Dr Matteo Di Benedetti

BSc, MSc, PhD, PGCert.

Multidisciplinary Engineering Education

Senior University Teacher in Aerospace, Civil and Mechanical Engineering

Ethics lead and Departmental Director of Research and Innovation

m.dibenedetti@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 6142

The Diamond

Full contact details

Dr Matteo Di Benedetti
Multidisciplinary Engineering Education
The Diamond
32 Leavygreave Road
Sheffield
S3 7RD

Profile

During my academic career, I have worked on projects related to structural health monitoring (SHM) of civil structures and infrastructures. As I graduated from the Politecnico di Milano (Italy) in Mechanical Engineering, I developed an automated algorithm for the continuous modal analysis of the San Siro football stadium. I obtained his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at the University of Miami (USA), where I exploited acoustic emission technology in order to identify damage and to assess structural performance in buildings and bridges.

Throughout my interdisciplinary training, I gained experience in structural reliability, fracture mechanics, structural dynamics and corrosion engineering along with hands-on experimental skills such as mechanical and electrochemical testing, nondestructive evaluation techniques, and in situ load testing.

I joined the University of Sheffield as a Teaching Associate in the Civil and Structural Department supporting the teaching of three modules (Structural Dynamic, Advanced Concrete Design, and Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites in Construction). During this time, my research focused on the application of Digital Image Correlation (DIC) to study shear behaviour of both concrete elements reinforced with FRP bars as well as masonry walls strengthened with natural textile reinforced matrices. I also collaborated with the Budapest University of Technology and Economics to study the bond behaviour between concrete and Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer bars.

I currently work in the Multidisciplinary Engineering Education department, where I am the academic leader for the activities taking place in the Structures Lab. In my current post, my pedagogical research focuses on Teaching Assistants development. In particular in my latest work I introduced a new methodology to train TAs to the practical sessions taught in the Structures Lab while also supporting the development of their teaching skills.

Qualifications

Professional Achievements:

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence 2021 (HEA)

Education:

BSc - Mechanical Engineering - Politecnico di Milano (Italy)
MSc - Mechanical Engineering (major in Robotics and Mechatronic) - Politecnico di Milano (Italy)
PhD - Civil Engineering - University of Miami (USA)
PGCert - Postgraduate Certificate in learning and Teaching - University of Sheffield

Publications

Journal articles

Trochoutsou N, Di Benedetti M, Pilakoutas K & Guadagnini M (2022) In-Plane Cyclic Performance of Masonry Walls Retrofitted with Flax Textile–Reinforced Mortar Overlays. Journal of Composites for Construction, 26(5).
Di Benedetti M, Plumb S & Beck SBM (2022) Effective use of peer teaching and self-reflection for the pedagogical training of graduate teaching assistants in engineering. European Journal of Engineering Education.
Di Benedetti M, Garrard A & Beck SBM (2021) Build It and They Will Come: Maintaining Students Access to Fabrication and Testing During a Pandemic. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 21(16), 47-50.
Solyom S, Di Benedetti M & Balázs GL (2021) Bond of FRP bars in air-entrained concrete : experimental and statistical study. Construction and Building Materials, 300.
Al-musawi H, Huang H, Di Benedetti M, Guadagnini M & Pilakoutas K (2021) Effect of shrinkage on rapid hardening plain and recycled steel fibre concrete overlays. Cement and Concrete Composites, 104246-104246.
Trochoutsou N, Di Benedetti M, Pilakoutas K & Guadagnini M (2021) Bond of Flax Textile-Reinforced Mortars to Masonry. Construction and Building Materials, 284, 122849-122849.
Trochoutsou N, Di Benedetti M, Pilakoutas K & Guadagnini M (2020) Mechanical Characterisation of Flax and Jute Textile-Reinforced Mortars. Construction and Building Materials, 121564-121564.
Cholostiakow S, Di Benedetti M, Pilakoutas K, Zappa E & Guadagnini M (2020) Experimental Analysis of Shear Resisting Mechanisms in FRP RC Beams with Shear Reinforcement. Journal of Composites for Construction, 24(5), 04020037-04020037.
Bangert K, Bates J, Beck SBM, Bishop ZK, Di Benedetti M, Fullwood J, Funnell AC, Garrard A, Hayes SA, Howard T , Johnson C et al (2020) Remote practicals in the time of coronavirus, a multidisciplinary approach. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education.
Solyom S, Di Benedetti M, Guadagnini M & Balázs GL (2019) Effect of temperature on the bond behaviour of GFRP bars in concrete. Composites Part B: Engineering. View this article in WRRO
Cholostiakow S, Di Benedetti M, Pilakoutas K & Guadagnini M (2019) Effect of Beam Depth on Shear Behavior of FRP RC Beams. Journal of Composites for Construction, 23(1). View this article in WRRO
Loreto G, Di Benedetti M, Antonio DL & Antonio N (2018) Assessment of reinforced concrete structures in marine environment: a case study. Corrosion Reviews.
Fergani H, Di Benedetti M, Miàs Oller C, Lynsdale C & Guadagnini M (2018) Durability and degradation mechanisms of GFRP reinforcement subjected to severe environments and sustained stress. Construction and Building Materials, 170, 637-648. View this article in WRRO
Fergani H, Di Benedetti M, Miàs Oller C, Lynsdale C & Guadagnini M (2018) Long-term performance of GFRP bars in concrete elements under sustained load and environmental actions. Composite Structures, 190, 20-31. View this article in WRRO
SOLYOM S, DI BENEDETTI M, SZIJÁRTÓ A & L. BALÁZS G (2018) NON-METALLIC REINFORCEMENTS WITH DIFFERENT MODULI OF ELASTICITY AND SURFACES FOR CONCRETE STRUCTURES. Architecture, Civil Engineering, Environment, 11(2), 79-88.
Di Benedetti M, Loreto G, Matta F & Nanni A (2014) Acoustic Emission Historic Index and Frequency Spectrum of Reinforced Concrete under Accelerated Corrosion. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 26(9), 04014059-04014059.
Di Benedetti M & Nanni A (2014) Acoustic Emission Intensity Analysis for In Situ Evaluation of Reinforced Concrete Slabs. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 26(1), 6-13.
Di Benedetti M, Loreto G, Matta F & Nanni A (2013) Acoustic Emission Monitoring of Reinforced Concrete under Accelerated Corrosion. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 25(8), 1022-1029.
Beck S, Lazari P & DiBenedetti M () Why do engineering students attend labs?. SEFI Journal of Engineering Education Advancement, 1(1), 26-37.

