Bocciarelli Massimiliano

Massimiliano Bocciarelli is an Associate Professor at Politecnico di Milano in Solid and Structural Mechanics. He holds a Ph.D. in Structural Engineering and has built an extensive academic career since 2005, balancing advanced scientific research and high-profile consultancy with a strong commitment to education. His teaching activity includes courses such as Mechanics of Solids and Structures, Computational Mechanics, Static and Design of Steel and Reinforced Concrete Structures. He is also a member of the teaching and scientific board of the doctoral school in Preservation of the Architectural Heritage of the Politecnico di Milano, where he supervises theses on the structural behavior of historical buildings. His research focuses on the seismic vulnerability of existing structures and the application of composite materials for structural reinforcement. He has coordinated high-profile studies for historical buildings like the Duomo di Milano and the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua. Internationally, he has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Sydney for several years. He is the author of more than 75 publications in international journals and congress proceedings.

Career

2005: Ph.D. in Structural Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano.

2002: Master in Structural Engineering at Chalmers University of Goteborg.

2001: Laurea in Ingegneria Civile at the Politecnico di Milano.

Research

The research activity is mainly focused on the following topics:

(1) Development of experimental and numerical methods for the diagnosis of masonry historic structures and for the estimation of the seismic vulnerability.

(2) Theoretical and experimental study on the reinforcement of structures using composite materials. In particular, the research has dealt with the study of the reinforcement of metal and reinforced concrete structures with fiber-reinforced composite materials.

(3) Development of methodologies based on inverse analysis for the mechanical characterization of materials.

(4) Development of numerical methods for the shakedown analysis of structures subjected to cyclic loading.

Selected Publications

Bocciarelli M., Cocchetti G., Maier G., Shakedown analysis of train wheels by Fourier series and nonlinear programming, Engineering Structures, 26, 455-470, 2004.

Bocciarelli, M., Bolzon, G., Maier, G., Parameter identification in anisotropic elastoplasticity by indentation and imprint mapping, Mechanics of Materials, 37, 855-868, 2005.

Bocciarelli, M., Bolzon, G., Maier, G., A constitutive model of metal-ceramic functionally graded material behaviour: formulation and parameter identification. Computational Materials Science, 43, 16-26, 2008.

Bocciarelli M., Response of statically determined steel beams reinforced by CFRP plates in the elastic-plastic regime, Engineering Structures, 31, 956-967, 2009.

Bocciarelli M., Colombi P., Elasto-plastic debonding strength of tensile steel/CFRP joints. Engineering Fracture Mechanics, 85, 59-72, 2012.

Bocciarelli M., Pisani M.A. Modified force method for the nonlinear analysis of FRP reinforced concrete beams. Composite Structures, 131, 645–653, 2015.

Bocciarelli M., Barbieri G. A numerical procedure for the pushover analysis of masonry towers. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 93, 162-171, 2017.

Bocciarelli M., Ranzi G. Stochastic and recursive estimation of the hygro-thermo-chemical-mechanical parameters of concrete through Monte Carlo analysis and Extended Kalman Filter. Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization. 61, 91–110, 2020.

Bocciarelli M. A new cohesive law for the simulation of crack propagation under cyclic loadings. Application to steel- and concrete-FRP bonded interface. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics. 114,102992, 2021.

Bocciarelli M. A rate dependent cohesive model for the analysis of concrete-FRP bonded interfaces under dynamic loadings. Engineering Fracture Mechanics. 259, 108123,2022.

Papa T, Calabrese AS, Bocciarelli M, Colombi P. Influence of composite damage on CFRP/steel bonded joint behaviour under cyclic loadings. International Journal of Fatigue. 200, 109113, 2025.

Grants, awards and Honours

International Research Collaboration Award (IRCA) in 2015 from the University of Sydney for the project “Composite Materials For High-Performance Buildings”.

Community Service

Appointment as Assessor for the Australian Research Council (ARC), for the evaluation of research projects and programs, submitted to competitive calls for funding from the Australian Government.

Member of the Scientific Committee of the Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering from 2017 to 2025.

Member of the teaching and scientific Board of the doctoral School in "Preservation of the Architectural Heritage" of the Politecnico di Milano.