Han-Mei Chen

• BEng, MSc, PhD
• Lecturer at University of Liverpool

Traditional bamboo construction relies on a joinery system for structural integrity. Bamboo's heterogeneity and non-standardized nature challenge its integration in computational modelling and structural optimisation, particularly to address its natural flexibility, tensile strength, and lightweight properties for active bending applications. Integ...

The viewing experience of 3D artifacts in Virtual Reality (VR) museums is constrained and affected by various factors, such as pedestal height, viewing distance, and object scale. User experiences regarding these factors can vary subjectively, making it difficult to identify a universal optimal solution. In this paper, we collect empirical data on...

Indonesian traditional houses are well known as roof-based architecture due to the names of the houses given by the type of roof shape. The roof is the distinctive dominance of the house geometry in the overall size and body proportions, which aims to respond to the tropical climate and solar radiation. The roof structure is made of timber and bamb...

The Dougong (bracket set), consisting of wooden blocks (Dou) and bow-shaped brackets (Gong), is a typical structural element in traditional Chinese timber buildings. Its primary function is to transfer roof loadings to pillars. Applying the Dougong in contemporary design offers significant advantages, including cultural continuity, sustainability,...

The Dougong (brackets set) is a traditional Chinese capital used to transfer the roof load to the columns. Besides its historical significance, it is also known for its anti-seismic and environmentally friendly properties. This paper investigates which existing digital design and fabrication technologies are suitable for the automated assembly and...

In traditional Indonesian architecture, bamboo and timber-frame structures are essential elements, with roofs being a prominent feature. This is due to the tropical climate conditions that demand such a design. However, the traditional Indonesian hyperbolic-paraboloid roof is at risk of extinction due to modern construction demands, and traditional...

The Dougong (brackets set) is a traditional Chinese capital used to transfer the load of the roof to a column. It is known for its anti-seismic properties, sustainability, and cultural significance. This paper introduces a framework for parametric design and robotic fabrication of the Dougong, thus it can be utilised in contemporary architecture. T...

The Dougong (brackets set) is a traditional Chinese capital used to transfer the load of the roof to a column. It is known for its anti-seismic properties, sustainability, and cultural significance. This paper introduces a framework for parametric design and robotic fabrication of the Dougong, thus it can be utilised in contemporary architecture. T...

This article presents the development and validation of a design-to-fabrication framework aiming to improve the efficiency of fabricating reinforced concrete building components for housing projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by incorporating 3D concrete printing technology. In particular, the research presents an algorithmic framework to mass...

The timber frame represents a central structural system in historical Chinese buildings [1]. The Dougong (bucket arch joint) is an independent class of joints widely applied in traditional Chinese timber frame construction systems [2]. It is also a primary structural component for transferring the loads from the roof to the pillar [3]. However, the...

The ability to separate structural steel sections from concrete slabs in composite beams without damage forms a key technical challenge for reclaim and direct re-use of composite structures as opposed to recycling. This paper addresses this technical challenge. It presents the results of a feasibility study using a variety of potential techniques,...

The dynamic tensile strength of concrete in spalling tests is usually evaluated through indirect measurements such as the pullback velocity at the free-end surface of the specimen, instead of directly measuring the critical stress at the fractured plane(s) due to experimental constraints. These indirect measurements rely on several strong assumptio...

Quantification of stocks and flows of construction materials is a key first stage in assessing the potential for creating higher value at end-of-life decisions compared to destructive demolition. Steel and concrete are amongst the most widely used construction materials primarily in structural components. Such components are highly variable in desi...

Traditionally, Chinese architecture was based on the use of timber frameworks for its structural systems. The Dougong joint is amongst the typical connection typologies, widely applied in the timber heritage buildings in China. Each component of the Dougong (bucket-arch joint) conforms to a strict structural proportion in addition to simple but eff...

Supplementary Material

This paper examines the suitability of existing robotic technologies and large-scale 3D printing techniques for the fabrication of three-dimensional printed building components to be applied in the Saudi housing construction industry. In particular, we will investigate five different additive manufacturing techniques and asses their performance in...

This paper is examining the development of a design and fabrication framework aiming to increase the efficiency of the construction of concrete building components by introducing 3D concrete printing in the context of Saudi Arabia. In particular, we will present an algorithmic process focusing on the design and fabrication of a typical, mass custom...

