Professor Buick Davison
BEng, PhD
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Professor of Structural Engineering


+44 114 222 5354
Full contact details
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Room E105
Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- Profile
-
Buildings contribute greatly to resource depletion, energy use and associated harmful emissions. I’m interested in the way in which we construct buildings and how we can do it more sustainably.
Professor Buick Davison
Professor Buick Davison is a Chartered Engineer and a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He gained his BEng (1st class) degree from the Department and was awarded the Mappin Medal 1980. He completed his PhD with us in 1987.
He joined the academic staff in 1993 after a number of years in practice as a Structural Engineer where he gained first-hand experience in the design and construction of numerous projects including sports stadia, factories and multi-storey buildings.
Buick’s research interests lie in the behaviour of steel-framed structures, in particular the influence of joints connecting steel frames together influence the overall behaviour of the structure.
He also focusses on sustainability issues in structural engineering by investigating the environmental burden of construction practices.
He has authored more than 150 refereed journal and conference papers and held research grants from the EU, EPSRC, Building Research Establishment, Steel Construction Institute and Corus.
- Research interests
-
- Component based models of the behaviour of steel beam-to column connections in fire
- Steel connections subject to dynamic loading
- Use of robots and automation in steel construction
- Additive manufacturing of steel connections
- Robustness of steelwork connections in multi-storey buildings at elevated temperatures
- Deconstruction of framed buildings
- Publications
-
Books
Edited books
Journal articles
- Assessing the upfront carbon cost of structural adaptability. Structures, 71, 108066-108066.
- Influence of continuous elastic lateral restraints on beams and beam-columns of steel-timber hybrid structures in fire. Fire Safety Journal, 104172-104172.
- What should an adaptable building look like?. Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances, 18, 200158-200158.
- Accurate prediction of cyclic hysteresis behaviour of RBS connections using Deep Learning Neural Networks. Engineering Structures, 247, 113156-113156.
- Development of more accurate cyclic hysteretic models to represent RBS connections. Engineering Structures, 245, 112899-112899.
- Sustainable Housing Provision: A Case for the Vertical Extension of Steel Framed Buildings. ce/papers, 4(2-4), 2425-2433.
- Eurosteel 2020 2021 Sheffield. Steel Construction, 13(3), 143-143.
- Modal decomposition of coupled instabilities: The method of the equivalent nodal forces. Thin-Walled Structures, 143. View this article in WRRO
- Nominal and local stress quantities to design aluminium-to-steel thin welded joints against fatigue. International Journal of Fatigue. View this article in WRRO
- A Simplified Steel Beam-To-Column Connection Modelling Approach and Influence of Connection Ductility on Frame Behaviour in Fire. International Journal of High-Rise Buildings, 7(4), 343-362. View this article in WRRO
- Static strength and design of aluminium-to-steel thin welded joints. Welding in the World, Le Soudage Dans Le Monde, 62(6), 1255-1272. View this article in WRRO
- Editorial. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Structures and Buildings, 171(5), 349-350.
- CLT-steel composite slimfloor construction: An investigation of mechanical behaviour using finite element software. ce/papers, 1(2-3), 4447-4456. View this article in WRRO
- The environmental impact of phenolic foam insulation boards. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers (London), 170(2), 91-103. View this article in WRRO
- Editorial. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Structures and Buildings, 170(3), 157-158. View this article in WRRO
- Innovative composite steel-timber floors with prefabricated modular components. Engineering Structures, 132, 695-713. View this article in WRRO
- Development of a proposed design method for discontinuous columns in braced frames. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 128, 233-244. View this article in WRRO
- Book review. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Structures and Buildings, 169(7), 546-546.
- Development of a General Component-Based Connection Element for Structural Fire Engineering Analysis. Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, 6(4), 247-254.
- Tensile Behaviour of Galvanised Grade 8.8 Bolt Assemblies in Fire. Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, 6(3), 197-212. View this article in WRRO
- On the use of linear-elastic local stresses to design load-carrying fillet-welded steel joints against static loading. Engineering Fracture Mechanics, 136, 38-57. View this article in WRRO
- An environmental impact comparison of external wall insulation types. Building and Environment, 85, 182-189.
- Robustness of steel joints with stainless steel bolts in fire. International Journal of Advanced Structural Engineering, 6(4), 161-168.
- Web shear failure of angle-cleat connections loaded at high rates. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 103, 37-48.
- Cross-section slenderness limits for columns with plastic rotations. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 95, 162-171. View this article in WRRO
- Experiments on reverse-channel connections at elevated temperatures. Engineering Structures, 49, 973-982. View this article in WRRO
- A structural fire engineering prediction for the Veselí fire tests, 2011. Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, 4(1), 1-8. View this article in WRRO
- Deformation-reversal in component-based connection elements for analysis of steel frames in fire. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 86, 54-65.
- High-temperature tests on joints to steel and partially-encased H-section columns. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 80, 243-251. View this article in WRRO
- Principles of a component-based connection element for the analysis of steel frames in fire. Engineering Structures, 49, 1059-1067.
- The role of connections in the response of steel frames to fire. Structural Engineering International: Journal of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE), 22(4), 449-461. View this article in WRRO
- Developing an LCA methodology to account for the environmental benefits of design for deconstruction. Building and Environment, 57, 387-395.
- Briefing: Role of connections in preventing steel frame collapse in fire. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 165(4), 219-221. View this article in WRRO
- Strain rate dependent component based connection modelling for use in non-linear dynamic progressive collapse analysis. Engineering Structures.
- A methodology for combined rotation-extension testing of simple steel beam to column joints at high rates of loading. Experimental Mechanics, 52(8), 1097-1109.
