InTrans / Jul 12, 2016
Australian researcher to speak on advances of UHPC against blasts, July 21 at InTrans
Chengqing Wu, a professor of structural engineering at the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia, will speak about his research on ultra-high performance concrete at Iowa State University’s Institute for Transportation, Thursday, July 21, at 12:30 p.m. in room 4040.
Wu’s presentation is titled “Research Advances on Ultra-High Performance Concrete against blasts—from Materials to Structures.”
At noon, a free pizza lunch is available to students attending the presentation.
For more information, contact Ping Lu, assistant director of the ISU Bridge Engineering Center.
Abstract
Strong performance and aesthetic appearance of a structural design is the motivation behind high-strength concrete development. As a notable representative, ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is characterized by a much higher compressive and tensile strength compared with conventional concrete, the low water-cement ratio effectively warrants a low porosity microstructure which in turn enhances its durability. In a recent study, a novel UHPC material with nanoparticle addition was developed, and static tests in the laboratory confirmed its outstanding mechanical performance compared to normal strength concrete. To get in-depth knowledge of the blast resistance performance of this novel UHPC material, field blast tests were carried out on reinforced concrete columns made with this material as well as the novel UHPC filled double-skin tubes columns. The blast-damaged columns were then taken back to the laboratory and subjected to static tests to determine their residual load-carrying capacities. In this presentation, static and dynamic material test results of this UHPC material is presented and field blast tests and laboratory residual load-carrying capacity tests are summarized.
Dr. Wu Biography
Dr. Chengqing Wu is Professor of Structural Engineering at University of Technology, Sydney. He is also currently the Chair of the Australian Chapter of the International Association of Protective Structures (https://www.protectivestructures.org/). Dr. Wu’s current research interests include the analysis and design of structures under blast loading, retrofitting of structures against blast loads, particularly on blast resistance of ultra-high performance concrete. So far Dr. Wu has attracted nearly $5 million in research funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC), the Defense Science and Technology Organization (DSTO) Australia and other organizations. Dr. Wu is an editorial board member of International Journal of Protective Structures and ASCE Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities. He has also served on a number of international conference committees and chairmanship and delivered many keynote and invited speeches. He has been author or co-author of more than 170 referred international journal papers and conference papers in blast and impact areas.