations.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133106

Authors: Thorben Hammer Stefanie de Graaf Anne Treder

The present work investigates the flight characteristics and handling qualities of the novel aircraft concept “HyBird” through multiple scaled flight experiments. Various adaptations were made to the demonstrator—especially to the placement of the electrically driven propeller. The first flight experiment revealed drawbacks of the positioning of the electric propeller at the wing tips and tips of the V-Tail. In further experiments, the propeller positioning was changed to investigate a modified aircraft configuration. These flight tests showed significantly improved flight characteristics. The findings substantiate the critical role of propeller positioning in the design of novel aircraft concepts.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133083

Authors: Andrea Reindl Rushikesh Mali Franciscus L. J. van der Linden

Future More-Electric and All-Electric Aircraft (MEA/AEA) require electric power systems (EPS) with higher installed power, improved reliability, and reduced complexity, motivating a fundamental reshape of the architecture and key system-level design choices. This paper applies a structured design process to future DC-based EPS and derives justified decisions from a comprehensive assessment of state-of-the-art research. Among three possible topologies, the bipolar three-wire DC grid is selected as the preferred architecture due to its superior corona suppression, insulation behavior, electromagnetic compatibility, safety, and reliability. A voltage-level study shows that increasing the low-voltage bus from 28 V to 48 V yields the most significant wiring-weight reduction (∼20%), while increasing the high-voltage level from 800 V to 1200 V offers only marginal benefits and introduces additional insulation and partial-discharge challenges. For power conversion, both isolated and non-isolated DC/DC converters are required: non-isolated multiphase interleaved converters are suited for smaller subnetworks, whereas isolated dual active bridge converters are foreseen for inter-grid power exchange. Midpoint grounding via a resistor is identified as a robust baseline concept that ensures fault detectability and operational continuity while providing controlled fault currents and limited voltage deviations, with the final resistance value to be refined based on the finalized grid configuration. The study focuses on architecture-level assessment and does not include dynamic simulations or experimental validation, which are identified as areas for future work.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133099

Authors: Álvaro Cobo-González Cristina Cuerno-Rejado

Unconventional aircraft configurations hold great potential for improving air transport efficiency and reducing aviation’s contribution to global warming. However, these novel layouts require robust evidence of their advantages from the conceptual design phase to justify the substantial development costs they entail. Computerized design environments provide the most suitable framework for the conceptual design of unconventional aircraft. This paper proposes an original taxonomy of unconventional aircraft configurations tailored to computerized design environments, reviews the existing tools with such design capabilities, and identifies the current trends and challenges in this field.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133098

Authors: Donato Cardone Rauno Cavallaro Andrea Cini

The structural design of aeronautical composite components requires numerical models which capture multilayer behaviour while keeping computational costs manageable. High-fidelity three-dimensional (3D) finite element models are often too expensive for systematic optimisation, whereas classical 1D and 2D formulations rely on simplifying assumptions. This work investigates the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF) as a cost-effective composite simulation tool, using Equivalent Single-Layer (ESL) and Layer-Wise (LW) beam models whose hierarchical cross-sectional expansions approximate 2D/3D behaviour within a one-dimensional framework. A representative composite stiffened panel is analysed to compare 3D solid, 2D shell, CUF-ESL, and CUF-LW models in terms of static response and computational cost. High-order CUF-ESL models reproduce 3D strain fields with 2–7% error while reducing analysis time by over 89%. The CUF–FEM framework is then integrated into a gradient-based optimisation scheme with Automatic Differentiation, adjoint sensitivities, and Kreisselmeier–Steinhauser constraint aggregation. Panel optimisation achieves a 64% mass reduction in six iterations with CUF-ESL, compared with 56% in 18 iterations for the 2D shell model. The results prove that CUF-ESL beam models are a computationally cost-effective tool for preliminary sizing of composite structures.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133097

Authors: Giorgio Maria D’Orazi Antonio Raimondo Andrea Cini

In resin impregnation processes for composite manufacturing, proper infusion of the preform is essential to achieve optimal component quality. Manufacturing-induced defects, such as voids, are commonly present in the final product; however, minimizing their occurrence is critical to preserving the component’s mechanical properties. This study aims to provide a predictive tool for defect analysis and composite manufacturing process optimization. A finite element-based multi-scale framework is developed to simulate resin impregnation, coupling macro-scale multiphase flow analysis with meso-scale modeling of unsaturated porous media. The model is verified against commercial software and used to perform a parametric study. Results demonstrate the framework capability to predict filling times, resin front progression, and defect formation, providing insights onto the correlation between material behavior and flow kinetics. The proposed simulation tool enables process optimization and defect minimization, offering a flexible and efficient alternative to heuristic process setting.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133094

Authors: Felicitas Leese Claas Olthoff

The next generation of crewed space missions will take astronauts farther away from Earth than ever before. These missions will necessitate increasingly sophisticated and autonomous control of Life Support Systems (LSS) to ensure astronauts stay alive, healthy and happy. High system autonomy and resilience are therefore critical to mission success. A key enabler for future space missions are Digital Twins (DTs) of LSSs. The use of DTs to date includes a wide range of applications. Nevertheless, they have not yet been adopted for LSSs. Combining LSSs with DTs offers benefits in the development and testing of new LSS technologies, as well as their monitoring once missions are underway. Together with the DT, astronauts can make time-critical decisions on their own, which is a crucial factor for enabling deep space missions. However, implementing DTs comes with its own challenges, such as collecting all the necessary data with appropriate sensors and handling the vast amounts of data generated. Additionally, the DT must be given boundaries in which it can control its physical counterpart so as not to harm valuable equipment. These development issues and possible shortcomings of DTs, as well as the potential of DTs of LSSs are discussed in this paper.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133096

Authors: Moritz Bäß Kai-Uwe Schröder Maximilian Weber Benedikt Auernhammer Mesut Cetin

Reducing the ecological footprint of aviation is a key objective in the development of future aircraft. This is particularly relevant in the emerging field of Urban Air Mobility, which demands sustainable yet industrially feasible solutions due to expected high production rates. As part of the cooperative research project KONKAV, innovative materials and manufacturing methods are being explored to meet these demands. One such approach is the partial consolidation of nonwovens made from recycled carbon fibers, aimed at producing multifunctional, recyclable components for Urban Air Mobility cabin linings for high bending stiffness requirements. This study presents the experimental characterization of various nonwoven architectures, focusing on how different levels of consolidation affect their specific mechanical properties. The partially consolidated structure enables tailored stiffness profiles, making it possible to optimize structural performance while integrating functions such as thermal insulation and acoustic damping directly into the lining. An analytical material model has been developed by analyzing the experimental results. The findings demonstrate that partially consolidated nonwovens can achieve a competitive stiffness-to-weight ratio, with advantages over conventional glass-fiber-reinforced composites in terms of eco-efficiency and circularity. The proposed construction method offers potential for cost-effective, lightweight solutions that support closed-loop material use in aviation interiors.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133093

Authors: Brando Fraiz Sandra Amarillo Alex Sanchis Juan V. Balbastre

The development of a highly parallel Monte Carlo simulation framework for assessing conflict risk and dimensioning protection buffers in U-space environments provides a robust, scientifically grounded, and computationally feasible method for establishing the necessary separation standards. The simulation framework and the normalized metric provide a reliable, scientific, and scalable method for setting the required separation standards, allowing regulatory bodies to dimension buffers that are both compliant with acceptable level of safety requirements and scalable with increasing traffic density.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026135020

Authors: Stefania Anna Palermo Michele Turco Behrouz Pirouz Anna Chiara Brusco Patrizia Piro

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are sustainable tools to mitigate the impacts of climate change and urbanization. Thus, we present a specific research activity of the “Tech4You” Project, whose main objective is to contribute to the widespread implementation of NbS. In this regard, a specific area of the Cerisano urban catchment was selected for the implementation of a rain garden. A preliminary design and a predictive model were developed to assess its hydrological performance. The findings are promising and show how this green infrastructure can positively contribute to urban stormwater management.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026135012

Authors: S. Prapotnich C. Capponi B. Brunone L. Tirello A. Rubin S. Meniconi

The ongoing evolution of hydraulic modelling software has expanded its application to increasingly complex scenarios, including unsteady-state situations. This study investigates the modelling of a portion of the Water Distribution System in the city of Trieste executed by using a commercial software. The results highlight the software’s ability to capture the dynamic behaviour of the system and provide insights for optimizing pressure control.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026136009

Authors: Yuan Zhi Leong Wai Yie Leong

Flood-prone riverfront zones face increasing challenges due to climate change, urbanisation, and legacy industrial development. Riverfront regeneration presents a unique opportunity not only to restore ecological function and public amenity but also to integrate adaptive architectural strategies that enhance flood resilience. This study aims to investigate the interplay between riverfront regeneration and adaptive architectural planning in flood-prone areas. This study provides a framework for understanding how built form, landscape infrastructure, and socio-spatial systems were developed to mitigate flood risk while reactivating riverfronts. Through a literature review and a methodology that integrates comparative case study analysis with generative scenario modelling, key design typologies were identified, including amphibious buildings, multifunctional embankments, and dynamic land-use zoning, and their performance was evaluated in terms of flood risk reduction, amenity provision, and community resilience. Based on the results, recommendations are proposed for practitioners and policymakers on advancing integrated riverfront regeneration in flood-prone regions, emphasising the necessity of multi-stakeholder governance, adaptable architectural strategies, and nature-based infrastructure.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026135019

