Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Composite Materials in
Civil Engineering applications
John Summerscales
University of Plymouth
Civil engineering
• ICE definition includes …
– about creating, improving and protecting
the environment in which we live.
– facilities for day-to-day life and for transport
and industry to go about its work.
– Civil engineers design and build bridges,
roads, railways and tunnels. They also design
and build tall buildings and large structures …
Outline of talk
• Buildings, highways, water supply and
drainage, coastal protection etc
• Numerical modelling (FEA/CFD) and
optimal design (e.g. genetic algorithms)
• Standards
• Quality, Environmental, Safety and Health
(QuEnSH) systems
• Challenges
Key characteristics of composites
• low density
• high specific modulus/strength
• creep and fatigue resistance*
• durability in corrosive environments*
• ballistic resistance
* Lin Liao et al, Journal of Advanced Materials, 1998, 30(4), 3-40.
* G Pritchard, Reinforced Plastics Durability, Woodhead, 1999.
New materials
• fibres:
– basalt
– reclaimed “milled” short carbon fibres
– natural fibres
• matrix:
– bio-based resin systems
• nano-additives
• embedded sensors and biomimetics
Re-bar
• potential use for pultruded sections
• pulsed microwave curing giving alternating
– cured solid section
– uncured flexible sections
Cladding
• Mondial House
– one half of panels removed after 33 years service
– one half of panels cleaned and polished.
• American Express, Brighton c.1977.
– structural cladding supporting glazing.
• functional formwork?
Images:
Reinforced Plastics, May 2007, 51(5), 26-29+31-33.
Reinforced Plastics, September 2006, 50(8), 22-32.
Housing
Experience of
(a) prefabricated housing
+ (b) naval vessels
= (c) floating, or submerged, residences to
• alleviate pressure on fertile land
• protect against flooding (Bangladesh/New Orleans)
Images:
FRP bungalow built by Charles Roberts (WY), circa 1963 (photo by JS, 2004).
HMS Wilton FRP hull built by Vosper Thornycroft circa 1970.
Housing 10 billion people
• Build
– high … multi-storey building
• energy required to lift components
– dry … into the desert regions
• bonded composites require no water
– wet … onto or under the sea
• (as on earlier slide)
Floating infrastructures
• VISIONS Network of Excellence
– Visionary Concepts for Ships & Floating Structures
– European FP6 priority 1.6.2 sustainable transport
– http://www.maritime-visions.net
• free-ports
• renewable energy
• NIMBY: not in my back yard
• offshore gambling casinos
Image from:
WEGEMT Academic Contest Guidelines 2009.doc
Third world
.. and .. disaster relief
• move the village to the water
or pipe the water to the village ?
• lightweight water tankers
– more water, less vehicle
• prefabricated shelters
(p)rehabilitation
• Earthquake containment
– over-wrapped bridge supports
– why not adopt “functional formwork”
rather than do this retrospectively?
• Pipework
– in-situ-form pipe lining
• Historic structures
– Ightham Mote (National Trust)
Bridges
… any questions?