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Smart Materials Congress 2019
August 01-02, 2019
Dublin, Ireland
Smart Materials and
Structures
8th International Conference on
Nano Research and Applications
ISSN: 2471-9838 Page 18
Development of smart materials and
structures should anticipate evolution of
structural systems and construction methods
Armin Mehrabi
Florida International University, USA
To facilitate application of smart materials and
structures, one must consider the evolution of
structural systems and construction methods. In
other words, if we work on developing smart materials
and structures having in mind current conventional
structures and construction methods, by the time our
product is ready, the structures and systemsmight have
evolved to something different and the implementation
might become obsolete. As an example, there is a
substantial movement toward accelerated construction
methods. One such approach deals with Accelerated
Bridge Construction (ABC) that is defined as design,
planning and construction methods to organize and
arrange construction activities for new bridges, as
well as repair, replacing and rehabilitating of existing
bridges so that onsite construction time and mobility
impacts are reduced, and public and worker’s safety
is enhanced. The method relies heavily on using pre-
fabricated modular bridge elements and assemblies
that addresses some of the major drawbacks of the
conventional bridge construction methods including
delays to allow concrete curing, time constraints due to
sequential construction, traffic interruptions and safety
issues, compromise in quality for in situ activities,
dependency on weather, etc. Recent tendencies toward
automation and robotics also agrees well with the ABC
notion. The inherent unique characteristics of ABC may
also require unique materials and technologies for
making the structure smart. This presentation attempts
to discuss the characteristics of ABC and expectations
on materials and technologies that would facilitate
construction and maintenance of such structures in a
smart manner.
Biography
Armin Mehrabi is an Associate Professor and ABC-UTC Director of
Research in the Civil and Environmental Dept. of Florida International
University (FIU). Before joining FIU, he served as the President of the
Bridge Engineering Solutions specializing in inspection, evaluation,
cable vibration and wind assessment, health monitoring, and rehabil-
itation of cable-supported bridges. He has published extensively on
inspection and evaluation of bridges, laboratory testing and seismic
analysis of masonry and infilled frames. His current research includes
NDE, health monitoring and maintenance decision making, develop-
ment of guidelines for ABC substructure selection, redundancy of
steel box girder bridges, and precast prestressed pile splices.
Armin Mehrabi, Nano Res Appl 2019, Volume 05