Professor Constantinos Soutis
BSc, MSc, DIC, PhD (Cantab), CEng, FRAeS, FIMechE, FIM, AFAIAA
Professor of Aerospace Structures
Head of Composite Systems Innovation Centre
email : c.soutis@sheffield.ac.uk
Professor Constantinos Soutis has taught and performed research in the areas of mechanics of aerospace composite materials and structures at the University of Cambridge (1986-1991), University of Leicester (1991-1994), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, in the United States of America (2000-2001 as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics) and Imperial College London (1994-2002), where he held a personal chair in composite structures in the department of Aeronautics. Since January 2003, he was the Head and Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Sheffield. His industrial research and engineering experience includes work with the Structural Materials Centre of the British Defence Evaluation & Research Agency (visiting research fellow, 1995-2001), QinetiQ (Trusted Expert, 2001-2003), Dowty Propellers, the Institute of Mechanics of Materials & Geostructures (IMMG-Athens) and ABB Research in Switzerland.
He has made significant research contributions in modelling the compressive response of composite plates with open holes under uniaxial and bi-axial static and fatigue loading; filled and pin-loaded holes; impact and post-impact compressive strength; environmental effects on fibre microbuckling; repair of composite laminates and structures; modelling of matrix cracking and delamination in orthotropic laminates under uniaxial and bi-axial tension; crush energy absorption; quantitative non-destructive evaluation of composites using low frequency Lamb waves generated by piezoelectric devices. Some of the fracture models he developed on open hole compression were implemented in commercial computer design packages (Laminate Analysis Program, Composite Materials Design Tool, Version 4, 2002 by Anaglyph Ltd) currently used successfully by BAE Systems (BAE-Airbus, BAE-Military), QinetiQ and others nationally and internationally.
Professor Soutis is the author or co-author of over 200 publications, including 100 in refereed journals and made over 100 technical presentations at international conferences, seminars and symposia (with more than 10 Keynote lectures in the last 2 years). He is an associate editor of the RAeS Aeronautical Journal and member of the Editorial Board of the Composites Science & Technology Journal, the Journal of Applied Composite Materials and the Journal of Structural Integrity and Durability.
Current Teaching courses:
Introduction to Aerospace Engineering (MAT 171)
Aerostructures & Performance (MEC 282)
Integrity of Materials & Components (MEC 302)
Composite Materials (MEC406)
Research Interests:
Advanced Composite Materials & Structures (ACMS) Group
Structural design of UAVs and MAVs
Damage/fracture mechanics of composite materials
Compression: Failure modelling
Smart materials and structures, damage detection
Environmental effects on the behaviour of composites
Impact & post-impact compression
Repair of composite laminates & structures
Recent Publications
- Soutis, C. “A fibre microbuckling model for predicting the notched compressive strength of composite sandwich panels”. Mechanics of Composite Materials, 43(1), (2007), 51-58.
- Kashtalyan, M and Soutis, C. “Stiffness and fracture analysis of laminated composites with off-axis ply matrix cracking. Composites A, 38(4), (2007), 1262-1269.
- Lee, J. and Soutis, C. “A study on the compressive strength of thick carbon fibre/epoxy laminates”. Composites Science & Technology, 67(10), (2007), 2015-2026.
- Soutis, C. “Fibre reinforced composites in aircraft construction”. Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 41(2), (2005), 143-151.
- Diamanti, K., Hodgkinson, J.M. and Soutis, C. “Detection of low-velocity impact damage in composite plates using Lamb waves”. Structural Health Monitoring, 3(1), (2004), 33-41.
- Soutis, C and Spearing, S.M. “Compressive response of notched woven fabric face sheet honeycomb sandwich panels”. Plastics, Rubber & Composites, 31(9), (2002), 392-397.
- Kashtalyan, M. and Soutis, C. “Analysis of local delaminations induced by angle ply matrix cracks’ Int. J. Solids & Structures, 39(6), (2002), 1515-1537.
- Diaz Valdes, S.H. and Soutis, C. “Real-time non-destructive evaluation of fibre composite laminates using low-frequency Lamb waves”. J Acc. Soc. America, 111(5), (2002), 2026-2033.