Brief
Researchers at Swansea University are seeking to create digital solutions to reduce concrete defects as part of a collaborative effort to reduce major delays and costs caused by flaws in large-scale concrete. The research team has received funding to produce software tools and contribute to industrial manuals for better-quality concrete mixes, structural designs and construction processes that lead to enhanced efficiency, improved quality and more sustainable construction at a lower cost.
Insight
A team of researchers at Swansea University have been awarded £322,000 to develop digital solutions to reduce concrete construction defects.
Experts within the Faculty of Science and Engineering are working with three leading organisations within the construction industry to tackle the major delays and costs incurred by flaws in large-scale concrete construction.
The project aims to develop new software tools and contribute to industrial guides for improved concrete mixes, structural designs, and construction processes that will lead to enhanced efficiency, better quality, more sustainable development, and reduced cost.
Project lead Professor Chenfeng Li comments:
“Various structural defects associated with fresh concrete flow continue to occur, causing significant cost to the industry. The urgent need to address the costly defects arising from large-scale concrete works is jointly recognised by the civil engineering and construction industry. The problem and associated technical challenges concern the whole supply chain, from structural designers and constructors to concrete producers.”
“Our collaborative approach aims to converge academic expertise in computer modelling and industry expertise to produce a solution through numerical modelling and software technology. For example, the development of a prototype software tool for fresh concrete flow simulation looking at techniques such as the tremie method – an underwater concreting method using a vertical pipe taken below water level.”
“The resulting impact will ultimately mitigate the risk of construction defects related to fresh concrete, and the subsequent remedial works that incur major cost and significant delays in project delivery.
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