Contact Dr Luca Zanotti Fragonara
- Tel: +44 (0) 1234 750111
- Email: l.zanottifragonara@cranfield.ac.uk
- Twitter: @LucaZanotti84
- ORCID
- Google Scholar
- ResearchGate
Areas of expertise
- Computing, Simulation & Modelling
- Mechatronics & Advanced Controls
- Safety, Resilience, Risk & Reliability
- Sensor Technologies
- Structures and Materials
- Systems Engineering
Background
Dr Luca Zanotti Fragonara is Senior Lecturer in Applied Artificial Intelligence in the Centre of Autonomous and Cyber-Physical Systems and in the Aerospace Integration Research Centre. He is director of the Applied Artificial Intelligence MSc course since 2019.
His research is focused on machine learning for structural health monitoring, deep learning and system identification. He is involved in a series of high-impact research projects ranging from autonomous inspections of aerospace structures to structural health monitoring for increasing the resilience of industrial plants.
He matured a wide and unique experience working in monitoring problems applied to civil, mechanical, aerospace and space structures. Moreover, his interests in machine learning allowed him to expand his research activities to other areas, such as perception using camera vision systems, lidars, estimation and sensor fusion.
He also carried out research in the area of non-linear dynamics and finite element modelling.
Current activities
Senior Lecturer, Cranfield University, Centre for Autonomous and Cyber-Physical Systems, Aerospace Integration Research Centre. I am involved in several project linked to:
Autonomous inspections for non-destructive evaluation of aircraft composite materials (http://compinnova.eu/);
Multi User Environment for Autonomous Vehicle Innovation (https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/facilities/mueavi);
Autonomous inspections using drones of composite panels and IRT (MultiAct);
artificial intelligence for perception, object detection, classification;
validation of AI models (https://humandrive.co.uk/);
structural health monitoring for building resilience (https://r.unitn.it/en/dicam/xp-resilience).
I worked on other projects such as:
Vibration-based monitoring of CubeSat;
Land3U (https://www.esa.int/Education/Drop_Your_Thesis/Meet_the_teams_Land3U);
Condition monitoring of foundation piles;
Autonomous inspections of metallic panels using drones.
I teach Sensor Fusion, Deep Learning, AI for Autonomous Systems, Autonomy for Robotic Systems and Statistical Machine Learning.
My wide interests are in deep learning and validation of deep learning models, Structural Health Monitoring of Civil, Mechanical and Aerospace structures, Non-linear dynamics, Finite Element modeling and statistical signal processing.
I am involved in MSc students' supervision during their final thesis, in teaching activities, and research project management activities.
In more detail my major areas of expertise concerns:
Finite Element modelling: linear, non-linear and dynamic models.
Machine Learning algorithms: gradient-descent, logistic regression for multiclass classification, clustering techniques (K-means), Neural Networks, CNNs, R-CNNs, Support Vector Machine (SVM), Anomaly detection algorithms, Principal Component Analysis (PCA).
Numerical methods for Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs), Volterra series, Associated Linear Equations (ALEs), Differential Algebraic Equations (DAEs).
Nonlinear System identification algorithms: Unscented Kalman Filtering, Particle Filters, Time-Frequency Instantaneous Estimators, Sigma-Point Filters (SPF), Neural Networks, and Autoregressive models (e.g. NARMAX).
Dynamic Identification techniques and experimental modal analysis: time-domain methods (Stochastic Subspace Identification, Eigen-system Realization Algorithm, Neural Networks, Autoregressive models), frequency-domain methods (Frequency Domain Decomposition) and time-frequency domain method (Time-Frequency Instantaneous Estimators, Short-Time Fourier, Choi-Williams, Wigner-Ville based methods, Chirp Fourier Transform, Bi- and Tri-coherence transform).
Nonlinear normal modes and chaos dynamics: shooting methods, arc-length method, pseudo-arc length method.
Global sensitivity analysis techniques (Elementary Effect, Diffused partial-derivatives, Variance-based methods) and meta-modelling techniques.
Clients
Airbus
Airbus DS
European Commission
Transport System Catapult
UK Space Agency
Monitoring and stability evaluation of the Sanctuary of Vicoforte, the largest masonry oval dome in the world, period 2008-2013.
