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2026 Maha Conference Program
| PROGRAM OF EVENTS | |||
Download the full program here: Maha Conference 2026 Program.
Presentation files and conference photos are available for download here: 2026 Maha Conference Presentations and Photos.
The peer-reviewed published papers of the conference are available here: 2026 Maha Conference Proceedings (River Publishers, open access).
| TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 | |||||
| 13:00 | Stewart Center Fowler Hall | OPENING AND REMARKS | EXPO SETUP | ||
| 13:15 | Stewart Center Fowler Hall | KEYNOTE LECTURE Session Chair: Jim Van De Ven Jean-Charles Mare (INSA Toulouse, France) - Trends in Actuation for Aerospace Jurgen Weber (TU Dresden, Germany) - Digitalization in Fluid Power Eric Lanke (NFPA, USA) - Future Trends in the U.S. Fluid Power Industry |
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| 14:45 | West Foyer | BREAK | |||
| 15:15 | Stewart Center Fowler Hall | KEYNOTE LECTURE Session Chair: Jürgen Weber Tatiana Minav (Tampere University, Finland) - Beyond Hydraulics: The Promise and Challenges of EMAs in Heavy-Duty Mobile Equipment Jim Van De Ven (University of Minnesota, USA) - Investigation of Alternative Powertrains for Mobile Machines: Agricultural Sprayer Case Study Noah Manring (University of Missouri, USA) - Using Nondimensional Analysis to Model, Design, and Test Hydraulic Control Systems Christian Geis (VDMA, Germany) - Research-Industry Collaboration in Europe |
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| 17:30 | Buchanan Club | SOCIAL EVENTS | |||
| 18:30 | Buchanan Club | DINNER | |||
| WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 | |||||
| 08:00 | Stewart Center Fowler Hall | KEYNOTE LECTURE Session Chair: Lizhi Shang Shawn Horner (Parker Hannifin, USA) - Future Trends in Motion and Control Technology Steffen Haack + Enrique Busquets (Bosch Rexroth, Germany) - AI in Fluid Power Technology Jeff Herrin (Danfoss, Denmark) - When Technology Leadership Is Not Enough - The Kings of Collaboration Dave Norman (Moog, USA) - Fluid Power Earns Its Way on Modern Aircraft |
EXPO | ||
| 10:15 | West Foyer | BREAK | |||
| 10:45 | Stewart Center Fowler Hall | KEYNOTE LECTURE Session Chair: Andrea Vacca John Tuntland + Mandi Henderson (CAT, USA) - How Caterpillar Advanced Technology Is Enabling Safer Outcomes and What It Means for Hydraulics Alberto Frulli + Stefano Fiorati (CNH, Italy/USA) - Transforming Off-Highway Machines Through Advanced Fluid Power Technologies Corey Quinnell (Husco, USA) - Why the Best Engineering Does Not Always Win |
EXPO | ||
| 12:30 | Stewart Center 206 | LUNCH in parallel with NFPA Student Recruiting Session at Stewart Center 202 |
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| 13:30 | Purdue Mall | EXPO in parallel with NFPA Student Recruiting Session at Stewart Center 202 |
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| 14:30 | Stewart Center 278 | GEAR AND VANE PUMPS Session Chair: Liselott Ericson | Stewart Center 279 | NOVEL TECHNOLOGY IN OFF ROAD VEHICLE Session Chair: Brian Steward | EXPO |
| Parth Tawarawala, Harsh Kulkarni, Dinghao Pan and Andrea Vacca (Purdue University, USA) Analysis of Efficiency and Axial Compensation in Continuous-Contact Helical Gear Pumps through Multiphysics Lubrication Modeling and Experimental Validation | Paul Michael (Milwaukee School of Engineering, USA) Influence of Fluid Properties on Hydraulic System Losses in Dynamometer and Excavator Field Testing | ||||
| Carlo Maria Vescovini (Casappa, Italy) Enhanced Multi-Objective Multi-Physics Optimization of Pump Timing Applied to a Dual-Flank Contact Helical Gear Pump | Xin Tian (CNH, Italy/USA) Off-Road Vehicle Performance & Fluid Power: From Concept Sketch to Hi-Fi and Real-Time Modeling | ||||
| Jinglun Qu, Andrea Vacca and Sri Krishna Uppaluri (Purdue University, USA and Veljan Denison Limited, India) Improvement of Filling Performance of a Balanced Vane Pump through Numerical Analysis and Experimentation | Timir Rajendra Patel, Andrea Vacca, and Charlie Young (Purdue University, USA and Bobcat, USA) High Efficiency Independent Metering System with Energy Recuperation: The Case of a Mini-Excavator | ||||
| Jeff Blasz, Joseph Giangreco Marotta (Moog, USA) High Speed Tungsten Carbide Stacked Vane Pump | Vignesh Jeganathan, Chris Imholte, Andrew Kleitsch, Ashutosh Pandey and Bipin Kashid (Simerics, USA and Parker Hannifin, USA) Bridging 1D System Modeling and 3D CFD for Hydraulic Slack Adjuster Design: A Decoupled Co-Simulation Approach | ||||
