Currently, I am working on the site supervision for a construction of 20 stories building in a country in SE asia. Last week I did several researches on the technical papers relavant to the building collapse that might occur during the construction to be one of my top priorities in preventing the unsafe work processes and procedures in my site.
I found one of the paper that describes the building collapse during construction. The collapse is due to the soil and foundation unstability problem that was induced by the transported soil from the excavation work.
keywords
free niche civil engineering software jobs degree course manual powerpoint calculation sheet books finite element concrete steel environment ACI AASHTO PCI Transportation Railsway Logistics nuclear FRP strengthening repair material price Earthquake Bridge Train Home Building Factory GPS GIS Survey Structural Engineering
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Showing posts with label structure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label structure. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
WTC Collapse : New Scrutiny After Crucial Explosive Dust Samples Found
Evidence indicating that the collapse of the World Trade Center was a controlled demolition has been propelled back under the national spotlight following the University of Copenhagen’s announcement that dust obtained from the rubble of the twin towers contains evidence of highly explosive material.The Earthquake-Proof Building That Is Built to Collapse
The Brilliant Idea: A replaceable, building-wide system to help hospitals, apartment buildings and office towers survive severe seismic shaking.
Innovators: Gregory Deierlein, Stanford University; Jerome F. Hajjar, Northeastern University
"Elastic high-strength steel cables run down the center of the system’s frame. The cables control the rocking of the building and, when the earthquake is over, pull it back into proper alignment."
"A steel frame situated around a building’s core or along exterior walls offers structural support. The frame’s columns, however, are free to rock up and down within steel shoes secured at the base."
Innovators: Gregory Deierlein, Stanford University; Jerome F. Hajjar, Northeastern University
"Elastic high-strength steel cables run down the center of the system’s frame. The cables control the rocking of the building and, when the earthquake is over, pull it back into proper alignment."
"A steel frame situated around a building’s core or along exterior walls offers structural support. The frame’s columns, however, are free to rock up and down within steel shoes secured at the base."
World’s longest tunnel “Gotthard Base Tunnel” : Hot Topic
Civil Engineering Award for Delhi Metro
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation(DMRC) has won the Outstanding Civil Engineering Project Award for the year 2010 specially for completing various infrastructural projects in record time, an official said today. The award will be given by the international Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating
Council(ACECC). The council works for the promotion and advancement of the science and practice of civil engineering and related professions for sustainable development in the Asian region.
The award is given to agencies involved in infrastructural projects that have made exemplary contribution to the progress of civil engineering works.
The project taken up by the agency should contribute to the nation where the project is located and they should have impacted on or spread through other Asian nations or ACECC member economies.
Work on a 125-km stretch of the Delhi Metro is in progress in Phase II and will be completed before the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games. Large sections of this have already been opened for the public.
Council(ACECC). The council works for the promotion and advancement of the science and practice of civil engineering and related professions for sustainable development in the Asian region.
The award is given to agencies involved in infrastructural projects that have made exemplary contribution to the progress of civil engineering works.
The project taken up by the agency should contribute to the nation where the project is located and they should have impacted on or spread through other Asian nations or ACECC member economies.
Work on a 125-km stretch of the Delhi Metro is in progress in Phase II and will be completed before the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games. Large sections of this have already been opened for the public.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Hoover dam bridge finally completed: Hot News
The 1,900ft engineering wonder perched 890ft above the Colorado River is expected to slash travel time along the main route between Las Vegas, Nevada, and Phoenix, Arizona, as motorists will no longer have to make their way across the dam's winding two-lane road at a snail's pace.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
What is Underwater Antiwash Concrete?
PDF version here
Although underwater concreting has been in use for a long time, development of the technique has mainly proceeded in the areas of concrete placing method and improvements to the construction machinery. The prepacked concrete method, tremie method, concrete pump method, and others are now the representative underwater concreting methods. With all these concreting methods, the essential aim of technological development has been to improve how the concrete is placed and to minimize contact between the water and mortar so as to prevent the concrete from segregating under water.
Although underwater concreting has been in use for a long time, development of the technique has mainly proceeded in the areas of concrete placing method and improvements to the construction machinery. The prepacked concrete method, tremie method, concrete pump method, and others are now the representative underwater concreting methods. With all these concreting methods, the essential aim of technological development has been to improve how the concrete is placed and to minimize contact between the water and mortar so as to prevent the concrete from segregating under water.
On the other hand, antiwashout underwater concrete is quite different in concept from the methods mentioned above; the developmenta1aim in this case was improved performance of the fresh concrete. That is, the viscosity of the concrete was increased and its resistance to segregation under the washing action of water was enhanced by mixing an antiwashout admixture with the concrete. The effect of this is not only to greatly improve the reliability of Concrete placed underwater, but it also has remarkable effects on environmental preservation in the construction area. In addition, the earlier tremie and concrete pump placing methods can be adopted for construction.
The specific advantages of antiwashout underwater concrete include the following:
- Compared with ordinary concrete, antiwashout underwater concrete is highly resistant to the washing action of water, and rarely separates even when dropped under water
- Its yield value is small and viscosity high, so the concrete components never segregate and it displays high fluidity.
- As a result of the high fluidity, filling property and self-leveling ability are improved.
- Almost no bleeding occurs.
