Structural Integrity addresses the fitness for purpose of mechanical structural components and assemblies that are capable of withstanding specific loading configurations during their life cycle. Research focuses on:

• Design code assessments for fusion reactors including EN13445, ASME Section VIII Division 2, ASME Section III, RCC-MRx.
• computational methods for limit load analysis, elastic shakedown loads and buckling loads of aerospace, civil and marine structures
• prediction of inherent residual stresses and distortions due to advanced joining and welding technologies such as friction stir welding
• high and low cycle fatigue of structural components including creep fatigue interaction.
• thermo-mechanical response of various materials subject to specific loading configurations such as particle beam impacts.
• dynamic and thermo-mechanical response of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS).
• structural response of glass-fibre reinforced composite pipes and pressure vessels through experimental and numerical assessment.
• progressive failure damage mechanics modelling and testing of fibre reinforced composite materials.
• modal analysis of composite materials and other structural elements.

Funded projects

Structural Integrity assessment of DEMO fusion reactor mechanical components
Funded by: European Atomic Energy Community, EC-Euratom, EU Commission
Date: 2021 – 2025
Principal Investigators: Prof. Martin Muscat, Prof. Pierluigi Mollicone
Co-investigators: EUROfusion consortium members -link here
Project partners: EUROfusion consortium
Funding body: EU Commission, Project 101052200 — EUROfusion

DLANComp – TRAKE - Developing Local Agave Natural Fibre Composites

Funded by: University of Malta TRAKE - Transdisciplinary Research and Knowledge Exchange Complex
Date: March 2021 – August 2023
Principal Investigator: Prof. Martin Muscat, Dr Neffer Gomez
Co-investigators: Prof. Duncan Camilleri, Prof. Claire De Marco, Prof. Emmanuel Sinagra, Dr Sandro Lanfranco
Project partners: SilverCraft Products Ltd.
Funding body: University of Malta
Project Fund: Employment cost for a post doctoral researcher (2.5 years) + €15,000 research costs

ELCAPA - Exploiting Local Agave Plants  
Funded by: Maritime Seed Award (2018) 
Date: Jan 2019 to April 2020
Principal Investigator: Claire De Marco
Co-investigators: Martin Muscat, Aaron Meilak, Duncan Camilleri, Sandro Lanfranco

REpLACE  - Renewable, sustainable & Eco-friendLy Agave CompositEs
Funded by: Internationalisation Partnership Awards Scheme PLUs – IPAS+ Part B – 2019 , IPAS-2019-001 
Date: August 2019 to September 2020, 
Principal Investigator: Claire De Marco

Light Weight Green Composites for a Sustainable Future in Maritime Applications 
Funded by: University of Malta Research Fund Committee
Date: Jan 2018 to date 
Principal Investigator: Claire De Marco

Advanced Revolutionary Manufacuring Solutions and Development of Novel GFRP Composite Poles ARM-D-COP
Date: Aug 2017 – Mar 2018 (Commercialization voucher) Sept 2018 to date (Technology Development Programme)
Principal Investigators: Prof. Duncan Camilleri
Co-investigators: Prof. Martin Muscat, Dr Brian Ellul Project
Partners: University of Malta, Malta SilverCraft Products Ltd.
Malta Funding body: MCST Fusion R&I-2017-039-T Project Fund: € 228,293 UoM Workshare Value: € 110,503

ARIES: Accelerator Research and Innovation for European Science and Society
Funded by: European Commission in Call, Horizon 2020
2017 to date
Ph.D. supervision at the University of Malta: Pierluigi Mollicone and Nicholas Sammut
Coordinator: CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneva, Switzerland

Cable Pre-Tensioner for Quay Walls Civil Applications
Funded by: Research and Innovation Development Trust (RIDT)
Date: Oct 2016 to date
Investigators: Brian Ellul (principal), Duncan Camilleri, Zdenka Sant