Conference proceedings papers

Bangert K, Browncross E, Di Benedetti M, Day H & Garrard A (2023) COMPARING XR AND DIGITAL FLIPPED METHODS TO MEET LEARNING OBJECTIVES. SEFI 2023 - 51st Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education: Engineering Education for Sustainability, Proceedings (pp 126-136)
Plumb S, Bates J, Lazari P & Di Benedetti M (2023) FLASH OBSERVATIONS FOR IMPROVED TEACHING QUALITY AMONG GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTS IN ENGINEERING. SEFI 2023 - 51st Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education: Engineering Education for Sustainability, Proceedings (pp 2728-2736)
Trochoutsou N, Di Benedetti M, Pilakoutas K & Guadagnini M (2022) Bond Between Flax-TRM and Masonry: Effect of Bond Length. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, Vol. 198 LNCE (pp 1949-1959)
Di Benedetti M, Day H & Archibald S (2022) SCALING-UP PRACTICAL TEACHING: THE ONE-THOUSAND STUDENT WEEK. SEFI 2022 - 50th Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education, Proceedings (pp 1911-1915)
Di Benedetti M, Garrard A & Beck SBM (2021) BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME: MAINTAINING STUDENTS ACCESS TO FABRICATION AND TESTING DURING A PANDEMIC. Proceedings - SEFI 49th Annual Conference: Blended Learning in Engineering Education: Challenging, Enlightening - and Lasting? (pp 1382-1386)
Di Benedetti M, Garrard A & Beck SBM (2021) BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME: MAINTAINING STUDENTS ACCESS TO FABRICATION AND TESTING DURING A PANDEMIC. Proceedings of the SEFI 49th Annual Conference: Blended Learning in Engineering Education: Challenging, Enlightening - and Lasting? (pp 1401-1405)
Trochoutsou N, Di Benedetti M, Pilakoutas K & Guadagnini M (2019) Tensile behaviour of natural fibre textile-reinforced mortar. Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Materials Systems and Structures (SMSS2019) Durability, Monitoring and Repair of Structures (pp 111-118)
Trochoutsou N, Di Benedetti M, Pilakoutas K & Guadagnini M (2019) Tensile performance of lime-based natural-fibre composites as strengthening systems for masonry. 3rd International Conference on Bio-Based Building Materials ICBBM 2019 (pp 314-320)
Escolano-Margarit, D, Garcia R, Raffoul, S, Di Benedetti M, Hajirasouliha I, Guadagnini M & Pilakoutas K (2017) Seismic performance evaluation of coupled walls using innovative highly deformable coupling beams. 16WCEE, 9 January 2017 - 13 January 2017.
Sólyom S, Di Benedetti M & Balézs GL (2017) Effect of surface characteristics of FRP bars on bond behavior in concrete. American Concrete Institute, ACI Special Publication, Vol. 2017-October(SP 327) (pp 649-668)
Cholostiakow S, Di Benedetti M, Guadagnini M & Zappa E (2017) Size effect in FRP RC beams with and without shear reinforcement. American Concrete Institute, ACI Special Publication, Vol. 2017-October(SP 327) (pp 433-451)
Di Benedetti M, Guadagnini M, Gómez J, Barris C & Torres L (2017) Experimental study on the DIC setup for the analysis of FRP RC members. Advanced Composites in Construction, ACIC 2017 - Proceedings of the 8th Biennial Conference on Advanced Composites in Construction (pp 289-295)
Sólyom S, Balázs GL, Di Benedetti M, Guadagnini M & Zappa E (2017) Bond strength of GFRP rebars in concrete at elevated temperature. Advanced Composites in Construction, ACIC 2017 - Proceedings of the 8th Biennial Conference on Advanced Composites in Construction (pp 337-343)
Cholostiakow S, Di Benedetti M, Guadagnini M & Zappa E (2017) Shear behaviour of FRP RC beams: Does size matter?. Advanced Composites in Construction, ACIC 2017 - Proceedings of the 8th Biennial Conference on Advanced Composites in Construction (pp 310-316)
Fergani H, Di Benedetti M, Lynsdale C, Guadagnini M & Mias C (2017) Experimental investigation of tension stiffening in GFRP RC tensile members exposed to severe environments under sustained load. Advanced Composites in Construction, ACIC 2017 - Proceedings of the 8th Biennial Conference on Advanced Composites in Construction (pp 91-96)
