The research of the faculty members of ACMEC is developed at the Center of Mechanical Design (CPM) of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IDMEC). The research interests are grouped into three different thematic lines:

• Simulation and design of mechanical systems.

• Modelling and optimization of structures and materials.

• Advanced characterization of structural materials.

Regarding Structural Mechanics, the scientific and technological objectives are mainly the following:

• Development of structural analysis methods and their application in structural design, including structural behaviour simulation methods and geometric representation models of structures.

• Development of methods for the analysis of mechanical systems and their application in mechanical design, including machinery and mechanisms, surface and air transport vehicles.

• Development of new techniques and methodologies for the analysis of the behaviour of mechanical structures and systems, whether theoretical, applied, computational and / or experimental, to support the mechanical design of structures and mechanical systems.

Regarding Computational Mechanics, the scientific and technological aims are summarized as follows:

• Development of numerical analysis techniques of mechanical systems and structures, and their computational implementation to support the analysis and design in Mechanical Engineering.

• Development of optimization methods of structures and mechanical systems, and their computational implementation to support the project in Mechanical Engineering.

• Graphic modelling and support to the development of computational models of mechanical systems and structures. 

Despite not being explicitly provided in its designation, ACMEC also develops meaningful work in two additional cross-areas: Biomechanics and Micro/Nanomechanics.

The main research objectives in Biomechanics are:

• To develop methods and models of both human and animal bodies, including their functions, through mechanical methods;

• To apply these methods to the project of both active and passive prosthetics, exoskeletons and to health-, leisure- and sport-supported equipments, all involving the interface with the human body;

• To apply mechanics’ knowledge within medical sciences and its best practices, as well as to passive passenger safety in various transportation modes.

The main research aims in Micro/Nanomechanics are:

• To unveil the basic mechanisms governing deformation and failure in small dimensions of materials, using advanced computational techniques.

• To identify the differences between the mechanical laws (elasticity, plasticity, viscosity, anisotropy) at human scale (macro) with those at small scales (micro, meso, nano).

• To develop multiscale simulation tools to assess the mechanical behaviour of materials and devices at different scales, thus strengthening new technologies in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

According to the new funding scheme of the Associated Laboratory for Energy, Transports and Aeronautics (LAETA) for 2020-2024, the researchers of ACMEC are included in two Research Groups (Structures & Mechanical Systems; Biomechanics) and cross-distributed in four Thematic Lines (Emerging Technologies; Sustainable Surface Transports; Technologies for Healthcare & Safety; Sustainable Energy Systems).