Massimo Guiggiani – Current research topics
In the year 2000 I was back in Pisa as Professor of Applied Mechanics. And I decided to change completely my research interests. I started working on gears. First on face gears, then on spiral bevel and hypoid gears. But, being attracted by the fundamental aspects, I and my young co-workers also developed a new approach to gear generation named the “invariant approach”.
For several years this research activity has been done in collaboration with Avio (formerly Fiat Avio). The Gear Group in Pisa, initially made up of myself, Marco Gabiccini and Francesca Di Puccio, has after a few years attracted Alessio Artoni and Andrea Bracci. The originally developed computer code HyGO has a user friendly interface but, more than that, unique algorithms for the optimization of spiral bevel gears and the subsequent identification of the required machine setting for actual manufacturing. It is unparalled by any other code in the world.
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In the years 2011 and 2012 the Gear Group in Pisa has received two research grants from the Gear Lab at Ohio State University, directed by Professor Ahmet Kahraman, to develop advanced optimization methods for hypoid and also for helical gears. The last release of the well known and widely used code LDP has a new module entirely implemented in Pisa, mainly by the work of Alessio Artoni.
Vehicle dynamics has also attracted my interest over the last ten years or so. Indeed, in 1998 I published the first edition of my book “Dinamica del Veicolo”, followed by a second edition in 2007.
But then I realized that many aspects of vehicle dynamics were not dealt with propertly. After six years of hard work I published in January 2014 a completely new book entitled "The Science of Vehicle Dynamics". I think it is quite an innovative book, with new concepts and several original points of view. The more you know vehicle dynamics, the more you will be surprised. However, I have been constantly alert not to give anything for granted. Therefore, even if you know nothing of vehicle dynamics, you should find the book clear and accessible.
From 2008 I have been the Faculty Advisor of the E-Team, the Formula SAE team of the University of Pisa. It has been quite a fascinating adventure.
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