Dr Mehdi Kashani, Dr Maryam Ghandchi Tehrani
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
Early research in 1980s and 1990s in development of the current modern seismic design codes resulted in capacity design of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The objective of capacity design is to confirm a structure undergoes controlled ductile behaviour, in order to avoid collapse under a specific seismic hazard level. This involves designing the structure to allow ductile failure at key predictable locations within the structure and to prevent other failure types occurring near these locations or elsewhere in the structure. However, destructive damage has been observed in recent large earthquakes (e.g. Christchurch Earthquake) and financial loss due to such events can be devastating. Moreover, the functionality of some important structures such as bridges after the earthquake is crucial so allowing damage during an earthquake is not acceptable. This has led researchers around the world to investigate the possibility of low damage structural systems.
The academic excellence in this PhD project is that it will pave the way to the development of a novel damage-free composite structural system for accelerated bridge construction and resilience to earthquake hazard. The proposed system is inspired by mechanics of human spine. The novelty of this project will be to study the nonlinear dynamic performance of the proposed system subject to sinusoidal and earthquake ground motions, and develop novel system to generate damping in the structure without any permanent damage. There is a very strong collaboration with other researchers at the University of Bristol, Institute of Sounds and Vibration at University of Southampton, and leading researchers in the USA.
Candidate requirements:
We are looking for outstanding quality and exceptionally motivated candidates. Applicants would ideally hold a 1st class Honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject area from a prime UK university, or equivalent from a prime EU/Overseas university. Candidates with MSc in Advanced Structural/Earthquake Engineering are given priority. The project is primarily experimental testing. However, some programming skill in MATLAB is required. Some knowledge of nonlinear finite element analysis using OpenSees, and/or Abaqus is desirable but not essential.
Funding
This PhD is fully funded for Home or EU applicants plus the standard Research Council maintenance award (£14,296 per annum in 2016/17) for three years. We also welcome applicants from overseas students who are able to self-fund the difference between the Home and Overseas fees levels.
If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Dr Mehdi Kashani, Infrastructure Research Group, Email: [Email Address Removed], Tel: +44 (0) 023 8059 8873.