Authors: Paolo Bevilacqua Claudia Cafaro Rosario Lo Cascio Paolo De Alti Maurizio Pessina

Directive (EU) 2024/3019 updates and introduces new approaches to the collection, treatment, and discharge of urban wastewater. The directive aims to safeguard the environment and human health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the wastewater treatment cycle, improve energy efficiency, and foster the transition towards climate neutrality, while promoting the circular economy and the reuse of water resources. Within this framework, the reuse of treated urban wastewater emerges as a strategic lever to confront the growing challenge of water scarcity, to support circular economy principles, and to alleviate pressure on natural water reserves. This paper, starting from the European and Italian regulatory frameworks for urban wastewater management, provides an in-depth analysis of potential reuse pathways, highlighting both the advantages and the challenges associated with their application.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026135018

Authors: Marco Maio Giorgia Diglio Francesco Di Menna Gustavo Marini

In recent years, pumps as turbines have been replacing pressure-regulating valves as a system for regulating pressure and reducing water losses in the water distribution network, as they combine leakage reduction with the production of hydroelectric power. However, when a pump as turbine is installed, it is necessary to implement real-time pressure control. This study proposes an innovative algorithm that combines the integral control with a feedforward control in order to minimize the time to reach the desired pressure under flow variation. The algorithm was tested through laboratory tests showing an effective optimization of real-time pressure control.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026134093

Authors: Heidee Soliman-Cuevas Jocelyn F. Villaverde

Native chicken production in the Philippines is increasing, accounting for nearly half of the total population of raised chickens. Health-conscious consumers prefer native chicken due to its lower fat content. To support this growth, the government established a breeding facility featuring 10 pens, each housing 2 to 6 laying hens and a rooster, which began operation in November 2023. In recent months, staff observed a decline in laying performance in some pens. Because chicken behavior is a key indicator of growth and production performance, this study aims to implement a real-time laying hen activity recognition system using You Only Look Once Version 11 (YOLOv11) to classify hen behaviors into multiple categories. These include active behaviors (walking, eating, drinking, pecking, dust bathing, and preening), inactive behaviors (resting or inactivity), and environmental objects (feeders and water cans). A dataset of 464 images was collected from the breeding facility in Zamboanga City, Philippines. To capture hen behavior, a TP-Link Tapo C510W outdoor WiFi camera was mounted on the ceiling at a height of 80 cm above the ground. The model demonstrated excellent performance in detecting static objects such as feeders and water cans. Among behaviors, pecking and walking were identified as the most common, while drinking and dust bathing were relatively rare. The YOLOv11-based activity recognition system successfully achieved real-time classification of hen behaviors with strong performance across most activity classes. The system reached 95% mAP50, with particularly high accuracy in detecting static objects and distinctive behaviors, thereby providing a solid foundation for future improvements in recognizing more complex or challenging behaviors.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133095

Authors: Stavros Kapsalis Thomas Dimopoulos Pavlos Kaparos Georgios Iatrou Pericles Panagiotou Kyriakos Yakinthos

This work examines the aerodynamic efficiency improvement achieved by integrating C-type winglets into a small-scale Blended Wing Body (BWB) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The platform, designated S-3M, is an evolution of the RX-3 1:3 sub-scale demonstrator developed and flight-tested by the Laboratory of Fluid Mechanics and Turbomachinery (LFMT) during the DELAER project. The S-3M is redesigned for catapult launch and Intelligence–Surveillance–Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, supporting a useful payload of up to 5 kg. Strict dimensional, cost, and development constraints posed challenges in preserving aerodynamic efficiency and achieving sufficient stability margins. To meet these requirements, the design incorporates C-type winglets, tailored to enhance aerodynamic performance while providing stabilizing effects. Their integration enabled an increase in gross take-off weight (GTOW) and payload capacity, while ensuring adequate trimming without the need for a conventional horizontal tail. The aerodynamic development of the winglets and the overall configuration is supported by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses, followed by performance calculations. S-3M was manufactured by Carbon Fiber Technologies (CFT) and successfully flight-tested by LFMT, validating the design choices. Overall, the study demonstrates that C-type winglets can significantly improve efficiency and expand the operational envelope of BWB UAVs, highlighting the value of non-planar lifting surfaces in modern UAV design.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026136007

Authors: Yao-Wen Liu Su-Hsing Huang Hiroshi Cho Szu-Hsien Peng

Against the backdrop of extreme weather, flooding has become one of Taiwan’s main disaster risks, highlighting the importance of promoting self-reliant disaster prevention communities and strengthening residents’ autonomous response capabilities. This study aims to examine community residents’ perceptions of flood risk and their disaster preparedness attitudes, while analyzing the influence of participation in disaster prevention education and demographic background variables. In the results of an online questionnaire survey and inferential statistical analysis, residents who participated in disaster prevention education demonstrated significantly higher risk perceptions and disaster preparedness attitudes than non-participants. The participants showed a significantly increased willingness to use the mobile water situation app (a government-provided real-time flood information application), strongly proving the effectiveness of localized educational interventions in promoting the application of digital disaster prevention tools. The analysis results of demographic variables revealed that age and years of community residence significantly influenced disaster preparedness attitudes and participation willingness. Overall, this study confirms that localized disaster prevention education effectively enhances community resilience, providing an empirical foundation for advancing self-reliant disaster prevention communities and refining disaster prevention and mitigation policies.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026136008

Authors: Yuan Zhi Leong Wai Yie Leong

Low-lying and riverine areas of Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia are increasingly exposed to compound flood hazards driven by intensified monsoon rainfall, sea-level rise, and land-use change. Recent projections indicate stronger extreme rainfall, fewer dry days, but more high-intensity events, and significant increases in annual rainfall and sea level, all of which elevate fluvial, pluvial, and coastal flood risk. In this study, climate-responsive vernacular architecture is investigated as a passive, low-carbon strategy for enhancing residential flood resilience in East Malaysia. Traditional stilted Malay kampung houses, Bornean longhouses, and coastal stilt settlements were explored since they have historically evolved to cope with seasonal inundation, high humidity, and tropical thermal loads. In this study, the following was conducted: (1) historical flood and climate analysis for key basins (Rajang, Sarawak, Kinabatangan); (2) morphological and typological analysis of vernacular dwellings; (3) parametric physical and hydrodynamic simulation of elevated and amphibious configurations; and (4) multi-criteria performance assessment based on structural robustness, flood safety, thermal comfort, cultural acceptability, and embodied carbon. Results from scenario-based simulations show that well-configured stilted typologies, with optimized floor elevation, breakaway panels, and porous undercroft zones, can reduce flood damage depth by 60–80% and expected annual loss by 30–55%. By translating these findings into a design guideline and decision matrix for climate-responsive housing in East Malaysia, contemporary reinterpretations of vernacular strategies were embedded into Malaysian building codes, state-level planning policies, and community-led upgrading programmes.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133091

Authors: Daniel Terlizzi Abdullah Bamoshmoosh Gianluca Valenti

Europe’s global liquid hydrogen production share remains limited at 7%, while research institutions face an inadequate supply chain for laboratory-scale procurement. The Department of Energy at Politecnico di Milano addresses this gap through the procurement of Italy’s first laboratory-scale LH2 liquefaction system, designed with 70 L/day capacity, a 200 L ATEX-classified storage tank, and a 50 L mobile transport tank for investigations into heat transfer, cryogenic valve and sensor testing, superconducting electronics, and material compatibility. The absence of Italian standards and limited European precedents necessitated a comprehensive review of relevant European safety projects and industrial guidelines. Regulatory compliance is ongoing under ATEX directives, with safety consultants defining critical parameters via leakage simulations. The project requires around three years from conception to commissioning; this paper aims to accelerate similar implementations by sharing the experience at Politecnico di Milano for future laboratory-scale facilities. Systematic coordination among engineering design, safety consultation, and regulatory authorities remains essential for viable LH2 infrastructure implementation.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133087

Authors: Tawfiq Ahmed Marko Alder

Uncertainty quantification (UQ) is essential for the robust and competitive design of climate-friendly transportation systems, such as aircraft and space launch systems. However, supporting software applications for UQ are fragmented across numerous open-source libraries, often require in-depth knowledge of the mathematics underlying UQ, and commercial solutions often involve licensing costs. This can make it difficult for design experts to take uncertainties into account. To address this issue, we propose a modular, web-based framework that will guide practitioners through the most common UQ processes, such as statistical sampling, propagation through design workflows, and statistical analysis of the results. Adopting a modern client-server architecture, a backend service, called uqFramework, wraps relevant software libraries for each of the aforementioned steps. The current version focuses on probabilistic approaches, enabling the generation of Design-of-Experiment (DOE) inputs via Quasi-Monte Carlo, Latin Hypercube, and Low Discrepancy Sequence sampling methods. Furthermore, it enables the parallel execution of design and analysis workflows via DLR’s Remote Component Environment (RCE) or Python scripts. Finally, uqFramework performs global sensitivity analyses using Sobol, FAST, or Morris techniques. An interactive front-end application called uqStudio connects to uqFramework through a Representational State Transfer (REST) interface. It guides users through the UQ process via an intuitive, step-by-step interface. Interactive visualizations enable detailed exploration of each step. The framework’s capabilities are illustrated through two examples, the Ishigami function and a multidisciplinary UAV design study, verifying its precision, adaptability, and user-friendliness. We demonstrate that uqStudio enables researchers to conduct integrated UQ studies covering uncertainty specification, propagation, and sensitivity analysis without the difficulty of installing and properly using fragmented libraries. Future work includes extending visualization capabilities and integrating surrogate-modeling capabilities to enable faster workflow execution.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133088

