Prof. Daman K. Panesar, Ph.D., P.Eng.

Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada

Date: 15^th November, 2024
Time: 3:00 PM(Nairobi) | 7:00 AM(Toronto)
Venue: Online(Zoom)

Biography

Daman K. Panesar, Ph.D., P.Eng. is a Professor with the Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada. She studied at McMaster University (Canada) for her B.Eng. and PhD degrees, and Western University (Canada) for her MASc degree. Dr. Panesar’s research activities are focused on the sustainability and durability of cement-based materials and structures. Prior to academia, her industrial experience focused on: construction, commissioning, evaluation, repair and plant life management of power reactors.  Outcomes of her research team are disseminated and published in peer-reviewed journal papers (>75), peer-reviewed conference articles (>50), book chapters (4), industry reports (>50). She is passionate about a low carbon future, responsible design and educating and learning about complex, critical principles of life-cycle perspectives with application to building, transportation, underground, and power infrastructure.

Professor Panesar serves and has leadership roles on national and international committees, some highlights include: Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and she is Chair of CSA-N287.5 (since 2010); Member International Association Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology (SMiRT), ISC Chair (SMiRT28 to be in 2025); India-Canada Centre for Innovative Multidisciplinary Partnerships (IC-IMPACTS) Research Management Committee (since 2013); Member of the RILEM Technical Activities Committee (since 2018),  Bureau (2020-2024) and is a TC member on TC-ARM (since 2021).  She also serves on the editorial board for Cement and Concrete Composites (2013-2024) and as Assistant Editor since 2022), Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering (since 2018) and RILEM Technical Letters (since 2021).

Abstract

Today we are faced with the need to design structures and infrastructure for longer lives than ever before, while at the same time managing resource depletion and the need to reduce embodied carbon related to construction materials.  This requires an understanding and consideration of material science, structural design as well as environmental sciences.    Concrete infrastructure degrades over time, not only a result of aging, but also due to the inadequate design of concrete’s resistance to the ingress of moisture and aggressive ions.  These are precursors for most forms of chemical attack and/or degradation of its physical microstructure. Although degradation due to freeze-thaw cycles, carbonation, corrosion, sulfate attack, etc. and the corresponding mechanisms have been studied for decades, the design of the durable structural concrete remains suboptimal. This is partly due to our inability to translate the kinetics of degradation reactions, rates of damage, symptoms of damage on small-scale (e.g. 100×200 mm cylinders or 75x75x300 mm prisms), unreinforced, unrestrained, mechanically unloaded specimens to large-scale, real life, structural elements that are reinforced (or prestressed), subjected to restraint, and mechanically loaded in tension or compression. There is a strong need for research to relate the performance of materials tested in the laboratory to the performance of structures in the field so that existing and new concrete structures are safe, sustainable and fulfill their estimated design life. In addition, we need to consider the implications of emerging cements and concrete of tomorrow on durability performance and assessment.

In this context, this talk provides an overview of the intersection between material selection and long-term performance of concrete materials exposed to a plethora of environmental exposure conditions.  Consequences of poor durability on aesthetics, surface damage and loss of structural integrity will be discussed. Key forms of degradation, such as alkali silica reaction, corrosion, sulfate attack, carbonation, and freeze-thaw deicer damage mechanism will be presented including a review of test methods prescribed in international codes. In addition, case studies looking at (i) the intersection between structural design and material durability; and (ii) implications and complications of coupled degradation mechanism will be presented.

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