Special Session 6

SPECIAL SESSION #6

Antonio Cannuli

University of Messina, Italy

• antonio.cannuli@unime.it

Fabrizio Freni

University of Messina, Italy

• fabrizio.freni@unime.it

Antonino Quattrocchi

University of Messina, Italy

• antonino.quattrocchi@unime.it

Roberto Montanini

University of Messina, Italy

• roberto.montanini@unime.it

In today’s world, the transition to green technologies, renewable energy, and ecological sustainability has become a global imperative. At the core of such a transformation, the measurements of mechanical and thermal phenomena play a crucial role, as they are ubiquitous in nature and contribute significantly to scientific and technological innovation. To fully exploit their potential in sustainable applications, measurement processes must ensure not only precision and accuracy but also reliability and repeatability. Indeed, high quality measurements are essential for optimizing energy efficiency, improving resource management and assessing the real impact of emerging green technologies.

This special session aims to highlight the latest advancements in measurement science, recent and innovative metrological methodologies, and applications in the field of mechanical and thermal measurements for green engineering. The ultimate goal is to promote sustainable solutions and enhance technological efficiency, paving the way for the next generation of eco-friendly innovations.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Mechanical ant thermal energy harvesting;
• Smart and energy-efficient monitoring of weather conditions, climate change, and environmental pollution;
• Development and optimization of innovative systems and sensors for measuring thermo-mechanical phenomena;
• Advanced strategies to enhance the ecological footprint of measurement processes;
• Applications in agriculture for ecological sustainability and environmental improvement;
• Case studies and practical design of measurement systems for green applications;
• Innovative thermal and mechanical metrology for energy-efficient buildings (e.g., thermal insulation performance, heat flux monitoring, passive cooling strategies, smart buildings, human thermal comfort);
• Mechanical and thermal metrology for sustainable mobility (e.g., electric and hydrogen vehicles, aerodynamics, regenerative braking systems);
• Mechanical and thermal measurements in green medicine;
• Micro- and nano-scale thermal measurements for energy-efficient devices and green nanotechnology applications;
• Advanced diagnostics for mechanical and thermal degradation of renewable energy systems (e.g., wind turbine blades, solar panels, energy storage systems);
• Metrology for geothermal energy systems: thermal conductivity, subsurface temperature profiling, and system efficiency evaluation;
• Innovative thermal imaging and infrared thermography techniques for environmental and industrial sustainability;
• Mechanical and thermal measurements in ocean energy systems (e.g., tidal and wave energy converters, offshore wind farms);
• Machine learning and AI-driven approaches in thermo-mechanical metrology for predictive maintenance and efficiency optimization;
• Development of eco-friendly and biodegradable sensors for mechanical and thermal monitoring in sustainable applications.

Antonio Cannuli is currently a Research Fellow (Italian RTD-A) in Mechanical and Thermal Measurements at the Department of Engineering, University of Messina, Italy, where he also received his Ph.D. degree in Physics. His main research interests include applied physics, biomedical experimentation, non-destructive testing, instrumentation measurements, environmental monitoring, data processing, and sensors.

Fabrizio Freni is currently an Assistant Professor (Italian RTD-B) in Mechanical and Thermal Measurements at the Department of Engineering, University of Messina, Italy, where he also received his Ph.D. degree in Engineering and Material Chemistry. His research activity is mainly related to infrared thermography, sensing systems, composite and smart materials, non-destructive testing, energy harvesting.

Antonino Quattrocchi is currently an Assistant Professor (Italian RTD-B) in Mechanical and Thermal Measurements at the Department of Engineering, University of Messina, Italy. Here, he also received his Ph.D. degree in Engineering and Chemistry of Materials and Constructions. His main research topics are in the bioengineering and mechanical fields and are focused on non-destructive testing, non-contact techniques, environmental monitoring, measurement systems, energy hatvesting, smart sensors and actuators.

Roberto Montanini is Full Professor of Mechanical and Thermal Measurements with the Department of Engineering at the University of Messina, Italy. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering at the Università degli Studi “La Sapienza” in Rome and received the Ph.D. degree from the Politecnico di Torino. He founded the Laboratory of Mechanical and Thermal Measurements in 2001 and the Laboratory of Non-destructive Testing and Structural Health Monitoring in 2016. He has published more than 170 papers in the field of experimental mechanics, structural diagnostics, infrared thermography, optical sensing, and energy harvesting.