Leanna Bradbury
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Research Student
Full contact details
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
F111
Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- Profile
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Leanna graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2020 with an MEng (Hons) degree in Structural Engineering with Architectural Studies. During her studies, she gained an interest in the importance of sustainable concrete practices and began her PhD under the supervision of Dr Andrew Liew and Professor Matthew Gilbert. Her research primarily looks at the optimisation of concrete floor elements, utilising digital fabrication techniques and alternative reinforcement layouts.
- Research interests
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Research Project: Structural Optimisation of Concrete Elements Constructed with Digital Fabrication
With the demand for floor space set to double in the next 40 years (the equivalent of building a ‘new Paris’ every five days), sustainable building practices have never been more important. Currently, concrete is the most frequently adopted building material worldwide, due to its versatile nature and low-cost point. However, it also remains the third largest contributor to man-made CO2 and the future of concrete construction could play a large part in tackling the climate emergency. This research project will explore methods to reduce the consumption of materials involved in the construction of concrete floor elements, including the steel and formwork necessary. Novel layout optimisation techniques and digital fabrication tools will be utilised, to identify efficient load paths as well as possible alternative reinforcement layouts. The overall prospective aim is to create a holistic workflow for generating realistic and practical solutions, suitable for application at industry scale.
- Research group