DPC-ReLUIS 2009-2012 (Italian Network of Earthquake Engineering University Laboratories), Research line n. 9, Technologies for Risk Monitoring and Emergency Management. Line 3.1: Development of technologies for monitoring and management of seismic risk. Task 3.1.3: Monitoring.
Program for the seismic and static monitoring and control of the Regina Montis Regalis monumental building, period 2014-2015.
DPC-ReLUIS 2014-2016 (special project 'Seismic Observatory of Structures (OSS) and monitoring').
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Elliott AJ, Nakhaeezadeh Gutierrez A, Felicetti L & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2025). In-orbit system identification of a flexible satellite with variable mass using dual Unscented Kalman filters. Acta Astronautica, 226
- Dessena G, Ignatyev DI, Whidborne JF & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2024). A global–local meta-modelling technique for model updating. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 418(January)
- Raviolo D, Civera M & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2024). A Bayesian sampling optimisation strategy for finite element model updating. Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring
- Zou M, Fragonara LZ, Qiu S & Guo W. (2023). Uncertainty quantification of multi-scale resilience in networked systems with nonlinear dynamics using arbitrary polynomial chaos. Scientific Reports, 13(1)
- Dessena G, Civera M, Zanotti Fragonara L, Ignatyev DI & Whidborne JF. (2023). A Loewner-Based System Identification and Structural Health Monitoring Approach for Mechanical Systems. Structural Control and Health Monitoring, 2023(1)
- Dessena G, Civera M, Ignatyev DI, Whidborne JF, Zanotti Fragonara L, .... (2023). The Accuracy and Computational Efficiency of the Loewner Framework for the System Identification of Mechanical Systems. Aerospace, 10(6)
- Sibille L, Civera M, Zanotti Fragonara L & Ceravolo R. (2023). Automated Operational Modal Analysis of a Helicopter Blade with a Density-Based Cluster Algorithm. AIAA Journal, 61(3)
- Dessena G, Ignatyev DI, Whidborne JF, Pontillo A & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2022). Ground Vibration Testing of a Flexible Wing: A Benchmark and Case Study. Aerospace, 9(8)
- Mugnaini V, Zanotti Fragonara L & Civera M. (2022). A machine learning approach for automatic operational modal analysis. Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, 170(May)
- Civera M, Mugnaini V & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2022). Machine learning‐based automatic operational modal analysis: A structural health monitoring application to masonry arch bridges. Structural Control and Health Monitoring, 29(10)
- Weber S, Kissinger T, Chehura E, Staines S, Barrington J, .... (2021). Application of fibre optic sensing systems to measure rotor blade structural dynamics. Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, 158(September)
- Chen C, Fragonara LZ & Tsourdos A. (2021). GAPointNet: Graph attention based point neural network for exploiting local feature of point cloud. Neurocomputing, 438(May)
- Padiyar M. J, Zanotti Fragonara L, Petrunin I, Raposo J, Tsourdos A, .... (2021). Fast, Accurate, and Reliable Detection of Damage in Aircraft Composites by Advanced Synergistic Infrared Thermography and Phased Array Techniques. Applied Sciences, 11(6)
- Chen C, Fragonara LZ & Tsourdos A. (2021). RoIFusion: 3D Object Detection From LiDAR and Vision. IEEE Access, 9
- Chen C, Zanotti Fragonara L & Tsourdos A. (2021). Relation3DMOT: Exploiting Deep Affinity for 3D Multi-Object Tracking from View Aggregation. Sensors, 21(6)
- Boscato G, Civera M & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2021). Recursive partitioning and Gaussian Process Regression for the detection and localization of damages in pultruded Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer material. Structural Control and Health Monitoring, 28(10)
- Civera M, Zanotti Fragonara L, Antonaci P, Anglani G & Surace C. (2021). An Experimental Validation of Phase‐Based Motion Magnification for Structures with Developing Cracks and Time‐Varying Configurations. Shock and Vibration, 2021(1)
