Brian G. Falzon

Distinguished Professor Brian G. Falzon

Composite Materials and Aerospace structures - Director of the Space Industry Hub and SmartSat CRC Victorian Node

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Prof Brian G. Falzon is the Director of the Space Industry Hub and SmartSat CRC Victorian Node. He is internationally renowned for his work on the computational analysis, design, manufacture and testing of advanced composite aerospace structures.

Overview

Distinguished Professor Brian G. Falzon is the Director of RMIT University’s Space Industry Hub and SmartSat CRC Victorian Node, with specific expertise in advanced composite materials and aerospace Structures. He was Head of the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast, from 2015 to 2021, and was appointed to the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering – Bombardier Chair in Aerospace Composites in 2013. Between 2008 and 2012 Prof Falzon held the Foundation Chair in Aerospace Engineering at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, where he was also Director of Research, Head of Aerospace Engineering and Deputy Head of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Between 1996 and 2008, Prof Falzon was at Imperial College London where he joined as a postdoctoral research fellow before becoming an academic staff member. He holds Visiting Professorships at Queen’s University Belfast, Monash University and the University of New South Wales and was a Visiting Researcher at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Prof Falzon graduated with a PhD in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Sydney in 1996 and was the recipient of the Golden Jubilee graduate prize. He also gained a Bachelor of Engineering in Aeronautical Engineering with first class honours and a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Physics and Pure Mathematics from the same University. Prof Falzon is internationally renowned for his work on the computational analysis, design, manufacture and testing of advanced composite aerospace structures. He has published over 200 peer reviewed journal/conference papers and book chapters, one book, and edited three others.

Web

Industry experience

Prof Falzon’s research has been primarily aligned to the needs of industry and early in his career, he made seminal contributions to the analysis of structural stability of thin-skinned composite aerostructures which had a significant influence on the innovative designs subsequently implemented by Boeing Aerostructures Australia on the Boeing 787 and FA-18E/F programs. His work on modelling hydraulic shock damage in the Eurofighter composite wing structure was instrumental in positioning Qinetiq as a leader in the field. Prof Falzon was also key in helping define new modelling methodologies for the UK government-backed research program, ‘Next Generation Composite Wing’. His work on composite failure mechanisms, impact damage modelling and fracture toughness characterization has helped NASA projects, such as the NASA Advanced Composites Project, which focused on developing reliable methods to predict structural failure, and Airbus in gaining a deeper understanding of intralaminar fracture toughness which de-risked material selection. As RAEng-Bombardier Chair, his research group worked closely with Bombardier’s Strategic Technologies division, which led to a number of developments being incorporated across several projects. More recently, Prof Falzon worked with McLaren F1 to develop state-of-the-art crush modelling of composite structures for crashworthiness assessments. He is currently working with Artemis Technologies across three research programmes, as part of the Belfast Maritime Consortium, to develop a zero-emissions fully autonomous hydrofoiling passenger ferry. During his time in Belfast, he developed successful research projects with several SMEs through the Northern Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering Centre. Other companies for which he has delivered research outcomes for include, BAE Systems, dstl, Safran/Microturbo and Wrightbus. Prof Falzon has also applied his expertise in structural design and analysis, towards the development of a revolutionary vascular stent and was a co-founder of Veryan Medical Limited, a company spin-off from Imperial College London, established in 2003. Veryan was acquired by Otsuka Medical Devices UK Ltd in December 2018.

Teaching

Prof Falzon is a passionate educator with a genuine interest in pedagogy, research led teaching, and an enthusiastic advocate of the CDIO (Conceive-Design-ImplementOperate) framework in the teaching of Engineering. More recently, he has worked closely with colleagues to facilitate the rapid digital transformation required to minimise disruption in the shadow of the pandemic. He has taught undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional courses in composite structures and materials, aircraft structures, mechanics of materials, structural dynamics, computational mechanics and finite element analysis. He is consistently rated very highly by students. At Imperial College London, he was Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Aeronautics with responsibility for developing and maintaining teaching policy and standards. At Monash University, as Chair of Aerospace Engineering, he undertook an extensive restructuring of all aerospace-related undergraduate courses which included several double-degree courses shared with other faculties, to ensure and exceed accreditation requirements by Engineers Australia. As Head of the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, at Queen's University Belfast, he commissioned a Maker Space for Aerospace Engineering students and launched two highly successful MSc degree programs. He has overseen accreditation exercises in both the UK and Australia.

Web

Research

Prof Falzon has made seminal contributions to the understanding of fibre reinforced polymer composite structures under postbuckling, impact, and crushing loads, facilitated by state-of-the-art high fidelity finite element modelling which he developed with his research team. More recently he has focused on the application of CNT architectures to create multifunctional composite structures. This has led to advances in the use of highly aligned CNT web, with tunable electrothermal characteristics, to create anti-icing/de-icing devices for aircraft and wind turbines. These webs have also been embedded in composite structures for in-situ strain and damage monitoring, and as sacrificial heating elements for thermoplastic welding. Prof Falzon has also made contributions in the fields of composite repair, process modelling, element-free Galerkin methods for modelling mesoscale delamination and microscale cracking in fibre-reinforced composites, uncertainty quantification in damage modelling, novel material characterisation methods, and cellulose reinforced polymers.

Research keywords

Finite Element Analysis, Composite Materials, Composite Structures, Computational Modelling of Composites, Composites Damage Modelling, Composite Crushing and Crashworthiness, Nano-Enhanced Composites, Multifunctional Composites

Research output summary

200+

Publications

$30mil+

Grants

35

Awards

Web

Supervisor interest areas

  • Composite Materials and Structures
  • Finite Element Modelling
  • Damage Mechanics
  • Crashworthiness of Composite Structures
  • Multifunctional Composites
  • Smart Materials and Structures
  • Nano-enhanced Composites
  • Multiscale Analysis

Supervisor projects

  • Large scale composite systems under representative multi-axial flight loading states
  • High temperature composite nacelle structures
  • Uncertainty quantification in the design of future composite aerostructures
  • Zero emissions maritime transportation
  • Ultra-thin CNT web based inserts for innovative welding of thermoplastics
  • Improving the crashworthiness of composite structures
  • Multifunctional hierarchical carbon fibre composite aerostructures utilising different CNT assemblies
  • Thermoplastic injection overmoulding of composite structures

Feature publications

Modelling the crush behaviour of thermoplastic composites

Comp. Sci. Tech. 134  57-71.