Authors: Alvaro Rodriguez-Sanz Luis Rubio Andrada

Airports face persistent capacity constraints and increasing delays. This study introduces a behavioural framework for demand management that integrates airport and airline preferences with principles from Prospect Theory. By incorporating concepts from behavioural economics—such as loss aversion, reference dependence, and non-linear probability weighting—into choice architectures, we explore how adaptive decision environments can influence airline scheduling and demand distribution. A practical example illustrates the applicability of the proposed methodology. Results suggest that behavioural interventions can sustain economically viable schedules while maximising total prospect value. This approach provides policymakers and operators with innovative tools to address complex capacity challenges in air transport systems.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133079

Authors: Felix Fritzsche Daniel Silberhorn Vincenzo Nugnes Tim Burschyk Michael Kotzem

Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) as an energy carrier for passenger aircraft has the potential to combine low climate impact and high lifecycle energy efficiency. Due to its significantly different physical properties compared to kerosene, the integration of LH2 fuel storage and distribution systems interacts with the general configuration of the aircraft. In order to assess promising configuration combinations quantitatively, an aircraft design and assessment framework is further developed. These additions are aimed at capturing the interdependencies originating from the fuel system integration choices at the aircraft level and quantifying the effect of trim drag. The framework is applied to a selection of LH2 mid-to-long-range aircraft designs. A comparison of the mass breakdown, aerodynamics breakdown and performance indicators such as specific energy consumption is carried out for the framework-generated aircraft models. A trim drag induced block fuel penalty is quantified for the aircraft selection as well as a mitigation strategy based on operational constraints.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133082

Authors: Koray Özdemir Yavuz Yaman

In this paper, the design of a novel deployable scissor-structural mechanism (SSM) for the morphing of a generic missile nose cone is presented. The aim of the study is to explore a geometric transformation specially designed for the missile’s flight envelope, ensuring optimal aerodynamic performance and decreasing the aerodynamic drag coefficient across different flight conditions, then to apply it. For the geometric transformation the proposed mechanism is composed of multiple scissor-like elements (SLEs), providing a reconfigurable structure capable of adjusting the nose cone shape dynamically. To achieve a continuous and smooth missile nose cone surface the study incorporates a superelastic alloy (SEA) skin, which can deform compatibly with the SLE movements. A computational routine provides the study with an optimum SSM configuration which makes the geometric transformation the best. The computational routine minimizes the structural error between deformed nose cone shape and target nose cone shape.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133086

Authors: Brigitte Boden Tim Burschyk

In this paper, we present an approach to automate the evaluation and improvement of geometric requirements during preliminary aircraft design, specifically focusing on the complex integration of subsystems like fuel systems. Utilizing the Codex (COllaborative DEsign and eXploration) platform and its submodule codex-geometry, we use Semantic Web Technologies (SWTs) to create a domain-neutral, integrated data representation. The system checks for compliance with geometric constraints in order to reduce manual work in the design. Building on previous work for requirement evaluation, this current research expands the system’s capabilities to suggest improved component placements when geometric inconsistencies are detected. The capabilities of this approach are demonstrated in an example use case placing fuel system components. Furthermore, we explore the use case of design space allocation impacted by an uncontained engine rotor failure.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026124114

Authors: Shubham Gupta Suhaib Ahmed

Humanoid robots operating in proximity to humans require the ability to perceive and interpret emotional cues conveyed through touch to achieve safe, natural, and socially intelligent interaction. Conventional tactile sensing systems primarily focus on force or pressure detection and cannot infer affective intent, while frame-based deep learning models often suffer from high latency and energy consumption when deployed on embedded platforms. To address these limitations, this paper presents a neuromorphic AI-based multimodal electronic skin (e-skin) framework for emotion-sensitive touch perception in humanoid robots. The proposed system integrates pressure, temperature, and electrostatic sensing with a bio-inspired signal conditioning pipeline and a Spiking Neural Network (SNN) for event-driven, low-power processing. A custom multimodal tactile dataset was collected using the proposed e-skin prototype to model four emotional touch interactions: stress, neutral, comfort, and affection. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves a high emotion classification accuracy of up to 92%, with an average accuracy of 88.75% across all classes. The neuromorphic SNN significantly reduces inference latency to approximately 8 ms, compared to 38 ms for a conventional CNN-based model, while maintaining energy-efficient operation suitable for edge deployment. The results validate the effectiveness of combining multimodal tactile sensing with neuromorphic processing to enable real-time, emotion-aware human–robot interaction.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133092

Authors: Milczarczyk Jarosław Rogólski Robert Olejnik Aleksander

A fundamental requirement for building scale models of newly designed aircraft for the purpose of examining their flight characteristics is achieving dynamic similarity, resulting from scaling dimensions and masses. This is relatively easy to achieve, provided that specific similarity values for geometry and mass scaling are maintained. An additional requirement, much more difficult to achieve and therefore not always met, is ensuring stiffness similarity. This article presents the issue of scaling structural stiffness by imposing similarity conditions on the torsional and bending stiffness parameters of the wing structure. The work provides an example of utilizing selected advantages of composite technologies to design structures with the required properties. The airframe of the reference aircraft is made of metal, while its scaled model is a purely composite structure. Both the actual wing and the wing model were designed and manufactured as part of research and development work conducted at the Faculty of Mechatronics, Armament and Aviation of the Military University of Technology.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026132005

Authors: Philip Mnisi Phumlani Dlamini Thokozani Justin Kunene

Nanofluids, which are suspensions of nanoparticles within base fluids, are employed in industries such as electronics, automotives, nuclear power, and defense to enhance thermal management, mass transfer, and microchip cooling. This study investigates heat transfer generation on a stretching sheet incorporating aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles under conditions of constant and varying wall temperatures. Key factors considered include variable viscosity, a periodic magnetic field, and thermal radiative flux, underscoring the thermal advantages of nanoparticles in nuclear reactor applications. The Crank–Nicolson method, an implicit finite difference technique, was utilized to solve the mathematical model, with partial differential equations discretized and approximated using an explicit method. An explicit iterative method was employed to solve the momentum and energy equations in a Python solver, while boundary values were analytically resolved based on discretized equations. In the explicit method, values at the subsequent time step (n + 1) were directly computed from the current time step (n) values. This approach necessitated a sufficiently small time step to satisfy the Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy (CFL) condition for numerical stability. The study examined the mass and heat transfer characteristics of a magnetizable nanofluid. While nanoparticles enhanced heat transfer, magnetic interactions, viscosity, and thermal radiation impeded it. A periodic magnetic field was applied perpendicularly to the plates with a constant pressure gradient, utilizing a magnetic phase angle to decelerate and control flow and heat convection modulation.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026124113

Authors: Nikos Koutsoupias Marios Nosios

The increasing adoption of artificial intelligence in the social sciences and humanities has intensified concerns regarding transparency, interpretability, and epistemic accountability, thereby contributing to the growing prominence of explainable artificial intelligence. This study examines how explainable artificial intelligence has been structured and integrated within social sciences and humanities research through a systematic bibliometric analysis of peer-reviewed journal articles indexed in Scopus between 1975 and 2026. To ensure disciplinary delimitation, a corpus restricted to the Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities subject areas was constructed and analyzed alongside a matched corpus focused on computer science. Using the bibliometrix package in R, the analysis assessed publication trajectories, keyword configurations, thematic structures, and citation patterns. The findings indicate that explainable artificial intelligence research in social sciences and humanities is firmly embedded within broader machine learning infrastructures while exhibiting distinctive patterns of methodological adoption and thematic emphasis. Feature attribution techniques, particularly SHAP and LIME, have emerged as the dominant explanatory tools, whereas deep learning-centered and model-theoretic debates on interpretability remain comparatively less prominent. Thematic mapping reveals a consolidated core linking explainable artificial intelligence to established computational paradigms, alongside more specialized methodological niches. Citation patterns further underscore the prominence of human-centered and application-oriented research domains. Overall, the study demonstrates that explainable artificial intelligence within the social sciences and humanities constitutes a selectively adapted and contextually embedded research formation, shaped by disciplinary priorities and applied research environments.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133090

