Engineering Science

• Masonry structures
• Structural health monitoring
• Structural dynamics
• Soil-structure interaction
• Risk and vulnerability

Current Projects

Influence of underground construction on nearby structures

​Underground construction is becoming the preferred method to deliver infrastructure to urban areas. However, ground movements during construction can damage existing structures. Inspired by comprehensive field data, our research develops new analytical assessment techniques which consider salient building features and soil-structure interaction in a simple and effective manner. These models aim to provide a clearer appreciation of risk to existing structures in order to minimise expensive mitigation methods.

Structural response of ageing masonry arch bridges

Masonry arch bridges form an integral part of the European transportation network. These enduring structures are facing new challenges due to modern use and increased flood risks, yet their serviceability response is poorly understood. Our research investigates the fundamental behaviour of masonry bridges with detailed field data and computational modelling.  The objective of this research is to devise new assessment tools which can better describe the serviceability response of damaged masonry bridges and predict their complex degradation processes.

Vision-based remote and distributed sensing techniques

​Vision based remote and distributed sensing technologies provide the ability to remotely quantify the damage condition of the asset and precisely measure displacements and strains in different parts of the structure.  Our research interests in this area include the use of photogrammetry, digital image correlation and laser scanning to describe structural geometry, load, performance and damage, to inform structural assessments.

Dynamics of rocking structures

​During earthquakes, masonry structures exhibit rocking behaviour in different forms. In addition, new generation of earthquake resilient design systems use rocking mechanisms to mitigate damage in structures. Therefore, understanding the dynamics of rocking systems is of fundamental importance for the protection of old and new structures from earthquakes. Our work in this area focuses on the complex interactions between the soil, the rocking mechanisms and the structural vibrations.

• Development of biomedical image analysis techniques (image segmentation, single and multi-modality image registration, estimation of motion from medical image sequences)
• Application of biomedical image analysis to clinical and experimental problems
• Special interest in the combination of biomedical image analysis techniques with computational models in order to a) build more accurate, more detailed organ models in healthy and pathological conditions; b) personalise the models to particular subjects and c) introduce in the models the statistical variations that may appear between individuals.

John’s research interests are in the general field of the mechanics of composite materials with a specific focus on damage modelling. Following his career in science management, he also maintains an interest in technology strategy.

• J. Zhou, A. Pellegrino, U. Heisserer, P.W. Duke, P.T. Curtis, J. Morton, N. Petrinic, V.L. Tagarielli. “A new technique for tensile testing of engineering materials and composites at high strain rates.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. Proc.R. Soc.A 475: 20190310. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2019.0310
• J. Zhou, U. Heisserer, P.W. Duke, P.T. Curtis, J. Morton, V.L. Tagarielli. “The sensitivity of the tensile properties of PMMA, Kevlar® and Dyneema® to temperature and strain rate.” Polymer, 225 (2021) 123781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2021.123781

Click here for full list of research publications and citations.

Guiyu focuses on implementing accurate, efficient and robust high-order numerical methods and developing advanced physical models for turbulent flows and their applications. Currently, he is responsible for implementing blade-resolved simulations and developing advanced blade models for offshore wind turbines. He has a broad interest in modelling and numerical schemes for multi-scale physical and engineering systems, especially in fluid mechanics.

Research Interests

Dr. Xiaosheng Chen is an expert in fluid mechanics and heat transfer. His focus is on high fidelity CFD modelling techniques and their applications to help solving engineering problems, especially turbomachinery applications like jet engines, wind and tidal turbines. His current research interest lies in renewable energy devices, including but not limited to tidal stream turbines, on-shore and off-shore wind turbines. He is also an expert in developing and utilising CFD software packages, especially for RANS, LES and hybrid LES methods.

Research Projects

Supergen ORE Hub: Providing research leadership to connect academia, industry, policy and public stakeholders, inspire innovation and maximise societal value in offshore wind, wave and tidal energy.

CoTide: Co-design to deliver Scalable Tidal Stream Energy with new design concepts and optimisation methods.

Tidal Turbine Benchmark Project: The first benchmark project in the tidal energy community for improving the modelling techniques, quantifying and understanding modelling errors, as well as improving accuracy and confidence of the prediction.

WaveTide – An ECR project for developing high fidelity tidal turbine modelling method that lively reacting to incoming waves.

ORCID

Google scholar