Tan, W., Falzon, B.G. (2016)

Orthotropic electro-thermal behaviour of highly-aligned carbon nanotube web based composites

Comp. Sci. Tech. 170  157-164.

Yao, X., Falzon, B.G., Hawkins, S.C. (2019).

Ultrasensitive Embedded Sensor for Composite Joints Based on a Highly Aligned Carbon Nanotube Web

Carbon 149 380-389.

Kumar, S., Falzon, B.G., Hawkins, S.C. (2019)

Key publications by year

Contributer to Books Edited by Others

  • Graninger, G., Kumar, S., Falzon, B.G., “Introduction to PLA composites: state of the art, opportunities, new challenges, and future outlook” in Parameswaranpillai, J., Siengchin, S., Salim, N., George, J. (eds.) Polylactic Acidbased Nanocellulose and Cellulose Composites, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 2021.
  • Kumar, S., Graninger, G., Falzon, B.G., “Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA) of Polylactic Acid (PLA)/cellulose composites” in Parameswaranpillai, J., Siengchin, S., Salim, N., George, J. (eds.) Polylactic Acidbased Nanocellulose and Cellulose Composites, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 2021. 

Refereed Journals

  • Ge, J., Catalanotti, G., Falzon, B.G., McLelland, J., Higgins, C., Jin, Y., Sun, D., “Towards understanding the hole making performance and chip formation mechanism of thermoplastic carbon fibre/polyetherketoneketone (CF/PEKK) composite,” Compos. B-Eng (2022) [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2022.109752]
  • Ma, H., Aravand, A., Falzon, B.G., “Influence on fracture toughness arising from controlled morphology of multiphase toughened epoxy resins in the presence of fibre reinforcement,” Comp. Sci. Tech. 217 (2022) [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compscitech.2021.109095].

Contributer to Books Edited by Others

  • Graninger, G., Kumar, S., Falzon, B.G., “Introduction to PLA composites: state of the art, opportunities, new challenges, and future outlook” in Parameswaranpillai, J., Siengchin, S., Salim, N., George, J. (eds.) Polylactic Acidbased Nanocellulose and Cellulose Composites, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 2021.
  • Kumar, S., Graninger, G., Falzon, B.G., “Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA) of Polylactic Acid (PLA)/cellulose composites” in Parameswaranpillai, J., Siengchin, S., Salim, N., George, J. (eds.) Polylactic Acidbased Nanocellulose and Cellulose Composites, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 2021. 

Refereed Journals

  • Pouresmaeeli, S., Falzon, B.G., “Uncertainty quantification of pure and mixed mode interlaminar fracture toughness of fibre-reinforced composites via a stochastic reduced order model,” Comp. Struct. 278 114683 (2021) [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2021.114683].
  • Millen, S.L.J., Ullah, Z., Falzon, B.G., “On the importance of finite element mesh alignment along the fibre direction for modelling damage in fibre-reinforced polymer composite laminates,” Comp. Struct. 278 114694 (2021) [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2021.114694].
  • Yao, X., Hawkins, S.C., Falzon, B.G., “A repairable carbon nanotube web-based electro-thermal heater and damage sensor for aerospace applications,” Aeronaut. J., (2021). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/aer.2021.40
  • Kumar, S., Graninger, G., Hawkins, S.C., Falzon. B.G., “A nanostructured cellulose-based interphase layer to enhance the mechanical performance of glass fibre-reinforced polymer composites,” Compos. A-Appl. S 148 106475 (2021)
  • Graninger, G., Kumar, S., Garrett, G., Falzon, B.G., “Effect of shear forces on dispersion-related properties of microcrystalline cellulose-reinforced EVOH composites for advanced applications,” Compos. A-Appl. S 139 106103 (2021)
  •  Smith. S.P., Menary, G.H., Nixon, J., Falzon, B.G., “Numerical and experimental validation of an explicit meshfree method: With applications to material forming,” Eng. Anal. Bound. Elem. 122 (2021), 43-61.

Contributer to Books Edited by Others

  • Varandas, L.F., Catalanotti, G., Arteiro, A., Melro, A.R., Falzon, B.G., “Micromechanical modelling of interlaminar damage propagation and migration,” In Paepegem, W.V. (ed.) Continuum Mechanics Modelling of Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Composites at Micro-, Meso-and Macro-scales, Elsevier, 2020.
  • Catalanotti, G., Varandas, L.F., Melro, A.R., Sebaey, T.A., Bessa, M.A., Falzon, B.G., “Modelling the longitudinal failure of fibre-reinforced composites at micro-scale,” In Paepegem, W.V. (ed.) Continuum Mechanics Modelling of Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Composites at Micro-, Meso-and Macro-scales, Elsevier, 2020
  • Falzon, B.G., Pierce, R.S., “Thermosetting composite materials in Aerostructures,” In Pantelakis, S., Tserpes, K. (eds.) Revolutionizing aircraft materials and processes. Springer Nature 2020 (ISBN 978-3-030-35346-9)