Thermo-Mechanical Studies of Novel MEMS Micro-grippers for Manufacturing in Malta
Funded by: Reach High Post doc scholarship, Malta for Dr Marija Cauchi
2016 – 2019
Researcher: Marija Demicoli (née Cauchi)
Main Academic Mentor: Pierluigi Mollicone
Mentors: Ivan Grech, Bertram Mallia, Nicholas Sammut
Endorsed by: ST Microelectronics, Malta

Micro-Optical MEMS, Micro-Mirrors and Pico-projectors LAB4MEMSII
Funded by: European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council (ENIAC)
Date: Nov 2014 to date
Principal Investigator: Ivan Grech
Co-investigators: Russell Farrugia, Joe Micallef, Duncan Camilleri, Owen Casha, Edward Gatt
In collaboration with: Department of Microelectronics and Nanoelectronics UM, Okmetic Oy, Finland (co-ordinator), STMicroelectronics, Italy, Politecnico di Torino, Italy, Politecnico di Milano, Italy, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per la Nanoelettronica (IU.NET), Italy, CNR-IMM Laboratorio MDM, Italy, Commissariat Al Energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), France, ARKEMA SA, France, Murata, Finland, VTT Memsfab Ltd., Finland, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Finland, Aalto University, Finland, KLA-Tencor/Icos, Belgium, University Politehnica of Bucharest CSSNT, Romania, Instytut Technologii Elektronowej, Poland, Stiftelsen SINTEF, Norway, Polewall AS, Norway, Besi Austria GmbH, Austria

Eu-CARD and Eu-CARD-2 - Enhanced European Coordination for Accelerator Research & Development
2010 – 2017
Funded by: European Commission in Call, FP7
Ph.D. student: Marija Demicoli
Ph.D. supervision at the University of Malta: Pierluigi Mollicone and Nicholas Sammut
Coordinator: CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneva, Switzerland

HILDA – High Integrity Low Distortion Assembly
Funded by: European Commission in Call FP7-SST-2012-RTD-1. 
Date: Sept 2012 – Aug 2015
Principal Investigator: Duncan Camilleri
Co-investigators: Pierluigi Mollicone, Daniel Micallef
In collaboration with:  Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, U.K. (Project Coordinator), Centre de Recherche en Aeronautique ASBL (CENAERO), Belgium, The Welding Institute (TWI) Ltd., U.K., Lloyd’s Register EMEA, U.K., Center of Maritime Technologies e.V. (CMT), Germany, Naval Architecture Progress, Greece, GeonX sprl, Belgium

Biodiversity and Sustainable Development in the Strait of Sicily - BioDiValue
Funded by: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Italia-Malta 2007-2013
Date: Jul 2012 - Jan 2015
Principal Investigator: Martin Muscat

Self Adjusting Torque Vertical Axis Wind Turbine - SATVAWT
Funded by: MCST - National Research & Innovation Programme 2011
Date: Oct 2011 - Sept 2015
Principal Investigator at UM: Pierluigi Mollicone
Co-investigators: Tonio Sant, Daniel Micallef
Project Coordinator and Partner: Econetique
Project Partners: Alurwind, Architectural Projects AP

Innovative Fibre Reinforced Composites Designed for Higher Structural Performance - FiReCOMP
Funded by: MCST - National Research & Innovation Programme 2010
Date: Feb 2011 - Oct 2013
Principal Investigator: Duncan Camilleri
Co-investigator: Brian Ellul
Industrial Collaborators: SilverCraft Products Ltd

Fabrication of Advanced Hybrid Composite Sandwich Panels - FACTS
Funded by: MCST - National Research & Innovation Programme 2011
Date: Oct 2011 - Sept 2013
Principal Investigator: Claire DeMarco
Co-investigators: Pierluigi Mollicone, Duncan Camilleri

