Long Term Behaviour of Natural Fibre Reinforced Concrete (NFRC)

These projects are open to students worldwide, but have no funding attached. Therefore, the successful applicant will be expected to fund tuition fees at the relevant level (home or international) and any applicable additional research costs. Please consider this before applying. 

Unreinforced concrete and cement composites made with ordinary Portland cement and aggregate are generally brittle, with characteristic low energy absorption after yielding and poor tensile resistance, hence the need to incorporate reinforcing materials to eliminate the deficiencies, introduce ductility and enhance durability of the resulting composite. The most popular amongst these materials is steel which is ductile and is usually used as longitudinal reinforcement or sometimes as random discrete fibres to arrest cracking. Although steel-reinforced concrete has numerous advantages, it is expensive from both economic and environmental standpoints. Consequently, the need to source alternative natural materials (from wastes) which are readily available, considerably cheaper in production and usage and more environmentally friendly, cannot be overemphasized. The use of vegetable fibres in cement composites reduces weight, cost, and energy consumption. Other advantages of these natural wastes include low carbon footprint, light-weightiness, toughness, biodegradability, non-toxicity to the ecosystem, thermal insulation, improved acoustic insulation and high recyclability. Recent studies have shown the potential of including natural fibres in cement composite as part of the mix or as longitudinal reinforcements. Mechanical characterisation of the natural fibre has been carried out and its morphology and physical properties studied as well as the study of the bond and flexural behaviour of natural fibre reinforced concrete. This PhD research project will extend this work and will investigate the long-term behaviour of natural fibre-reinforced concrete. This will include, durability, creep, and shrinkage and the study will involve experimental investigation, numerical modelling, and the study of damage growth in the fibre-reinforced concrete. In addition, various treatment methods, such as alkalinization, salination, boiling etc., will be studied to enhance the long-term behaviour of the natural fibre in cement matrix with an overall aim of revising the existing design recommendations based on the experimental and numerical modelling results.

Essential Background:

Decisions will be based on academic merit. The successful applicant should have, or expect to obtain, a UK Honours Degree at 2.1 (or equivalent) in Civil Engineering or Mechanical Engineering.

Application Procedure:

Formal applications can be completed online: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/pgap/login.php.

You should apply for Engineering (PhD) to ensure your application is passed to the correct team for processing.

Please clearly note the name of the lead supervisor and project title on the application form. If you do not include these details, it may not be considered for the studentship.

Your application must include: A personal statement, an up-to-date copy of your academic CV, and clear copies of your educational certificates and transcripts.

Please note: you DO NOT need to provide a research proposal with this application.

If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at pgrs-admissions@abdn.ac.uk