Refereed Journals

  • Ullah, Z., Kaczmarczyk, L., Zhou, X., Falzon, B.G., Pearce, C., “Hierarchical finite element-based multi-scale modelling of composite laminates,” Compos. B-Eng 201 108321 (2020).
  • Dalli, D., Varandas, L., Catalanotti, G., Foster, S. & Falzon, B.G., “Assessing the current modelling approach for predicting the crashworthiness of Formula One composite structures,” Compos. B-Eng 201 108242 (2020).
  • Sun, D., Maddi, C., Rafferty, C., Tang, M., Chen, M., Falzon, B.G., Sarri, G., Mariotti, D., Maguire, P. & Sun, D., “Effect of precursor pH on AuNP/MWCNT nanocomposites synthesized by plasma-induced non-equilibrium electrochemistry,” J. Phys. D Appl. Phys. 53 425207 (2020)
  • Liu, H., Liu, J., Ding, Y., Zhou, J., Kong, X., Blackman, B.R.K., Kinloch, A.J., Falzon, B.G., Dear, J.P., “Effects of Impactor Geometry on the Low-Velocity Impact Behaviour of Fibre-Reinforced Composites: An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation,” Appl. Compos. Mater. 27 (2020) 533-553.
  • Hassani, F., Martin, P.J., Falzon, B.G., “Progressive failure in interply hybrid composites of selfreinforced polypropylene and glass fibre,” Polymer 195 122411 (2020).
  • Varandas, L.F., Catalanotti, G., Melro, A.R., Tavares, R.P., Falzon, B.G., “Micromechanical modelling of the longitudinal compressive and tensile failure of unidirectional composites: The effect of fibre misalignment introduced via a stochastic process,” Int. J. Solids. Struct. 203 (2020) 157-176.
  • Tan, W., Falzon, B.G., “A crystal plasticity phenomenological model to capture the nonlinear shear response of carbon fibre reinforced composites,” Int. J. Lightweight Mat. and Manuf. 4(1) (2020) 99-109.
  • Kumar, S., Falzon, B.G., Kun, J., Wilson, E., Graninger, G., Hawkins, S.C., “High performance multiscale glass fibre epoxy composites integrated with cellulose nanocrystals for advanced structural applications,” Compos. A-Appl. S 131 105801.
  • Zhang, Y., Liang, K., Lan, H., Falzon, B.G., “Modelling electro-impulse de-icing process in leading edge structure and impact fatigue life prediction of rivet holes in critical areas,” P I Mech. Eng. G-J Aer. 235(5) (2020) 1117-1131.
  • Dalli, D., Varandas, L., Falzon, B.G., “Compressive intralaminar fracture toughness and residual strength of 2D Woven carbon fibre reinforced composites: New developments on using the size effect method,” Theor. Appl. Fract. Mec. 106 102487 (2020) [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tafmec.2020.102487].
  • Liu, H., Liu, J., Ding, Y., Zhou, J., Kong, X., Harper, L., Blackman, B., Falzon, B.G., “Modelling damage in fibrereinforced thermoplastic composite laminates subjected to three-point-bend loading,” Comp. Struct. 236 111889 (2020) [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2020.111889].
  • Russello, M., Catalanotti, G., Hawkins, S.C., Falzon, B.G., “Welding of thermoplastics by means of carbon-nanotube web,” Compos. Comm. 17 (2020) 56-60.
  • Varandas, L.F., Catalanaotti, G., Melro, A.R., Falzon, B.G., “On the importance of nesting considerations for accurate computational damage modelling in 2D woven composite materials,” Comput. Mater. Sci, 172 109323 (2020).
  • Sun, D., Turner, J., Jiang, N., Zhu, S., Zhang, L., Falzon, B.G., McCoy, C.P., Maguire, P., Mariotti, D., Sun, D., “Atmospheric pressure microplasma for antibacterial silver nanoparticle/chitosan nanocomposites with tailored properties,” Comp. Sci. Tech. 186 (2020) 157-164.

Contributer to Books Edited by Others

  • Varandas, L.F., Catalanotti, G., Arteiro, A., Melro, A.R., Falzon, B.G., “Micromechanical modelling of interlaminar damage propagation and migration,” In Paepegem, W.V. (ed.) Continuum Mechanics Modelling of Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Composites at Micro-, Meso-and Macro-scales, Elsevier, 2020.
  • Catalanotti, G., Varandas, L.F., Melro, A.R., Sebaey, T.A., Bessa, M.A., Falzon, B.G., “Modelling the longitudinal failure of fibre-reinforced composites at micro-scale,” In Paepegem, W.V. (ed.) Continuum Mechanics Modelling of Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Composites at Micro-, Meso-and Macro-scales, Elsevier, 2020
  • Falzon, B.G., Pierce, R.S., “Thermosetting composite materials in Aerostructures,” In Pantelakis, S., Tserpes, K. (eds.) Revolutionizing aircraft materials and processes. Springer Nature 2020 (ISBN 978-3-030-35346-9)

