Department of Engineering

Bridge Research Group: People

Current Group Members

Prof. Campbell Middleton
Campbell Middleton is the Laing O'Rourke Professor of Construction Engineering at the Department of Engineering and a Fellow of King's College. Cam spent 10 years working as a civil engineer before arriving at Cambridge, where he spent three years researching a new generalized yield-line analysis technique. Since becoming a lecturer at the Department, Cam has continued to investigate new structural analysis and risk assessment techniques for the management of bridges. This has included a large number of model tests in the Structures Laboratory in order to validate the theoretical models. Cam is also the Chairman of the Bridge Owners' Forum.
Prof. Campbell Middleton
 

Paul Fidler (Computer Associate)
Paul Fidler is a Computer Associate in the Department of Engineering. He has worked on the commercialisation of Dr Middleton's yield-line analysis computer program, which has now been used by over 40 bridge owning authorities in the UK and overseas. Paul has also been been involved with the structural health monitoring of the northern anchorage chamber of the Humber Bridge and other civil infrastructure assets.
Paul Fidler
 

Graham Webb (PhD Student)
Graham Webb is a PhD Student in the Department of Engineering. Graham is researching the use of sensors for structural health monitoring, with particular focus on the analysis and interpretation of the data obtained from wireless sensor networks.
Graham Webb
 

Past Research Associates

Prof. Tim Ibell
Tim Ibell developed a plasticity-based analysis technique to predict the punching shear behaviour of reinforced -concrete beam-and-slab bridges. Tim is now Professor of Structural Engineering at the University of Bath.
Prof. Tim Ibell
 

Dr Avril Blackmore
Avril Blackmore looked at issues of Whole-Life Costing and Reliability of Bridges.
 

Dr Victoria Hogg
Victoria Hogg reviewed deterioration models used to predict corrosion in reinforced-concrete structures. Victoria now works for Risk Solutions.
Dr Victoria Hogg
 

Dr Neil Hoult
Neil Hoult looked at using wireless sensors and fibre-optic telecommunications cables for structural health monitoring. As part of a multidisciplinary team involving researchers from the Department of Engineering and Computer Laboratory in Cambridge, and also from Imperial College London, Neil investigated the pros and cons of wired and wireless sensors for use on civil infrastructure. Neil is now an Associate Professor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario - Canada.
Dr Neil Hoult
 

Past PhD Students

Dr Andrew Jackson
Andrew developed a new combined upper and lower-bound plastic analysis technique for steel-reinforced concrete slabs. The approach has the advantage that the upper-bound analysis can be checked by hand if necessary, while the new lower-bound analysis allows confidence in the results predicted by the upper bound technique.
Dr Andrew Jackson
 

Dr Graeme Walker
Graeme Walker investigate the strength assessment of reinforced-concrete voided-slab bridges, particularly with a view as to whether yield-line analysis is a valid analysis technique for such bridges. Graeme now works for Gifford.
 

Dr Francesca Lea
Francesca Lea looked at identifying areas uncertainty in bridge inspections, including visual inspections and non-destructive techniques such as half-cell potentials, chloride content, carbonation depth and cover depth.
 

Dr Daniel Imhof
Daniel Imhof was a post-graduate student in the Group. As Part of his PhD research Daniel developed a comprehensive new methodology to evaluate the risk of structural collapse of existing concrete bridges, where risk is defined as the product of both the consequences and the probability of failure. Daniel is currently working as a Risk Manager for F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
Dr Daniel Imhof
 

Dr Hai-Yun Lu
For his PhD Hai-Yun looked at the applicability of yield-line analysis and discontinuity line analysis to predict the behaviour of reinforced concrete cantilevers under concentrated loads. He conducted an experimental program on several model specimens to test the validity of various analysis techniques. Hai-Yun is currently a Senior Engineer at Scott Wilson.
 

Past MPhil students

Steve Lowe
Steve looked at the collapse behaviour of reinforced concrete beam-and-slab bridges, using model tests to look at the suitability of US design codes.
 

Maurice Mansfield
For his MPhil, Maurice looked at the implementation of advanced assessment methods for concrete Bridges. Maurice now works for RPS.
 

Yasoja Gunawardena
Yasoja looked at Bridge Design codes in use in Sri-Lanka and whether they were appropriate for the vehicles and traffic load actually present on Sri-Lankan Roads.