Authors: Carles Oliet Marcial Mosqueda-Otero Eugenio Schillaci Jesus Castro

The transport sector, and aviation in particular, is strongly involved in the decarbonization process. The Clean Aviation Programme provides strong support through its funded research projects, with H2-powered aircraft being one of the main alternatives. Storage of LH2, as a cryogenic fluid, implies inherent particularities and complexities, which combine with those derived from integration in an aircraft (weight, functionalities, safety). The support of simulation tools is crucial to facilitate the process of designing storage tanks and their behaviour in operation or during testing. The present paper presents the cooldown studies under development within the H2ELIOS project, extending previous work more focused on dormancy and boil-off phenomena. The attention is now shifted to investigating the transient effects during the initial gas cooldown process, where the thermal inertia of the foams used in the current design plays a crucial role. This document describes a modelling approach oriented towards fast and lightweight simulation. After that, some results are presented to highlight the role of tank foam thermal inertia and the flow resistances of the inlet and outlet piping.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026136006

Authors: Ying-Chi Lai Nan-Yu Chu Liang Tseng

Current seismic design practices primarily emphasize the structural safety of buildings, while research on the safety of non-structural components in interior design remains relatively insufficient. In this study, from the perspective of interior design, we explored the performance of non-structural components during earthquakes and how design strategies can reduce damage and enhance the adaptability of interior spaces, to establish a design framework that integrates safety considerations with behavioral guidance. We conducted a literature review, questionnaire survey, and comprehensive analysis in this study. The questionnaire was structured to investigate (1) the development of interior finishing and seismic design, (2) the seismic performance of non-structural components, and (3) the application trends of seismic disaster prevention and evacuation strategies. The respondents included property owners, design and construction professionals, government agencies, and academic experts. Their responses were analyzed for the differences in perception and needs regarding safety and spatial adaptability among different stakeholder groups. Through analysis, influencing factors were identified, and an integrated design framework of non-structural components—spatial planning and behavioral guidance—was established for the development of an interior design strategy toward earthquake disaster prevention. Among the three dimensions, application trends of seismic disaster prevention and evacuation strategies received the highest evaluation score, with an average score of 4.7 (a standard deviation of 0.4) and a reliability coefficient of α = 0.93. 90% of respondents supported the integration of virtual reality, building information modeling, and simulation-based training to improve evacuation efficiency, demonstrating the high feasibility and promotion potential of disaster-prevention technologies.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133089

Authors: Irene Sánchez-Ramos Francisco Javier Casas Javier Cubas Guillermo Pascual-Cisneros Laura Castelló Enrique Martínez-González Rita Belén Barreiro Patricio Vielva

The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) carries crucial information about the origin and evolution of the Universe, with its polarization patterns providing potential evidence of primordial gravitational waves. Achieving the precision required for these measurements demands highly accurate calibration methods. This study presents the development of a reference signal source to be integrated as the payload of LEO-CalSat, a Low-Earth Orbit satellite designed to serve as an artificial, far-field calibration tool for ground-based CMB polarization experiments. The system aims both to validate the technological readiness of a compact calibration payload for future L2 missions and to provide reference signals in the W-band (75–110 GHz) for current observatories. The calibration source, integrated within the volume of a CubeSat’s 2 U, was designed to balance miniaturization with performance, incorporating key components such as a frequency multiplier with a Voltage-Controlled Oscillator, horn antenna, and polarizer. Laboratory tests demonstrated fully polarized emission with output powers up to 6 dBm and a signal-to-noise ratio of approximately 30 dB, confirming the feasibility of precise polarization calibration. The reduced mass and power consumption (1 kg, 9 W) ensure compatibility with CubeSat constraints. The results validate the core concept and readiness of LEO-CalSat for space operation, representing a significant step toward establishing standardized, space-based calibration for future CMB missions and advancing precision cosmology.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133085

Authors: Furkan Leblebici Ozan Tekinalp

Roll autopilots of small fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) should reject roll disturbances and compensate for parameter variations during flight. This study investigates an active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) architecture based on an extended state observer (ESO), with emphasis on a reduced-order ESO (RESO), for the roll channel of a small fixed-wing UAV. The roll axis is represented by a first-order roll-rate model augmented with actuator and rate-gyro dynamics; a proportional–derivative law is applied to the tracking error, while an extended state observer estimates a lumped total disturbance, and this estimate is fed forward for real-time disturbance compensation. Two observer designs are considered: a second-order linear ESO (LESO) and a first-order RESO using roll-rate and actuator feedback. Frequency-domain and time-domain analyses are carried out under aerodynamic uncertainty, actuator limits, sensor noise, and sinusoidal roll disturbances, and the RESO-based ADRC is compared with LESO-ADRC, a linear quadratic integral (LQI) controller, and a classical proportional–integral–derivative (PID) design. The simulations show that the RESO implementation retains the disturbance rejection and robustness of LESO-ADRC while reducing the observer order, and it offers improved disturbance rejection capability with acceptable noise sensitivity. These properties make RESO-based ADRC a promising candidate for real-time roll autopilots in small fixed-wing UAV applications.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133080

Authors: Yohan Sabathé Valérie Pommier-Budinger Marc Budinger

Resonant electromechanical de-icing uses piezoelectric actuators to generate stresses high enough to fracture and shed ice, offering an energy-efficient alternative to conventional systems. This work focuses on prestressed piezoelectric actuators composed of a ceramic stack clamped between two brackets, addressing limitations of previous designs such as mechanical losses and screw fatigue. A new architecture is proposed, featuring a variable-cross-section screw that concentrates deformation in a thinned central region and brackets bonded to the structure to reduce losses. An analytical sizing method is developed using multi-beam longitudinal vibration modelling and two de-icing criteria, including a newly introduced one. The analysis shows how actuator geometry and modal shapes influence de-icing performance, required voltage, and mechanical stresses, highlighting key trade-offs. A dedicated prototype is designed and experimentally tested, with results in good agreement with the analytical predictions.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133077

Authors: Stefania Franchitti Rosario Borrelli Francesco Di Caprio Giorgio Buonaiuto Antonino Squillace

Additive layer manufacturing is changing the industrial landscape worldwide, particularly in high-end technology sectors, including aerospace applications. In mechanical engineering, and particularly in the aerospace industry, it is essential for quality certification that components are produced using qualified and robust manufacturing processes that guarantee high product repeatability. Unfortunately, nowadays, too few standards are available for the qualification of products manufactured by additive technologies for the aerospace sector. The aim of this work is to qualify a metallic space component, manufactured by additive technology, according to ESA ECSS standards: in particular, the qualification of a non-conventional configuration of the interfacing flanges used to connect two adjacent space launcher’s stages, manufactured by Electron Beam-Powder Bed Fusion (EB-PBF) additive technology, is presented in the present work.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026135016

Authors: Roberta D’Ambrosio Antonia Longobardi

Best Management Practices (BMPs) are key instruments for improving the resilience of urban environments to climate change and land-use pressures. They mitigate pluvial flooding and heat waves by restoring natural soil processes and providing multiple co-benefits at both the building and urban scale. Urban planning increasingly requires comprehensive assessments of the multiple benefits provided by BMPs, which extend beyond their hydrological function. Traditional hydrological models such as SWMM5 are robust and widely used for simulating drainage performance, but they are not designed to evaluate wider co-benefits or to be easily applied in planning contexts. For this reason, simplified tools have been developed to offer quicker and more accessible assessments, although their reliability, especially in reproducing hydrological outcomes, remains uncertain. This study examines the Green Values Stormwater Management Calculator (GVC), which has been developed to combine hydrological and co-benefit evaluations within a single, easy-to-use framework. In this preliminary analysis, we tested the hydrological module of the GVC on a 290-hectare mixed-land-use catchment in the metropolitan area of Milan, where two calibrated SWMM5 drainage models were available as benchmarks: one representing current conditions and another including a retrofitting design with BMPs. The scenarios were simulated with the GVC and compared under selected storm events in terms of total runoff volumes. The results show that the GVC reproduces current-condition runoff with good accuracy, but tends to underestimate BMP efficiency.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026135017

Authors: Chiara Cincotta Lorenzo Pedroni Michele Lombardi Giuditta Nicoli Cristiana Bragalli

This study applies the Isolation Forest (IF) algorithm to detect anomalies in a district metered area (DMA) in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Multiple datasets are analyzed, including 15-min inflows, daily minima, and inflows excluding the consumption of a high-demand industrial user. Anomalies are cross-referenced with repair records to assess correlation with leaks and failures and a metric is defined to evaluate the algorithm performance across datasets. Results show that sensor malfunctions and communication anomalies can be effectively detected through the application of the IF algorithm. Regarding the detection of burst and leakage events, the automated analysis of daily minima is the most effective and removing industrial consumption enhances detection accuracy.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026138004

