Seminar
Innovative Hybrid Composite Reinforcement for Concrete Structures
By Prof. Hwai-Chung Wu
Advanced Infrastructure Materials Laboratory，Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Date:19 November 2014, Wednesday
Time:9:30-10:30 am
Venue:逸夫建筑馆，15楼大会议室
Abstract
Steel reinforced concrete is a cost effective material used for constructing the bulk of the world's buildings and infrastructure.However, corrosion of steel reinforcements also is the main cause of damage to concrete structures.
A patent pending technology – self-confining, flexible Hybrid Composite (HC) reinforcements will be presented.HC Reinforcements consists of variously shaped fabrics made from carbon, glass, basalt, or other fibers that are inert to corrosion, and they are integrated into concrete structures.The innovation of this technology is in deploying fiber reinforcements via fabrics inside concrete structures rather than in a bar format. This innovation allows for transverse and longitudinal reinforcements to be integrated during manufacture and deployed in concrete as a fully assembled system or subsystems, whereas both steel and FRP rebars must be hand assembled individually on site.
Furthermore, the unique pattern designs of HC reinforcements effectively confine concrete, which increases the strength of concrete 2-fold and increases structural ductility 10-fold.
Biography
Professor Hwai-Chung Wu of Wayne State University obtained his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering (Polymers) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1990.He is currently an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Wayne State University.Dr. Wu is a specialist in micromechanics and has extensive experience and a track record in the development of advanced construction materials, including inorganic polymers, FRP, and fiber reinforced composites. His works also include acoustic non-destructive testing.Most recently, he and his group have been developing low cost green cement, which is a sustainable alternative to Portland cement.Dr. Wu holds three patents in the area of concrete materials.Dr. Wu has also been a consultant and invited speaker for government agencies as well as for industrial concerns worldwide.
