Andrea Vacca
Maha Fluid Power Faculty Chair | Professor, Agricultural & Biological Engineering | Mechanical Engineering (joint)
Purdue University
Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering
225 South University Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2093
Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering
225 South University Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2093
Office: Kepner
Phone: 765-430-0081
Download Biosketch (PDF)
Areas of Interest
- Machine Systems Engineering
Research Areas
Fluid Power Systems. Design, modeling and testing of new concepts for Hydraulic Systems and Components, with focus on improving controllability and efficiency of fluid power machines in off-road, aerospace, industrial, and automotive applications. https://engineering.purdue.edu/Maha/
Biography
Dr. Vacca earned his Ph.D. from the University of Florence (Italy) in 2005, presenting a thesis in the field of Gas Turbine Blade Cooling Technology. Before joining Purdue University in 2010, Dr. Vacca was Assistant Professor of Fluid Machinery at the University of Parma (Italy).
Fluid power technology has been Dr. Vacca's major research interest since 2002. Goals of his research are the improvement of energy efficiency and controllability of fluid power systems and the reduction of noise emissions of fluid power components. To accomplish these goals, his research team has developed original numerical and experimental techniques for hydraulic systems and components, especially for gear machines and hydraulic control valves. Prof. Vacca's interests also include the modeling of the properties of hydraulic fluids, with focus to the effects of aeration and cavitation, as well as the use of low viscous fluids (such as water) in fluid power systems.
Dr. Vacca is the author of more than 150 papers, most of them published in international journals or conferences. He is also active in the fluid power research community. He is a faculty member of the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP), co-chair of Fluid Power Systems and Technology Division (FPST) of ASME, and a former chair of the SAE Fluid Power division. Dr. Vacca is also Treasurer and Secretary of the Board of the Global Fluid Power Society (GFPS). Furthermore, he is also Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Fluid Power and Guest Editor of the Special Issue of Energies "Energy Efficiency and Controllability of Fluid Power Systems".
Awards
SAE Excellence in Oral Presentation Award: 2010
Outstanding Teaching Award – Agricultural and Biological Engineering Dept. (April 2015)
2015 Donald Julius Groen Prize of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
Best Paper Award, 3rd Int. Conference on Dynamics and Vibroacoustics of Machines, 2016, Samara, Russia.
Best Paper Award, 15th Scandinavian International Conference on Fluid Power, Link??ping, Sweden.
Bravo Award, FY2016-17, Moving the University Forward, awarded by the Purdue college of Agriculture.
Best Paper Award, 2017 ASME/Bath Symposium on Fluid Power and Motion Control, 2017, Sarasota, FL, USA
Best Paper Award, 2018 ASME/Bath Symposium on Fluid Power and Motion Control, Bath, United Kingdom
2019 Joseph Bramah Medal from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers “for contributions to fluid power research, particularly related to gear pumps, and for co-ordination of the global fluid power research community
Publication reprints available upon request or at my Google Scholar page.
Watch his video below on his research!
Fluid power technology has been Dr. Vacca's major research interest since 2002. Goals of his research are the improvement of energy efficiency and controllability of fluid power systems and the reduction of noise emissions of fluid power components. To accomplish these goals, his research team has developed original numerical and experimental techniques for hydraulic systems and components, especially for gear machines and hydraulic control valves. Prof. Vacca's interests also include the modeling of the properties of hydraulic fluids, with focus to the effects of aeration and cavitation, as well as the use of low viscous fluids (such as water) in fluid power systems.
Dr. Vacca is the author of more than 150 papers, most of them published in international journals or conferences. He is also active in the fluid power research community. He is a faculty member of the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP), co-chair of Fluid Power Systems and Technology Division (FPST) of ASME, and a former chair of the SAE Fluid Power division. Dr. Vacca is also Treasurer and Secretary of the Board of the Global Fluid Power Society (GFPS). Furthermore, he is also Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Fluid Power and Guest Editor of the Special Issue of Energies "Energy Efficiency and Controllability of Fluid Power Systems".
Awards
SAE Excellence in Oral Presentation Award: 2010
Outstanding Teaching Award – Agricultural and Biological Engineering Dept. (April 2015)
2015 Donald Julius Groen Prize of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
Best Paper Award, 3rd Int. Conference on Dynamics and Vibroacoustics of Machines, 2016, Samara, Russia.
Best Paper Award, 15th Scandinavian International Conference on Fluid Power, Link??ping, Sweden.
Bravo Award, FY2016-17, Moving the University Forward, awarded by the Purdue college of Agriculture.
Best Paper Award, 2017 ASME/Bath Symposium on Fluid Power and Motion Control, 2017, Sarasota, FL, USA
Best Paper Award, 2018 ASME/Bath Symposium on Fluid Power and Motion Control, Bath, United Kingdom
2019 Joseph Bramah Medal from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers “for contributions to fluid power research, particularly related to gear pumps, and for co-ordination of the global fluid power research community
Publication reprints available upon request or at my Google Scholar page.
Watch his video below on his research!