Please join Engineers Australia’s Structural College for a presentation on the current state of practice in research, design & performance of GFRP reinforced concrete structures.

SYNOPSIS 1:  Professor Allan C Manalo

Manalo It is estimated that the repair or replacement associated with steel corrosion costs the Australian economy more than AU$13 billion per year. As a result, interest in GFRP composite bars has arisen in the last decade as an effective alternative to steel reinforcement in concrete structures exposed to harsh environments. This reinforcing material is non-corrodible, non-magnetic, lightweight, and has high tensile strength, thus making it a viable reinforcing material for concrete structures. As a result, a number of successful field applications have been realized in Australia mainly as reinforcement in concrete structures exposed to harsh environmental conditions including structures built in or close to ocean, and structures devoted to electrical and magnetic non-conductive applications. This presentation will highlight the state-of-the-practice in research, development, and application of GFRP bars in Australia.

SYNOPSIS 2: Dr Khodamorad Nabaki CPEng, RPEQ, NER, APEC Engineer IntPE(Au)

Thousands of real life applications throughout the world and a growing list of infrastructure projects in Australia have been successfully implemented with glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite reinforcing bars to eliminate corrosion issues with steel reinforcement. This presentation will provide fundamental theories of concrete member behaviour and useful information needed for designing concrete structures with GFRP reinforcements, supplemented with practical examples.

SYNOPSIS 3: Mr. Peter Airey, HonFIEAust CPEng APEC Engineer IntPE (Aust) RPEQ

Peter’s presentation is titled “A decade of design and practice using GFRP : current and future trends” and shares his experience with the material, spanning from sponsoring world-first University research to a broad range of applications of the product in practical applications. Peter has current Structural Engineering commissions where he is designing using GFRP rods ranging from marine and corrosive environment structures through to residential buildings and public art installations, and will share his perspective on the future utility of the material for Australian Engineering.

Speakers

Professor Allan C. Manalo

Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Southern Queensland

Allan is a Professor at the School of Civil Engineering and Surveying, and the team leader of the Civil Composites research group at the Centre for Future Materials at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) in Toowoomba. Prof Manalo is currently holding the Advanced Queensland Industry Research Fellowship in collaboration with the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, which aim to future-proof Queensland’s marine and boating infrastructure using GFRP-reinforced concrete technologies. Prof Manalo was awarded the USQ Excellence in Research Award in 2019 2 and was a recipient of the Australian Government Endeavour Executive Leadership Award in 2019 in recognition of his excellence in industry engagement, innovation and research. He is the chair of the Standards Australia BD-108 Fibre reinforced polymer composite bars, and an associate member of the Canadian Standards CAN/CSA S807-10 standards on “Specification for fibre-reinforced polymers. Prof Manalo is an active member of the Concrete Institute of Australia, Composites Australia, Engineers Australia, and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC).

Dr Khodamorad Nabaki CPEng, RPEQ, NER, APEC Engineer IntPE(Au)

Principal Structural Engineer at Madewell Products

Khodamorad is a Doctor of Structural Engineering with over 14 years of experience as a Structural Engineer involved in a variety of residential, commercial, and industrial projects and is skilled in GFRP–reinforced concrete design. He is currently working as a Principal Structural Engineer at Madewell Products involving in GFRP-reinforced concrete consult and design. Madewell Products specialise in GFRP (glass fiber reinforced polymer) and MST-BAR is the brand. On behalf of Madewell Products Dr. Nabaki, is a part of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre for Transformation of Building and Infrastructure Systems through Innovations in Smart Prefabrication Technologies which aims to train the next generation of professionals and researchers, develop materials, systems, designs and theorise value chains that will transform the construction industry in building and infrastructure in offsite manufacturing. Dr. Nabaki was awarded the RMIT HDR publication award in 2019 and was a recipient of the Australian Post Graduate Awards in 2015. Through Ph.D. study at the Centre for Innovative Structures and Materials at RMIT University, he has proposed two new innovative methods for fatigue and stress constrained structural optimisation which have been published in the Journals of Structural Engineering (ASCE) and Material and Design (JMAD) in 2019.

Mr Peter Airey ~ HonFIEAust CPEng APEC Engineer IntPE (Aust) RPEQ

Managing Director of design practice Airey Taylor Consulting Engineers and Scientists

Peter Airey is a Structural Engineer and Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia. He is Managing Director of design practice Airey Taylor Consulting Engineers and Scientists, based in Perth, Australia; with national and international clients. Peter is chairman of Advanced Substructures, a company evolving from his understanding of foundation design and patented innovations. Peter is qualified to practice in Queensland and consults in progress here include the application of Claylock, a trademark foundation system, to the remediation and new build of a series of penitentiary complexes built on highly reactive clay soils. Peter’s interests include strategic design for extended durability, by clearly identifying potential failure mechanisms and applying innovative design to address. Since 2013 Peter has championed the adoption of Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer bar, or GFRP bar, into maritime applications, sponsoring research now further progressing at UQ, UWA and Melbourne University. The findings of the compressive failure mode research were applied to the columns of the first GFRP structure in Western Australia, the Majestic Point Walkway. Peter is to speak to us today regarding structural design with GFRP.