Lectures > Lecture 4

Lecture 4 by Eric Landis, Civil Engineering, The University of Maine, USA.

Title: Structure-Property Relationships for Construction Materials.

Heterogenous particulate composite materials have been and continue to be a source of frustration for materials engineering due the difficulty characterizing systems with a wide range of internal length scales that contribute to material properties.  X-ray CT imaging and data analysis techniques have provided new ways to examine structure-property relationships for these materials.  The focus of this session will be first on the measurement of relevant features such pore structure and interfaces, and then will move to how we can use CT-based techniques to better understand the micromechanical mechanisms that dictate damage and fracture.  Portland cement concrete will be used as the main example material, but discussion of rock and other geomaterials will be included.  We will conclude with a discussion of how the measurements can be incorporated into computational models for material performance.

Biography: Eric Landis is Professor of Civil Engineering at The University of Maine, where he focuses on innovative experimental techniques to solve problems of fracture and failure in cement-based and wood-based composite materials. He also dabbles in computational modeling, biomimetics, burrowing marine invertebrates, and other things he should probably keep his nose out of.  His particular areas of expertise include applications of x-ray CT imaging and acoustic emission monitoring.