On November 14, CORE Group member David Martins defended his thesis titled “Monotonic, cyclic and seismic behaviour of pultruded structures: from connections to full-scale frames”. The thesis was unanimously approved “With Distinction and Honour” – i.e., maximum grade available – by a jury composed of Prof. Eduardo Júlio (IST-UL), Prof. Luís Calado (IST-UL), Prof. Francesco Ascione (Università Degli Studi di Salerno), Prof. Tao Yu (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University), Prof. Luís Guerreiro (IST-UL) and Dr. José Gonilha (IST-UL).
Dr. David Martins, supervised by Dr. José Gonilha (CORE Group), Prof. João Ramôa Correia (CORE Group), and Prof. Nuno Silvestre (IDMEC), developed a comprehensive study on the mechanical behaviour of GFRP frame structures, focusing on the development of beam-to-column connection technology and their influence in the frames’ structural behaviour. The research was conducted along a staged progression system, beginning with (i) an extensive experimental campaign, supported by analytical and numerical models, on the monotonic and cyclic behaviour of beam-to-column connections, followed by (ii) the experimental evaluation of the behaviour of 2D full-scale GFRP frames under lateral loading, also proposing numerical methods to assess their behaviour, and culminating with (iii) the unprecedent evaluation of the seismic behaviour of a 3D, 2-storey, full-scale GFRP frame structure, by means of shaking table tests. David’s research has been awarded national and international awards. We congratulate David Martins for receiving the Doctoral degree in Civil Engineering by Instituto Superior Técnico (University of Lisbon) and wish him all the best for his personal and professional future!