Authors: Sk. Tanjim Jaman Supto Md. Nurjaman Ridoy

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly redefining the management of urban energy systems by coupling predictive analytics with closed-loop control across buildings, power grids, and mobility networks, positioning cities as critical leverage points in global decarbonization efforts. Contemporary urban environments generate vast, heterogeneous datasets that enable advanced machine learning applications; however, limitations remain, including interpretability–fairness trade-offs, fragmented data governance, interoperability gaps, cybersecurity risks, and insufficient long-term validation across diverse climatic and socio-economic contexts. This review evaluates AI-driven strategies for energy-efficient urban systems and identifies the technical and governance conditions required for scalable impact. The evidence synthesized indicates that supervised and ensemble learning models achieve high predictive accuracy for electricity demand and chiller performance, with models such as Random Forest Regression achieving R2 values up to 0.9835 in electricity consumption forecasting, while unsupervised approaches detect latent inefficiencies in HVAC systems, delivering measurable savings typically around 6% under controlled benchmarking conditions. Deep learning architectures improve multi-building forecasting and real-time control, with hybrid CNN–LSTM models achieving prediction accuracies up to 97% and outperforming traditional statistical approaches in weekly energy demand forecasting achieving higher prediction accuracy and significant energy savings in complex urban subsystems with reported reductions of approximately 21–23% in residential and educational buildings and up to 37% in office HVAC systems. Hybrid and physics-informed AI models embed thermodynamic principles into data-driven frameworks, improving robustness, interpretability, and generalization. IoT sensor networks and edge-computing architectures support adaptive HVAC, demand–response, and smart-grid management, while integrated building–grid–mobility systems enhance load balancing, storage use, and carbon reduction. AI-enhanced strategies offer a credible pathway toward measurable reductions in urban energy use and emissions with deep reinforcement learning in digital twin environments reducing HVAC energy demand by 10–35% while maintaining thermal comfort within ±0.5 °C in line with ASHRAE standards, and overall energy savings reaching up to 44% in optimized systems when supported by interoperable infrastructures, secure digital-twin architectures, and standardized measurement and verification protocols.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026126053

Authors: Maxime Loil Baptiste Paul Frédéric Gorog Johan Montel Laurent Eychenne Damien Ponceau

In order to enable an autonomous navigation capability in environments where global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) are either denied (e.g., areas with intentional jamming or spoofing) or not available yet (Moon, Mars), Sodern is currently developing star trackers for Earth-based aircrafts and space rovers. This system is designed to compensate for inertial sensor (IMU)-induced drifts by providing an absolute attitude reference. The resulting celestial navigation system (CNS) aims at providing a position evaluation with a 100 m class precision, independent of the mission duration. In this paper, we present the star tracker design with a specific focus on daytime capabilities and the hybridization strategy to implement the retrieved celestial attitude in the CNS. Additionally, we present two application cases currently under development at Sodern, for space rovers and aircrafts. We evaluate the typical performances that can be reached depending on the IMU and star tracker class in harsh environments (luminance, dynamics, radiations…). We conclude with a brief presentation of future developments in this field.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133074

Authors: Lorenzo Cane Carlo Abate Sara Dal Gesso Alessandro Moser Giulia Maggioni

Rising air temperatures are expected to increasingly affect aircraft take-off performance, potentially causing disruption in airport operations. This study develops an airport climate-risk assessment framework combining aircraft performance modeling with the IPCC hazard–exposure–vulnerability approach, using publicly available data. The Take-Off Distance Required (TODR) was simulated for an A320-231 aircraft under varying temperature conditions, and threshold temperatures, above which fully-laden aircraft cannot depart for a given runway length, were derived for six European airports. Climate projections for 2050 were used to forecast frequency of threshold exceedance (hazard), while exposure and vulnerability were estimated through traffic volume and infrastructure-related factors. Results show that mid-century warming will raise the number of days when temperature is so high that the TODR is longer than the available runway length. Airports with shorter runways, frequent departures, and infrastructure constraints exhibit the highest projected risk levels. The findings indicate that increasing temperatures may impose growing operational constraints. The proposed framework provides an accessible preliminary tool for screening climate-related operational risks, supporting early identification of airports that may require targeted adaptation measures.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133076

Authors: Jonas Benz Hilmi Dogu Kücüker Wiebke Brinkmann Mehmed Yüksel Utku Akinci Jonas Eisenmenger

With the increasing number of space research projects, systems that can be flexibly adapted to the respective orbital and planetary mission requirements and modified retrospectively as needed are becoming increasingly interesting. One application for this is modular robot systems that can be combined or exchanged as needed via electromechanical interfaces without having to replace the entire system. Due to current activities in the EU, such as the Space USB project, the trend is going towards the development of a universal standard interface (USI) that, among other things, has functions for mechanical coupling and the transmission of electrical energy and data. To be able to couple different USIs with each other, one possible solution will be the use of an adapter. This paper presents such an adapter, as well as tests that have been carried out and the lessons learned from them.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026131038

Authors: Emanuele Petriconi Marco Giglio Claudio Sbarufatti

Rotating machinery is essential in industrial applications, where early fault detection is critical to prevent catastrophic failures. Shafts are mainly vulnerable to imbalances and cracks; these last ones pose a severe risk as they can lead to sudden failure if not identified during their early stages. Cracks induce progressive stiffness reduction, altering the system’s mechanical properties and affecting the forces transmitted to the supports. This study analyses the effects of cracks on a rotating shaft using experimental data. Vibration signals from accelerometers mounted on the supports are processed to identify changes in the shaft’s response. The methodology focuses on distinguishing crack-induced alterations for different imbalance scenarios by analysing key signal features. A statistical detection algorithm and the extracted feature analysis are exploited for crack identification before a critical failure occurs. The results highlight the distinct impact of cracks on the shaft’s dynamic behaviour and demonstrate effective strategies for early detection. While different features highlight the presence of the crack differently, all successfully contribute to detecting the damage. This study provides an analysis of a novel experimental case study for crack detection, enhancing both safety and economic sustainability of rotating machinery.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133104

Authors: Lidia Serrano-Mira Marta Sánchez-Aguilera Roncero Javier A. Pérez-Castán Eduardo S. Ayra Marta Pérez Maroto Luis Pérez Sanz

One of today’s major challenges in air transport is accommodating future growth in traffic demand, which requires addressing capacity limitations. Since separation minima influence airspace capacity, technological progress enables exploring innovative approaches. This paper presents the Ad Hoc Separation concept, which involves applying different separation minima between aircraft pairs based on aircraft type, weight, encounter geometry, flight level, or wind. As a novel approach requiring operational changes to the current ATM system, further research is justified only if tangible benefits are demonstrated. Fast-time simulations in European en-route sectors, both conventional and Free Route Airspace, are performed to assess the benefits. The results show a capacity gain of about one aircraft per hour, along with positive environmental and cost-efficiency benefits.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133073

Authors: Beatriz Gomes Sabela Sánchez Mario Fernández-Pedrera Prasad Shimpi Pablo Romero-Rodríguez

Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) enables precise deposition of thermoplastic tapes on complex geometries, however variations in temperature, compaction pressure, deposition speed, and tooling conditions can affect the final laminate quality. This study presents an integrated real-time monitoring system and a systematic methodology for process/product data analysis linking process parameters to mechanical and microstructural performance. Mechanical testing evaluation by interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), thermal analysis, and microscopy studies identified both the consolidation and mold temperatures as the critical parameters for optimized mechanical properties. Results showed ILSS above 45 MPa, crystallinity up to 37.9%, and minimal porosity (~1%). Digital tools developed provided full traceability, early instability detection, and continuous optimization, enhancing reliability and repeatability in high-performance thermoplastic composite manufacturing, which paves the way towards zero-defect manufacturing.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133075

Authors: Niclas A. Dotzauer

In this work, a dynamic polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell system is modelled in Modelica using the in-house developed, open-source library ThermoFluidStream. The focus lies on the fuel cell stack, the hydrogen fuel supply and the air supply. Additionally, the thermal management and the power electronics are considered in a simplified manner. Dynamic simulations are carried out for this system over an exemplary aircraft gate-to-gate mission. Simultaneously, a baseline control scheme is developed to provide the fuel cell with sufficient product gases in a suitable state regarding the temperature, pressure and relative humidity. The results indicate that the fuel cell system performs well with standard PI controllers. Only when strong dynamics occur, such as when going from taxi to take-off, does the control scheme show some weaknesses, as expected. This fuel cell system together with its control is a powerful baseline for future investigations.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026135014

Authors: Giada Varra Nathalia Napolano Mohamed Boukdire Renata Della Morte Luca Cozzolino

Urban pluvial flooding poses increasing challenges due to climate change and rapid urbanization. The limited availability of information on subsurface drainage infrastructure and of validation data frequently constrain large-scale flood modelling. This study applies a pragmatic modelling framework, using a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model (HEC-RAS 6.7) within the Rain-on-Grid approach to simulate rainfall-induced flooding in Naples, Italy. The adopted method simplifies subsurface drainage processes while enabling a scalable application across large urban areas. The results identify flood-prone areas within the city and provide insights into pluvial flood modelling in data-scarce urban contexts. Preliminary validation is performed using flood photographs and videos collected from social media.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026129033

