Professor of Mechanical Engineering,
Dr. Eng.
Professor Chiba is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Sanyo-Onoda City University, Japan. His research covers solid mechanics, materials processing, computational mechanics and thermal sciences. His early work focused on theoretical and stochastic thermoelastic analysis of composite and functionally graded materials, particularly uncertainty quantification, reliability assessment and optimisation of material composition.
Since 2008, Professor Chiba has expanded his research into experimental and computational studies of metal forming. His principal interests include sheet metal formability, plastic anisotropy, microstructural modification through friction stir processing, and solid-state recycling of non-ferrous metals. Recent studies have addressed the improvement of aluminium sheet formability and the conversion of aluminium alloy chips and brass wire scrap into useful engineering components without melting. He also investigates crystal plasticity modelling, molecular dynamics simulations and machine learning for materials characterisation and process optimisation.
His research has recently extended to sustainable polymer composites using agricultural and food-processing waste. Current projects investigate the incorporation of spent coffee grounds into polylactic acid (PLA) and natural rubber, focusing on their mechanical properties, processing characteristics and, particularly for PLA-based composites, biodegradation behaviour. These studies complement his work on resource-efficient manufacturing and materials recycling.
Alongside materials processing, Professor Chiba continues to develop analytical and semi-analytical methods for heat transfer and thermomechanical problems. His recent work includes transient heat conduction in multilayer structures with graded properties, forced convection with spatially varying heat transfer coefficients, and thermoplastic stress analysis. Probabilistic thermal stress analysis, reliability-based design and the application of machine learning to engineering optimisation remain important research interests.
His research experience includes collaborations with Japanese universities and industrial partners, including experimental and numerical investigations of phase-change heat transfer for air-conditioning applications. In 2016, he was a visiting researcher at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Thailand, and subsequently collaborated with Thai researchers on atomistic simulations of metallic grain boundaries. He remains actively engaged in international research collaborations and academic conferences.
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Sanyo-Onoda City University
1-1-1 Daigakudori, Sanyo-Onoda, 756-0884, Japan
E-mail: chiba@rs.socu.ac.jp
BE, 1999 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan
Dr. Eng., 2009 Iwate University, Mechanical Engineering, Morioka, Japan
・2025-Present
Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Sanyo-Onoda City University, Sanyo-Onoda, Yamaguchi
・2021-2024
Associate professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Sanyo-Onoda City University, Sanyo-Onoda, Yamaguchi
・2016
Visiting researcher
Department of Mechanical Engineering
King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Ladkrabang, Bangkok
・2010-2021
Associate professor
Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering
National Institute of Technology, Asahikawa College, Asahikawa, Hokkaido
・2007-2010
Technician
Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering
Yamagata University, Yonezawa, Yamagata
・1999-2007
Technician
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Miyagi National College of Technology, Natori, Miyagi
Mechanics of materials (the 2nd and 3rd grades, Mechanical engineering course)
Engineering materials (the 3rd grade, Mechanical engineering course)
Computer-aided engineering (the 3rd grade, Mechanical engineering course)
Chiba, R., Goto, Y., Suga, Y., Otani, K., Solid-state recycling of AA6063 aluminium alloy chips into L-profiles by hot extrusion. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science (2026), OnlineFirst. Download
Chiba, R., Control of the r-value in aluminium alloy sheets through plastic working: processing routes, mechanistic framework, and industrial implications. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L: Journal of Materials: Design and Applications (2026), OnlineFirst. Download
Chiba, R., An analytical technique for transient heat conduction in multilayer structures with intralayer linearly graded properties. Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 148 (2026) 034501. Download
Chiba, R., Fujimoto, Y., Suga, Y., Solid-state recycling of brass wire scrap into hexagonal bars by hot extrusion. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L: Journal of Materials: Design and Applications 239 (2025) 1486–1495. Download
Chiba, R., Kishida, T., Seki, R., Sato, S., Optimisation of material composition in functionally graded plates using a structure-tuned deep neural network. International Journal of Applied Mechanics and Engineering 29 (2024) 78–95. Download
Chiba, R., Nakamura, R., Suga, Y., Forming-limit strains of perforated steel sheets under biaxial stress state. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L: Journal of Materials: Design and Applications 233 (2019) 2401–2415. Download
Chiba, R., Transient thermoelastic analysis of infinite plates with time-periodic heat transfer coefficient: frequency response of thermal stress. Journal of Thermal Stresses 41 (2018) 993–1007. Download
Chiba, R., Yoshimura, M., Solid-state recycling of aluminium alloy swarf into c-channel by hot extrusion. Journal of Manufacturing Processes 17 (2015) 1–8. Download
Chiba, R., Reliability analysis of forming limits of anisotropic metal sheets with uncertain material properties. Computational Materials Science 69 (2013) 113–120. Download
Chiba, R., Sugano, Y., Optimisation of material composition of functionally graded materials based on multiscale thermoelastic analysis. Acta Mechanica 223 (2012) 891–909. Download
Chiba, R., Nakamura, T., Kuroda, M., Solid-state recycling of aluminium alloy swarf through cold profile extrusion and cold rolling. Journal of Materials Processing Technology 211 (2011) 1878–1887. Download
Chiba, R., Sugano, Y., Stochastic analysis of a thermoelastic problem in functionally graded plates with uncertain material properties. Archive of Applied Mechanics 78 (2008) 749–764. Download