EAST LANSING — The Michigan State University College of Engineering will host Protect 2015, the fifth international workshop on performance, protection and strengthening of structures under extreme loading, in East Lansing June 29-30.
About 200 researchers and experts from around the world are expected to gather to discuss structural response, material performance and structural management under extreme conditions such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods, and accidents.
More about the event at www.egr.msu.edu/protect2015.
Venkatesh Kodur, professor of civil and environmental engineering at MSU, and chairman of Protect2015, said workshop topics will focus on the behavior of structures under extreme loading conditions, including the art, science, and practice of structural engineering.
“Our infrastructure around the world is aging at a rapid pace, yet our expectations of better performance are increasing,” Kodur said. “This conference will have information on the latest developments for better design of structures to withstand extreme loading events, such as earthquake, blast, impact, fire, and other environmental conditions.
Technical papers to be presented at the workshop include:
• Performance of structures under impact loads, blast and explosive loads, shock loads, fire, and seismic loads.
• Strengthening of structures under extreme loading, assessment of structural conditions, coatings and surface treatments, strengthening and repair methods, and retrofitting for seismic loads.
• Performance of materials including response under high strain rates, influence of low and high temperatures, cyclic and other dynamic loads, test methods, specialized concrete, steel and fiber reinforce polymers.
• Structural management and protection including protection concepts and designs, underground facilities, structural health monitoring, and advanced sensing and fire protection materials.
Events will take place at MSU’s Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing and include tours of the MSU Civil Infrastructure Laboratory, which has unique testing facilities to undertake experiments on structural components and assemblies under extreme loading conditions.
Kodur said this is the first time the workshop has been held in the United States. Earlier conferences were held in Canada, Japan, Switzerland and India. Steering committee members are from Canada, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States.