Deep Offshore Wind, Design and Analysis of an Innovative Offshore Wind Turbine Support Structure for Deep Water Applications in the Maltese Islands – DOW
Funded by: MCST - National Research & Innovation Programme 2010
Date: Oct 2010 - Sept 2012
Principal Investigator: Tonio Sant
Co-investigators: Martin Muscat, Pierluigi Mollicone, Duncan Camilleri

Investigation of the Sealing Properties of Swellable Elastomers for Oil and Gas Industry Applications
Funded by: Tendeka (formerly Swellfix) U.K. and University of Malta
Date: Sept 2009 - Aug 2012
Principal Investigator: Pierluigi Mollicone

Development of a Prototype Wind Turbine System for Electrical Power Generation
Funded by: Ministry for Resources & Rural Affairs (MRRA)
Date: Oct 2010 - Sept 2012
Principal Investigator: Tonio Sant
Co-investigator: Martin Muscat

Selected publications 

• M. Muscat, P. Mollicone, J.H. You, N. Mantel, M. Jetter, Creep fatigue analysis of DEMO divertor
  components following the RCC-MRx design code, Fusion Engineering and Design 188 (2023) 113426, Elsevier -link here
• Ellul B, Camilleri D., Gech J., Muscat M., 'Filament Wound Composite Pressure Vessels and Pipes subject to an internal pressure – An experimentation and Material characterisation study', Journal of pressure vessel technology, December 2016, PVT-15-1131,doi: 10.1115/1.4032506, Vol. 138, Issue No. 6
• De Marco Muscat-Fenech, C, Ciappara, S. (2016). 'Energy & crack tip stress interactions in mixed mode I/III fracture of DX51 steel sheets', Challenge Journal of Structural Mechanics, 2 (3), (2016), 147-162. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20528/cjsmec.2016.09.019
• Camilleri D, Micallef D and Mollicone P, 2015, ‘ Thermal Stresses and Distortion Developed in Mild Steel DH36 Friction Stir-Welded Plates: An Experimental and Numerical Assessment', Journal of Thermal Stresses, Vol. 38, no.5 pp 485-508.
• Cauchi M, Assmann R W, Bertarelli A, Carra F, Cerutti F, Lari L, Mollicone P, Redaelli S, and Sammut N., 2015, 'Thermomechanical response of Large Hadron Collider collimators to proton and ion beam impacts’, Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams, 18:041002, 2015. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.18.041002
• Vella, R, De Marco Muscat-Fenech, C, Mollicone P. (2014). 'QSI Response of Foam-Filled Composite Marine Sandwich Hull Panels; Simulation and Experiment'. Procedia Engineering, 88 (2014), 200 – 207, Elsevier, Science Direct.
• M.Muscat, D.Camilleri, 'Comparison between different design approaches to prevent buckling of torispherical heads under internal pressure', International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping (2013), Vol. 108-109C, pp. 61-66 , Reference IPVP3291,DOI information http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2013.04.008
• De Marco Muscat-Fenech, C, Ciappara, S. (2013). 'Connecting the essential work of fracture, stress intensity, Hill’s criterion in mixed mode I/II loading'. International Journal of Fracture, October 2013, 2, pp 187 – 202. DOI 10.1007/s10704-013-9886-4.
• Mollicone P., Camilleri D., Gray T.G.F. and Comlekci T., 2006, 'Simple Thermo-Elastic-Plastic Models for Welding Distortion Simulation', J. Mat. Processing Tech., 176 77-86
• M. Muscat, D. Mackenzie, R. Hamilton, 'A Work Criterion for Plastic Collapse', International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping, 80, (2003) pp.49-58
• M. Muscat, D. Mackenzie, 'Elastic Shakedown Analysis of Axi-symmetric Nozzles', Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology November 2003, Vol. 125 – Transactions of the ASME.

Theme members

Prof. Duncan Camilleri
Prof. Claire De Marco 
Prof. Pierluigi Mollicone
Prof. Martin Muscat
Prof. Zdenka Sant