A significant proportion of the Structures section research is focused on investigating structural materials and how these behave in both the short and long-term. The traditional materials used in Civil Engineering construction, i.e. concrete and steel (with their variants), are studied in detail. Moreover, the response of modern composite materials also form a significant part of the research activity.

  • Concrete Durability
    The focus of concrete durability research is on the understanding of deterioration processes and on developing methods for design and whole life assessment.

List of sub-topics within this research area

Mechanics of concrete materials

  • Long term behaviour of fibre reinforced cementitious materials
  • Creep of concrete at elevated temperature
  • Spalling of concrete in fire
  • Moisture and heat flow in non-uniformly heated concrete
  • Impact and shock resistance of concrete
  • Concrete under multiaxial stresses
  • High performance concrete, self-compacting and lightweight aggregate concretes

Special steels and polymeric composite materials

  • Strength and ductility of high performance steel
  • Structural aspects of stainless steel applications
  • Properties of wire and high strength synthetic fibre ropes and strands
  • Applications of polymeric composite structures under static and dynamic loads