Authors: Wei-Hao Li Feng-Chia Chuang

For intelligent transportation systems, monitoring road surface integrity is critical for enhancing vehicle safety and infrastructure longevity. Traditional detection relies on high-cost Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and vehicle-mounted sensors that are often computationally expensive and difficult to deploy at scale. This study aims to address the challenge of deploying a high-accuracy CNN on a resource-constrained edge device (Raspberry Pi 4B) by optimizing the balance between inference latency and detection sensitivity. By utilizing a depthwise separable convolution architecture, the system shows a 10% increase in vehicle window area identification accuracy while operating within a low-power envelope of less than 15 W. Experimental results demonstrate that the integrated curvature-based mathematical model improves anomaly detection sensitivity by 15% compared to traditional threshold-based triggers. The developed system reduces hardware expenses to 30% of conventional LiDAR-centric systems, maintaining a real-time inference latency of 120 ms and a packet loss rate below 2% at speeds of 60 km/h. These results establish a cost-effective, edge-intelligent solution for vehicle-road collaborative monitoring, increasing overall driver comfort and safety by 15%.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026135013

Authors: Carlos H. Aparicio-Uribe Michele Turco Stefania Anna Palermo Mohammed Mudhafar Saleh Beniamino Russo Patrizia Piro

The integration of remote sensors with nature-based solutions (NBS) offers new opportunities for suitable hydrological monitoring and risk reduction. This study implements 2D-1D numerical modelling tools to guide the allocation of both sensors and NBS interventions. Using the Cerisano catchment as a case study, the software IBER-SWMM (3.3.1–5.2 respectively) was employed to reproduce rainfall-runoff under different scenarios. Outputs were analysed to identify hydrologically sensitive zones where sensor deployment and NBS implementation would maximise monitoring efficiency and mitigation benefits. Results demonstrate how modelling supports effective decisions that are often limited by budget and site-specific constraints.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133071

Authors: Joël Jézégou Juan Pedro de Gracia Roca

The aviation industry is transitioning toward hydrogen propulsion to meet sustainability goals, introducing novel fire safety risks that require updated regulatory frameworks. This study addresses the certification challenges for liquid hydrogen fuel systems by advancing the Certification Readiness Level through a model-driven approach. Using a Model-Based Safety Assessment, this research applies Bow-Tie Diagrams within the NASA AdvoCATE software to analyze in-flight fire risks for a tube-and-wing aircraft architecture. The study models critical threats, including cryogenic embrittlement and leakage, mapping them to specific prevention and protection barriers derived from a regulatory gap analysis. The assessment identifies leakage as the primary failure condition and proposes a safety architecture that emphasizes prevention barriers. Quantitative safety case modeling demonstrates, with proposed means of mitigation and barrier integrity, the feasibility to compute the residual probability of a catastrophic in-flight fire according to EASA CS 25.1309 requirements. These findings validate the use of safety architectures to bridge the gap between design and rulemaking, offering a scalable framework to support early-stage certification and the safe integration of hydrogen technologies into commercial aviation.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133072

Authors: Xabier Zurutuza Laura Arévalo Janusz Poplawski Cristian Builes Mario Román Tania Grandal Arantzazu Núñez Rubén Ruiz Daniel Maestro-Watson Luka Eciolaza

To ensure consistent quality in composite aerostructures, advanced non-invasive monitoring techniques are needed to detect global and local deviations during manufacturing. This study presents a real-time, spatially resolved method for monitoring the curing stage of Liquid Resin Infusion (LRI) using Near-Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging (NIR-HSI). Unlike traditional point-based tools such as disposable dielectric sensors, NIR-HSI enables full-field, non-contact assessment of the chemical evolution of the resin, providing valuable spatial information for detecting inhomogeneities caused by temperature gradients or uneven resin flow, factors known to affect the final mechanical properties of composites. Previous investigations demonstrated that hyperspectral data acquired during LRI correlate with the degree of cure estimated from a dielectric sensor. In the present study, we extend this analysis through a new experimental campaign designed to validate our earlier findings and strengthen the predictive model. To improve robustness and generalizability, the curing temperature, a key driver of cure kinetics, was systematically varied to introduce controlled changes in cure behavior. This increased variability enhances model reliability and supports more accurate prediction of curing progression under realistic manufacturing conditions.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026135010

Authors: Raffaele Albano Muhammad Asif Ruggero Ermini Aurelia Sole

Current flood early warning and risk communication approaches are often characterized by simple and/or alarmist messages, which can promote non-protective behaviours—either through overreliance on defence structures or emergency management organizations. In response, we propose and develop an early warning system (EWS) prototype aimed at fostering “flood literacy” within communities. This system seeks to empower individuals and local populations to better understand their flood risk by recognizing their personal vulnerability and the characteristics of potential floods affecting them. Such understanding enables timely and appropriate self-protective actions. The proposed EWS comprises an Internet of Things (IoT)-based camera network for monitoring rainfall, water depth, and water velocity based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques. These AI algorithms have been used also to analyze and assess historical flood events in the study area, i.e., the heritage city of Matera (Basilicata Region, Italy). The monitoring system is integrated with AI-driven flood modelling to generate impact scenarios at the local scale. These forecasted scenarios can be compared with historical flood data to contextualize current measurements of rainfall and water levels and therefore the citizens can judge how significant a flood might be. The system incorporates threshold-based alerts related to flood instability for pedestrians, along with signals and symbols designed for quick interpretation and communication of self-protection measures to improve citizen resilience and response.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026135009

Authors: Maria Cristina Morani Armando Carravetta Oreste Fecarotta Renato Montillo

Management strategies for reducing the environmental impact of water distribution systems often rely on pressure management to limit demand. Yet, dissipated or recovered stream power in valves and pumps as turbines accounts for only part of the supplied energy, while friction, leakage, and excess pressure contribute additional inefficiencies. This work introduces an optimization model that minimizes global excess stream power by explicitly incorporating environmental considerations. Applied to a real water distribution network, the approach identifies optimal valve and turbine placement. Results highlight technical feasibility, environmental benefits, and economic viability, confirming the model’s effectiveness in sustainable water network management.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133070

Authors: Georgi Atanasov Daniel Silberhorn

This paper presents the development and assessment of a 250-seat battery-electric aircraft with range extenders, designated D250-PHEP, developed within the DLR project EXACT. The concept investigates how hybrid-electric propulsion can combine the high efficiency of battery-electric operation on short routes with the range flexibility granted by gas-turbine-based range extenders. The propulsion system features four electrically driven propellers powered either by onboard batteries or by two gas turbines operating through a partially turbo-electric drive. In its base configuration, the aircraft carries a large battery enabling highly efficient hybrid operation up to 700–800 nautical miles. For improved performance at longer ranges, the design allows most battery modules to be removed, creating a mild-hybrid configuration with substantially lower mass and extended range capability. The modelling framework developed within EXACT enables a direct comparison with a turbofan and a turboprop baseline aircraft under consistent boundary conditions. The results indicate that large-scale battery-based energy storage becomes feasible once high-energy battery technology suitable for aviation reaches a pack-level specific energy of roughly 400 Wh/kg.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133065

Authors: Auraluck Pichitkul Kaung Sett Toe Kyaw Zaw Hlyan Soe Yu Waddy Aung Hein Kyaw Nikolaos Kalliatakis Nabih Naeem Prajwal Shiva Prakasha

This study documents the design, development, and evaluation of a purpose-built aerial firefighting fleet optimized for diverse wildfire suppression environments as part of the COLOSSUS project’s X-Challenge. The multidisciplinary effort encompassed aerodynamic design, propulsion system, systems integration, cost estimation, simulation, design of experiments, and fleet optimization. Key technical advancements include a conceptual hybrid electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft design, and the integration of a series hybrid propulsion model into the System of Systems Inverse Design (SoSID) simulation toolkit, in which evaluation takes place at fleet level. Simulation results indicate that the proposed aircraft achieves competitive or superior effectiveness across all test scenarios, with the series hybrid configuration offering notable endurance and tactical adaptability.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133081

Authors: Pascal Köhler Jan Hollmann Anis Taissir Marc P. Heddrich Stephan Kabelac

Aviation demand is projected to surpass 8 billion passengers per year by 2040, increasing the climate burden of kerosene-fueled propulsion. Conventional engines emit CO2 and non-CO2 species such as nitrogen oxides and soot, which significantly contribute to global warming. Hydrogen-based propulsion combining Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) with a Gas Turbine (SOFC–GT) can offer a carbon-neutral alternative with the potential for higher efficiencies than current turbofan and turboprop systems. In an SOFC–GT concept, waste heat from the SOFC is recovered in the turbine cycle, while the electrical output drives an electric motor, forming a hybrid turbomachinery–electric powertrain. Achieving SOFC operating temperatures of 650–800 °C at cruise conditions represents a key thermodynamic challenge, as compressor outlet conditions are insufficient. Two architectures are analyzed: direct coupling, where SOFC requirements define turbomachinery operation, and indirect coupling, which introduces air bypasses to increase flexibility. The results show that direct coupling enables higher cycle efficiency, whereas indirect coupling improves off-design operability at the expense of performance. Cross-validation of independent simulation frameworks strengthens the reliability of the findings and provides a foundation for evaluating SOFC–GT propulsion feasibility.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026124112

Authors: Hassan Ali César M. A. Vasques Adélio M. S. Cavadas

The use of 3D printing in robotics enables lightweight, customized, and geometrically complex structures, but the resulting structural compliance challenges accurate dynamic prediction. Traditional rigid multibody models often neglect structural deformations and vibrations that can critically affect performance and control. This work presents initial advances toward a computational framework for flexible multibody dynamics of 3D-printed robotic structures. A two-link mechanism is modeled in MATLAB Simscape Multibody under both rigid and flexible assumptions, and parametric analyses are conducted to assess the influence of geometry, mass distribution, and stiffness on system dynamics. The proposed framework is formulated to accommodate reduced-order and data-driven modeling approaches for efficient simulation and analysis of flexible robotic mechanisms.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026131037

