Structures and Materials

Representative

Description

The PEC’s Structures and Materials area of concentration focuses on fundamental and applied study and research into the behavior of structures and the properties of building materials, covering a range of materials from conventional materials such as concrete and steel to new materials designed to perform a specific structural function. These studies and research aim to create safe and environmentally sustainable civil works with high performance and cost-effectiveness for society.

The research activities in structures carried out since the Civil Engineering Program was founded in 1968 have evolved in the direction of solving special problems encountered in the practice of structural engineering. Examples include research into the analysis, design and execution of large-span structures (bridges and cable structures), dams and other hydroelectric plant structures, offshore structures, pipelines and risers, wells and oil refinery units, large machines and equipment, industrial and multi-storey buildings, as well as research into repair, reinforcement and structural rehabilitation techniques.

This area of research covers the monitoring of structures in the laboratory and in the field in order to identify the main characteristics of structural behavior, involving the study of methods for the experimental static and dynamic analysis of structures, digital signal and image processing techniques, vibration modal analysis techniques, methodologies for adjusting numerical models (model updating), verification of structural integrity (structural health monitoring), up to the identification of possible damage. This area also includes the Physical Modeling of structures, which allows for the small-scale modeling of civil and offshore structures, according to the Theory of Similarity, in order to better understand the behavior of new designs or even structures that cannot be monitored on a full scale.

The analysis and design of civil structures subjected to dynamic loads is also an integral part of this area, involving the development of strategies to control vibrations within acceptable limits of structural safety and use, especially with regard to human comfort.

The typical materials studied are those used in construction, such as concrete, metallic materials, polymeric composites, cementitious composites made of metallic, polymeric and vegetable fibers, new types of concrete with high and very high mechanical and environmental performance, refractory concrete for oil refineries, micro-concrete for cementing oil wells, roller-compacted concrete, nano-powders for cementitious materials, as well as new construction and repair materials. The laboratory, analytical and computational methodologies employed integrate the materials into the structures, carrying out analyses from the nanometric and micrometric scales of the materials to the mesoscopic scales of the test specimens and macroscopic scales of the real structures.

Based on the application of numerical methods and high-performance computational resources, various studies have been carried out to develop solutions in the analysis of structures and materials, such as simulation and optimization methods, data mining techniques, the theory of thermo-chemical-mechanical couplings, the dynamics of structures, structural identification, assessment of structural integrity, the theory of structural stability and structures under fire load, among others.

Consideration of the performance of materials and structures with a view to environmental sustainability is a concern in the area of concentration of structures and materials, which translates into the study of civil works that require less use of non-renewable raw materials, with a view to greater durability and a reduction in the emission of gases that contribute to global warming.

Finally, it should be noted that research activities in structures and structural materials at the PEC are strongly based on the experimental and computational resources available in the PEC’s structures laboratory, located in block I2000 of the UFRJ Technology Center. In this environment, undergraduate and postgraduate students, professors and technicians supporting research activities interact.

Lines of Research

This line of research focuses on the analysis, design and verification of the stability and safety of structural systems and elements made of concrete, steel, steel-concrete composites and fiber-reinforced resins. This research includes innovative designs for structural projects, as well as the restoration of structures using new or conventional materials.

This line of research includes: (i) the scientific dosage of normal strength, high performance and very high performance concrete; (ii) behavior at high temperatures; (iii) the study of rheology; (iv) the study of durability and slow deformations; (v) computational modeling of flow and transport in porous media; (vi) the study of the micro and nano-structural properties of concrete; (vii) the study of sub-micro and nanometric particles and nano-fibers as inclusions in concrete; (viii) the study of fibrous concretes with multiple cracks in direct traction, reinforced fibrous concretes and textile composites; (ix) the development of concrete and composites with low environmental impact (see description in the environmental concentration area); (x) the study of special concretes for the oil industry (see description in the oil and gas concentration area); (xi) the use of advanced numerical modeling and computational intelligence techniques and (xii) micromechanical modeling.

This line of research includes: (i) experimentation and thermo-chemical-mechanical modeling of concrete behavior at early ages (ii) high-performance numerical modeling of hydroelectric plant structures (iii) experimentation and modeling of the alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR); (iv) the scientific dosage of roller-compacted concrete (RCC) (v) the development of new materials for powerhouses and spillways (vi) the use of computational intelligence techniques for dam safety.

This line of research is aimed at developing mathematical models and numerical and computational solutions for analyzing the stability, non-linear behavior and sensitivity characteristics to imperfections and initial conditions of structural systems subject to pseudo-static and/or dynamic actions.

Theoretical and numerical development of tools for the analysis and design of civil structures subjected to dynamic loads produced by people, machines, vehicles and environmental actions (wind, waves, earthquakes). Application, via theoretical and numerical models, of systems to control structural vibrations in order to meet the required safety, durability and use limits. This line of research has a strong interaction with Structural Identification, since the methodologies developed are evaluated through experimental tests.

This line of research consists of the study and development of classical numerical methods such as the finite element method, boundary elements and finite differences. This scope includes linear and non-linear dynamic analyses, which are necessary for the growing challenges of modern engineering, both in terms of structural design and the consideration of new materials.

This line of research includes the development and application of methodologies that seek to infer the dynamic behavior of the structural system being analyzed. It covers the study of methods for the experimental static and dynamic analysis of structures, digital signal and image processing techniques, vibration modal analysis techniques, methodologies for adjusting numerical models (model updating), verification of structural integrity (structural health monitoring), up to the identification of possible damage.

This line of research aims to study the stresses and deformations or flows that manifest themselves inside solids, liquids and gases. It proposes the development of formulations based on material (referential) or spatial descriptions of the kinematics of continuous media, with a view to analyzing problems in various fields of engineering. These analyses can be theoretical or numerical using discrete methods.

This line of research aims at (i) computational modeling for integrated fluid-thermo-mechanical analysis (CFD-FEM) of structural systems, materials and user movement under the action of fire and/or high temperatures and (ii) experimental analysis of the thermal and/or thermomechanical performance (resistance and reaction) of elements and materials subjected to high temperatures and flame.