Cholostiakow S, Di Benedetti M, Guadagnini M, Gowda C, Barros J & Zappa E (2016) Experimental and numerical study on the shear behaviour of geometrically similar FRP RC beams. Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites in Civil Engineering, CICE 2016 (pp 575-580)
Fergani H, Benedetti MD, Guadagnini M, Lynsdale C & Mias C (2016) Long term performance of GFRP bars under the combined effects of sustained load and severe environments. Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites in Civil Engineering, CICE 2016 (pp 828-834)
Cholostiakow S, Di Benedetti M & Guadagnini M (2016) Shear strength and size effect in FRP RC beams. Proceedings of the 11th fib International PhD Symposium in Civil Engineering, FIB 2016 (pp 711-718)
Cholostiakow S, Di Benedetti M & Guadagnini M (2016) Shear strength and size effect in frp rc beams. fib Symposium (pp 711-718)
Yang F, Guadagnini M & Di Benedetti M (2015) Truss analogy and shear-induced deformation of FRP RC beams. FRPRCS-12/APFIS-2015 - Joint Conference of the 12th International Symposium on Fiber Reinforced Polymers for Reinforced Concrete Structures, FRPRCS 2015 and the 5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Fiber Reinforced Polymers in Structures, APFIS 2015
Di Benedetti M, Cholostiakow S, Fergani H, Zappa E, Cigada A & Guadagnini M (2015) 3D-DIC for strain measurement in small scale GFRP RC specimens. SMAR – Third Conference on smart Monitoring, Assessment and Rehabilitation of Civil structures
Yang F, Guadagnini M & Di Benedetti M (2015) Truss analogy and shear-induced deformation of FRP RC beams. FRPRCS-12/APFIS-2015 - Joint Conference of the 12th International Symposium on Fiber Reinforced Polymers for Reinforced Concrete Structures, FRPRCS 2015 and the 5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Fiber Reinforced Polymers in Structures, APFIS 2015
Mela D, Karim Z, Di Benedetti M & Nanni A (2014) Durability evaluation of shear bond strength of carbon and glass FRP laminates using small plain concrete beams. CAMX 2014 - Composites and Advanced Materials Expo: Combined Strength. Unsurpassed Innovation.
Loreto G, Di Benedetti M & Nanni A (2012) Test assessment of RC structures in marine environment: the Geiger Key Bridge. Nondestructive Characterization for Composite Materials, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Infrastructure, and Homeland Security 2012
Di Benedetti M, De Cais E, Karim Z, Loreto G, Presuel F & Nanni A (2012) Acoustic emission characterization of the onset of corrosion in reinforced concrete. Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems 2012
Loreto G, Di Benedetti M, Iovino R, Nanni A & Gonzalez MA (2011) Evaluation of corrosion effect in reinforced concrete by chloride exposure. Nondestructive Characterization for Composite Materials, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Infrastructure, and Homeland Security 2011
Di Benedetti M, Loreto G, Nanni A, Matta F & Gonzalez-Nunez MA (2011) Continuous acoustic emission monitoring of reinforced concrete under accelerated corrosion. Nondestructive Characterization for Composite Materials, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Infrastructure, and Homeland Security 2011

Reports

Di Benedetti M, Papastergiou P, Garcia, R & Pilakoutas K (2014) Report on FRP rebars and fibre types for the manufacturing of FRP shells

Datasets

Cholostiakow S, Benedetti MD, Guadagnini M, Kaszubska M, Szczech D & Kotynia R Shear database of RC FRP beams without shear reinforcement.
Cholostiakow S, Kaszubska M, Szczech D, Benedetti MD, Guadagnini M & Kotynia R Shear database of FRP RC beams with shear FRP reinforcement.

Preprints

Garrard A, Beck S, Di Benedetti M & Funnell A () Ten Tips for Blended Practicals, MDPI AG.

Engineering at Sheffield