Dr Behzad Nematollahi
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Lecturer in Concrete Technology
+44 114 222 5064
Full contact details
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Room F118
Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- Profile
-
My research focuses on enabling ‘free-form’ construction of structures with complex geometries and enhancing resilience and sustainability of our infrastructure under natural disasters.
Dr Behzad Nematollahi
Behzad joined the Department in January 2022. Previously, he was a Lecturer and Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow in Australia. He has a PhD in Civil Engineering specialized in concrete technology and sustainable construction materials from Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, and an MSc in Structural Engineering from University Putra Malaysia. Further, he has about 4 years of industry experience as a Civil/Structural Engineer and Construction Supervisor.
Behzad received his DECRA Fellowship in 2018 focusing on development of 3D-printable high-performance fibre-reinforced low carbon concretes. DECRA is a highly prestigious Fellowship funded by the Australian Research Council with a success rate of 16%.
Behzad has 13 years of research experience in 3D concrete printing, low-carbon concrete, geopolymer concrete, ultra-high performance concrete, and strain-hardening cementitious composites. He has also 10 years of teaching experience in several civil and structural engineering modules. In recognition of his teaching excellence, he received the ‘Excellent Academic Teacher’ recognition in 2015 and 2016 from Swinburne University of Technology.
- Research interests
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Behzad has research interest and expertise in:
(a) Sustainable (low carbon) concrete materials, such as geopolymer concrete;
(b) High-performance fibre-reinforced cementitious composites, such as strain-hardening cementitious composites (SHCC) and ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC); and
(c) State-of-the-art digital fabrication with concrete technologies, such as 3D concrete printing.
Combination of expertise and high-quality research in (a), (b), and (c) has enabled Behzad to develop new generation of concrete materials and innovative construction methods, which:
(i) leads to simultaneous increase in resilience and sustainability of buildings and civil infrastructure under natural disasters (e.g. cyclones, floods and earthquakes) and manmade attacks; and
(ii) enables ‘free-form’ construction of sustainable, commercially viable, and architecturally elegant buildings and civil infrastructure with complex geometries that are not currently possible or too expensive to build.
- Publications
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Books
- Preface. Elsevier.
- 3D Concrete Printing Technology. Elsevier.
Journal articles
- A review on high-temperature resistance of geopolymer concrete. Journal of Building Engineering, 111241-111241.
- Editorial: High-performance and sustainable concrete materials and structures. Frontiers in Materials, 11. View this article in WRRO
- 3D printed sustainable low-cost materials for construction of affordable social housing in Brazil: Potential, challenges, and research needs. Journal of Building Engineering, 87, 108985-108985.
- Three-Dimensional-Printed Engineered, Strain-Hardening Geopolymer Composite as Permanent Formwork for Construction of Reinforced Concrete Beam. ACI Structural Journal.
- Recent Advances in High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Geopolymer Composites for Resilient and Sustainable Construction. Journal of Advanced Concrete Technology, 21(Special_Issue), S1-S81.
- Corrigendum to ‟Study of particle packing and paste rheology in alkali activated mixtures to meet the rheology demands of 3D concrete printing” [Cem. Concr. Compos. 131 (2022) 104581]. Cement and Concrete Composites, 135, 104838-104838.
- Effect of natural and calcined halloysite clay minerals as low-cost additives on the performance of 3D-printed alkali-activated materials. Materials & Design, 223, 111183-111183.
- Rheological characterization of ultra-high performance concrete for 3D printing. Cement and Concrete Composites, 104854-104854.
- Method of formulating 3D-printable strain-hardening alkali-activated composites for additive construction. Cement and Concrete Composites, 104780-104780.
- Study of particle packing and paste rheology in alkali activated mixtures to meet the rheology demands of 3D Concrete Printing. Cement and Concrete Composites, 131, 104581.
- A roadmap for quality control of hardening and hardened printed concrete. Cement and Concrete Research, 157.
- Properties of additively manufactured geopolymer incorporating mineral wollastonite microfibers. Construction and Building Materials, 331, 127282-127282.
- Digital fabrication of eco-friendly ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete. Cement and Concrete Composites, 125, 104281-104281.
- 3D concrete printing of permanent formwork for concrete column construction. Cement and Concrete Composites, 121, 104039-104039.
- Ambient temperature cured ‘just-add-water’ geopolymer for 3D concrete printing applications. Cement and Concrete Composites, 121, 104060-104060.
- Corrigendum to “Effect of surface moisture on inter-layer strength of 3D printed concrete” [Constr. Build. Mater. 172 (2018) 468–475]. Construction and Building Materials, 291, 123704-123704.
- Corrigendum to “Comparative deflection hardening behavior of short fiber reinforced geopolymer composites” [Constr. Build. Mater. 70 (2014) 54–64]. Construction and Building Materials, 291, 123705-123705.