Refereed Journals

  • Varandas, L. F., Arteiro, A., Catalanotti, G., Falzon, B. G., “Micromechanical analysis of interlaminar crack propagation between angled plies in mode I tests,” Comp. Struct. 220 (2019) 827-841.
  • Dalli, D., Falzon, B., Catalanotti, G., Varandas, L., Foster, S., “Mode I intralaminar fracture toughness of 2D woven carbon fibre reinforced composites: A comparison of stable and unstable crack propagation techniques,” Eng. Fract. Mech. 214 (2019) 427-448.
  • Liu, H., Falzon, B. & Dear, J., “An experimental and numerical study on the crush behaviour of hybrid unidirectional/woven carbon-fibre reinforced composite laminates,” Int. J. Mech. Sci. 164 105160 (2019).
  • Ma, H., Aravand, M. A. & Falzon, B. G., “Phase morphology and mechanical properties of polyetherimide modified epoxy resins: A comparative study,” Polymer 179 121640 (2019).
  • Sun, D, Tang, M., Zhang, L., Falzon, B.G., Padmanaban, D.B., Mariotti, D., Maguire, P., Xu, H., Chen, M., Sun, D.,” Microplasma assisted synthesis of gold nanoparticle/graphene oxide nanocomposites and their potential application in SERS sensing,” Nanotechnology 30 455603 (2019).
  • Pierce, R.S., Falzon, B.G.,”Modelling the size and strength benefits of optimised step/scarf joints and repairs in composite structures,” Compos. B-Eng 173 107020 (2019).
  • Di Leonardo, S., Nistal, A., Catalanotti, G., Hawkins, S.C., Falzon, B.G., “Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of thin-ply laminates with CNT webs at crack interface,” Comp. Struct. 225 (2019) 108-117.
  • Kumar, S., Falzon, B.G., Hawkins, S.C., “Ultrasensitive Embedded Sensor for Composite Joints Based on a Highly Aligned Carbon Nanotube Web, “Carbon 149 (2019) 380-389.
  • Sun, D., McLaughlan, J., Zhang, L., Falzon, B.G., Mariotti, D., Maguire, P., Sun, D., “Atmospheric Pressure Plasma-Synthesized Gold Nanoparticle/Carbon Nanotube Hybrids for Photothermal Conversion,” Langmuir 35(13) (2019) 4577-4588.
  • Nistal, A., Falzon, B.G., Hawkins, S.C., Chitwan, R., Garcia-Diego, C., Rubio, F., “Enhancing the fracture toughness of hierarchical composites through amino‒functionalised carbon nanotube webs,” Compos. B-Eng 168 (2019) 537-544.
  • Liu, H., Falzon, B.G., Li, S., Tan, W., Liu, J., Chai, H., Blackman, B.R.K., Dear, J,P., “Compressive failure of woven fabric reinforced thermoplastic composites with an open-hole: An experimental and numerical study” Comp. Struct. 213 (2019) 108-117.
  • Yao, X., Falzon, B.G., Hawkins, S.C., “Orthotropic electro-thermal behaviour of highly-aligned carbon nanotube web based composites,” Comp. Sci. Tech. 170 (2019) 157-164.
  • Nolan, H., Sun, D., Falzon, B.G., D.B., Maguire, P., Mariotti, D., Sun, D., “Thermoresponsive nanocomposites incorporating microplasma synthesized magnetic nanoparticles – synthesis and potential applications,” Plasma Process. Polym. 16(2) (2019), DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201800112.

Books Edited

  • Falzon, B.G., Aliabadi, M.H. (editors), “Buckling and Postbuckling Structures: Experimental, Analytical and Numerical Studies II,” World Scientific. Publication date: Feb 2018, (ISBN 978-1-78634-432-8).

Contributer to Books Edited by Others

  • Faggiani, A., Falzon, B.G., “Numerical modelling and optimisation of postbuckling stiffened aerostructures,” In Falzon, B.G., Aliabadi, M.H. (eds.) Buckling and Postbuckling Structures II: Experimental, Analytical and Numerical Studies. World Scientific, 2018 (ISBN- 978-1-78634-432-8).

Refereed Journals

  • Nolan, H., Sun, D., Falzon, B.G., Chakrabati, S., Padmanaba, D.B., Maguire, P., Mariotti, D., Yu. T., Jones, D., Andrews, G., Sun, D., “Metal nanoparticle‐hydrogel nanocomposites for biomedical applications – An atmospheric pressure plasma synthesis approach” Plasma Process. Polym. 15(11) (2018), DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201800112.
  • Russello, M., Diamanti, E.K., Catalanotti, G., Ohlsson, F., Hawkins, S.C., Falzon, B.G., “Enhancing the electrical conductivity of carbon fibre thin-ply laminates with directly grown aligned carbon nanotubes,” Comp. Struct. 206 (2018) 272-278.
  • Liu, H., Falzon, B.G., Catalanotti, G., Tan, W., “An experimental method to determine the intralaminar fracture toughness of high-strength carbon-fibre reinforced composite aerostructures,” Aeronaut. J., 122:1255, (2018) 1253 -1277.
  • Yao, X., Hawkins, S.C., Falzon, B.G., “An advanced anti-icing/de-icing system utilising highly aligned carbon nanotube webs,” Carbon 136 (2018) 130-138. 
  • Yao, X., Falzon, B.G., Hawkins, S.C., Tsantzalis, S., “Aligned carbon nanotube webs embedded in a composite laminate: A route towards a highly tunable electro-thermal system, “ Carbon 129 (2018) 486-494. 
  • Tan, W., Naya, F., Yang, L., Chang, T., Falzon, B.G., Zhan, L., Molina-Alderguia, J.M., Gonzalez, C., llorca, L., “The role of interfacial properties on the intralaminar and interlaminar damage behaviour of unidirectional composite laminates: Experimental characterization and multiscale modelling,” Compos. B-Eng 138 (2018) 206-221.
  • Liu, H., Falzon, B.G., Tan, W., “Predicting the Compression-After-Impact (CAI) strength of damage-tolerant hybrid unidirectional/woven carbon-fibre  reinforced composite laminates,” Compos. A-Appl. S 105 (2018) 3189-202.
  • Liu, H., Falzon, B.G., Tan, W., “Experimental and numerical studies on the impact response of damage-tolerant hybrid unidirectional/woven carbon-fibre reinforced composite laminates,” Compos. B-Eng 136(1) (2018) 101-118.

Contributer to Books Edited by Others

  • Falzon, B.G., Muthu, N., “Micromechanical modelling of composite materials using the element free Galerkin approach,” In Zweben, C.H., Beaumont, P.W.R. (eds.) Comprehensive Composite Materials II, Vol. 1: Reinforcements and general theories of composites. Elsevier Ltd, 2017 (ISBN: 978-0-08-100534-7).
  • Falzon, B.G., Tan, W., “Virtual testing of composite structures: progress and challenges in predicting damage, residual strength and crashworthiness,” In Beaumont, P.W.R., Soutis, C., Hodzic, A., (eds) The structural integrity of carbon fibre composites: fifty years of progress and achievements, Springer, 2017 (ISBN-978-3-319-46118-2)

Refereed Journals

  • Muthu, N., Maiti, S.K., Yan, W., Falzon, B.G., “Modelling interacting cracks through a level set using the elementfree Galerkin method,” Int. J. Mech. Sci. 134 (2017) 203-215.
  • Pierce, R.S., Falzon, B.G., “Simulating resin infusion through textile reinforcement materials for the manufacture of complex composite structures,” Engineering 3(5) (2017) 596-607.
  • Stojanov, D., Wu, X., Falzon, B.G., Yan, W., “Axisymmetric structural optimization design and void control for selective laser melting,” Struct. Multidiscip. O. 56(5) (2017) 1027-1043.
  • Falzon, B.G., Liu, H., Tan, W.,”Comment on “A tensorial based progressive damage model for fibre reinforced polymers,” Comp. Struct. 176 (2017) 877-882.
  • Pierce, R.S., Falzon, B.G., Thompson, M.C., “A multi-physics process model for simulating the manufacture of resin-infused composite aerostructures,” Comp. Sci. Tech. 149 (2017) 269-279.