Authors: Corrado Groth Andrea Chiappa

This work investigates the influence of center positioning in Radial Basis Function (RBF) collocation methods for solving two-dimensional structural problems. The study enforces equilibrium using the indefinite equations approach and evaluates different center distributions to assess their impact on solution accuracy and stability. The numerical results are compared against Finite Element Method (FEM) solutions to determine the effectiveness of the tested approaches. The findings provide insights into optimal node placement strategies, improving the reliability and applicability of RBF collocation methods in structural analysis.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133066

Authors: Serhii Fil Dmytro Berbenets Andrii Khaustov Oleksandra Urban Oleksandr Bondarchuk

One of the most future-focused approaches to cleaner regional air transport is to introduce advanced propulsion concepts based on hybrid-electric systems. This study presents an initial design concept for a regional passenger aircraft, providing a detailed justification for the chosen configuration.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133068

Authors: Noor ul Ain Ahmed Monica La Mura Polina Kuzhir Renata Karpicz Vincenzo Tucci Patrizia Lamberti

Perovskite solar cells in aerospace applications are promising due to their high power output, radiation tolerance, and ability to extend spacecraft operational lifetimes. Numerical modelling is widely used to optimize solar cells as it can predict the real-world behavior of a device. In this work, we present a numerical simulation of CsMAFA-based perovskite solar cells with monolayer graphene as the front electrode. The model is implemented in the COMSOL Multiphysics® finite-element environment. Graphene is modelled using the Kubo formula to account for its frequency-dependent surface conductivity, and the electromagnetic wavs interface is coupled with the semiconductor module to capture optical–electrical interactions. The influence of absorber layer thickness on the current density is also examined by sweeping the perovskite absorber thickness (300–450 nm). The current voltage characteristic demonstrates higher current density (27 mA/cm2) at an absorber thickness of ~450 nm. Shockley–Read–Hall recombination (SRH) is studied inside the model and maximum recombination was found to be centred in the absorber layer. The graphene/HTL side shows an SRH recombination of 2 × 1020 cm−3 s−1, which is much lower than what is typically seen at ITO-based HTL interfaces.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133069

Authors: Fabian Flüh Parth Shingte Óscar Ludeña Navarro Jonas Wermter

The production of one-piece composite hollow profiles with undercuts presents significant challenges to conventional mold concepts. Mandrels made of thermoplastic shape-memory polymers could facilitate demolding and reduce tooling costs. To design molds in a commercial environment, it is critical to determine their behavior using off-the-shelf Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software Ansys 2024R1. This study presents a shape-memory test procedure for coupon test specimens under tensile load. Furthermore, the test is used to validate a simulation using a generalized Maxwell model, a linear viscoelastic material model implemented in off-the-shelf commercial FEA software Ansys 2024R1. The material investigated is amorphous PET. The simulation shows good results in comparison with the thermo-mechanical shape-memory test. The results are then transferred to blow-molded bottle-shaped mandrels, e.g., for the manufacturing of Type V pressure vessels. Test results are compared with the simulation results and deviations are discussed. In conclusion, the straightforward “from material to solution” approach presented allows us to model and simulate the shape-memory behavior of linear viscoelastic polymers with off-the-shelf commercial FEA software.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133067

Authors: Liberata Guadagno Andrea Sorrentino Barbara Palmieri Luigi Vertuccio Giuseppe De Tommaso Roberto Pantani Alfonso Martone Francesca Aliberti

This work presents an approach for designing 3D-printed heaters with tunable electrical resistance by optimizing both printing and geometrical parameters. To this end, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene reinforced with carbon nanotubes (ABS-CNTs) has been processed through fused filament fabrication (FFF) in a manner that favors electrical current flow along the printing direction and enables adjustment of electrical resistance to meet the scalability needs and limitations of the power supplier available in the application field. The as-developed 3D-printed heater has been integrated into an aeronautical fiberglass composite as proof of its possible application as a de-icing system.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026135015

Authors: Anna Spandre Carola Marella Brandon Winfrey Giovanna Grossi

This study evaluated permeable pavements through field tests on pedestrian and vehicular sites. Infiltration rates were measured before and after vacuum cleaning and pressure washing, supported by sediment analysis. Results show that pedestrian pavements maintained high performance, while vehicular pavements experienced severe clogging. Pressure washing restored infiltration more effectively, whereas vacuum cleaning is more practical for routine maintenance. Timely interventions are essential to ensure long-term functionality.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133064

Authors: Naomi Sieben Christopher Schruba

To reduce the environmental impact of aviation, airlines are offering Voluntary Carbon Offset (VCO) programs and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) contributions, which are rarely purchased by consumers. This quantitative survey study examines how passengers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for VCOs and SAF differs across ticket price levels and communication contexts. Findings indicate that, at higher ticket prices, lower stated WTP for carbon offsetting was observed when ticket price increases were presented within a more detailed communication context. Differences in communication context were not significantly associated with stated WTP for SAF, while SAF was indicated as a preferred mitigation strategy than VCOs. This study highlights the complexity of consumer decision-making regarding voluntary sustainable initiatives in aviation.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026135008

Authors: Valentina Marsili Debora Falocci Caterina Capponi Filippo Mazzoni Stefano Alvisi Bruno Brunone Silvia Meniconi

Pressure transients generated by user activity are a potential, yet understudied, cause of failure in plumbing systems (PSs) and service lines (SLs). This study contributes to filling the knowledge gap by conducting a laboratory investigation at the Water Engineering Laboratory of the University of Perugia (Italy). In detail, a full-scale PS supplied by a representative portion of water distribution network was realized and instrumented with high-frequency pressure sensors and an electromagnetic flowmeter. Experimental data were collected by simulating demand variations at four distinct locations within the PS to replicate the activation of domestic devices. The resulting dataset provided valuable in-sights into the effective management of such systems and the development of appropriate protection measures.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026134090

Authors: Wen Huang Lin Wen Yu Lin Jin Cheng Lee

An AI video–based assessment system is used to analyze the volleyball forearm pass under continuous wall-volley conditions in this study. A single 120 frames per second (FPS) high-speed camera captures the athlete from a rear-oblique view. A laptop executes a You Only Look Once (YOLO)-based pipeline to detect the ball and human keypoints, including the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles. From the joint angles and ball–body relative positions, three cues are quantified. The first cue is the ready posture, characterized by straight arms, downward wrist flexion, an upper arm–trunk angle of approximately 90°, and a forward-leaning center of mass. The second cue is the ball–contact point located posterior to the wrist joint. The third cue is the variation in the center of mass synchronized with the rhythm of the ball. Five athletes performed ten trials, and the predictions were compared against manual annotations, achieving greater than 95% accuracy in criterion attainment. The system outputs criterion scores and key frames to provide immediate feedback. Deployment challenges, including occlusion, viewpoint, and illumination, are discussed, along with potential extensions such as multi-camera fusion and temporal tracking.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133084

Authors: Eleftherios Karampasis Vasilis Kiosoglou Styliani Chatzipetrou Christina Konstantinidou Konstantinos Marsouvanidis Emmanouil Minoudis Antonios Mouratidis Pericles Panagiotou

This work presents a service-oriented launcher for ESERO Greece’s CanSat 2025, delivering four reusable rockets that reach 1000 m and perform clean, near-apogee payload deployment with safe recovery. A requirements-driven process combined with systems engineering principals that utilized simulation based conceptual design, trajectory analyses and subsystem ground testing managing to deliver a modular, cost-effective and reusable system. All vehicles were used offering 12 flawless flights, fulfilling their missions. Overall, results validate the architecture and methodology under competition constraints, with vehicles ready for reuse and clear avenues for simplification offering directions for further future improvements.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133062

Authors: Jonatan Núñez-de la Rosa Esteban Ferrer Eusebio Valero

In this work we present the development and application of a mesh adaptation tool on hybrid unstructured meshes for immersed boundary volume penalization methods in the computational fluid dynamics software from ONERA, DLR, and Airbus. This mesh adaptation tool is capable of refining elements around geometries immersed in unstructured meshes made of different types of elements, like tetrahedra, hexahedra, prisms, and pyramids. This feature allows us to simulate fluid flow problems with the immersed boundary method not only on Cartesian meshes but on general hybrid unstructured meshes. Of special interest in this work is the simulation of turbulent fluid flows in aerodynamics through the numerical solution of the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations either on unstructured meshes with only immersed geometries or on unstructured body-fitted meshes along with immersed geometries. As part of the benchmarking, we simulate the subsonic flow past the high-lift multi-element airfoil. The reported numerical simulations are in good agreement with their corresponding full body-fitted meshes.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133063