- Integrating reinforcement in digital fabrication with concrete: A review and classification framework. Cement and Concrete Composites, 119, 103964-103964.
- Fiber orientation effects on ultra-high performance concrete formed by 3D printing. Cement and Concrete Research, 143, 106384-106384.
- Application of geopolymers for treatment of water contaminated with organic and inorganic pollutants: State-of-the-art review. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 9(2), 105095-105095.
- Development of 3D-printable ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete for digital construction. Construction and Building Materials, 257, 119546-119546.
- Properties of one-part geopolymer incorporating wollastonite as partial replacement of geopolymer precursor or sand. Materials Letters, 263, 127236-127236.
- Development of 3D printable engineered cementitious composites with ultra-high tensile ductility for digital construction. Materials & Design, 181, 108088-108088.
- Mechanical properties and durability of unconfined and confined geopolymer concrete with fiber reinforced polymers exposed to sulfuric acid. Construction and Building Materials, 215, 1015-1032.
- Printability, accuracy and strength of geopolymer made using powder-based 3D printing for construction applications. Automation in Construction, 101, 179-189.
- A comparison of the effects of pozzolanic binders on the hardened-state properties of high-strength cementitious composites reinforced with waste tire fibers. Composites Part B: Engineering, 162, 134-153.
- Mechanical and thermal properties of lightweight geopolymer mortar incorporating crumb rubber. Journal of Cleaner Production, 195, 1069-1080.
- Effect of surface moisture on inter-layer strength of 3D printed concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 172, 468-475.
- Sustainable Fiber-Reinforced Strain-Hardening Composites Using Geopolymer as ‘Complete’ Replacement of Portland Cement, 154-161.
- Microscale investigation of fiber-matrix interface properties of strain-hardening geopolymer composite. Ceramics International, 43(17), 15616-15625.
- Micromechanics constitutive modelling and optimization of strain hardening geopolymer composite. Ceramics International, 43(8), 5999-6007.
- High ductile behavior of a polyethylene fiber-reinforced one-part geopolymer composite: A micromechanics-based investigation. Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, 17(3), 555-563.
- Micromechanics-based investigation of a sustainable ambient temperature cured one-part strain hardening geopolymer composite. Construction and Building Materials, 131, 552-563.
- Thermal and mechanical properties of sustainable lightweight strain hardening geopolymer composites. Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, 17(1), 55-64.
- Matrix design of strain hardening fiber reinforced engineered geopolymer composite. Composites Part B: Engineering, 89, 253-265.
- Tensile Strain Hardening Behavior of PVA Fiber-Reinforced Engineered Geopolymer Composite. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 27(10), 04015001-04015001.
- Synthesis of heat and ambient cured one-part geopolymer mixes with different grades of sodium silicate. Ceramics International, 41(4), 5696-5704.
- Comparative deflection hardening behavior of short fiber reinforced geopolymer composites. Construction and Building Materials, 70, 54-64.
- Structural behavior of precast Ultra-High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) cantilever retaining walls: Part I — Analysis and design procedures and Environmental Impact Calculations (EIC). KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 18(5), 1470-1480.
- Structural behavior of precast Ultra-High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) cantilever retaining walls: Part II — Full scale experimental testing. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 18(5), 1481-1495.
- Effect of different superplasticizers and activator combinations on workability and strength of fly ash based geopolymer. Materials & Design, 57, 667-672.
- A review on ultra high performance ‘ductile’ concrete (UHPdC) technology. International Journal of Civil and Structural Engineering, 2(3).
- Efficiency of Different Superplasticizers and Retarders on Properties of ‘One-Part’ Fly Ash-Slag Blended Geopolymers with Different Activators. Materials, 12(20), 3410-3410.
- Post-processing Methods to Improve Strength of Particle-Bed 3D Printed Geopolymer for Digital Construction Applications. Frontiers in Materials, 6.
- Method of Optimisation for Ambient Temperature Cured Sustainable Geopolymers for 3D Printing Construction Applications. Materials, 12(6), 902-902.
- Effect of Polypropylene Fibre Addition on Properties of Geopolymers Made by 3D Printing for Digital Construction. Materials, 11(12), 2352-2352.
- Efficacy of Available Superplasticizers on Geopolymers. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, 7(7), 1464-1468.
