Structural mechanics

By combining the fundamental principles of classical solid and fluid mechanics with experimental and computational techniques, we address a number of complex civil engineering problems of interdisciplinary character.

Examples of current research relate to moisture transport in concrete for more sustainable concrete materials and protection of buildings and structures from unwanted vibrations. Due to the fundamental character of the structural mechanics field it is fair to say that it forms the basis for a quite wide scope of civil engineering research, involving structural engineering, architectural design, geotechnics, building physics and materials development.

As of today our research activities are primarily in the following areas:

• Material mechanics for building and geological materials: To monitor the sustainability in reinforced concrete structures, a major goal is to predict the chain moisture transport – corrosion – crack development in concrete materials. To predict these phenomena, we need to account for the heterogeneity in the concrete along with the development of simulation tools based on multiscale modelling.
  
  
• Wave propagation in geomaterials: Focus is placed on the possibility to protect sensitive buildings from damage via smart rerouting of the wave energy from sources such as traffic, detonations etc. The wave rerouting can be achieved e.g. by specially designed material layering in the vicinity of the primary structure.
  
  
• Architectural engineering: Optimal form-finding of thin-walled structures using FE based computational techniques. An example of current research concerns textile membranes, where the form finding is done with respect to tensile load bearing capacity.

The research is carried out in close cooperation with the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the department of Architecture within The Built Environment Area of Advance at Chalmers.