Axis 01
Innovative materials
- Fundamental studies of the micro- and nano-structural and physico-chemical behavior of materials;
- Development of alternative binders, valorization of residual materials and development of cements and concretes with a reduced carbon footprint;
- Use of recycled aggregates in concrete;
- Development of ultra-high performance ecological concrete
- Development of concretes with adapted rheology;
- Improvement and study of the durability of infrastructures and the cracking of materials;
- Physicochemical and mechanical interactions between concrete and composite materials;
- Development of tests and numerical tools for the characterization and evaluation of the performance of materials.
- Inspection, monitoring and surveillance of infrastructures, prediction of service life.
Axis 02
Behavior of structures
- Seismic rehabilitation of civil engineering structures such as schools, hospitals and bridges in order to mitigate the consequences of earthquakes using ultra high performance cementitious materials;
- Sizing of transmission lines and pylons to withstand frequent ice storms and extreme winds in Quebec;
- Development of design methods and construction techniques to reduce the risk of collapse under abnormal loading;
- Development of design methods for bridges with ultra-high strength concrete to increase their safety and service life.
These four issues have a common link with structural dynamics, a field that deals with time-varying loads that can lead to disasters, loss of life and significant economic losses, an important issue with climate change. Structural dynamics is the specialty of five CIRMIB members.
Axis 03
Integrations for sustainable buildings
Buildings in Quebec are exposed to a multitude of hazards during their long life span (over 50 years). The goal of this interdisciplinary axis is to pool the complementary expertise of CIRMIB researchers in order to evaluate the structural and material vulnerability of buildings to the hazards studied (rain, snow, wind), energy vulnerability following a change in use ("re-commissioning"), environmental performance throughout the life cycle and fire protection. This line of research allows us to propose innovative, economical and eco-responsible rehabilitation solutions. The design and rehabilitation methods are developed by numerically and experimentally studying the deformability and resistance of a structural component (e.g., a critical zone of a wall, a roof).