Hassan al-Karawi

Hassan is a doctoral student at the division of structural engineering, in the research group lightweight structures. The main research area is the study of mechanical degradation of welded steel structures with a special focus on fatigue and fracture. The aim of the research is to study the effect of several post weld treatment methods on the fatigue life and the fatigue strength of the welded steel structures. Post weld treatment is one of the topics that gains a lot of importance in the last decades for both new and in-service structures. This is because the steel components in bridges are prone to fatigue which limits the utilization of material capacity.

Welding is the most used metal joining method which makes the study of fatigue in welding a multidisciplinary problem. The research results are aimed to reach engineers from different fields. structural, mechanical, naval, automotive and aerospace engineering companies and stakeholders may find the research interesting. The design of new welded structures and the upgrading of existing structures by post weld treatment will be reflected on the traffic allowance which is tremendously increasing with time due to the population growth, the economic expansion and urbanization. Moreover, it reduces the demand of constructing more bridges which costs money, harms the environments and causes traffic problems.

Experimental studies provide good understanding of the material behavior before and after treatment. Moreover, the use of finite element simulation (FEM) enriches the research and provides the researcher with the capability of explaining, reasoning and reflecting on the experimental results. In addition to the fatigue testing and FEM simulation, auxiliary tests (e.g. Microhardness, X-ray diffraction) are also in focus of the study which provides a better understanding for the state of material before and after post weld treatment.

During my PhD, I participate in the teaching assistantship in different courses given for the bachelor and master level. Load bearing structures and steel structures are two of the courses that I attend as a teacher assistant from September to October every year.