Visiting Fellowship Professor Wail Al-Rifaie

The proposed Visiting Fellowship is to enable Professor Wail Al-Rifaie of Baghdad University of Technology, Iraq to work at University of Nottingham. Professor Wail Al-Rifaie has made outstanding contributions to the theory and application of ferrocement structures - these consist of cement mortar which is reinforced with continuous wire mesh. The Visitor will collaborate with Rudd on modelling, Sansour on structural analysis and Ford on design. We plan to work with Professor Wail Al-Rifaie to establish material models and then to assess and apply these codes iso that we can simulate how the structure of a building responds to complex loadings (including catastrophic events). The collaboration will have important scientific benefits at the interfaces between the 3 disciplines represented but will also help to improve the penetration of ferrocement as a low impact construction strategy for housing and shelter in disaster-stricken regions.