News

The CIRG welcomes new members Nishangani, Grace and Zoe

15 November 2022

The Concrete Infrastructure Research Group (CIRG) welcomed several new members in October. Nishangani will work towards a PhD, with Grace and Zoe working towards the fourth year of their MEng degrees. Nishangani, Grace and Zoe will focus on different challenges facing concrete infrastructure, including embodied carbon and...

CIRG member Michele publishes work on bond strength and confinement in reinforced concrete

3 October 2022

Deterioration and detailing deficiencies present an ongoing challenge when assessing existing reinforced concrete structures. To investigate this problem further, CIRG member Michele recently performed a study which looked to understand bond in the context of differing confinement conditions such as cover depth and the...

Applications open for an exciting opportunity to join the CIRG

28 September 2022

Applications have recently opened for the EPSRC FIBE2 CDT PhD studentship with Costain: Performance-Based Concrete as a Route for CO2 reduction. A robust digital evidence base for accurate prediction and measurement of concrete performance coupled with strategies to incentivise performance-based design are fundamental...

CIRG members publish work on the application potential of FRP-Reinforced concrete and the fracture behaviour of functionally layered concrete

17 August 2022

Given that FRP materials are generally more costly and demand greater energy use during production, it is important to understand if the benefits of FRP such as increased performance, outweigh these drawbacks. To achieve this, CIRG member Philipp Preinstorfer recently performed a parametric design study, assessing the...

CIRG members attend fib Congress in Oslo

1 July 2022

In June, Philipp, Hasini and Jess of the CIRG attended the fib International Congress 2022: Concrete Innovation for Sustainability in Oslo. The conference was a great display of new and exciting research in concrete and sustainability, and a fantastic opportunity to meet world-leaders in concrete research and academia...

CIRG members attend IABSE Symposium in Prague

8 June 2022

In May, Michele and Jess of the CIRG attended the IABSE Symposium Prague 2022: Challenges for Existing and Oncoming Structures ( https://iabse.org/prague2022 ). The conference showcased some of the best new technology in infrastructure design and maintenance, with both academics and industry professionals coming together...

Costain visit CIRG

8 June 2022

Representatives from across the Costain business visited the CIRG at the University of Cambridge in May to discuss and align interests. The day was also an opportunity to develop the relationship that Costain and the CIRG have had over recent years. Dr Jenny Burridge of the Concrete Centre opened proceedings with an...

CIRG member Hasini Weerasinghe meets HRH The Prince of Wales

3 May 2022

Hasini Weerasinghe was awarded the HRH Prince of Wales Commonwealth Scholarship in 2019, as part of an offer to complete her PhD studies at the University of Cambridge with the Concrete Infrastructure Research Group. Hasini described the recent opportunity to meet His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales as “a great honour...

Recognition for Michele at the Doctoral Researcher Awards

3 March 2022

Michele’s PhD thesis received a Recognition Award in the Engineering Sciences category at the 10th edition of the Doctoral Researcher Awards (DRA). The award ceremony was held remotely on 11 September 2021. The thesis titled ‘Deterioration and Cracking in Reinforced Concrete Bridges’ focussed on the strength assessment of...

Portrait photograph of Dr Philipp Preinstorfer, a man with brown hair, a beard and glasses leaning against a timber building.

CIRG welcomes Dr Philipp Preinstorfer

3 December 2021

Welcome to Dr Philipp Preinstorfer, who has recently joined the CIRG as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow. He joins us from the structural concrete research team of TU Wien, where he previously worked as a Postdoc having received his doctoral degree in 2019 on a contribution to the splitting failure mode in...