These qualities are taken full advantage of in work which would be difficult to handle using conventional underwater concrete. This includes work where high reliability is required, work in flowing water, work where water turbidity is restricted due to environmental considerations, and work where construction stretches over a considerable area and good flatness is necessary. On the other hand, however, handling is more difficult than with ordinary concrete, and in order to produce concrete of the required quality and a structure of the required performance, careful consideration of mix proportion, mixing, transport, and placing, etc. is necessary when antiwashout underwater concrete is used.
In particular, when producing the underwater antiwash concrete it is necessary to mix it for longer than ordinary concrete in a mixer large enough to uniformly disperse the antiwashout admixture. Also, when using concrete pumps for placement, it is necessary to design a pumping plan with care as regards pumping equipment, pumping distance, etc., because the pumping resistance is increased by the higher viscosity.
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Era of Flexible Concrete?
PDF version here
Looks like the brittle concrete has been tamed at last!
A team of researchers at the University of Michigan has developed a concrete material that bends like rubber, cracks very little, heals itself with no manual intervention, and is almost as good as new concrete upon recovery, with its stiffness and strength intact.
The research team led by Professor Victor C. Li more here , Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
at the University of Michigan, has achieved this by designing the new material with tiny crack widths. This ensures that any damage caused due to overloading and subsequent tensile strain manifests itself as small cracks that are autogenously healed.
Here’s how the self-healing mechanism works. The extra dry cement that is exposed on the surface of the crack reacts with water and carbon dioxide to form calcium carbonate, a strong and resilient compound that brings back the material to its original state. But this works only if the crack width is tiny, a factor that is taken care of by the nature of the material itself. The new material is an improvement over the bendable engineering cement composite (ECC) that Li and his team have been developing for the past decade and a half. The research team discovered that the brittleness of concrete could be altered by limiting the crack width to 150 microns, preferably 50 microns to enable full healing. The average crack width in the ECC was found to be 60 microns, half the width of human hair.
While traditional concrete is brittle and rigid, prone to failure and breakage under strain, the flexible ECC is held together with reinforcing fibers. So while traditional concrete fractures under a tensile strain of 0.1%, experiments revealed that the ECC is able to withstand a tensile strain of up to 5%. That makes it an astounding 500 times more durable than concrete.
The flexible ECC has several obvious advantages over traditional concrete as a construction material.
However, the one crucial factor that could put a wrench in the works is that the self-healing process is almost entirely dependent on the availability of water. Under laboratory conditions, ECC was found to require about one to five cycles of wetting and drying in order to self-heal. Extrapolating this finding to large structures such as bridges, it can be concluded that the ability for the material to self-heal is likely to be seasonal in nature. This leads one to question whether the new material would be suitable for commercial use in dry arid lands, and under all climatic conditions. And, would the alternate freeze-thaw cycles during our cold winters, complicated by use of de-icing salts, affect ECC’s material properties? These are some of the questions that should be addressed.
All said and done, should ECC prove to be a success in terms of industrial and commercial use, we are likely to see safer, smarter and more durable structures being erected.
Looks like the brittle concrete has been tamed at last!
A team of researchers at the University of Michigan has developed a concrete material that bends like rubber, cracks very little, heals itself with no manual intervention, and is almost as good as new concrete upon recovery, with its stiffness and strength intact.
The research team led by Professor Victor C. Li more here , Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
at the University of Michigan, has achieved this by designing the new material with tiny crack widths. This ensures that any damage caused due to overloading and subsequent tensile strain manifests itself as small cracks that are autogenously healed.
Here’s how the self-healing mechanism works. The extra dry cement that is exposed on the surface of the crack reacts with water and carbon dioxide to form calcium carbonate, a strong and resilient compound that brings back the material to its original state. But this works only if the crack width is tiny, a factor that is taken care of by the nature of the material itself. The new material is an improvement over the bendable engineering cement composite (ECC) that Li and his team have been developing for the past decade and a half. The research team discovered that the brittleness of concrete could be altered by limiting the crack width to 150 microns, preferably 50 microns to enable full healing. The average crack width in the ECC was found to be 60 microns, half the width of human hair.
While traditional concrete is brittle and rigid, prone to failure and breakage under strain, the flexible ECC is held together with reinforcing fibers. So while traditional concrete fractures under a tensile strain of 0.1%, experiments revealed that the ECC is able to withstand a tensile strain of up to 5%. That makes it an astounding 500 times more durable than concrete.
The flexible ECC has several obvious advantages over traditional concrete as a construction material.
Stronger Structures
Presently, concrete structures are reinforced with steel reinforcement (aka “rebar”) to minimize concrete cracking, as well as provide tensile strength for bending moments for structural beams and columns. While ECC cannot replace rebar for structural tensile strength, it can reduce the need for rebar to limit concrete cracking. In addition, ECC has the added benefit of self-healing these cracks, thereby reducing the risk of water and de-icing salts penetrating into the structure, causing corrosion of reinforcement steel that might be present.
Presently, concrete structures are reinforced with steel reinforcement (aka “rebar”) to minimize concrete cracking, as well as provide tensile strength for bending moments for structural beams and columns. While ECC cannot replace rebar for structural tensile strength, it can reduce the need for rebar to limit concrete cracking. In addition, ECC has the added benefit of self-healing these cracks, thereby reducing the risk of water and de-icing salts penetrating into the structure, causing corrosion of reinforcement steel that might be present.
