Mr Edward Whiteside (he/him)

Research Project: Fail-Safe Optimization: Improving Current Tools and Understanding 

In light of the climate crisis, reducing our carbon consumption due to the construction of our new buildings and infrastructure is of great importance. A promising method for reducing material usage is structural optimization. However, structural safety remains vital, and with the changes in the climate and the growth of urbanisation, the probability of our structures experiencing more extreme events is increasing. Damage events may include explosions, collisions, fires, and material corrosion. This project aims to create tools which are capable of producing structures which are both material efficient and damage-resistant. Novel layout optimization methods are utilised, along with incorporating advanced structural analysis techniques to consider the dynamic movement of the structures when subject to fast-acting damaging events. This work will aid in reducing the carbon emissions of our future structures as well as improve their safety and resilience against potentially life-threatening events.

Supervisors

Helen Fairclough and Sam Rigby