Name: Slim Choura

 

Title: Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Preparatory Institute of Engineering Studies at Sfax, Adjunct Professor and Co-Director of the Computational Mechanics Master’s Program at Tunisia Polytechnic School

 

Address: Preparatory Institute of Engineering Studies at Sfax, Route Menzel Chaker Km 1/2 , Sfax 3018,  Tunisia

 

Office Telephone: (+216) 74 241403

 

Fax: (+216) 74 246 347

 

Cellular: (+216) 98 239 037

 

Email: s_choura@yahoo.com

 

Education: Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA, 1989; Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA, 1987; Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA, 1985.

 

Research Interests: Modeling and Control of Flexible Structures, Vibration Confinement in Flexible Structures, Modeling and Control of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems, Semi-Active Control of Flexible Structures Under Seismic Excitations, Modal identification of structures.

 

Recent Funded Research Projects:

 

P1.    Vibration confinement in seismically excited linear and hysteretic structures. Research collaboration with Professor A. Nayfeh of Virginia Tech, USA. Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation from 2002 until 2006 https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/servlet/showaward?award=0138083. Amount: 30 000 US Dollars.

P2.   Identification of Dynamic Characteristics of Existing Bridges and Finite Element Model Updating . Project funded by the Tunisian Center of Testing and Construction Techniques (Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Territorial Planning), Amount: 100 000 Tunisian Dinars, 2002-2006.

P3.   Master’s Program in Computational Mechanics at Tunisia Polytechnic School and Impacts on the Development of Tunisia. Graduate program developed in collaboration with Professor A. Nayfeh and other professors from Virginia Tech, USA. Funded by the U.S. State Department (Office of Global Educational Programs), Virginia Tech and Tunisia Polytechnic School from 2002 until 2005 http://www.esm.vt.edu/~anayfeh/cmgp-tps/default.html, Amount: 490 423 US Dollars.

P4.   Wide-range non-intrusive devices toward conservation of historical monuments in the Mediterranean area (WIND-CHIME). Research collaboration with Prof. Fabio Casciati, University of Pavia, Italy in addition to collaborators from Tunisia, Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, Denmark, Estonia, Jordan and Algeria. Funding provided by the European Commission from 2004 until 2007. Amount: 70 000 Euros. 

P5.   US-Tunisia Workshop: Research and Educational Advances in Design and Fabrication of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems, December 2006, Tunis, Tunisia. Research collaboration with Professor A. Nayfeh of Virginia Tech, USA. Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation from 2005 until 2007 http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0536661.

Recent Publications:

 

Papers published in international journals

 

J1.      Choura, S., and Yigit, A. S., “Confinement and Suppression of Structural Vibrations,’’ ASME Journal of Vibration and Acoustics, USA, Vol. 123, pp. 496-501, 2001.

 

J2.     Choura, S., and Yigit, A. S., “Control of a Two-Link Rigid-Flexible Manipulator with a Moving Payload Mass,’’ Journal of Sound and Vibration, UK, Vol. 243, No. 5, pp. 883-897, 2001

J3.     Choura, S., and Yigit, A. S., “Control of Structural Vibration by Confinement in the Presence of Parameter Uncertainties and Disturbances,’’ Journal of Vibration and Control, USA, Vol. 8, No. 5, pp. 575-594, 2002.

 

J4.     Choura, S., El-Borgi S. and Nayfeh, A., “A Hybrid Control of Seismically-Excited Structures by Confinement of Vibrations”, USA, Journal of Vibration and Control, 10: 543-560, 2004.

 

J5.     Choura, S. and Yigit, A. S., “Active Control of Linear Time-Varying Structures by Confinement of Vibrations”, Journal of Vibration and Control, 11: 89-102, 2005.

 

J6.     Choura, S., El-Borgi S. and Nayfeh, A., “Axial Vibration Confinement in Nonhomogeneous Rods”, Journal of Shock and Vibration, 12(3): 177-195, 2005.

 

J7.     El-Borgi, S., Choura, S., Ventura, C. and Baccouch, M., “Modal Identification and Model Updating of a Reinforced Concrete Bridge”, International Journal of Smart Structures and Systems, 1(1): 83-101, 2005.

 

J8.     Najar F., Choura S., El-Borgi S., Abdel-Rahman E. M., and Nayfeh, A. H. “Modeling and Design of Electrostatic Microactuators with Variable Parameters,” Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 15: 1-15, 2005.

 

J9.     Baccouch, M., Choura, S., El-Borgi S. and Nayfeh, A., "On the Selection of Physical and Geometrical Properties for the Confinement of Vibrations in Non-Homogeneous Beams", ASCE Journal of Aerospace Engineering, 19(3):158-168, 2006.

 

J10.  Choura S., Yigit A. S, and Bouaziz S. “Control of Linear Time-Varying Structures by Vibration Confinement Using Limited Number of Actuators”, To appear in the Journal of Vibration and Control, 2006.

 

J11.   Ouled Chtiba M., Choura S., El-Borgi S. and Nayfeh A. H. “Design of Supplemental Passive Elements for the Control of Structures by Confinement of Vibrations”, To appear in the Journal of Shock and Vibration.

 

J12.  El-Borgi S., Neifar M., Cherif F., Choura S., and Smaoui H., “Modal Identification, Model Updating and Nonlinear Analysis of a Reinforced Concrete Bridge”, To appear in the Journal of Vibration and Control, 2006.

