Politecnico di Torino (POLITO) is the first engineering school in Italy, founded on the wave of renewal of the technical-scientific culture that saw the birth of the most prestigious European polytechnics in the mid-nineteenth century. Founded in 1859 as a School of Application for Engineers, in 1906 it became the Royal Politecnico di Torino. For over 160 years, POLITO has been training professionals in the fields of engineering, architecture, design and territorial planning, with rigour, integrity and high-quality standards. A long and constantly evolving path has accredited the University among the best European technical universities for training and research, with 38,700 students and an academic staff of about 1,000 academics.
In a profoundly evolving world scenario, as a result of the disruptive effects of phenomena such as globalization, climate change, the aging of the population and the emergence of new and increasingly pervasive technologies, the University must evolve in order to continue to produce an impact on the rapidly changing society. The Politecnico therefore proposes itself as a “platform” University, permeable, inclusive, open to the world of professions and industry and with a key role in the processes of innovation and continuous training, to become more and more a driving force for the sustainable development of society. Establishing robust supply chains that connect, in spatially contiguous areas, training, research, innovation, financial services and the enhancement of intellectual property to create entrepreneurial development poles, which attract hubs of large industries, small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups, and root in the territory those who graduate from the University: this is one of the main lines of development of the Politecnico, defined in its “PoliTo4Impact” Strategic Plan.

In the CliMAFlux project, the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMEAS) of POLITO is involved and more specifically the Vehicle Dynamics research team, led by Prof. Mauro Velardocchia. The team deals with different aspects concerning the dynamic behaviour of vehicles, i.e., performance, handling, comfort, efficiency and NVH. The research involves the main chassis systems (suspension, steering, braking, transmission and tire) as well as their evolution towards active configurations characterized by electronically controlled actuation. The methodologies include theoretical and analytical studies, numerical modelling and simulation, and experimental activities through dedicated test benches and instrumented vehicles. In the last three years, the host department (i.e., the DIMEAS) has been partner in more than 10 international projects concerning transportation technology, with particular reference to the themes of vehicle design and control, while currently it is involved in the European projects HighScape, EM-TECH, EFFEREST and SmartCorners, all of them dealing with topics very relevant to the CliMAFlux developments. https://www.dimeas.polito.it/en/

Role in the Project

Prof. Aldo Sorniotti, full professor, has a large experience in modelling and advanced control of the dynamics of over-actuated electric and automatically driven vehicles, with focus on torque-vectoring and preview-based controllers. He has been involved in over 15 European funded projects and he is the author of over 150 papers in international journals and refereed conferences. Dr. Luca Dimauro, assistant professor, with research interests on vehicle dynamics modelling, control and experimental validation of automotive powertrain components and systems, with both traditional and magnetic solutions. He is author of more than 20 papers in international journals and refereed conferences. He is lecturer in Applied Mechanics to Machines and Mechanical System Dynamics. This project is part of the PhD research of Ing. Luca Ciravegna.

POLITO is work package leader on the design activities of the robust real-time control algorithms exploiting the benefits of the axial flux drive system. The activity will include: (1) the development of an optimisation framework for different architectures of electric powertrain, (2) the integration of multiphysics models of other partners in a unique environment for the (3) development of digital twins of the powertrain subsystem. Then (4) adaptive digital twins with computationally efficient formulations will be implemented for predicting and controlling the electrical, mechanical and thermal dynamics of the powertrain. Finally, (5) predictive controllers will be conceived and assessed for: (i) anti-jerk control to attenuate the torsional drivetrain dynamics, (ii) energy-efficient and drivability-friendly electric gear selection, (iii) regenerative braking, (iv) energy recuperation and management, and (v) chassis control through active suspension actuators based on axial flux electric machine technology.