Current Research

Introduction

Dr. Hossain has over 25 years of professional engineering experience as an academic, as a researcher and as a consultant engineer in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, Australasia and North America. He instigated and successfully completed outstanding and original research projects funded by university, industries and Government organizations. Dr. Hossain has conducted extensive research to develop blended cement, concrete and other construction materials for sustainable development with natural and industrial wastes. He has also conducted researches (involving experimental, numerical and design-oriented analyses) on novel forms of concrete filled composite structural elements comprising of beams, columns, and walls with plain or profiled steel sheeting. These researches significantly contributed to the understanding of the behaviour of such structural elements which can be effectively utilized in future development of high performance composite structural systems.

Dr. Hossain has established himself as one of the leading researcher who contributed significantly to the development and performance evaluation of cement-concrete based composites using natural, wastes and under used materials. The outcomes of his research have made tremendous impact in construction/cement manufacturing industries. He has been involved in research projects with industrial partners in many countries. In Canada, he has involved in various projects funded by NSERC, MTO, CAC, Cement and other industries. Dr. Hossain’s recent research has involved laboratory investigations, field experiments, numerical/design oriented analysis, technology transfer activities as well as training of professionals.

Current Research Interests/Contributions

Dr. Hossain’s current research includes: sustainable construction, short and long term properties of blended cement and concrete, high-ultra high performance/self-consolidating concrete, use of wastes/volcanic materials/underused materials in concrete, ductile engineered concrete, smart self-healing materials, FRP-composites, innovative joint-free bridges, steel-concrete composite building systems, thin walled structures, high rise structures, strengthening and retrofitting of structures, life-cycle analysis, computer aided design, finite element modelling and expert system development. The ongoing research can be divided into the following titles:

Development and performance evaluation of sustainable construction materials
Major achievements in recent years include the development of novel “ecological” construction materials using waste products (cement kiln dust, fly ash, slag, crumb rubber etc.) and natural pozzolans (metakaolin, volcanic materials and other under used materials). Developed blended cements/concretes with volcanic materials have made significant impact in construction/manufacturing industries in volcanic areas. Particularly in recent years, research efforts have been devoted to developing SCC including lightweight SCC and fibre reinforced SCC through comprehensive investigations on fresh and hardened properties, rheology, bond, durability (porosity/ diffusivity/ shrinkage, chloride permeability), chloride/sulphate resistance, pozzolanic/alkali-silica reaction, fire resistance, macro/micro-structural properties and structural performance evaluation in normal and accelerated chloride environments. This research project has been supported by cement and concrete companies in Canada and abroad.

Development of high performance steel-concrete composite structural systems
Extensive research has been conducted on the development of a novel form of composite framed shear wall system (CFSWS), concrete filled steel tubes (CFSTs), composite slabs with profiled steel deck and CFST building frames. The proposed CFSWS consists of a traditional steel beam-column frame/CFST frame and a novel form of sandwich wall made of double skins of profiled steel sheeting with an in-fill of concrete. Self-consolidating concrete (SCC), ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) and engineered cementitious composite (ECC)/engineered concrete (EC) are used as in-fill. Extensive experimental investigations on these structural elements/systems are conducted under in-plane monotonic, cyclic and impact shear loading conditions to evaluate their performance. Fire resistance characteristics of such systems especially with ECC, SCC and UHPC in-fill are also conducted to determine post-fire residual strength, stiffness and ductility. Experimental investigations are supplemented by finite element modelling and design oriented & Code based analyses to develop design guidelines for such structural systems. This research has significantly contributed to the understanding of the behaviour of these elegant and robust structural systems that satisfy the structural (strength, ductility and shock absorbing), the constructional (feasible, simple, fast and pre-cast option) and the economic (associated with better durability and service life in addition to lower construction time and labour cost) requirements. This research is funded by NSERC Canada and also supported by industrial partners.