Decreased Costs
While ECC is three times as expensive as traditional concrete, these costs are outweighed in the long run since the structure would not require extensive repair and maintenance. Li claims that ECC could help do away with repair and rebuilding processes for about an additional five to ten years. It could also eliminate the need to monitor seismic stresses on structures.
While ECC is three times as expensive as traditional concrete, these costs are outweighed in the long run since the structure would not require extensive repair and maintenance. Li claims that ECC could help do away with repair and rebuilding processes for about an additional five to ten years. It could also eliminate the need to monitor seismic stresses on structures.
Reduced Environmental Impacts
Use of the ECC is also expected to reduce the energy and carbon footprints of infrastructure, thereby reducing the detrimental effects of construction on the natural environment.
Use of the ECC is also expected to reduce the energy and carbon footprints of infrastructure, thereby reducing the detrimental effects of construction on the natural environment.
Quieter Structures
In 2006, a bridge over Interstate 94 in Michigan was built with a similar self-healing concrete, which was reinforced with toothed metal slats that allowed concrete to expand and contract without bending. However, this structure turned out to be a noisy affair as vehicles rattled over the metal slats. In contrast, ECC is a silent material.
The research certainly bodes well for the construction industry. In addition to the obvious applications in buildings and infrastructure, self-healing concrete could also very well be the solution to potholes and cracks on roads and bridges, and leaky walls. Flexible ECC is also being considered for use in irrigation channels in Montana.In 2006, a bridge over Interstate 94 in Michigan was built with a similar self-healing concrete, which was reinforced with toothed metal slats that allowed concrete to expand and contract without bending. However, this structure turned out to be a noisy affair as vehicles rattled over the metal slats. In contrast, ECC is a silent material.
However, the one crucial factor that could put a wrench in the works is that the self-healing process is almost entirely dependent on the availability of water. Under laboratory conditions, ECC was found to require about one to five cycles of wetting and drying in order to self-heal. Extrapolating this finding to large structures such as bridges, it can be concluded that the ability for the material to self-heal is likely to be seasonal in nature. This leads one to question whether the new material would be suitable for commercial use in dry arid lands, and under all climatic conditions. And, would the alternate freeze-thaw cycles during our cold winters, complicated by use of de-icing salts, affect ECC’s material properties? These are some of the questions that should be addressed.
All said and done, should ECC prove to be a success in terms of industrial and commercial use, we are likely to see safer, smarter and more durable structures being erected.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Reinforced concrete Design philosophy and concepts
Reinforced concrete Design philosophy and concepts
The design of a structure may be regarded as the process of selecting proper materials and proportioned elements of the structure, according to the art, engineering science and technology. In order to fulfill its purpose, the structure must meet its conditions of safety, serviceability, economy and functionality.
| Serviceability: No excessive deflection, no excessive deformation and no cracking or vibrations No excessive reinforcement. Must be able to perform the function, it is built for. |
Strength design method
It is based on the ultimate strength of the structural members assuming a failure condition, whether due to the crushing of concrete or due to the yield of reinforced steel bars. Although there is additional strength in the bar after yielding (due to Strain Hardening), this additional strength in the bar is not considered in the analysis or design of the reinforced concrete members. In the strength design method, actual loads or working loads are multiplied by load factor to obtain the ultimate design loads. The load factor represents a high percentage of factor for safety required in the design. The ACI code emphasizes this method of design.
Working stress design
This design concept is based on elastic theory, assuming a straight line stress distribution along the depth of the concrete. The actual loads or working loads acting on the structure are estimated and members are proportioned on the basis of certain allowable stresses in concrete and steel. The allowable stresses are fractions of the crushing strength of concrete (fc') and the yield strength (fy). Because of the differences in realism and reliability over the past several decades, the strength design method has displaced the older stress design method.
Limit state design
It is a further step in the strength design method. It indicates the state of the member in which it ceases to meet the service requirements, such as, loosing its ability to withstand external loads or local damage. According to limit state design, reinforced concrete members have to be analyzed with regard to three limit states:
- Load carrying capacity (involves safety, stability and durability)
- Deformation (deflection, vibrations, and impact)
- The formation of cracks
The aim of this analysis is to ensure that no limiting sate will appear in the structural member during its service life.
what is Reinforced Concrete ?
Concrete is a stone like substance obtained by permitting a carefully proportioned mixture of cement, sand and gravel or other aggregate and water to harden in forms of the shape and of dimensions of the desired structure.
Reinforced cement concrete:
Since concrete is a brittle material and is strong in compression. It is weak in tension, so steel is used inside concrete for strengthening and reinforcing the tensile strength of concrete. The steel must have appropriate deformations to provide strong bonds and interlocking of both materials. When completely surrounded by the hardened concrete mass it forms an integral part of the two materials, known as "Reinforced Concrete".
Advantages and disadvantages of reinforced concrete
Reinforced Concrete is a structural material, is widely used in many types of structures. It is competitive with steel if economically designed and executed.
Advantages of reinforced concrete
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Disadvantages of reinforced concrete
- It needs mixing, casting and curing, all of which affect the final strength of concrete.
- The cost of the forms used to cast concrete is relatively high.
