Alan Chan

• From: Edinburgh, Scotland
• Qualifications:
  • MEng Structural Engineering with Architecture, Edinburgh
• Supervisors: Dr Stephen Welch and Prof. José Torero
• Postgraduate study: Started 2004

PhD Project:

Coupling methodologies for integrating CFD and FEM codes to simulate structures in fire

Typically, the behaviour of structures under fire conditions is assessed on the basis of a simplified model using a standard time-temperature curve and the assessment is limited to individual structural elements. Considering the effects of natural fires and the response of the structure as a whole the actual behaviour might diverge significantly from these model predictions. To overcome this problem, calculations can be made with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Methods (FEM), bringing together representations the fire development and the structural response. By adopting a coupled methodology one can investigate the behaviour of fire-exposed structures in order to gain an insight into the essential mechanisms of failure. The ultimate aim of the work is to exploit the methodology in application to real-life scenarios. This work is being undertaken as part of the RFCS FIRESTRUC project

Project funded by BRE Trust

Other research interests

• FireGrid

Previous projects

• Structural analysis of the human tibia under osteoporotic conditions

Selected Publications

• coming soon

See also our page on the Edinburgh Research Archive.