Structures

Overview

There is synergy with activities between us and in the Centre for Biomedical Engineering and with research in other parts of the Faculty, notably the Surrey Space Centre and with the infrastructure activity in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

There is a long track record of research on all aspects of bonded joint behaviour, including characterisation and modelling of failure under a range of loading and environmental exposure conditions.

Other themes are biomechanics and space structures, including response under dynamic service loading and the operation of deployable structures.

We have extensive experience of working with asset owners to understand the long term performance of aging assets, in particular cast iron pipes used in the water industry. This work encompasses characterisation of the base material and the degradation with time under service loading and the development of associated modelling and inspection tools to enable the continued safe operation of the asset.

Research areas

Research areas we are working on include:

• Biomechanics
• Deployable structures for space applications
• Design and analysis of adhesively bonded joints
• Development of asset management strategies for civil infrastructure
• Fatigue testing of large structural elements
• Inflatable structures.