- It has low compressive strength as compared to steel (the ratio is about 1:10 depending on material) which leads to large sections in columns/beams of multistory buildings Cracks develop in concrete due to shrinkage and the application of live loads
The design concept of the world tallest building
"Structural Design of the World’s Tallest Building:
The Burj Dubai Tower"
By:
William F. Baker, SOM Partner in Charge of Structural and Civil Engineering , Chicago, IL
D. Stanton Korista, SOM Director of Structural Engineering, Chicago, IL
Lawrence C. Novak, SOM Associate Partner,
Chicago, IL
The Burj Dubai Tower, when completed, will be the world’s tallest structure. The superstructure is currently under construction and as of the start of 2007 has reached near 100 stories. The final height of the building is a “well-guarded secret.” The height of the multi-use skyscraper will “comfortably” exceed the current record holder of 509 meter (1,671 ft) tall Taipei 101. The 280,000 m2 reinforced concrete multi-use Tower is utilized for Retail, a Giorgio Armani Hotel, Residential, and Office. The goal of the Burj Dubai Tower is not simply to be the world’s highest building; it’s to embody the world’s highest aspirations.
Designers purposely shaped the structural concrete Burj Dubai—“Y” shape in plan—to reduce the wind forces on the tower, as well as to keep the structure simple and foster constructability. The structural system can be described a “buttressed” core. Each wing, with its own high performance concrete core and perimeter columns, buttresses the others via a six-sided central core, or hexagonal hub. The result is a tower that is extremely stiff torsionally. SOM applied a rigorous geometry to the tower that aligned all the common central core and column elements to form a building.
Each tier of the building steps back in a spiral stepping pattern up the building. The setbacks are organized with the Tower’s grid, such that the building stepping is accomplished by aligning columns above with walls below to provide a smooth load path. This allows the construction to proceed without the normal delays associated with column transfers.
The setbacks are organized such that the Tower’s width to change at each setback. The advantage of the stepping and shaping is to “confuse the wind.” The wind vortexes never get organized because at each new tier the wind encounters a different building shape.
The 280,000 m2 (3,000,000 ft2) Tower and 185,000 m2 (2,000,000 ft2) Podium structures are currently under construction and the project is scheduled for topping out in 2008.
The Burj Dubai Tower"
By:
William F. Baker, SOM Partner in Charge of Structural and Civil Engineering , Chicago, IL
D. Stanton Korista, SOM Director of Structural Engineering, Chicago, IL
Lawrence C. Novak, SOM Associate Partner,
Chicago, IL
The Burj Dubai Tower, when completed, will be the world’s tallest structure. The superstructure is currently under construction and as of the start of 2007 has reached near 100 stories. The final height of the building is a “well-guarded secret.” The height of the multi-use skyscraper will “comfortably” exceed the current record holder of 509 meter (1,671 ft) tall Taipei 101. The 280,000 m2 reinforced concrete multi-use Tower is utilized for Retail, a Giorgio Armani Hotel, Residential, and Office. The goal of the Burj Dubai Tower is not simply to be the world’s highest building; it’s to embody the world’s highest aspirations.
Designers purposely shaped the structural concrete Burj Dubai—“Y” shape in plan—to reduce the wind forces on the tower, as well as to keep the structure simple and foster constructability. The structural system can be described a “buttressed” core. Each wing, with its own high performance concrete core and perimeter columns, buttresses the others via a six-sided central core, or hexagonal hub. The result is a tower that is extremely stiff torsionally. SOM applied a rigorous geometry to the tower that aligned all the common central core and column elements to form a building.
Each tier of the building steps back in a spiral stepping pattern up the building. The setbacks are organized with the Tower’s grid, such that the building stepping is accomplished by aligning columns above with walls below to provide a smooth load path. This allows the construction to proceed without the normal delays associated with column transfers.
The setbacks are organized such that the Tower’s width to change at each setback. The advantage of the stepping and shaping is to “confuse the wind.” The wind vortexes never get organized because at each new tier the wind encounters a different building shape.
The 280,000 m2 (3,000,000 ft2) Tower and 185,000 m2 (2,000,000 ft2) Podium structures are currently under construction and the project is scheduled for topping out in 2008.
What is Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai)?
General Information
Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai)
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesBurj Khalifa, formerly Burj Dubai, at the center of a large-scale development, is the tallest building in the world. The design combines cultural influences with cutting-edge technology to achieve a high-performance building. Its massing is manipulated in the vertical dimension to minimize the impact of wind on the tower's movement.
Site Area: 104,210 m2
Project Area: 454,249 m2
Building Height: 828 m
2010 • Chicago Athenaeum • International Architecture Award
2010 • Cityscape Awards for Real Estate in the Middle East and North Africa • Best Mixed Use Built Development
2010 • CTBUH • Best Tall Building Middle East & Asia
2010 • LEAF Awards • Best Structural Design of the Year: Shortlisted
2010 • Structural Engineers Association of Illinois • Excellence in Structural Engineering: Most Innovative Structure
2010 • World Architecture Festival • Award: Shortlisted
2010 • World Architecture Festival • Award: Shortlisted / Structural System
see more about the design concept of the building
Project Facts
Completion Year: 2010Site Area: 104,210 m2
Project Area: 454,249 m2
Building Height: 828 m
Project Awards
2010 • Arab Investment Summit • Arab Achievement Award 2010: Best Architecture Project2010 • Chicago Athenaeum • International Architecture Award
2010 • Cityscape Awards for Real Estate in the Middle East and North Africa • Best Mixed Use Built Development
2010 • CTBUH • Best Tall Building Middle East & Asia
2010 • LEAF Awards • Best Structural Design of the Year: Shortlisted
2010 • Structural Engineers Association of Illinois • Excellence in Structural Engineering: Most Innovative Structure
2010 • World Architecture Festival • Award: Shortlisted
2010 • World Architecture Festival • Award: Shortlisted / Structural System
see more about the design concept of the building
Conference 2010-on Engineering Design Technology
The Engineering Design Technology eConference is a national one-day learning event bringing together professionals to facilitate software implementation, product selection, technology training, and business strategy as it relates to emerging technology.
