The project:

Worldwide tyre production is about 3 billion units/year and it is estimated that for every tyre placed in the market, another tyre reaches its service life and becomes ‘waste’. On the other hand, concrete is the most used material in the world (after water), which demands the use of huge amounts of natural resources. The demand for tyres and concrete is expected to increase massively over the next decades.

Vulcanised rubber recovered from end-of-life tyres is very strong, flexible and can maintain its volume under compressive stress. Recent research has proven that rubber recovered from tyres can replace large amounts of sand and gravel in concrete. It was also shown that Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) sheets could be used to produce an innovative highly deformable FRP-confined rubberised concrete suitable for structural applications where large deformability is necessary (e.g. plastic hinges of buildings and bridges). However, the behaviour of this completely new material is not fully understood, and therefore more research is necessary to develop the first generation of practical design guidelines for the construction industry.

This PhD project will examine experimentally and analytically the seismic behaviour of FRP-confined rubberised concrete elements. The experimental/analytical work will be complemented with finite element modelling so as to provide further insight into the behaviour of FRP-confined rubberised concrete components. The results of the project will help develop practical design equations for incorporation into future design guidelines.

Dr R Garcia

Assistant Professor in Structural Engineering

Note: Should your application for admission be accepted you should be aware that this does not constitute an offer of financial support. Please refer to the scholarships & funding pages.