UNIVERSITY OF LIEGE
The Steel and Composite Structures research unit (CMM – Constructions Métalliques et Mixtes) from the UEE Department, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Liège (ULiege) is internationally active in the field of the steel construction and has contributed in the recent years to RFCS projects related to structural joints and the use of HSS in civil engineering (coordination of the RFCS project ATTEL and partner in the RFCS projects HITUBES, HSS-SERF, FRAMEUP, EQUALJOINTS, FREEDAM).
The research unit members represent Belgium in ECCS technical committees (TC10 and TC11) and in working groups of CEN TC250. Moreover, CMM group has regular collaborations with many private companies such as Greisch design office, ArcelorMittal, Astron, SECO, Feldmann + Weynand design office amongst other.
The laboratory for materials and Structures (M&S) is also involved in the present project. This laboratory carries out strength-of-materials tests for the private and public sectors. The Laboratory is regularly involved in experimental parts of national and European research projects. The Laboratory’s extensive range of testing machines and equipment enables it to be active in the following fields: aeronautics, steel and composite structures, concrete, steels for concrete reinforcement and prestressing, shelving and calibration of control and measurement equipment.
The facility is equipped to perform static, dynamic, relaxation and creep tests. An 11 x 21-meter test slab with anchors every 500 mm can be used for tests on real-size structures. Since 2013, the M&S laboratory has been accredited to standard 17025.
The experience and recognition of ULiege will be beneficial for WP9 (Technical design guidelines), and WP11 (disseminations of project results). Moreover, ULiege will be the leader of WP4 (characterization of innovative joint components in HSS) and WP8, (column splices), but will also actively participate in WP6 activities.
Project
Team Members
Jean-François Demonceau is Academic at the University of Liege, and his main research field is related to the resistance and stability of steel and composite structures with a special attention paid to the characterisation of structural joints and the robustness of such structures when subjected to accidental/exceptional events.
For around 20 years, he participated to numerous national and international projects, including 17 RFCS projects, and publishing in various international journals (publications available). He is also strongly involved in international scientific networks and in normative European committees.
Laurent Duchêne graduated as Electro-Mechanical Engineer in 1997 and obtained his Ph.D. in Applied Sciences in 2003 at the University of Liège.
After a post-doc stay at the Technical University of Eindhoven (The Netherlands) and a Research fellowship at the FRS – FNRS (Belgium), he was promoted associate professor at the University of Liège in 2011 and professor in 2019.
His fields of research cover: FEM (user and developer), Creep and Fatigue behaviour, Analysis and modelling of the thermo-mechanical behaviour of metals, Micro-mechanical modelling of plastic deformations of polycrystalline metals thanks to the development of (strain gradient) crystal plasticity models.
Arnaud Neutelers began his PhD in September 2023 at the University of Liège under the supervision of Jean-François Demonceau and Laurent Duchêne. He is conducting his thesis in the framework of the Connect4C project with financial support of a Wallonia-Brussels Federation FRIA grant. His research focuses on the characterization of steel joints and components to enhance the reusability of steel structural members.
Maxime Vermeylen is a PhD student working for 3 years at the University of Liège in the Steel and Composite construction department. His research is mainly focused on the optimisation of self-supporting rack structures built with thin-walled cold-formed elements, with particular attention on pinned and bending moment resistant beam-to-column bolted connections.
Contact details
ADRESS:
Quartier Polytech 1 – Bâtiment B52 Allée de la Découverte, 9 4000 Liège – Belgium
PHONE:
(+32) 4 366 21 11
EMAIL:
recherche@uliege.be
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Research Fund for Coal and Steel programme under grant agreement Nº 101112300