A multiscale modelling approach to integrate resultful information of particle breakage at distinct scales is presented for quantitative prediction of a milling process. The nanoindentation test of zeolite particles is carried out to provide the deterministic value of mechanical properties, prior to which the Hertz based contact theory is described...

A comprehensive mesoscopic investigation has been conducted to examine the evolution of the fracture process zone (FPZ), using notched plain concrete beams subjected to three-point bending as a generic representation. The concrete beams are modelled as random heterogeneous materials containing three components, namely coarse aggregates, mortar and...

The building construction sector consumes significant quantities of resources, generates high levels of waste and creates many negative environmental impacts including carbon emissions. These problems are characteristic of linear value chains. In contrast, a circular economy approach to building construction has the potential to moderate these thre...

This paper presents the investigation of the dynamic behaviour of concrete material under high strain rate tension using an interface approach in a mesoscale model framework. A rate-dependent cohesive constitutive description is introduced into the mesoscale framework to account for the effects of viscosity occurring in the dynamic fracture process...

The construction sector represents one of the most significant sources of waste generation in the European Union (EU), with nearly one billion tonnes of construction and demolition waste annually. This sector also contributes a third of the annual EU greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Accordingly, construction represents one priority area for interven...

Structural bricks are highly durable building products. However, brickwork is mostly demolished long before the end of its technical service life; the majority are crushed to form aggregate or else landfilled. Urban mining and circular economy are stimulating interest in the potential to recover structural products from end-of-service-life building...

The transition from a linear economy to a circular economy is a significant component of economic, environmental and social sustainability. Underground metro infrastructures such as tunnels can play a vital role in a circular economy, resulting in greater sustainability and less contribution to climate change. This paper presents numerical models o...

A comprehensive mesoscopic investigation has been conducted into the classic topic of size effect, using notched plain concrete beams subjected to three-point bending as a test bed. The concrete beams are modelled as random heterogeneous material containing three components, coarse aggregates, mortar and the interface transition zone. Mesoscopic nu...

Buildings and construction have been identified as having one of the greatest potential for value creation and capture from the application of circular economy principles. To achieve this requires a fundamental transformation in the recovery, remanufacture and re-use of end of service life structural products such as steel, bricks, concrete which m...

Buildings and construction have been identified as having the greatest potential for circular economy value creation. One source of value creation is to recover and reuse building products from end-of-service-life buildings, rather than destructive demolition and downcycling. While there is a trade in non-structural and heritage product recovery an...

In this paper splitting failure on rock pillars among the underground caverns has been studied. The damaged structure is considered to be thin plates and then the failure mechanism of rock pillars has been studied consequently. The critical load of buckling failure of the rock plate has also been obtained. Furthermore, with a combination of the bas...

This paper presents a holistic approach to the design of novel track solutions, especially from a geotechnical perspective, by employing advanced computing techniques capable of establishing design specifications and optimising the railway track structure design for light, conventional and heavy freight tracks. The proposed approach uses numerical...

The track substructure is a vital and essential part of the railway track system which supports the track, and its properties have a strong influence on the overall track behaviour. In the presented research, a methodology for coupling the numerical models of the railway superstructure with substructure part is developed. The dynamic interaction be...

Railway tunnel inspection and monitoring has predominantly been a manual procedure, which is time-consuming and subjective, giving rise to variance in standards and quality of examinations for tunnels. Thus, alternative novel automated techniques need to be developed for a more efficient and reliable tunnel examination. The reported research aimed...

This paper describes a study to assess the suitability of two non-contact methods of measurement used to monitor a series of small scale model tunnels built to different specifications that are being subjected to load testing. The model tunnels are being built to validate mathematical modelling techniques. Presented here are the results to assess t...

Nowadays, numerical modelling is increasingly used to assess the stability of tunnels and underground caverns. However, an analysis of the mechanical behaviour of existing brick-lined tunnels remains challenging due to the complex material components. One promising approach is to carry out a series of small-scale physical tunnel model tests repre...

This research aims to develop an advanced monitoring technique for assessing the stability of tunnels, which may substitute or supplement the conventionally manual procedures. In this paper, 'laser scanning technique' is primarily studied to determine the utilisation of laser scanners for condition monitoring of lined tunnels. A series of model tes...