| 15:50 | Stewart Center 206 | BREAK | |||
| 16:10 | Stewart Center 278 | PISTON PUMPS AND MOTORS Session Chair: Noah Manring | Stewart Center 279 | SUSTAINABLE FLUID POWER Session Chair: Aleksandar Egelja | EXPO REMOVAL |
| Roman Ivantysyn and Jürgen Weber (TU Dresden, Germany) Ultra Compact High-Speed Axial Piston Pumps for Electrified Mobile Machinery: Optimizing and Testing Tribological Gaps for 10,000 rpm | Olivier Reinertz, Christian Bertram and Katharina Schmitz (Institute for Fluid Power Drives and Systems (ifas), RWTH Aachen University, Germany) How Fluid Power Research Can Contribute to a More Sustainable Construction Industry | ||||
| Julien Ntede Florent, Ishan Suvarna, Lizhi Shang, Andrea De Pascale, Davide Moro and Alberto Gatti (University of Bologna, Italy, Purdue University, USA, and Bonfiglioli S.p.A., Italy) Numerical Analysis of the Influence of Ball Joint Clearance on the Elastohydrodynamic Performance of Slipper Interfaces in Axial Piston Motors | Justin Hernan (Parker Hannifin, USA) Electrification-Enabled Hydraulic Architecture: Improving Efficiency and Total Cost of Ownership | ||||
| Karl Stübig, Luca Löding, Frank Geuer, Lars Leonhard, Matthias Liermann, Sumeru Srinivasamurthy, Carsten Fiebing and Robert Rahmfeld (Danfoss, Denmark) Cylinder Block Deformation as Indicator for Cylinder Pressure in Axial Piston Units: A Novel Method Using Strain Gauges | Samuele Nizzardo, Andrea Vacca and Alberto Benato (University of Padova, Italy and Purdue University, USA) Full 3D CFD and FEM Validation of Surrogate-Optimized Hydraulic Manifolds Designed via the MOThEA Framework | ||||
| Pierre Bernard (Poclain Hydraulics, France) Increasing Tool Productivity by Re-Engineering Radial Pistons Cam-Lobe Motors | Medhat Khalil (Milwaukee School of Engineering, USA) Energy Saving Strategies in Hydraulic-Driven Machine Design | ||||
| 17:30 | PMU North Ballroom | SOCIAL EVENTS | |||
| 18:30 | PMU North Ballroom | DINNER | |||
| THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 | |||||
| 08:30 | Stewart Center 278 | DRIVE AND STEER-BY-WIRE Session Chair: Olivier Reinertz | Stewart Center 279 | HYDRAULIC COMPONENT TECHNOLOGY Session Chair: Paul Michael | |
| Timothy Opperwall, Federico Zappaterra, Ben Holter (Husco, USA) Steer by Wire Safety: Preserving Steering Under Fault Conditions Through Physics Driven Design | Elton Bishop (DigitalHydraulic LLC, USA) Novel Poppet Valve for Digital Hydraulic Transformer | ||||
| Matthias Krug (Thomas Group, Germany) Development of a Demonstrator for a Full Steer-by-Wire Solution | Austin Zapata and Andrea Vacca (Purdue University, USA) When Orifice Flow Must Consider Extensional Effects | ||||
| Qadeer Ahmed (Ohio State University, USA) Powertrain-Aware Explainable Reinforcement Learning Energy Management in Off-Road Vehicles | Shanmukh Sarode and Howard Zhang (Parker Hannifin, USA) Sustainability Driven Advanced Hydraulic Pump Designs and Global Fluid Qualification Processes | ||||
| Barun Acharya (Parker Hannifin, USA) Electrified Traction Architectures for Off-Highway Mobile Equipment: A Decision Framework | Anders H. Hansen, Per Johansen (Aalborg University, Denmark) Experimental Investigation of a Novel Load-Holding Valve Technology Enabling Energy Recovery for Safety-Critical Hydraulic Systems | ||||
| Lasse Schmidt (Aalborg University, Denmark) Electro-Hydraulic Drive Networks for Next-Generation Working Machines - Design & Results for an Excavator | Leonardo Franquilino and Prithvi Naresh Chandiramani (Purdue University, USA) A Novel Hydraulic-Mechanical Linear Actuator Technology for High Efficiency Architectures | ||||
| 10:10 | Stewart Center 206 | BREAK | |||
| 10:40 | Stewart Center 278 | SYSTEM DIAGNOSTICS & SIMULATION Session Chair: Lasse Schmidt | Stewart Center 279 | SENSORS AND CONDITION MONITORING Session Chair: Jose Garcia Bravo | |
| Stefano Li Veli, Luca Romagnuolo, Emma Frosina, Valerio Di Cosmo and Adolfo Senatore (University of Sannio, Italy and University of Naples, Italy) Experimental Characterization and Numerical Modelling of an Electric Vehicle Thermal Management System Integrating a Screw-Type ePump | Massimiliano Ruggeri, Sara Baldoni, Chiara Gialluca, Christopher Rosi, Matteo Ferri and Luca Belsito (STEMS - Institute for Energy and Sustainable Mobility of the CNR, Italy and VIS Hydraulics Srl, Italy) New Sensing Method for Cartridge Valves | ||||
