The Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) granted an Honorable Mention of the 2024 Capes Thesis Award in the area of ​​Engineering I to doctoral student Vitor Moreira de Alencar Monteiro, under the supervision of Flavio de Andrade Silva and co-supervision of Daniel Carlos Taissum Cardoso. The award highlights academic excellence in the Postgraduate Program in Civil Engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio).

The award-winning thesis, entitled “Mechanical behavior and damage evolution of fiber reinforced concrete under flexural fatigue loading for structural applications”, was defended on December 4, 2023 and is the result of the research project Aneel PD-0394-1905/2019, the result of a collaboration between Furnas and PUC-Rio.

The study addresses the evolution of the mechanical behavior and degradation of fiber-reinforced concrete under cyclic fatigue loading, focusing on structural applications such as wind towers, pavements and bridge elements. The work analyzes from the fiber scale in pullout tests to the structural scale, providing a comprehensive view of the strength and durability of the material.

 

Main Contributions of the Thesis:

  1. Fatigue Behavior Analysis: The work investigates the service life of fiber reinforced concrete through statistical models, evaluating material failure based on the probability of failure and explaining the rupture of prisms under cyclic loading.
  2. Mechanical Degradation of Reinforced Beams: Research shows how the addition of fibers can redistribute stresses and decrease mechanical degradation of reinforced concrete beams, increasing stiffness and resistance capacity over time.
  3. Analytical Solution Development: A new analytical solution was created to evaluate the mechanical degradation of concrete prisms, with the proposed curves satisfactorily adapting to the experimental results.

Vitor Monteiro’s thesis represents a significant advance in civil engineering, offering innovative solutions for improving the durability and efficiency of concrete structures. The recognition by Capes highlights not only the value of research for engineering, but also PUC-Rio’s commitment to academic excellence and the advancement of scientific knowledge in Brazil.

The extract with the honorable mention was published in the Official Gazette of the Union on September 13, 2024, reflecting the importance and impact of the work developed by Monteiro and his advisory team. The award reinforces the fundamental role of academic research in the innovation and improvement of engineering practices.

 

For more information:

About the Postgraduate Program in Civil Engineering at PUC-Rio and its contributions to research and development, visit civ.puc-rio.br/atividade-pos-2/

Follow the Master's and Doctoral Thesis defenses in Civil and Environmental Engineering at PUC-Rio, access civ.puc-rio.br/en/news