Research Unit Institute of R&D in Structures and Construction
The Research Unit Institute of R&D in Structures and Construction (CONSTRUCT) was created in 2015, stemming from the merging of two previous research units both settled at the Civil Eng. Department of FEUP, and it was ranked as Exceptional in the last Scientific Evaluation process of R&D Units of FCT.
CONSTRUCT includes 6 research groups in the areas of STRUCTURES, GEOTECHNICS and CONSTRUCTION, with a total of 51 PhD integrated members (in 2018-2022), collaborating in research activities of 6 thematic lines, and using laboratories with an overall area larger than 3500m2, accommodating equipment evaluated in more than 5M€, which corresponds to the largest and best equipped laboratorial infrastructure available in Civil Engineering Departments of Portuguese Universities.
The research groups are:
• LABEST – Laboratory of the Concrete Technology and Structural Behaviour
• LESE – Laboratory of Earthquake and Structural Engineering
• VIBEST – Laboratory of Vibrations and Structural Monitoring
• GEO – Geotechnics
• LFC – Laboratory of Building Physics
• GEQUALTEC – Management and Technology of Building Construction
The general objective of CONSTRUCT is the development of research on Safety, Serviceability, Durability, Economy, Comfort and Sustainability of Civil Engineering constructions. To accomplish this goal, research involves the following main studies:
CHARACTERIZATION of MATERIALS, such as soils, waste, concrete and other structural and non-structural construction materials, by means of lab and in situ testing;
CHARACTERIZATION of the mechanical and environmental ACTIONS on the constructions, by means of lab and in situ testing, field monitoring, as well as by analytical studies;
Development of EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES on the behaviour of elements and constructions, using reduced-scale to full-scale physical models to be tested on the laboratory, or in situ testing of the constructions themselves;
MONITORING the life-cycle of constructions, including their execution phase;
Development of THEORETICAL STUDIES by analytical or numerical modelling of the behaviour of constructions, during the service phase, as well as during the execution phase;
DEVELOPMENT of PRODUCTS, such as, materials, construction processes, technologies, methods of analysis, tests and software, related with characterization, analysis, design, building, monitoring and management of the constructions.
The Research Unit CONSTRUCT will focus the scientific activity in 6 different thematic lines, aiming to address the important challenges that Civil Engineering is facing nowadays, as well as the strategy and objectives of HORIZON 2020. Operationally the Strategic Programme of CONSTRUCT will implement their scientific and technological research activities based on 6 Research Groups - with a sound recognition in their fields of expertise -, which will contribute to fulfil the objectives set out in the Thematic Lines.
The R&D Unit CONSTRUCT intends to implement its research activities in accordance to the development strategy of the Northern Region where it is located and in accordance with the goals of international networks in which a strong participation is presently active. Thus, CONSTRUCT will contribute:
To participate in advanced training of human resources, supporting regional companies in their R&D projects;
To establish strategic partnerships with national companies, particularly those from the Northern Region, aiming to develop new products and services for exportation;
To strengthen the links with construction industry, by developing research targeted to the market needs. In this context it is expected that the number of patents, prototypes and industrial contracts may continue to progress, despite the actual unfavourable economic environment.
The scientific and technological research activities of the Research Unit CONSTRUCT are developed based on the following 6 Research Groups, with a sound recognition in their fields of expertise:
LABEST-Laboratory for the Concrete Technology and Structural Behaviour
LESE – Laboratory of Seismic and Structural Engineering
ViBest – Laboratory of Vibrations and Monitoring
LFC – Laboratory of Physics of Constructions
GEO – Geotechnics
Gequaltec – Management and Technology of Building Construction.
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In the period 2018-2022, the Institute of R&D in Structures and Construction (CONSTRUCT) focus its research on the three main FOCUS AREAS: SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION, INFRASTRUCTURES and BUILDINGS.
In this context, the scientific activity of the Unit is being developed according to the following Thematic Lines:
TL1 - New construction materials. Recycling and valorisation
TL2 - Built historical heritage. Preservation, natural actions and climate change
TL3 - Safety assessment and seismic engineering. Modelling and testing
TL4 - Assessment and SHM of energy and transportation infrastructures
TL5 - Railway infrastructures
TL6 - Efficient and smart Construction
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LABEST
a) New and eco-efficient materials
b) Life cycle performance and structural safety
c) Structural health monitoring.
LESE
related to the study of the structural behaviour of constructions, namely regarding the numerical modelling and experimental characterization under cyclic and dynamic loads. The research addresses the following main areas and issues:
Earthquake Engineering
Seismic assessment of structures through analytical or numerical tools; modelling of buildings, bridges and other structures for seismic response and risk evaluation; experimental testing under cyclic loading for material, component and structural characterization and calibration of numerical models; proposals for seismic retrofit of existing constructions; reliability assessment of design code methodologies.
Built Heritage
Structural and constructive characterisation of heritage constructions by cross-use of non-destructive and destructive testing; strategies for integrated preservation of existing structures (keep and re-use main components and secondary systems); development, validation and practical implementation of minimal/low cost techniques for conservation and rehabilitation of traditional constructions.