Refereed Journals

  • Muthu, N., Maiti, S.K., Falzon, B.G., Yan, W., “Crack propagation in non-homogenous materials: Evaluation of mixed-mode SIFs, T-stress and kinking angle using a variant EFG method,” Eng. Anal. Bound. Elem. 72 (2016) 11-26. 
  • Pierce, R., Falzon, B.G., Thompson, M.C., “Permeability characterisation of sheared carbon fibre textile preform,” Polymer Comp. 39(7) (2018) 2287-2298 (First published online on 15 Sept 2016).
  • Tan, W., Falzon, B.G., “Modelling the crush behaviour of thermoplastic composites,” Comp. Sci. Tech. 134 (2016) 57-71.
  • Tan, W., Falzon, B.G., Price, M., Liu, H., “The role of material characterisation in the crush modelling of thermoplastic composite structures,” Comp. Struct. 153 (2016) 914-927.
  • Stojanov, D., Falzon, B.G., Wu, X., Yan, W., “Implementing a structural continuity constraint and a halting method for the topology optimization of energy absorbers,” Struct. Multidiscip. O. 54(3) (2016) 429-448. 
  • Chiu, L.N.S., Falzon, B.G., Chen, B., Yan, W., “Validation of a 3D damage model for predicting the response of composite structures under crushing loads,” Comp. Struct. 147 (2016) 65-73.
  • Falzon,B.G., Tan, W., “Predicting impact damage, residual strength and crashworthiness of composite structures,” SAE Int. J. Mater, Manuf: 9(3) (2016) 718-728.
  • Tan, W., Falzon, B.G., “Modelling the nonlinear behaviour and fracture process of AS4/PEKK thermoplastic composite under shear loading,” Comp. Sci. Tech. 126 (2016) 60-77.

Refereed Journals

  • Chiu, L.N.S., Falzon, B.G., Boman, R., Chen, B., Tan, W., “Finite element modelling of composite structures under crushing load,” Comp. Struct. 131 (2015) 215-228.
  • Pierce, R.S., Falzon, B.G., Thompson, M.C., Boman, R., “A low-cost digital image correlation technique for characterising the shear deformation of fabrics for draping studies,” Strain 51(3) (2015) 180-189.
  • Chiu, L.N.S., Falzon, B.G., Ruan, D., Xu, S., Thomson, R.S., Chen, B., Yan, W., “Crush responses of composite cylinder under quasi-static and dynamic loading,” Comp. Struct. 131 (2015) 90-98.
  • Tan, W., Falzon, B.G., Chiu, L.N.S., Price, M., “Predicting low velocity impact damage and Compression-After-Impact (CAI) behaviour of composite laminates,” Compos. A-Appl. S 71 (2015) 212-226.
  • Tan, W., Falzon, B.G., Price, M., “Predicting the crushing behaviour of composite material using high-fidelity finite element modelling,” Int. J Crashworthiness: 20(1) (2015) 60-77. 
  • Falzon, B.G., Robinson, P., Frenz, S., Gilbert, B., “Development and evaluation of a novel integrated anti-icing/de-icing technology for carbon fibre composite aerostructures using an electro-conductive textile,” Compos. A-Appl. S 68 (2015) 323-335.

Refereed Journals

  • Chawla, J.S., Suryanarayanan, S., Puranik, B., Sheridan, J., Falzon, B.G., “Efficiency improvement study for small wind turbines through flow control,” Sustainable Energy Technol Assess, 7 (2014) 195-208.
  • Pierce, R.S., Falzon, B.G., Thompson, M.C., Boman, R., “Implementation of a non-orthogonal model for the finite element simulation of textile composite draping,” App Mech Mater, 553 (2014) 76-81.
  • Stojanov, D., Falzon, B.G., Wu, X., Yan. W, “An application of bi-directional evolutionary structural optimisation for optimising energy absorbing structures using a material damage model,” App Mech Mater, 553 (2014) 836-84.
  • Soni, G., Gupta, S., Singh, R., Mitra, M., Yan, W., Falzon. B.G., “Study of localized damage in composite laminates using micro-macro approach,” Comp. Struct. 113 (2014) 1-11.
  • Soni, G., Singh, R., Mitra, M., Falzon. B.G., “Modelling matrix damage and fibre-matrix interfacial decohesion in composite laminates via a multi-fibre multi-layer representative volume element (M2RVE),” Int J. Solids Struct, 51:2, (2014) 449-461.
  • Muthu, N., Falzon, B.G., Maiti, S.K., Khoddam, S., “Modified crack closure integral technique for extraction of SIFs in meshfee methods,” Finite Elem Anal Des, 78 (2014) 25-39.

Contributer to Books Edited by Others

  • Psarras, S., Pinho, S.T., Falzon, B.G., “Damage-tolerant design of stiffener runouts: A Finite Elememt approach,” in “Finite Element Analysis – New Trends and Developments,” Farzad Ebrahimi (Ed.), Intech Publishing, 2013 (ISBN-978-953-51-0769-9).