Register today for this groundbreaking online conference—it’s FREE! Learn and discuss the latest innovations and applications in engineering design technology!
Produced By: CE News, Structural Engineering & Design
When: Coming Soon
Cost: Free!
Five Reasons you must attend The Engineering Design Technology eConference:
1. Earn up to 2 FREE Professional Development Hours
2. Attend up to 3 live webcasts throughout the eConference.
3. Visit virtual booths and pick up product information, and white papers and have a live Q&A with booth representatives.
4. Find, and network with, your peers using the chat feature.
5. All from the convenience of your office or home computer - no travel or expenses necessary!
Fore more info go for "technology" website
1. Earn up to 2 FREE Professional Development Hours
2. Attend up to 3 live webcasts throughout the eConference.
3. Visit virtual booths and pick up product information, and white papers and have a live Q&A with booth representatives.
4. Find, and network with, your peers using the chat feature.
5. All from the convenience of your office or home computer - no travel or expenses necessary!
Fore more info go for "technology" website
How to repair the cracked concrete structures yourself
Crack injection repair to concrete structures
Scope of work:
Injection of dead cracks with low viscosity 2 components epoxy resin in order to repair the concrete structures.
Injection of dead cracks with low viscosity 2 components epoxy resin in order to repair the concrete structures.
PREPARATION FOR INJECTION WORK
- 14mm holes must be drilled along the crack path between 200 – 300 mm centres. The holes must be deep enough to receive the ‘metal pipe sleeves’ (approx. 20mm)
- Insert Sika ‘metal pipe sleeves’ into all the holes and epoxy into position using Sikadur 731
- Clean the concrete surface adjacent to the crack with a wire brush or sandpaper.
- Wipe down the concrete with a clean rag to remove any dust and loosely adhering particles.
- The cleaned surface is then sealed using Sikadur 731 applied by a spatula or trowel.
CRACK INJECTION
- Following the curing of the Sikadur 731 (minimum of 12 hours at 30oC) the epoxy injection can commence.
- Starting from one side or the lowest point of the crack a Sika ‘nipple’ is screwed into the first pipe sleeve and Sikadur 752 injected into the crack until the epoxy is seen to ooze from the adjacent pipe sleeve, this pipe sleeve is then sealed with a nipple, continue to inject the current port until refusal (epoxy resin can not be injected more) and then start the injection of the adjacent port and so on. This procedure is continued in the sequence indicated until all have been completed.
- Beginning at the first nipple filled, the nipple is removed and checked for incomplete filling. If any of the pipe sleeves are found to be incompletely filled, the injection of Sikadur 752 must recommence from the previous pipe sleeve to the one found incomplete until full and the nipple replaced. This checking process is continued (without interruption) along the crack until all have been checked.
- After a curing time of 12 hours the sleeve and nipples are trimmed off with an angle grinder or other suitable equipment.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Prof. Victor Li - the innovative creator of NanoMaterial in Civil Engineering
"One of the most challenging problems in infrastructure is to endure our built infrastrutures from the affect influences from the natural and man-made hazard. To mitigate the influence of hazard on the infrastructures, the smart engineer utilizes the smart material through materials technology".
One of the most smart and influencing engineer and researcher in the world in the area of smart material is "Professor Victor C. Li".
Prof. Li use the technology core that is micromechanics-based designed engineered cemetitious composites (ECC) with ductility approaching two to three orders of magnitude that of ordinary concrete of FRC. Prof.Li's research extends its impact on the quality of life via interdisciplinary research collaborations with partners specilizing in polymer chemistry, rheology, fiber processing, including structural and construction engineering.
This is for the "better built environment and infrastructures". Read more Prof.Victor Li in Forbes.
The short summary of Prof. Li Bio is below:
E. Benjamin Wylie Collegiate Chair
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
University of Michigan
Education (Top)
Ph.D. Solid & Structural Mechanics Brown University 1981
M.S. Mechanical Engineering Brown University 1978
M.A. Mechanical Engineering Brown University 1977
B.S. Economics Brown University 1977
Experience (Top)
2005 - Present E. Benjamin Wylie Collegiate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
2004 - Present Professor of Materials Science and Engineering,
U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
1993 - 2005 Professor of Civil and Envirn. Engineering, U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
1990 -1993 Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
1985 -1990 Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA.
1983 -1985 Edgerton Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA.
1981 -1983 Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA.