- Civera M, Calamai G & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2021). Experimental modal analysis of structural systems by using the fast relaxed vector fitting method. Structural Control and Health Monitoring, 28(4)
- Chen C, Zanotti Fragonara L & Tsourdos A. (2020). Go Wider: An Efficient Neural Network for Point Cloud Analysis via Group Convolutions. Applied Sciences, 10(7)
- Mohammadkhani R, Zanotti Fragonara L, Padiyar M. J, Petrunin I, Raposo J, .... (2020). Improving Depth Resolution of Ultrasonic Phased Array Imaging to Inspect Aerospace Composite Structures. Sensors, 20(2)
- Golanó PG, Zanotti Fragonara L, Morantz P & Jourdain R. (2018). Numerical and Experimental Modal Analysis Applied to an Optical Test System Designed for the Form Measurements of Metre‐Scale Optics. Shock and Vibration, 2018(1)
- Ceravolo R, De Marchi A, Pinotti E, Surace C & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2018). Measurement of weak non-linear response of Kevlar® fibre damaged by UV exposure. Composite Structures, 184
- Ceravolo R, De Marinis A, Pecorelli ML & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2017). Monitoring of masonry historical constructions: 10 years of static monitoring of the world's largest oval dome. Structural Control and Health Monitoring, 24(10)
- Ceravolo R, De Marchi A, Pinotti E, Surace C & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2017). A New Testing Machine for the Dynamic Characterization of High Strength Low Damping Fiber Materials. Experimental Mechanics, 57(1)
- Zanotti Fragonara L, Boscato G, Ceravolo R, Russo S, Ientile S, .... (2017). Dynamic investigation on the Mirandola bell tower in post-earthquake scenarios. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, 15(1)
- Ceravolo R, Surace C, De Marchi A, Pinotti E & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2016). Nonlinearity detection and dynamic characterisation of aramid and silicon carbide fibres. International Journal of Lifecycle Performance Engineering, 2(1/2)
Conference Papers
- Dessena G, Ignatyev DI, Whidborne JF & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2023). A Kriging Approach to Model Updating for Damage Detection
- Dessena G, Ignatyev DI, Whidborne JF, Pontillo A & Fragonara LZ. (2022). GROUND VIBRATION TESTING OF A HIGH ASPECT RATIO WING WITH REVOLVING CLAMP
- Alhammad M, Avdelidis NP, Deane S, Ibarra-Castanedo C, Pant S, .... (2021). Diagnosis of composite materials in aircraft applications: towards a UAV active thermography inspection approach
- Panella I, Fragonara LZ & Tsourdos A. (2021). A Deep Learning Cognitive Architecture: Towards a Unified Theory of Cognition
- Panico A, Fragonara LZ & Al-Rubaye S. (2020). Adaptive Detection Tracking System for Autonomous UAV Maritime Patrolling
- Deliparaschos KM, Santha G, Fragonara LZ, Petrunin I, Zolotas AC, .... (2020). A Preliminary Investigation of an Autonomous Vehicle Validation Infrastructure for Smart Cities
- Mohammadkhani R, Fragonara LZ, Janardhan PM, Petrunin I, Tsourdos A, .... (2019). Ultrasonic Phased Array Imaging Technology for the Inspection of Aerospace Composite Structures
- Malandrakis K, Savvaris A, Domingo JAG, Avdelidis N, Tsilivis P, .... (2018). Inspection of Aircraft Wing Panels Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
- Weber S, Southgate D, Mullaney K, James S, Rutherford R, .... (2018). Bladesense - A novel approach for measuring dynamic helicopter rotor blade deformation
- Durrani D, Gautier F, Kersey G, Le Blay C, Ogborne S, .... (2018). Towards drop your thesis 2018: 4.7 seconds of microgravity conditions to enable future CubeSat landings on asteroids
- Ceravolo R, Pecorelli ML & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2015). ADAPTIVE CONTROL OF THE ROCKING MOTION OF ART OBJECTS
- Pinotti E, Zanotti Fragonara L, Jain S, Lunkar V, Bhanu V, .... (2014). Non-Linear Characterisation of Kevlar and Silicon Carbide Fibres for Structural Health Monitoring Applications
- Matta E, Ceravolo R, De Stefano A, Quattrone A & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2012). Structural System Identification in the Presence of Resonant Non-Structural Appendages
- Matta E, Ceravolo R, De Stefano A, Quattrone A & Zanotti Fragonara L. (2012). Tuned Mass Dampers for the Mitigation of Impulsive Ground Motions