Refereed Journals

  • Falzon, B.G., Hawkins, S.C., Huynh, C.P., Radjef, R., Brown, C., “An investigation of Mode I and Mode II fracture toughness enhancement using aligned carbon nanotube forests at the crack interface,” Comp. Struct. 106 (2013) 65-73.
  • Muthu, N., Maiti, S.K., Falzon, B.G., Guiamatsia, I., “A comparison of stress intensity factors through crack closure integral and other approaches using eXtended element-free Galerkin method,” Comput. Mech.52(3) (2013) 587-605.
  • Psarras, S., Pinho, S., Falzon, B.G., “Investigating the use of compliant webs in the damage-tolerant design of stiffener run-outs,” Compos. B-Eng 45:1 (2013) 70-77.

Refereed Journals

  • Muthu, N., Maiti, S.K., Falzon, B.G., Guiamatsia, I., “Computation of stress intensity factors in functionally graded materials using partition-of-unity meshfree method,” Aeronaut. J., 116:1186, (2012) 1253 -1277.
  • Faggiani, A., Falzon, B.G., “The use of a genetic algorithm to improve the postbuckling strength of stiffened composite panels susceptible to secondary instabilities,” Comp. Struct. 94 (2012) 883-895.

Refereed Journals

  • Faggiani, A., Falzon, B.G., Brunner, D., “A numerical optimization routine to delay the onset of secondary instabilities in composite structures,” AIAA J. 49:4 (2011) 703-711.
  • Psarras, S., Pinho, S., Falzon, B.G., "Design of composite stiffener run-outs for damage tolerance," Finite Elem Anal Des, 47(8) (2011) 949-954.
  • Falzon, B.G., Apruzzese, P., "Numerical analysis of intralaminar failure mechanisms in composite structures, Part I: FE implementation," Comp Struct 93, (2011) 1039-1046.
  • Falzon, B.G., Apruzzese, P., "Numerical analysis of intralaminar failure mechanisms in composite structures, Part II: Applications," Comp Struct 93, (2011) 1047-1053.
  • Falzon, B.G., “Towards a virtual testing environment for composite aerostructures – a personal view,” Aust J. Mech. Eng. 8(1)(2011) 1-9.

Refereed Journals

  • Faggiani, A., Falzon, B.G., “Predicting low-velocity impact damage on a stiffened composite panel,” Compos. AAppl. S 41 (2010) 737-749.
  • Yong, M., Iannucci, L., Falzon, B.G., “Efficient modelling and optimisation of hybrid multilayered plates subject to ballistic impact,” Int. J. Impact Eng. 37 (2010), 605-624.

Refereed Journals

  • Falzon, B.G., “Impact damage and repair of composite structures,” Aeronaut. J., 113:1145, (2009) 431-445. 
  • Guiamatsia, I., Falzon, B.G., Davies, G.A.O., Iannucci, L., “Element-Free Galerkin modelling of composite damage,” Comp. Sci. Tech. 69 (2009) 2640-2648.

Books Edited

  • Falzon, B.G., Aliabadi, M.H. (editors), “Buckling and Postbuckling Structures: Experimental, Analytical and Numerical Studies,” World Scientific. Publication date: May 2008, (ISBN 978-1-86094-794-0).
  • Falzon, B.G., Aliabadi, M.H. (editors), "Progress in Fracture and Damage Mechanics," Special Issue of Key Engineering Materials, Vol. 383, Trans Tech Publications, 2008, (ISSN 1013-9826). 

Contributer to Books Edited by Others

  • Falzon, B.G., “Mode-Jumping in Postbuckled Stiffened Composite Panels,” Chapter 3 in “Buckling and Postbuckling Structures: Experimental, Analytical and Numerical Studies,” World Scientific. Publication date: May 2008, (ISBN 978-1-86094-794-0).

Refereed Journals

  • Yong, M., Falzon, B.G., Iannucci, L., “On the application of genetic algorithms for optimising composites against impact loading,” Int. J. Impact Eng. 35 (2008), 1293-1302.
  • Tenchev, R.T., Falzon, B.G., "An Experimental and Numerical Study of the Static and Fatigue Performance of a Composite Adhesive Repair," Key Eng. Mater. 383 (2008), 25-34. 
  • Guiamatsia, I., Falzon, B.G., Davies, G.A.O, "Automatic Insertion of Cohesive Elements for Delamination," Key Eng. Mater. 383 (2008), 53-66.
  • Donadon, M. V., Iannucci, L., Falzon, B.G., Hodgkinson, J.,” A progressive failure model for dynamic impact on composite laminates,” Comput Struct. 86: 11-12 (2008), 1232-1252.

Refereed Journals

  • Faggiani, A., Falzon, B.G., "Numerical analysis of stiffener runout sections," Appl. Compos. Mater., 14:2 (2007), 145-158. 
  • Falzon, B.G., Cerini, M., "A study of secondary instabilities in postbuckling composite aerostructures," Aeronaut. J., 111:1125, (2007),715-729. 
  • Faggiani, A., Falzon, B.G., “An optimisation strategy for minimising damage in postbuckled stiffened composite,” AIAA J. 45:10 (2007), 2520 - 2528.
  • Donadon, M. V., Falzon, B.G., Iannucci, L., Hodgkinson, J., “A 3-D micromechanical model for predicting the elastic behaviour of woven laminates, “Comp. Sci. Tech. 67:11-12 (2007), 2467-2477.

Books Authored

  • Falzon, B.G., Hitchings, D., “An Introduction to Modelling Buckling and Collapse,” NAFEMS Ltd 2006, 2nd ed. 2007, (ISBN 1-874-376-18-2). 

Contributer to Books Edited by Others

  • Falzon, B.G., “Buckling and Postbuckling of Stiffened Composite Structures,” Chapter 9 in ‘Stability of Plated Structures’, Woodhead Publishing Ltd, 2006 (ISBN-13:978-1-85573-967-3).