Chapters
- Properties of 3D-Printable Ductile Fiber-Reinforced Geopolymer Composite, RILEM Bookseries (pp. 126-132). Springer International Publishing
- Hardened Properties of 3D Printable Ultra-High Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete for Digital Construction Applications, RILEM Bookseries (pp. 355-362). Springer International Publishing
- Enhancing Strength of Powder-Based 3D Printed Geopolymers for Digital Construction Applications, RILEM Bookseries (pp. 417-425). Springer International Publishing
- Post-processing Techniques to Enhance Strength of Portland Cement Mortar Digitally Fabricated Using Powder-Based 3D Printing Process, RILEM Bookseries (pp. 457-464). Springer International Publishing
- Properties of 3D-Printable Ductile Fibre-Reinforced Geopolymer Composite for Digital Construction Applications, RILEM Bookseries (pp. 363-372). Springer International Publishing
- Quantitative Evaluation of Orientation of Steel Fibers in 3D-Printed Ultra-High Performance Concrete, RILEM Bookseries (pp. 389-397). Springer International Publishing
- Shape Accuracy Evaluation of Geopolymer Specimens Made Using Particle-Bed 3D Printing, RILEM Bookseries (pp. 1011-1019). Springer International Publishing
- Digital Fabrication of ‘Just-Add-Water’ Geopolymers: Effects of Curing Condition and Print-Time Interval, RILEM Bookseries (pp. 93-102). Springer International Publishing
- Effect of Wollastonite Micro-Fiber Addition on Properties of 3D-Printable ‘Just-Add-Water’ Geopolymers, RILEM Bookseries (pp. 23-31). Springer International Publishing
- 3D Concrete Printing for Construction Applications, 3D Concrete Printing Technology (pp. 1-11). Elsevier
- Compressive Strength and Dimensional Accuracy of Portland Cement Mortar Made Using Powder-Based 3D Printing for Construction Applications, RILEM Bookseries (pp. 245-254). Springer International Publishing
- Fresh and Hardened Properties of 3D Printable Geopolymer Cured in Ambient Temperature, RILEM Bookseries (pp. 3-11). Springer International Publishing
- Hardened Properties of 3D Printable ‘One-Part’ Geopolymer for Construction Applications, RILEM Bookseries (pp. 190-199). Springer International Publishing
- Interlayer Strength of 3D Printed Concrete, 3D Concrete Printing Technology (pp. 241-264). Elsevier
- Properties of Powder-Based 3D Printed Geopolymers, 3D Concrete Printing Technology (pp. 265-280). Elsevier
- Development of Powder-Based 3D Concrete Printing Using Geopolymers, 3D Concrete Printing Technology (pp. 223-240). Elsevier
- Properties of Extrusion-Based 3D Printable Geopolymers for Digital Construction Applications, 3D Concrete Printing Technology (pp. 371-388). Elsevier
Conference proceedings papers
- Effects of type of activator on fiber-matrix interface properties and tensile behavior of strain-hardening geopolymer composites. fib Symposium (pp 2304-2312)
- Current Progress of 3D Concrete Printing Technologies. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (IAARC), 28 June 2017 - 1 July 2017.
- Influence of type of fiber on tensile performance of one-part “dry-mix” strain hardening geopolymer composite (SHGC). Proceedings of the 11th fib International PhD Symposium in Civil Engineering, FIB 2016 (pp 831-838)
- Influence of type of fiber on tensile performance of one-part “dry-mix” strain hardening geopolymer composite (Shgc). fib Symposium (pp 831-838)
- Effect of Type of Fiber on Inter-Layer Bond and Flexural Strengths of Extrusion-Based 3D Printed Geopolymer. Materials Science Forum, Vol. 939 (pp 155-162)
- Influence of Binder Saturation Level on Compressive Strength and Dimensional Accuracy of Powder-Based 3D Printed Geopolymer. Materials Science Forum, Vol. 939 (pp 177-183)
- Properties of Fresh and Hardened Glass Fiber Reinforced Fly Ash Based Geopolymer Concrete. Key Engineering Materials, Vol. 594-595 (pp 629-633)
Preprints
- Method of Formulating 3D-Printable Strain-Hardening Geopolymer Composites for Additive Construction, MDPI AG.
- Development of a 3D-Printable Ultra-High Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete for Digital Construction, MDPI AG.
- 3D Printed Engineered, Strain-Hardening Geopolymer Composite (EGC/SHGC) as Permanent Formwork for Concrete Beam Construction, MDPI AG.
- Preface. Elsevier.
- Grants
- PhD opportunities
3D-printable fibre-reinforced low-carbon concrete for additive construction
Development of low-carbon and low-cost textile reinforced concrete
Development of low-cost ultra-high performance low-carbon concrete
Strain-hardening geopolymer composites for sustainable and durable construction
3D-printable strain-hardening cementitious composites using Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3)
Rheological properties of geopolymer/alkali-activated concrete
Structural performance of reinforced concrete beams made of ultra-high performance geopolymer concrete
If you're interested in one of these projects, or would like to self-propose a project, please contact Behzad at the above email. Current PhD opportunities in the department can be viewed here.