Structural Adhesive Bonding for Automotive Applications

Alireza Akhavan-Safar earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 2017 and has been a coordinating researcher at INEGI, Portugal since 2018. His expertise focuses on adhesives and adhesive joints, particularly fatigue, fracture, impact, and environmental durability, with extensive involvement in industrial projects on bonded joint performance. He has published over 150 ISI papers (2,200+ citations, h-index 28, Scopus, July 2025), delivered more than 160 conference presentations, including keynote talks, and was named among the World's Top 2% Scientists. His publications include six international books and 11 book chapters. He has supervised or co-supervised several master's and Ph.D. theses. Alireza actively contributes as a reviewer for over 85 ISI journals and evaluates research proposals for international funding agencies. He is Associate Editor of the U.Porto Journal of Engineering, and serves on editorial boards for journals such as Proc IMEchE Part L: Journal of Materials Design and Applications, Metals, Adhesives, and Archives of Advanced Engineering Science. He is also on the organizing or scientific committees of major international conferences on structural bonding, materials design, durability, vehicle body engineering, and composite materials. Ricardo J.C. Carbas (h-index 40, +6100 citations), is a senior researcher with extensive experience in joining technologies and project management. He is an expert in material testing and characterization, having developed several innovative design and manufacturing procedures for adhesive bonding, welding and joining by forming, for which he has been awarded ten patents. He is active in scientific dissemination, being the editor-in-chief of Engineering Manufacturing Letters (EML) journal (FEUP) and in the organization of conferences on materials and adhesive bonding: Luso-Brazilian Adhesion Conference (CLBA), International Conference on Materials Design and Applications (MDA), Advanced Joining Processes (AJP) and Ibero-American Conference on Composite Materials (IAMaC). He is an editorial board member of the 'Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L: Journal of Materials: Design and Applications', 'Journal of Advanced Joining Processes' and 'Materials'. He does consulting work for national (e.g. Bosch, Amtrol) and international (e.g. Honda, Nagase Chemtex, John Deere, Safran, Infineon, Henkel, etc.) companies. Eduardo A.S. Marques is an Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP) and investigator in the Advanced Joining Processes Unit of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Management (INEGI). He obtained his PhD in structural adhesive bonding for aerospace applications at FEUP in 2016.His research activity focuses on mechanical characterisation, numerical modelling and experimental testing of the mechanical behaviour of welded and bonded joints, with special attention to the effect of high strain rates, extreme temperature and high relative humidity on the behaviour of various materials and bonded structures. He has developed innovative techniques to join dissimilar material. He has published over 239 SCOPUS-index papers, amassed more than 4400 citations (h-index 36) and authored multiple books in the field of joining and material science. Lucas F.M. da Silva is a Full Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Porto (FEUP). He leads INEGI's Advanced Joining Processes Unit (AJPU), a 35-member team working on welded, plastic deformation, and adhesive joints, integrating mechanical characterization, fracture testing, analytical modeling, and finite element analysis. He has coordinated 35 research projects funded mainly by FCT and the European Commission. With 15 patents, his contributions also extend to practical innovations in joining processes. His publications include over 700 SCOPUS papers, approximately 23000 citations and an h-index of 74. His work has been recognized with awards such as the SAGE Best Paper Award, Donald Julius Groen Prize, FEUP Scientific Excellence Award (2013, 2018), and Pedagogical Excellence Award (2023). Prof. da Silva is editor-in-chief of multiple international journals and book series and organizes numerous international conferences on joining, materials, manufacturing, machine design, and engineering education. He is founder and president of the Portuguese Adhesion and Adhesives Association (EURADH member).