Development of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), GFRP reinforced UHPC and UHPC structural systems
This research aims to develop ultra-high performance concretes (UHPCs) having ultra-high strength and ductility. The research team has developed a UHPC known as “Ryerson UHPC’. The goal is to study short-long term properties of UHPC and develop UHPC elements for building systems (frames, shear wall panels, beams etc.) as well as glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) bar reinforced UHPC systems. GFRP reinforced UHPC is an emerging technology. The full understanding of the bond characteristics of GFRP bars in UHPC is important for this new technology to be adopted in bridge/building construction. Extensive experimental investigations are conducted to evaluate the bond characteristics of GFRP bars in UHPC under static, fatigue and environmental loading conditions. Tests are conducted by using pullout, beam and bridge deck (with UHPC joint) specimens having variable parameters namely bar diameter, GFRP bar types (low modulus and high modulus), embedded/splice length, concrete types (commercial ‘Ductal’ UHPC from Lafarge Canada, Ryerson UHPC and a commercial high strength concrete from King package materials) and concrete cover. The research has led to the better understanding of GFRP/UHPC interface bond and splice of length of GFRP bars in UHPC bridge deck construction joint. The performance of Code based design equations for predicting bond strength and splice length was evaluated based on experimental results and modifications to Code based design equations are suggested. In addition, recommendations for the splice length of GFRP bars in UHPC construction joints are suggested for bridge applications. The findings and recommendations of this study have benefitted engineers, builders and local authorities who are engaged in designing and constructing bridges with GFRP bar reinforced UHPC. Current research aims at the development of building components, frames and shear wall systems (having high strength/durability/ductility/energy absorbing capacity and enhanced service life) incorporating UHPC through comprehensive experimental, numerical and analytical investigations. This project is funded by NSERC Canada and supported by cement/concrete fibre producing industries in Canada and USA.

High performance engineered concrete materials and structural systems for innovative and sustainable construction
Engineered concrete (EC) commonly known as engineered cementitious composite (ECC) is a unique type of fibre reinforced cementitious materials with ultrahigh ductility. High strain capacity while maintaining low crack widths make ECC an ideal material for infrastructures. The proposed research will produce new breed of green cost-effective Engineered concrete (EC) using locally available materials for Canadian market and will also focus on the development of EC based structural elements/systems. The research involves an integrated study consisting of experimental, theoretical and numerical investigations. The long-term objective is to develop EC materials to build robust structural systems particularly for bridge and building applications with enhanced strength, durability, serviceability and economy. The short-term objectives are to: (i) develop different classes of EC mixes using wastes and local aggregates through evaluation of fresh/mechanical/durability properties and microstructural characterizations; (ii) conduct experimental and theoretical/numerical investigations on the structural performance of EC beams/building frames/shear wall system subjected to under monotonic/cyclic loading in normal and adverse environmental conditions; (iii) carryout life cycle analysis of to demonstrate viability/sustainability of such construction; (iv) develop performance specifications for the manufacture of EC mixes; and (v) develop design guidelines and performance based specifications for EC beams and EC building frames/shear wall systems. This project is funded by NSERC Canada and cement/concrete industries in Canada and abroad.

Development of smart self-healing materials for robust construction
The proposed research is uniquely positioned to make ground breaking advances in the field of sustainable infrastructure through development of smart self-healing concrete materials. It will produce new breed of green cost-effective self-healing materials for Canadian market and will also focus on the development of structural elements/systems using self-healing concretes. The proposed research involves an integrated study consisting of experimental, theoretical and numerical investigations including life-cycle analysis. The long-term objective is to develop self-healing materials to build robust structural systems particularly for bridge and building applications with enhanced strength, durability, serviceability and economy. This project is funded by NSERC Canada and cement/concrete industries in Canada and abroad.

Development of joint- free bridge decks with EC link slab
The leaking expansion joints are a major source of deterioration of multi-span bridges in Canada. Expansion joints can be replaced by flexible link slabs made with EC forming a joint less multi-span bridge and hence, solving the problem of premature deterioration. The objective of the research is to develop joint–free bridge decks with flexible EC link slabs. The use of EC link slab in bridge construction is an emerging technology and little research has been conducted. The use of EC link slab replacing traditional joints in bridges and can save millions of dollars. The aim of this research is carryout experimental, numerical and analytical investigations to evaluate the performance of joint-free bridge decks with EC link slabs under monotonic/cyclic/fatigue loading conditions. The design guidelines and recommendations of this research will surely benefit engineers, builders and local authorities engaged in designing/constructing joint-free bridges with EC technology. This project is funded by NSERC Canada and cement/concrete industries in Canada and abroad.

Expert system development
This research aim at the development of computer aided expert systems for structural design, bridge management, foundation liquefaction, material properties, vehicular emission and pollutant dispersion and life-cycle analysis of bridge decks. This research include the use of ANN modelling, genetic algorithm, statistical modelling, knowledge based expert systems and life cycle models. This project is funded by NSERC Canada and cement/concrete industries in Canada and abroad.