The advent of new materials and construction procedures is opening the door to taller and slenderer structures that are able to reach dimensions never seen before. The structural efficiency of modern structures is associated with a characteristically low weight and damping that render a strong sensitivity to dynamic actions. As a result, wind, earthquakes or live loads typically govern the design of slender structures such as tall wind turbines and long span bridges.

This lecture will present a wide range of situations  in which complex nonlinear phenomena dominate the structural response, presenting the latest numerical techniques to account for the material plasticity and contact problems. Special attention will be paid to the seismic response of tall wind turbine towers and the development of plastic hinges triggered by the weld imperfections and thickness discontinuities. The users' comfort and the driving safety of road vehicles crossing bridges under strong wind actions will be also discussed, focusing on the complex interaction between the wind flow, the vehicles and the bridge. Based on the numerical results, novel design recommendations will be proposed in order to optimise the dynamic response of wind turbines and bridges under seismic, wind and live loads.

 

About the Speaker :

Dr Alfredo Camara is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the Department of Civil Engineering at City University London since January 2015. Prior to this he was Lecturer in Structural Engineering at Imperial College London (2013 – 2014). He has been Research Associate in Structural Engineering at Eduardo Torroja Research Institute in Spain (2013). He was awarded the Marco Polo Fellowship in 2012 to complete a post-doctoral research stay on vehicle-bridge interaction and driving safety at Tongji University. Dr Camara conducted his PhD studies at the Technical University of Madrid and has 2-years of professional experience in the design of bridges in Pedelta SL (2006-2008).

 

All interested are welcome!