Honors and Awards (Top)
* Fellow, IA-FraMCoS, 2010
* Member, General Council, Int’l Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems, and Structures (RILEM), 2005-present
* Member, Editorial Advisory Committee, RILEM J. of Materials and Structures, 2004-present
* Member, Advisory Board, J. of Adv. Concrete Technology, Japan Concrete Institute, 2001-present
* Guest Professorship, Southeast University, Nanjing, China, 2006-present
* Hua Ying Honorary Lectureship, Southeast University, Nanjing, China, 2006
* U-M Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, 2005-2006
* Fellow, World Innovation Foundation, 2005-
* Finalist, Frank Annunzio Award for “cutting edge” innovations Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, 2005
* UM College of Engineering Stephen S. Attwood Excellence in Engineering Award, 2004-2005
* Honorary Doctorate, Tech. Univ. of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark, 2004
* President, Association of Fracture Mechanics of Concrete and Concrete Structures, 2001-2004
* Member, Editorial Board, J. of Cement and Concrete Composites, 2000-2002
* Højgaard Visiting Professor of Concrete Technology, Techn. Univ. of Denmark, 1999 - 2004
* Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1999 -
* Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers, 1998
* Member, Executive Committee, ASCE Materials Technology Division, 1996 - 1998
* Invited Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Tokyo, 1996-1997
* Visiting Professor of Civil & Structural Engineering, Hong Kong Univ. of Science and Technology, 1997 summer
* Member, Executive Committee, Materials Engineering Division, ASCE, 1996 -
* Editor-in-Chief, ASCE J. Materials in Civil Engineering, 1996 - 1999
* U-M College of Engineering Research Excellence Award, 1995-1996
* Distinguished Lecturer Award, ICCE, 1994
* U-M CEE Department Research Excellence Award, 1993-1994
* Invited Guest Editor, J. of Cement and Concrete Composites, 1992
* Invited Professor of Structural Engineering, Techn. Univ. of Denmark, 1992 summer
* Rackham Research Partnership Award, 1991-1992
* Edgerton Career Development Chair, M.I.T., 1983-1985
* University Fellowship, Brown University, 1977-1978
* Tau Beta Pi, 1977- ; Sigma Xi, 1977-
Keynote/Plenary Speaker (selected list) (Top)
* "Non-Brittle Concrete For Durable Infrastructure In Coastal Regions," to appear in Proc., International Conf. on Future Concrete, Doha, Qatar, 2010.
* "Damage Characteristics And Micromechanics of Impact Resistant Engineered Cementitious Composites," European Fracture Conference (ECF18), Dresden, Germany, 2010.
* "Advances in Self-healing Engineered Cementitious Composites," Japan Concrete Institute, Tokyo, 2010.
* "Driving Infrastructure Sustainability Via Advanced Materials Technology," Int’l Conference on Advanced Concrete Materials, Stellenbosch, S. Africa, 11/2009.
* "Self-Healing Cementitious Material and Sustainable Infrastructure," 2nd Int’l Conf. on Self-Healing Materials, Chicago, 6/2009.
* "Sustainable Infrastructure With Durable Fiber Concrete Material," Concrete: Construction's Sustainable Option, Dundee Scotland, 7/2008.
* "Bendable Concrete for Sustainable Infrastructure," NRMCA Concrete Tech Forum, Denver, 5/2008.
* ACI Convention State-of-the-Art Cement and Concrete Applications, Puerto Rico, 2007
* 1st Int’l Conf. on Self Healing Materials, Noordwijk, the Netherlands, 2007
* 10th Int’l Inorganic-Bonded Fiber Composites Conf., Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2006
* Japan Society of Civil Engineers – TC334 Workshop, 2006
* Int’l Workshop on Fracture of Materials, Sydney, Australia, 2006
* ECI on Advances in Cement and Concrete – Sustainability, Switzerland, 2006
* Knud Højgaard Conf. on Advanced Cement-Based Materials, Denmark, 2005
* Int’l Seminar on Better Quality of Concrete and Competitiveness of the Construction Industry,” Seoul, Korea, 2005
* 6th RILEM Symp. on Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC), Varenna, Italy, 2004
* Conf. on Fibre Composites, HPC and Smart Materials, Chennai, India , 2004
* Int¹l Workshop on Sustainable Concrete Technology, Beijing, China, 2004
* JCI Japanese Symposium on DFRCC, Japan, 2003
* Fiber Society on Engineering with Fibers, Loughborough, UK, 2003
* Materials Research Society Meeting, Boston, US, 2002
* Japan Concrete Institute Workshop on DFRCC, Takayama, Japan, 2002
* 1st fib Congress Concrete Structures in 21st Century, Osaka, Japan, 2002
* High Performance Concrete Workshop, Kungmin, China, 2001
* Int’l Conference on High Performance Concrete, China, 2000
* 6th Int'l Symposium on Brittle Matrix Composites, Warsaw, Poland, 2000
* FRAMCOS-3, Gifu, Japan, 1998
* 5th Int'l Symposium on Brittle Matrix Composites, Warsaw, Poland, 1997
* ICF-9, Sydney, Australia, 1997
* Meso-Fracture ‘96, Tomsk, Russia, 1996
* 4th Japan SAMPE Conference, Tokyo, Japan, 1995