Authors: Danilo Ciliberti Agostino De Marco Fabrizio Nicolosi

The pursuit for cleaner aviation pushes research in hybrid-electric aircraft, which are far more complex systems than conventional airplanes. In this respect, the ODE4HERA European project aims to accelerate the development of such systems with the implementation of a solution-neutral Open Digital Platform, driving the design from top level requirements to virtual verification and validation. In this respect, the authors developed and integrated a flight dynamics module in a co-simulation environment aiming at the performance verification of the reference hybrid-electric aircraft through flight simulation. The implementation of a point mass model was sufficiently accurate to comply with the preliminary objectives of the project, paving the way for a higher-fidelity and more complex flight dynamics and control systems.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133061

Authors: Jonatan Núñez-de la Rosa Andrés Mateo Esteban Ferrer Eusebio Valero

In this work we propose a new strategy for the optimization of the flap position of a high-lift configuration in the framework of a hybrid electric regional aircraft. The approach is based on the multidisciplinary design optimization software GEMSEO and the high-performance CFD solver CODA. The CFD solver CODA solves the RANS equations on a body-fitted mesh along with immersed boundary methods, while the package GEMSEO employs the COBYQA optimization algorithm. The main airfoil is meshed in a body-fitted fashion, and a refined region is created just where the flap can be located. The employment of immersed boundary methods allows us to arbitrarily change the deflection angle and leading edge position of the flap inside this refined region without the need of remeshing the whole computational domain. The main advantage of this methodology with respect to a full body-fitted mesh scheme is the computational efficiency when hundreds or thousands of CFD-RANS simulations are required by the optimizer. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this optimization methodology in the computation of the optimal configuration of the flap during takeoff and landing phases of a high-lift airfoil.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026134092

Authors: Vhien Francis De Quiroz Byron Joseph Luzame Glenn Magwili

Food waste is a serious worldwide problem that greatly contributes to resource inefficiency and degradation of the environment. However, amidst the challenge is a phenomenal opportunity for sustainability: turning food waste into useful organic compost. Therefore, we fabricated a composting machine that converts food waste into organic compost matter by using a process that decreases the moisture content to make the composting time faster. We conducted two processes: one with the juicing process and one without the juicing process. The results of the juicing process showed a decrease in the moisture content from 42% to approximately 32–34%, while when using the process without juicing, it decreased from 72 to 69%. Both processes were tested in the same time span. We conducted a t-test to determine if there was a significant difference in the means of two different sets of data, such as the moisture content of compost with and without the juicing process. The p-value of each moisture sensor was close to zero. These p-values are lower than the significance level or alpha value of 0.05, showing a significant difference between the means of the four comparison data.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026135007

Authors: Benedetta Sansone Alfonso Cozzolino Roberta Padulano Cristiana Di Cristo Giuseppe Del Giudice

This study proposes a methodology to identify deteriorated pipes in water distribution networks using prior system information and routine chlorine residual data. While bulk chlorine decay kbulk can be measured in laboratories, wall decay kwall depends on pipe material, diameter, and ageing, particularly in unlined metallic pipes. Empirical data were used to estimate kwall, which was integrated into a Bayesian inference framework solved with Markov Chain Monte Carlo. Applied to an Italian network with synthetic chlorine data, this method demonstrated effectiveness across three test scenarios, exploiting the contrast between kwall and kbulk to detect deteriorated pipes within a computationally efficient environment.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133060

Authors: Rebeca González-Pérez Alejandro Sanchez-Carmona Cristina Cuerno-Rejado

Aircraft conceptual design is an iterative process that seeks to obtain a feasible design that meets a series of mission and configuration requirements. Starting with several guesses regarding the initial sizing and aerodynamics of the future aircraft, a first resulting general layout is found, which is then subjected to trade studies where initial assumptions are altered in search of a refined design. With the aim of enhancing design solutions and reducing time costs derived from calculations, the authors of the present paper have developed ARCADE (AiRcraft ConceptuAl DEsign Tool), a framework that automates, in multiple thematic modules, the steps and calculations needed for the conceptual design process of fixed-wing aircraft. This work presents the basis for the early architecture of ARCADE, developed in Python and focused on the use of data retrieved from existing aircraft for the first design hypotheses. Initial findings of the use of ARCADE show a small relative error between the first parameter guesses, made based on similar aircraft, and the results of the next design iteration, which are independent of reference aircraft. This suggests that the design parameters of the target aircraft are accurately guessed when using existing aircraft information for the initial estimations of this process.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026128051

Authors: Teen-Hang Meen Wei Chien Cheng-Fu Yang

This volume represents the proceedings of the 2025 IEEE International Conference on Computation, Big-Data and Engineering (IEEE ICCBE 2025) [...]

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026131036

Authors: Alessandro Cuccurullo Valerio Belardi Andrea Quartararo Nicolas Mantel Jeong Ha You Roberto Citarella

This study addresses, within the framework of fracture mechanics, the structural analysis of the DEMO (demonstration power plant) divertor—a key component in fusion reactors—subjected to particularly severe loading conditions. A global model of the divertor was developed using Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis through the software ANSYS Workbench 2024, including all structural subcomponents. Thermal and internal pressure load cases were considered. The FEM analysis enabled the identification of critical areas prone to stress concentration. Based on the global results, a submodeling technique was applied to analyze locally critical components with higher resolution. On these submodels, a Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) analysis was performed using the FRANC3D (v 8.6.2) software. Static semi-elliptical cracks were introduced in various configurations, and the stress intensity factor was evaluated to assess their criticality. Subsequently, an incremental crack growth analysis was conducted to simulate crack propagation based on the local stress field, also accounting for directional variations. Finally, a lifetime analysis was carried out using Paris’ law, estimating the fatigue cycles for an arbitrary crack propagation under the given loading conditions. The entire procedure was repeated for each subcomponent and loading condition, resulting in a broad and detailed understanding of the fracture response of the system. This approach provides crucial insights for the design, inspection, and long-term maintenance of the divertor.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133058

Authors: Ester Velázquez-Navarro Pablo Solano-López Marta Maria Moure Ines Uriol Balbin Santiago Martín Iglesias Pablo Arribas Boris Martín

Deployable structures offer new solutions in space, and among them, tubular origami-inspired space structures have proven to be a robust solution for packaging problems. This study focuses on the analysis of the Kresling origami pattern, which theoretically offers bi-stability during its folding process. The bi-stability of this pattern is a well-known property for paper models. However, it cannot be generalised for any material or geometry, as this property can be traced back to the manufacturing process and the materials being used. Consequently, we propose and test additive manufacturing models implementing different geometry parameters with the materials of interest. In parallel, a parametrised numerical model was developed in the commercial software Abaqus, replicating the structural behaviour of these test specimens under displacement-controlled compression. The aim is to obtain a final validated numerical model from where the entire behaviour and energetic response of each sample and, thus, their stability can be tested. Combining experimental and numerical results paints a whole picture of bi-stability, verifying this useful property for different space materials and configurations.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133057

Authors: Ester Velázquez-Navarro Diego Rodríguez-Díaz Pablo Solano-López Ruy Sanz Tomás Belenguer

As origami-inspired solutions become more mature in spacecraft structures and applications, new alternatives are arising for traditional designs, allowing for creative and innovative answers to common problems. In this work, we look into space telescopes, one of the most feasible applications for new tubular solutions, using origami structures to propose the design of a self-retractable baffle. An element needed for mitigating both in-field and out-of-field stray light and helping to improve the image quality of the optical system. This baffle is rethought as a tubular, origami-inspired structure, built over a Kresling origami pattern. This choice can be traced back to the properties such structure has to offer: bi-stability, packaging ratio and controllability. Thus, it is becoming a promising alternative to standard baffles and helping to reduce key factors in spacecraft design, such as weight and complexity of the optomechanical mechanism. To demonstrate its effectiveness in an optical system, the professional software ASAP (Advanced System Analysis Program) is utilised to assess the optical performance of the new baffle design. As a result, we verify the applicability of these patterns and, therefore, the whole structure from an optical point of view, confirming the interest of its application as a telescope baffle. This solution also allows moving and modifying the inclination, shape or size of the baffle, selecting the amount of screening and light incidence into the telescope in a controlled manner depending on the orbit and attitude of interest.

Engineering Proceedings doi: 10.3390/engproc2026133054

Authors: María Zamarreño Suárez Rosa María Arnaldo Valdés César Gómez Arnaldo Raquel Delgado-Aguilera Jurado Francisco Pérez Moreno Víctor Fernando Gómez Comendador

Sustainability is one of the guiding principles of the aviation industry. In the coming years, new sustainable aircraft concepts and propulsion technologies are expected to be developed and scaled up. One of the most promising solutions is the development of battery-powered aircraft. This paper aims to present the key concepts associated with these new aircraft designs. The first part of the paper provides an overview of the key advantages of battery-powered aircraft. It also identifies limitations that these designs will need to overcome to be scaled up. The second part focuses on the two main types of battery-powered aircraft. The difference between all-electric aircraft (AEA) and hybrid-electric aircraft is explained. The main advantages and limitations of each type are also discussed. The third part of the paper analyses the impact of introducing battery-powered aircraft on different aviation markets. Due to its relevance, the analysis of a new business model—Innovative Air Mobility (IAM)—is detailed. The development of battery-powered aircraft is discussed as a key driver for this business model.