Railway Dynamics
Advanced models for conventional and high-speed lines aiming to assess the train-infrastructure dynamic interaction; dynamic effects induced by traffic on bridges; dynamic effects induced by track stiffness variations on transition zones; noise and vibrations induced by traffic in the built environment; methods for condition monitoring of railway systems and to optimize maintenance of railway tracks.
Structural Engineering
Control of vibrations in civil engineering structures using passive and active dampers; large movable scaffolding structures with Organic Prestressing Systems (OPS).
VIBEST
The Laboratory of Vibrations and Structural Monitoring (ViBest) has its origin in the Science Program of FCT (1990) being a facility / research group performing experimental and numerical work in the context of the development of research, consultancy and teaching activities in the field of Structural Dynamics, aiming in particular the experimental characterization of vibratory phenomena, the analysis, identification, monitoring and control of the structural behavior of bridges and special Civil structures under different types of dynamic loads.
ViBest is a group of about 15 researchers (5 PhD Integrated Members as core staff) with very strong international recognition, responsible by the development of national or european Research Projects focused on the themes: (1) Dynamic measurements with Laser sensors, (2) Modal Identification of Large Structures and Finite Element Updating, (3) Dynamics of Cable-Stayed Bridges, Suspension Bridges and Cable Roofs, (4) Dynamic Effects of Traffic Loads on Bridges, (5) Aerodynamic assessment of bridges and stadia based on in-situ measurements, (6) Fatigue assessment of metallic Railway Bridges, (7) Vibrations in Footbridges, (8) Control of Vibrations in Civil Structures, (9) Structural Health Monitoring of Transportation and Energy infrastructures (Dams, onshore/ offshore Wind Turbines, High Voltage Transmission Lines).
GEOTECHNICS
1 – Lab and field characterization of natural soils (residual soils, non-saturated soils, liquefiable soils), cemented soils (with traditional or alternative binders), and urban waste.
2 – Lab and site characterization of geosynthetics and studies of earthworks reinforced with geosynthetics.
3 - Modelling of geotechnical structures including soil-structure interaction studies(deep excavations, soil tunnelling, embankments on soft ground, railway platforms) using 2D, 2.5D and 3D finite element codes developed by the team (static and dynamic, accounting for consolidation, non-saturation).
LFC
The LFC - Laboratory of Building Physics started its research activity in 1991 with a clear objective of increasing knowledge on the hygrothermal behaviour of buildings, components and materials and transfer it to the Portuguese building industry.
GEQUALTEC
GEQUALTEC started its activity in 2003 and it aims to increase knowledge on Construction Management and Building Construction Technology, both applied to the Portuguese reality. Gequaltec has laboratory support through the LSC – Laboratory of Systems and Components.
These Research Groups develop intense experimental activities, having CONSTRUCT at its disposal laboratories with a total area of more than 3500m2, with equipment worthing more than 5MEur, which corresponds to the largest and best equipped infrastructure available in the Departments of Civil Engineering of Portuguese Universities.
LABEST
The LABEST group is composed by 19 PhD researchers (of which 8 are integrated members of CONSTRUCT), operating a dedicated laboratory with an area of 1000m2, equipped with servo-controlled load frames and hydraulic actuators, climatic chambers, concrete mixing and characterization facilities, and modern diagnosis and monitoring systems. The whole equipment amounts to about 1.5M€.
LESE group is composed by 39 PhD researchers (of which 16 are integrated members of CONSTRUCT), operating a dedicated laboratory with an area of 1000 m2, with equipment worthing 2M Euro, most of which acquired with competitive research funding.
VIBEST
As node of the FCT Network of Geophysics, and involving an equipment of about 1M€, ViBest has been also responsible by the development and implementation of 12 vibration based SHM demonstrators in large Civil structures with different typologies (roadway and railway bridges, footbridges, stadium suspension roof, wind turbine tower and arch dams), active since 2007, and by the creation of a digital data repository stemming from all monitoring activity (http://vibest.fe.up.pt/shm).
GEOTECHNICS
GEO is composed by 17 Ph D researchers (of which 9 are integrated members of CONSTRUCT), operating two dedicated labs – the Geotechnical Laboratory and the Geosynthetics Laboratory – with an overall area of 400 m2, with high-quality equipment. This equipment amounts to about 1.2 M€.
LFC
Currently LFC group is composed of 15 PhD, which are integrated members of CONSTRUCT and operates a test facility of about 400 m2 with about 1M€ fully functional equipment. The group is in close contact with the more relevant international players of the Building Physics area. The cooperation with international partners provided the participation in international research funded projects, the co-supervision of PhD students, the collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institut für Bauphysik and attracted foreign students, especially from Brazil.
GEQUALTEC
Gequaltec is composed of 16 PhD researchers, of which 5 are integrated members of CONSTRUCT. One of the group strongest aspects is the ability to analyze the processes from a multidisciplinary way, integrating engineering, architecture and industry points of view and demands.
Notice: Please contact international@erc-assoc.org if you represent this Research Institution and have identified any required additions or modifications to the above information.