- Design for deconstruction and material reuse. Proceedings of Institution of Civil Engineers: Energy, 164(4), 195-204.
- Experimental and numerical investigations of the behavior of flush end plate connections at elevated temperatures. Journal of Structural Engineering, 137(1), 80-87.
- Multi-Scale Modelling of Flexible End Plate Connections under Fire Conditions. The Open Construction and Building Technology Journal, 4(1), 88-104.
- Multi-scale modelling of flexible end plate connections under fire conditions. Open Construction and Building Technology Journal, 4, 88-104.
- Green roofs; building energy savings and the potential for retrofit. Energy and Buildings, 42(10), 1582-1591.
- Development of a yield-line model for endplate connections in fire. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 65, 1279-1289.
- Tying capacity of web cleat connections in fire, Part 2: Development of component-based model. Engineering Structures, 31(3), 697-708.
- Experimental investigation of the behaviour of fin plate connections in fire. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 65(3), 723-736.
- Tying capacity of web cleat connections in fire, Part 1: Test and finite element simulation. Engineering Structures, 31(3), 651-663.
- Numerical simulation of bolted steel connections in fire using explicit dynamic analysis. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 64(5), 515-525.
- Steel Designers' Manual: The Steel Construction Institute: Sixth Edition. Steel Designers' Manual: The Steel Construction Institute: Sixth Edition, 1-1337.
- Performance of beam-to-column joints in fire - a review. Fire Safety Journal, 43, 50-62.
- Finite element modelling of steel fin plate connections in fire. Fire Safety Journal, 42(6-7), 408-415.
- The development of a component-based connection element for endplate connections in fire. Fire Safety Journal, 42, 498-506.
- Experimental and analytical investigation of the 'tension zone' components within a steel joint at elevated temperatures. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 60(6), 867-896.
- Experimental and analytical investigation of the 'compression zone' component within a steel joint at elevated temperatures. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 60(6), 841-865.
- Experimental and analytical studies of steel joint component at elevated temperatures. Fire and Materials, 28(2-4), 83-94.
- The environmental impacts of concrete design, procurement and on-site use in structures. Construction and Building Materials, 14, 179-188.
- Semi-rigid design of partially restrained columns in non-sway steel frames. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 50(3), 305-328.
- Strength and rotational response of moment connections to tubular columns using flowdrill connectors. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 50(1), 1-14.
- Strength and rotational stiffness of simple connections to tubular columns using flowdrill connectors. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 50(1), 15-34.
- Column behavior in PR construction: Experimental behavior. Journal of Structural Engineering (United States), 113(9), 2032-2050.
- Rotational stiffness characteristics of steel beam-to-column connections. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 8(C), 17-54.
- Effect of lack of fit on connection restraint. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 8(C), 55-69.
- Drivers, barriers and enablers: construction sector views on vertical extensions. Building Research & Information, 1-15.
Chapters
- The influence of slab ductility on the robustness of composite joints in fire, Applications of Fire Engineering (pp. 257-262). CRC Press
- Minimizing the Environmental Impact of Steel Structures, Design, Fabrication and Economy of Metal Structures (pp. 651-656). Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Composite Floors, Composite Construction Spon Press
Conference proceedings papers
- The potential of vertical extension at the city scale. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Vol. 1078(1) (pp 012079-012079)
- Experimental fatigue curves to perform the fatigue assessment of aluminium-to-steel thin welded joints. Procedia Structural Integrity - 25th International Conference on Fracture and Structural Integrity, Vol. 18 (pp 255-261). Catania, Italy, 12 June 2019 - 14 June 2019. View this article in WRRO
- Fire safety research towards enabling timber structures in Canada (pp 263-273)
- View this article in WRRO
- A Component Approach to Modelling Steelwork Connections in Fire: Behaviour of Column Webs in Compression. Structures 2004
- DEVELOPMENNT OF A COMPOSITE SLAB BREAK-ELEMENT FOR THE ANALYSIS OF COMPOSITE FRAMES IN FIRE. Applications of Structural Fire Engineering
- Research group
-
Resources, Infrastructure Systems and built Environments Discipline
Steel & Composite Structures
- Grants
- Professional activities and memberships
-
Professor Davison’s is co-editor of the Steel Designers’ Manual (6th and 7th editions). He was a member of the Institution of Structural Engineers steering group for the EC3-based steel design handbook and has contributed to a number of steel design teaching initiatives.
His keen interest in the design of contemporary buildings led to the development of the dual accredited Structural Engineering and Architecture programme.
He worked with Professor Bernard Johnston (a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor) to introduce a new Architectural Engineering Design programme which, recognising the impact of buildings on the environment, has key themes of the development of the skills required to implement integrated, environmentally sensitive designs and the use of leading-edge building simulation techniques.
The ethos of the course is to provide students with a thorough understanding of fundamental principles, an appreciation and some experience of practical application and the inspiration to improve, to innovate and to be creative.
He is a Director of the Royal Academy of Engineering Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Design, one of only four in the UK.
Buick is also Deputy Head of the Department and Director of Learning and Teaching (Strategy).
- PhD opportunities
Timber-steel Hybrid Construction For Modern Multi-storey Building
This project will investigate practical methods of creating a suitable shear connection at the interface of the slab and beam.
Reversible Shear Connectors For Use In Composite Construction
This project will develop new connection techniques to facilitate quick and cost-effective demountable composite steel-framed buildings.
If you're interested in one of these projects, or would like to self-propose a project, please contact Buick at the above email. Current PhD opportunities in the department can be viewed here.