* 4th Int'l Symposium on Brittle Matrix Composites, Warsaw, Poland, 1994
* 4th RILEM International Symposium on FRC, Sheffield, UK, 1992
* MIT Sea Grant Program, WS on Breaking Process of Ice Plates, US, 1984
Member/Chair, Scientific Board of Advisors/Organizing Committee (selected list) (Top)
* BEFIB 2012 on Fibre Reinforced Concrete, Guimaraes City, Portugal, 2012
* 7th Int’l Symp. on Cement & Concrete (ISCC), Ji’nan, China, 2010
* 2nd Int’l Conf. on Service Life Design for Infrastructure, Delft, The Netherlands, 2010
* 18th European Conference of Fracture (ECF 18), Dresden, Germany, 2010
* Fracture Mechanics of Concrete & Concrete Structures (FraMCoS 7), Korea, 2009
* 1st Int’l Conf. on Computational Technologies in Concrete Structures (CTCS'09), Korea, 2009
* 2nd Int’l Conf. on Self-Healing Materials (ICSHM), Chicago, US, 2009
* Int’l Conf. on Durability of Concrete Structures (ICDCS 2008), Hangzhou, China, 2008
* Int’l Symp. on Hydration, Microstructure and Durability, Nanjing, China, 2008
* Int’l Conf. on Challenges for Civil Construction, Porto, Portugal, 2008
* 8th Int’l Symp. on Utilization of High Strength & High Performance Concrete, Tokyo, Japan, 2008
* Int’l Workshop on HPFRCC, Mainz, Germany, 2007
* 1st Int’l Conf. on Self Healing Materials, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 2007
* Int’l Workshop on Fracture of Materials, Sydney, Australia, 2006
* 11th Int¹l Conf. On Fracture (ICF11), Turin, Italy, 2005
* Int’l Conf. on Advances in Concrete & Construction (ICACC-2004), India 2004
* FraMCoS 5th Int'l Symp. on Concrete Fracture, Vail, Colorado, 2004
* 6th RILEM Symposium on Fibre-Reinforced Concrete, Varenna, Italy, 2004
* Int'l Conf. on Concrete under Severe Conditions CONSEC 04 Seoul, Korea, 2004
* HPFRCC-4 Int¹l Workshop, Ann Arbor, US, 2003
* Int¹l Fiber Society Symposium, Loughborough, UK, 2003
* Japan Concrete Institute Workshop on DFRCC, Takayama, Japan, 2002
* International Board of JCI Committee on High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites, 2001- 2004
* Int' Conf. on Advances in Building Technology, Hong Kong, 2002
* 2nd Int’l Workshop on Self-Compacting Concrete, Japan, 2001
* FraMCoS 4th Int'l Symp. on Concrete Fracture, France, 2001
* Int’l Conference on High Performance Concrete, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China, 2000
* Int’l Workshop on High Performance FRC Composites, Mainz, Germany, 1999
* Civil & Envir. Engrg. Conf. – New Frontiers & Challenges, AIT 40th Anniv. Celebration, Thailand, 1999
* Meso-Fracture ’98, Haifa, Isreal, 1998
* Int’l Workshop on Self-Compacting Concrete, Japan, 1998
* FraMCoS 3rd Int'l Symp. on Concrete Fracture, Japan, 1998
* Sixth Int’l Symp. on Ferrocement, Ann Arbor, US, 1998
* Damage and Failure of Interfaces, Vienna, Austria, 1997
* ICF-9, Sydney, Australia, 1997
* Int'l Workshop on HPFRCC, US, 1995
* FraMCoS 2nd Int'l Symp. on Concrete Fracture, Switzerland, 1995
* RILEM 4th Int'l Symp. on FRC, UK, 1992
* RILEM Int'l Conf. Frac./Damage of Conc. & Rock, Austria, 1992
* FraMCoS 1st Int'l Conf. Frac. Mech. of Conc. Struct., US, 1992
* SEM Int'l Conf. Micromech. Failure of Quasi-Brittle Mat'ls, US, 1990
* Int'l Assoc. BEM - Int'l Sym. on BEM, 89, US, 1989
* ITA Int'l Conf. on Jointed and Faulted Rock, Austria, 1989
* RILEM Int'l Conf. Frac. Toughness and Frac. Energy, UK, 1989
* RILEM Int'l Conf. in Fracture of Concrete and Rock, UK, 1987
Amr S. Elnashai-One of the Best Expert in Earthquake Engineering.
In this post, I introduced you to one of the best expert in Earthquake Engineering. If you are in this field, you might be able to guess. Yes. He is Amr S. Elnashai.He is the first author of Fundamentals of Earthquake Engineering
Professor Amr Elnashai, Fellow of the UK Royal Academy of Engineering is the William and Elaine Hall Endowed Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois. He is also Director and Chair of the College of Engineering Council on Global Engineering Initiatives.
Professor Amr Elnashai, Fellow of the UK Royal Academy of Engineering is the William and Elaine Hall Endowed Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois. He is also Director and Chair of the College of Engineering Council on Global Engineering Initiatives.
A graduate of Cairo University, Dr. Elnashai obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from Imperial College, University of London, UK. Before joining the University of Illinois in June 2001, he was Professor of Earthquake Engineering and Head of Section at Imperial College. He has been Visiting Professor at the University of Surrey since 1997. Other visiting appointments include the University of Tokyo, the University of Southern California (1990-1995) and the European School for Advanced Studies in Reduction of Seismic Risk, Italy, where he has served on the Board of Directors since its founding in 2000.