Refereed Journals

  • Donadon, M. V., Falzon, B.G., Iannucci, L., Hodgkinson, J., “Intralaminar toughness characterisation of unbalanced hybrid plain weave laminates,” Compos. A-Appl. S, 38 (2006), 1597-1611.
  • Tenchev, R, Falzon, B.G., “A Correction to the Analytical Solution to the Mixed-Mode Beam (MMB) Problem,” Comp. Sci. Tech., 67:3-4, (2006), 662-668. 
  • Jensen, F.M., Falzon, B.G., Ankersen, J., Stang, H., “Structural Testing and Numerical Simulation of a 34m Composite Wind Turbine Blade,” Comp Struct, 76 (2006), 52 - 61. 
  • Tenchev, R., Falzon, B.G., “A Pseudo-Transient Solution Strategy for the Analysis of Delamination using Interface Elements,” Finite Elem Anal Des, 42 (2006), 698 - 708.
  • Falzon, B.G., Cerini, M., “An Automated Hybrid Procedure for Capturing Mode-Jumping in Postbuckling Composite Stiffened Structures,” Compos Struct 73 (2006), 186-195. 
  • Olsson, R., Donadon, M.V., Falzon, B.G., “Delamination threshold load for dynamic impact on plates,” Int. J. Solids Struct. 43:10, (2006), 3124 - 3141.

Refereed Journals

  • Falzon, B.G., Cerini, M., “The use of the Arc-Length Method for Capturing Mode-Jumping in Postbuckling Aerostructures,” AIAA. J, 43:3 (2005), 681-689. 
  • Falzon, B.G., Brown, C.J., “Web-Assisted First-Year Undergraduate Teaching in Engineering,” J. Comput. Appl. Eng. Educ.,13:2 (2005), 125-132.
  • Meeks, C., Greenhalgh, E., Falzon, B.G., “Stiffener Debonding Mechanisms in Post-Buckled CFRP Aerospace Panels,” Compos. A-Appl. S, 36:7 (2005), 934-946.

Refereed Journals

  • Koundouros, M., Falzon, B.G., Soutis, C., Lord, S.J., ,”Predicting the Ultimate Load of a CFRP Wingbox,” Compos. A-Appl. S, 35 (2004), 895 – 903.

Refereed Journals

  • Falzon, B.G., Hitchings, D., “Capturing Mode Switching in Postbuckling Composite Panels Using a Modified Explicit Procedure,” Compos. Struct. 60, (2003), 447 – 453. 
  • Falzon, B.G., Hitchings, D, “The Behaviour of Compressively Loaded Stiffener Runout Specimens – Part II: Finite Element Analysis,” J. Compos. Mater. 37:6, (2003) 481 – 501.
  • Falzon, B.G., Davies, G. A. O., “The Behaviour of Compressively Loaded Stiffener Runout Specimens – Part I: Experiments,” J. Compos. Mater. 37:5, (2003) 381 – 400.

Refereed Journals

  • Caro, C., Jeremy, J., Watkins, N., Bulnulia, R., Angelini, G., Smith, F., Wan, S., Yim, A., Sherwin, S., Piero, J., Papaharilou, Y., Falzon, B.G., Giordana, S., Grffiths, C., “The geometry of unstented and stented pig common carotid artery bypass grafts,” Biorheology 39, (2002) 507-512.

Refereed Journals

  • Falzon, B.G., Davies, G.A.O., Greenhalgh, E., “Failure of Thick-Skinned Stiffener Runout Sections Loaded in Uniaxial Compression,” Compos. Struct. 53, (2001) 223-233.
  • Falzon, B.G., “The Behaviour of Damage Tolerant Hat-Stiffened Composite Panels Loaded in Uniaxial Compression,” Compos. A-Appl. S. 32:9, (2001) 1255-1262.

Refereed Journals

  • Falzon, B.G., Stevens, K.A., Davies, G.A.O., “Postbuckling Behaviour of a Blade-Stiffened Composite Panel Loaded in Uniaxial Compression,” Compos. A-Appl. S. 31:5 (2000) 459 – 468.

Refereed Journals

  • Falzon, B.G., Hitchings, D., Besant, T., “Fracture Mechanics using a 3-D Composite Finite Element,” Compos. Struct. 53, (1999) 29-39. 
  • Falzon, B.G., Hitchings, D., Davies, G.A.O., “A Simple Non-Linear Global-Local Finite Element Methodolgy for Composite Structures,” Adv. Compos. Lett., 8:1, (1999), 7-12.

Refereed Journals

  • Falzon, B.G., Davies, G.A.O., “Initial Failure of Mechanically Fastened Joints with Offset Loading,” Adv. Compos. Lett., 6:4, (1997). 91-94.
  • Falzon, B.G., Steven, G.P., “Multiple Hole Optimization in Composite Panels Using Evolutionary Structural Optimization,” Struct. Eng. Mech., 5:5 (1997) 609-624.
  • Falzon, B.G., Steven, G.P., “Buckling Mode Transition in Hat-Stiffened Composite Panels Loaded in Uniaxial Compression,” Compos. Struct., 37:2, (1997) 253-267.

Refereed Journals

  • Falzon, B.G., Steven, G.P., “Shape Optimization of Interior Cutouts in Composite Panels,” Struct. Optimization,11:1/2,(1996) 43-49.
Web

Feature projects

Zero emissions maritime transportation

B.G. Falzon - Innovate UK (AUD 2.0M)

2020-2024

ICONIC - Improving the crashworthiness of composite transportation structures

B.G. Falzon - EU-H2020 (AUD5.6M)

MACANTA: Multifunctional hierarchical carbon fibre composite aerostructures utilising different CNT assemblies

B.G.Falzon - EPSRC (AUD1.8M)

