Remy Lequesne

Fiber Reinforced Concrete and Earthquake-Resistant Design

Concrete reinforced with short steel fibers in sufficient volume, referred to as FRC, is highly attractive for use in seismic applications. This is because FRC has been shown to behave like confined concrete in response to compression, restrain bar buckling, and resist higher shear stresses than conventional concrete. As a result, use of FRC can lead to reduced reinforcement congestion and improved damage tolerance in members subjected to displacement reversals. This presentation will provide an overview of FRC materials and their use in earthquake-resistant design. It will highlight the use of FRC in coupling beams, which are already in use in practice.

Remy Lequesne is assistant professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering at the University of Kansas. Prior to joining KU, Remy worked as an engineering consultant at Wiss, Janney Elstner Associates in Chicago and conducted research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His interests include the behavior of precast and cast-in-place reinforced concrete members, earthquake-resistant design, and design using advanced engineering materials.