Dr. Elnashai is founder and co-editor of the Journal of Earthquake Engineering, editorial board member of several other journals, a member of the drafting panel of the European and Egyptian design codes, past chairman of the UK earthquake engineering association, UK delegate to and past senior Vice-President of the European Association of Earthquake Engineering. He is the winner of the Imperial College Unwin Prize for the best PhD thesis in Civil and Mechanical Engineering (1984), the Oscar Faber Medal for best paper in the Institution of Structural Engineering, and two best paper medals from the International Association of Tall Buildings, Los Angeles. He served as coordinator for major European research networks including 14 institutions from 9 countries.
Dr. Elnashai is Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Structural Engineers in the UK. He is President of the Asian-Pacific Network (ANCER), a member of the FIB Seismic Design Commission Working Groups and two Applied Technology Council (ATC, USA) technical committees as well as the Illinois State Seismic Safety Task Force. He founded the Japan-UK Seismic Risk Forum in 1995 and served as its director until 2004. He was adviser to the UK Department of the Environment, chairman of a ministerial committee for the assessment of scientific research in Egypt, adviser to the Civil Defense Agency of Italy and review panel member for the Italian Ministry of Research and the New Zealand and Canadian Science Research Councils.
He has successfully supervised 35 Ph.D. and more than 100 Master of Science theses. Many of his students hold significant positions in industry, academia and government in over 12 countries. He has contributed to projects for a number of international companies and other agencies such as the World Bank, GSK, Shell, AstraZeneca, Minorco, British Nuclear Fuels, Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, Mott MacDonald, British Airport Authority, Alstom Power, the Greek, Turkish and Indonesian Governments, Federal Highway Administration, National Geographic Society, US AID, among others. He is currently leading a large project for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and State Emergency Management Agencies.
Dr. Elnashai is founder and co-editor of the Journal of Earthquake Engineering, editorial board member of several other journals, a member of the drafting panel of the European and Egyptian design codes, past chairman of the UK earthquake engineering association, UK delegate to and past senior Vice-President of the European Association of Earthquake Engineering. He is the winner of the Imperial College Unwin Prize for the best PhD thesis in Civil and Mechanical Engineering (1984), the Oscar Faber Medal for best paper in the Institution of Structural Engineering, and two best paper medals from the International Association of Tall Buildings, Los Angeles. He served as coordinator for major European research networks including 14 institutions from 9 countries.
Dr. Elnashai is Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Structural Engineers in the UK. He is President of the Asian-Pacific Network (ANCER), a member of the FIB Seismic Design Commission Working Groups and two Applied Technology Council (ATC, USA) technical committees as well as the Illinois State Seismic Safety Task Force. He founded the Japan-UK Seismic Risk Forum in 1995 and served as its director until 2004. He was adviser to the UK Department of the Environment, chairman of a ministerial committee for the assessment of scientific research in Egypt, adviser to the Civil Defense Agency of Italy and review panel member for the Italian Ministry of Research and the New Zealand and Canadian Science Research Councils.
He has successfully supervised 35 Ph.D. and more than 100 Master of Science theses. Many of his students hold significant positions in industry, academia and government in over 12 countries. He has contributed to projects for a number of international companies and other agencies such as the World Bank, GSK, Shell, AstraZeneca, Minorco, British Nuclear Fuels, Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, Mott MacDonald, British Airport Authority, Alstom Power, the Greek, Turkish and Indonesian Governments, Federal Highway Administration, National Geographic Society, US AID, among others. He is currently leading a large project for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and State Emergency Management Agencies.
Research Overview:
Dr. Elnashai's technical interests are multi-resolution distributed analytical simulations, network analysis, large-scale hybrid testing and field investigations of the response of complex networks and structures, on which he has more than 250 research publications, including approximately 120 refereed journal papers, many conference, keynote and prestige lectures (including the Nathan Newmark Distinguished Lecture), research reports, books and book chapters, magazine articles and earthquake field mission reports.
what are B and D regions?
B-Regions are parts of a structure in which Bernoulli's hypothesis of straight-line strain profiles applies. D-Regions, on the other hand, are parts of a structure with a complex variation in strain. D-Regions include portions near abrupt changes in geometry (geometrical discontinuities) or concentrated forces (statical discontinuities). Based on St. Venant's principle, the extent of a D-Region spans about one section depth of the region on either side of the discontinuity. 
Figure 1 and Figure 2 show examples of the division between B-Regions and D-Regions in building and bridge structures, respectively. In the figures, the unshaded area with a notation B indicates B-Region, and the shaded area with a notation D is used to indicate D-Region. The notations h1, h2, h3, ... are used to denote the depth of structural members. The notations b1 and b2 denote the flange width of structural members.
Figure 1 Example of D-Regions in a Common Building Structure
(Click here to view a larger image)
(Click here to view a larger image)
Figure 2 Example of D-Regions in a Common Bridge Structure
(Click here to view a larger image)
(Click here to view a larger image)
Most design practices for B-Regions are based on a model for behavior. As examples, design for flexure is based on conventional beam theory while the design for shear is based on the well-known parallel chord truss analogy. By contrast, the most familiar types of D-Regions, such as deep beams, corbels, beam-column joints, and pile caps, are currently still designed by empirical approaches or by using common detailing practices. For most other types of D-Regions, code provisions provide little guidance to designers. The Strut-and-Tie Method (STM) is emerging as a code-worthy methodology for the design of all types of D-Regions in structural concrete.
It is worth noting that although the STM is equally applicable to both B- and D-Region problems, it is not practical to apply the method to B-Region problems. The conventional beam theory for flexure and parallel chord truss analogy for shear are recommended for those designs.
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