2016-2019

Web

Awards

Belfast Ambassador of the Year from Visit Belfast

Award date: 2018

Recipients: Brian Falzon

Australian Leadership Award

Award date: 2009

Recipients: Brian Falzon

George Taylor Prize from the Royal Aeronautical Society

Award date: 2008

Recipients: Brian Falzon

Web

Public and media engagements

2020

  • ‘Face shield design and manufacture: an agile and flexible response in time of need,’ TEDx Queen’s University Belfast, June 2020 https://www.ted.com/talks/brian_falzon_face_shield_design_and_manufacture_an_agile _and_flexible_response?language=en
  • ‘Coronavirus Northern Ireland: Queen's Aerospace teams making NHS face shields’ Belfast Live, 2nd April 2020 https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/coronavirus-northern-ireland-queensaerospace-18024313
  • ‘Coronavirus: Queen’s University scientists design face shields for health trust that can be produced using 3D printer’ The Belfast Telegraph, 31st March 2020. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-queens-unive rsity-scientists-design-face-shields-for-health-trust-that-can-be-produced-using-a-3dprinter-39089719.html

2019

  • JEC Composites No. 129 July – August 2019: Technology: inside the lab: ‘Advanced Composites Research Group – Queen’s University Belfast’ https://www.nxtbook.fr/newpress/jeccomposites/jcm1907_129/index.php
  • ADS (Aerospace Defence Security Space) – anti-icing/de-icing device: https://www.adsgroup.org.uk/news/member-news/queen-s-researchers-develop-ice-bui ld-up-prevention-solution-for-aircraft/
  • ADVANCE (The official publication of ADS) – anti-icing/de-icing device: https://www.adsadvance.co.uk/queen-s-researchers-develop-ice-build-up-prevention-s olution-for-aircraft.html

2018

  • Live QUB Facebook stream – anti-icing/de-icing device: https://www.facebook.com/QUBelfast/videos/1061089927404661/
  • ‘Queen’s flying high with groundbreaking system to prevent ice build-up on planes’ Q Radio, 23rd November 2018 http://www.goqradio.com/belfast/news/q-radio-local-news/queens-flying-high-with-gro undbreaking-system-to-prevent-ice-build-up-on-planes/
  • ‘Queen’s scientists in breakthrough to stop danger of ice building up on aircraft wings’ The Belfast Telegraph, 23 November 2018. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/queens-scientists-in-breakt hrough-to-stop-danger-of-ice-building-up-on-aircraft-wings-37556766.html
  • Belfast Ambassador of the Year 2019 https://www.businessfirstonline.co.uk/articles/belfast-ambassador-award-winners-reve aled/
  • UK Aerospace Research Consortium (UK-ARC): https://industrialstrategy.blog.gov.uk/2018/07/20/universities-aerospace-collaboration -takes-off-at-farnborough-international-airshow/ http://www.imeche.org/news/news-article/university-consortium-aims-to-be-like-nasa-f or-uk-aerospace https://www.aerospace-technology.com/news/uks-aerospace-universities-establish-con sortium-support-research/ http://www.adsadvance.co.uk/fia2018-leading-uk-aerospace-universities-launch-narc.html
  • ‘De-icing aircraft with a carbon nanotube web’, Materials Today, 15 May 2018. https://www.materialstoday.com/carbon-fiber/news/deicing-aircraft-with-a-carbon-nan otube-web/

2017

  • ‘Two more global events cement Belfast’s conference reputation’, The Irish News, 3rd October 2017. https://www.irishnews.com/business/2017/10/03/news/two-more-global-events-cement -belfast-s-conference-reputation-1151866/
  • ‘Damage limitation’, Crashtest Technology International, September 2017. http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/015c63a2#/015c63a2/
  • ‘American technology firm aPriori sets up Belfast base’, The Irish News, 5th December 2016. http://www.irishnews.com/business/2016/12/05/news/american-technology-firm-aprior i-sets-up-belfast-base-819729/
  • ‘US Investor aPriori Technologies Welcomed to Northern Ireland,’ Invest NI media release, 5th December 2017.
  • ‘Improving the safety of vehicles made from Carbon Fibre’, news item on BBC Breakfast Northern Ireland, 1st February 2017.
  • ‘QUB crash test boffins making future transport safer’ The Belfast Telegraph, 1st February 2017. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/news/qub-crash-test-boffins-making-futu re-transport-safer-35413136.html
  • ‘Queen’s Expert Leads International Study to Improve Safety of Carbon Fibre Aircraft and Vehicles’ Net Composites, 7th February 2017. https://netcomposites.com/news/queens-expert-leads-international-study-to-improve-s afety-of-carbon-fibre-aircraft-and-vehicles/

2015

  • ‘Bombardier jet sales can take off, says expert’ The Belfast Telegraph, 13th October 2015.
  • ‘Lear Fan’ Appearance on the BBC’s The One Show, 15 May 2015. • ‘The structural research that’s taking wing’ Northern Ireland Science Festival – Celebrating Science at Queen’s, Public lecture, 19th February 2015.

2014

  • ‘The structural research that’s taking wing’ The DNA of Innovation Volume IV: Our Global Impact on Society, Northern Ireland, 10th November 2014.

2013

  • ‘Sky’s the limit in Indo-UK aerospace technology’ Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 17 May 2013 (http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/science-innovation-network-india/2013/05/17/skys-the-limit-in -indo-uk-aerospace-technology/)
  • ‘UK aerospace researchers and companies seek partnership opportunities ‘ British High Commission New Delhi, 23 Apr 2013 (https://www.gov.uk/government/world-location-news/uk-aerospace-researchers-and-c ompanies-seek-partnership-opportunities)

2012

  • ‘The Airbus A380 wing cracks: an engineer’s perspective’ The Conversation (www.theconversation.edu.au), 10 Feb 2012

2010

  • ‘Testing composites for aerospace applications’ Engineers Australia Vol 82 No 2, Feb 2010.
  • ‘Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering at Monash University’ The Age newspaper (Education section), 21 June 2010.
  •  ‘Plane speaking can be infectious’ The Saturday Age newspaper (My Career section) 31 July 2010.

2007

  • Expert contribution to Special Report ‘The Safer the Better’, Newsweek (Japan), 28 Feb 2007.

2006

  • ‘Lightening the load’ The Engineer, 13-26 Nov 2006.
Web
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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.

aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.