| Raul Rodriguez, Jeemon Kurian, Rafael Cardoso, and Sebastian Stahn (Bosch Rexroth, USA and Ansys/Synopsys, USA) Improving Structural Performance of a High-Pressure Hydraulic Portblock Using Manufacturing-Aware Shape Optimization and Automated Geometry Recovery | Daniel Gysling, Brian Schreiber (Corvera, USA and HYDAC, Germany) SONAR-Based Gas Void Fraction Monitoring for Mobile Hydraulic Systems | ||||
| Brian Steward (Iowa State University, USA) Real-Time Anomaly Detection for J1939-Based Mobile Hydraulic Control Systems | Annalisa Sciancalepore (Sun Hydraulics, USA) Valve-Integrated Position Sensing (VIPS) for Flow Estimation and Monitoring in Electrohydraulic Systems | ||||
| Jinhwan Lee, Lizhi Shang (Purdue University, USA and Poclain Hydraulics, France) Transient Thermo-Elasto-Hydrodynamic Model for Multi-Lobe Radial Piston Motor | Ishan Suvarna, Lizhi Shang (Purdue University, USA and Bosch Rexroth, USA) Numerical Modeling of Slipper-Swashplate Interface considering Wear and Thermal Effects | ||||
| Pawan Panwar (Milwaukee School of Engineering, USA) Predictive Maintenance for Hydraulic Pumps through Operating-Point-Aware Deep Learning of Vibration Signals | Kailash Choudhary, M. Rigosi, S. Di Domenico, and Andrea Vacca (Purdue University, USA and Casappa, Italy) Experimental Investigation of Micromotions in Helical External Gear Machines | ||||
| 12:20 | Stewart Center 206 | LUNCH | |||
| 13:20 | Stewart Center 278 | ELECTRIFICATION, DIGITALIZATION & SYSTEM DESIGN Session Chair: Tatiana Minav | Stewart Center 279 | SIMULATION TECHNOLOGY Session Chair: Harish Manne | |
| Germano Franzoni (Parker Hannifin, USA) Hydraulic Innovation in the Real World: Why Some Technologies Thrive, Many Stall, and What Comes Next | Francesco Corradin (Walvoil, Italy) Model Based Design Applied to the Software Development of a Fully Digitalised Hydraulic Circuit – Smart Miniexcavator Case Study | ||||
| Liselott Ericson (Linköping University, Sweden) Electrification of Mobile Machines - Exploiting Increased Degrees of Freedom in System Design | Naoki Hirose, Seiei Masuda, Yasushi Matsunaga, Fumio Shimizu, Kazuhiro Tanaka and Takeshi Yamaguchi (IHI Corporation, Japan and Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan) Unsteady CFD Analysis of Alternating Flow Patterns in a Restrictive Orifice of a Pressure Regulator Valve | ||||
| Anthony Khoraych (Advanced Test and Automation Inc., Canada) From Simulation to Decision-Grade Evidence: Automated Pump Validation for Electrified and Severe-Duty Systems | Priyanka Viswanath, Nathan Rosenbaum, Chris Imholte, Ashutosh Pandey and Bipin Kashid (Simerics, USA and Parker Hannifin, USA) 1D System Modeling and 3D CFD Co-Simulation Methodology for Analyzing Transient Behavior in Hydraulic Valves | ||||
| Christian Bock, Kendal Beaty, Rafael Cardoso (Bosch Rexroth, USA) Rexroth's Component Digitalization Strategy: How Software Is Redefining Hydraulics | Romain Nicolas (Siemens, France) Excavator Closed-Loop Simulator: From Fuel to Soil | ||||
| Scott D. Sudhoff (Purdue University, USA) Understanding and Mitigating Common Mode Current in Electrified Systems | Kai Ping Qwah, Andrea Vacca, and Matthias Krug (Purdue University, USA and Thomas Group, Germany) Modeling of Rotor Deformation Effects in Gerotor Pumps for High Pressure Applications | ||||
| Elena Menegatti, Doni Thomas, Greg Shaver, Andrea Vacca (Purdue University, USA) Advances in H2 Engine-Powered Off-Road Vehicles through Integrated Hydraulic System Design and Control | Zihao Xu, Andrea Vacca (Purdue University, USA) Experimental Characterization and Control-Oriented Modelling of Proportional Valves for Multi-Common Pressure Rail Systems | ||||
| 15:20 | Stewart Center 278 | CLOSURE AND AWARD | |||
| 15:35 | NA | TRAVEL TO MAHA | |||
| 16:20 | Maha | LAB TOUR AND SOCIAL EVENT | |||
Locations:
- Stewart Center (Fowler Hall, West Foyer, Rooms 206/278/279, and the Purdue Mall lawn on its west side)
128 Memorial Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907 - Purdue Memorial Union (PMU)
101 N Grant Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907 - Buchanan Club (Ross-Ade Stadium, 5th Floor)
850 Steven Beering Dr., West Lafayette, IN 47906 - Maha Fluid Power Research Center
1500 Kepner Drive, Lafayette, IN 47905
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