 

J13.  Choura S., Aouni N., and El-Borgi S. “On the Control of Vibratory MEMS Gyroscopes”, Submitted to the International Journal of Smart Structures and Systems.

 

J14.  Chaabane G., Abdel-Rahman E. M., Choura S., El-Borgi S. and Nayfeh, A. H. “Modeling and Analysis of Digital Micromirror Devices”, under preparation.

 

J15.  Landolsi, F., Choura, S., and Nayfeh, A. H., “Active Control of Plates by Confinement of Vibrations” under preparation.



Papers presented at international conferences

 

C1.  Choura, S., Abichou A., El-Borgi S. and Nayfeh, A., “Control of Seismically Excited Structures by Passive Confinement of Vibrations”, 3rd World Conference on Structural Control, April 2002, Como, Italy.

 

C2. Ouled Chtiba, M., Choura, S., El-Borgi, S. and Nayfeh, A.H., “Design of Passive Controllers for the Confinement of Structural Vibrations”, 13th  World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, August 2004.

 

C3. Ouled Chtiba, M., Choura, S., El-Borgi  S. and Nayfeh, A. H.,  “Control of Flexible Structures by Confinement of Vibrations Using the LQR Optimal Control Approach,” Second International Industrial Engineering Conference, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2004.

 

C4. Ouled Chtiba, M., Choura, S., El-Borgi, S. and Nayfeh, A.H., “Hybrid Control of Seismically Excited Structures by Vibration Confinement”, 3rd European Conference on Structural Control, Vienna, Austria, July 2004.

 

C5. Temimi, H., El-Borgi, S., Choura, S., M. and Sadek, F., "Time Delay Effects on Semi-Active Control of Seismically Excited Nonlinear Structures", 3rd European Conference on Structural Control, Vienna, July 2004.

 

C6. Gafsi, W., Choura, S., Ghorbel, F., Bouaziz, M., Ben Hmida, C. and Kallel, H., “Peep Regulation in a Model of a Human Mechanical Respiration System,” International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Engineering, Sousse, Tunisia, 2004.

 

C7. El-Borgi, S., Choura, S., Ventura, C., Neifar, C., Annabi, M., Baccouch, M. and Maalej, R. "Output-Only Modal Identification of Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures”, Proceedings of the 1st International Operational Modal Analysis Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, April 2005.

C8. El-Borgi, S., Choura, S., Neifar, M., Smaoui, H., Majdoub, M.S. and Cherif, D., "Towards a Rational Methodology for the Seismic Vulnerability Assessment and Retrofitting of a Historical Building”, Accepted for presentation at the 4th World Conference on Structural Control, San Diego, California, USA, July 2006.

 

C9. Choura, S., Yigit, A.S., El-Borgi, S. and Nayfeh, A.H. "Confinement and Suppression of Vibrations in Linear Time-Varying Structures”, Accepted for presentation at the 4th World Conference on Structural Control, San Diego, California, USA, July 2006.

 

C10.       Chaabane G., Abdel-Rahman E. M., Nayfeh A. H., Choura S., El-Borgi S. and Jammoussi H. “Dynamic Analysis of a Digital Micromirror Device”, Accepted for presentation at the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition, Chicago, IL, USA, 2006.

 

C11.        Najar F., Choura S., Abdel-Rahman E. M., Nayfeh A. H. El-Borgi S. “A Dynamic Analysis of Variable-Geometry Electrostatic Microactuators”, Accepted for presentation at 11th Conference on Nonlinear Vibrations, Stability, and Dynamics of Structures, Blacksburg VA, USA, August, 2006.


C12.  Najar F., Choura S., Abdel-Rahman E. M., Nayfeh A. H. El-Borgi S. “A Dynamic Analysis of Variable-Geometry Electrostatic Microactuators”, Accepted for presentation at 11th Conference on Nonlinear Vibrations, Stability, and Dynamics of Structures, Blacksburg VA, August, 2006.

 

C13.  Hajj M. R., Chabalkoy C. C., Duke J. C., El-Borgi S., Bahlous Elouafi S. and Choura S., “Damage Characterization Through Nonlinear Analysis of Transient Vibrations”, 47th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, Newport, Rhode Island, May 1-4, 2006.

 

C14.  El-Borgi S., Neifar M.., Cherif F.,  Choura S., and Smaoui H. “Modal Identification, Model Updating and Nonlinear Analysis of a Concrete Bridge”, Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Hammamet, Tunisia, December 2006.

 

C15.  Ouled Chtiba M., Choura S., and El-Borgi S., “Passive Control of 3-D Flexible Structures by Confinement of Vibrations”, Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Hammamet, Tunisia, December 2006.

 

C16.  Gafsi W., Choura S., and El-Borgi S., “Passive Control of Beams by Confinement of Vibrations”, Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Hammamet, Tunisia, December 2006.

 

C17.  H. Samaali, S. Choura, and S. El-Borgi, “Modeling and Control of Micro Electrostatic Actuators”, Second International Congress Design and Modelling of Mechanical Systems, Monastir, Tunisia, March, 2007.

 

C18.  Jammoussi H., Choura S., Arafat H., Nayfeh A., Abdel-Rahman E. M., Chaabane G., “Control of a Digital Micromirror Device Using Input Shaping”, Submitted to the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition, Seattle, Washington, November 10-16, 2007.