Perspective on research

Research is the process by which new knowledge is created and validated. From the perspective of designers, the role of research is to enhance the quality and richness of ideas that make up the available supply of conceptual raw material for use in the design process.

For the past quarter century at least, there have been few significant additions to the body of knowledge available to bridge designers, in spite of the large volume of research conducted in structural engineering during this period. The slow influx of new knowledge has limited the opportunities for designers to innovate. It is thus not a coincidence that, with few exceptions, bridges built today are remarkably similar to those built in the 1970s.

When technology is stagnant, opportunities to create economic value through innovation become scarce. The practice of bridge design becomes focused primarily on achieving economy through minimizing quantities of materials in "tried and true" design concepts, rather than by the creation of truly innovative design concepts that create new economic value.

An unfortunate consequence of this situation is that it creates the perception that there are no new ideas in bridge engineering. As a result, it becomes difficult to attract the brightest young minds to the practice of bridge design, which further erodes the capacity of the profession to innovate.

Historically, innovations in structural engineering have occurred as a result of advances in engineering materials. The development of industrially produced steel in the mid 19th century, for example, enabled trusses and suspension bridges to be built for spans and loadings many times greater than what had been achieved with previously available materials. Reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete provided the impetus for similarly significant advances in the twentieth century.

An underlying premise of my research program is that the new materials of the twenty-first century, which include high-performance concretes and advanced carbon fibre based composite materials, have the potential to enable major advances in structural systems.

My research therefore focuses on creating and validating new knowledge that can enable innovation in bridge design, by taking advantage of opportunities offered by new materials. Currently, the primary emphasis of the program is on high-performance concrete.

The approach I take is strongly design directed, and can be summarized as follows:

1. Define the primary features of new structural systems that make efficient use of the material under consideration.
2. Identify the gaps in knowledge that currently prevent the use of these new systems.
3. Conduct analytical and experimental research to address these gaps.
4. Implement the findings of the program in full-scale demonstration projects and monitor their construction and behaviour in service.
5. From the observations of the demonstration projects, identify aspects of the proposed concept in need of refinement, which can benefit from further research.

The attached article gives a more detailed discussion of the rationale underlying my research program.