Research and expertise
I am a civil engineer with more than 10 years of experience in concrete technology and civil infrastructure research.
I conduct research in advanced cementitious composites (fibre reinforced concrete, ultra-high performance concrete, sprayed concrete and self-healing concrete), diagnosis and repair of civil infrastructure (concrete dams and tunnels).
I have participated in 6 publicly-funded, peer-reviewed research grants worth £0.97 M on topics related to advanced cementitious composites and infrastructure. I have published over 30 refereed publications and supervised PhD dissertations to successful completion and ongoing dissertations. Since 2009 I have participated in or led 20+ enterprise projects worth more than £0.85 M diverse client base of energy suppliers, contractors, asset operators and public institutions. I am a member of several scientific committees in international organisations about infrastructure and advanced materials.
I welcome enquiries from postgraduates who wish to study for a PhD in my research areas.
Current research activity
- Self-healing high-performance cementitious composites
- Interlaboratory activity for the EU-funded SARCOS Cost Action
Recently completed research projects
- MAPMIT (RTC-2015-3185-4): Sprayed multi-functional materials for reinforcement and monitoring of transport infrastructures (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness) https://www.atem.upc.edu/mapmit/
- CONSFIB (BIA2010-17478): Construction processes with fibre reinforced concrete (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness)
Recent publications
- Pardo-Bosch, F., Blanco, A., Sesé, E., Ezcurra, F., Pujadas, P. (2022). Sustainable strategy for the implementation of energy efficient smart public lighting in urban areas: case study in San Sebastian. Sustainable Cities and Society, 76, doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2021.103454
- Galeote, E., Blanco A., de la Fuente A. (2020) Design-oriented approach to determine FRC constitutive law parameters considering the size effect. Composite Structures, 239, doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2020.112036
- Casanovas-Rubio, M. M., Pujadas, P., Pardo-Bosch, F., Blanco, A. & Aguado, A. (2019) Sustainability assessment of trenches including the new eco-trench: A multi-criteria decision-making tool. Journal of Cleaner Production, 238, doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.117957
- Blanco, A., Pardo-Bosch, F., Cavalaro, S. & Aguado, A. (2019). Lessons learned about the diagnosis of pathologies in concrete dams: 30 years of research and practice. Construction and Building Materials, 197, 356-368. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.11.143
- Rambo, D. A. S., Blanco, A., Figueiredo, A. D. D., Santos, E. R. F. D., Toledo, R. D., & Gomes, O. D. F. M. (2018). Study of temperature effect on macro-synthetic fiber reinforced concretes by means of Barcelona tests: An approach focused on tunnels assessment. Construction and Building Materials, 158, 443-453. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.10.046
- Galeote, E., Blanco, A., Cavalaro, S. H. P., & de la Fuente, A. (2017). Correlation between the Barcelona test and the bending test in fibre reinforced concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 152, 529-538. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.07.028
Teaching
I contribute to learning and teaching activities across the School's programmes, including:
Undergraduate
- Structural engineering & Engineering materials modules in the civil engineering programmes;
- Tectonics module on Architecture, Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying and Construction Engineering Management; and
- Supervision of dissertations on topics aligned to my research interests
Postgraduate
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Supervision of dissertations on topics aligned to my research interests
Enterprise
Current projects
- Patch Repair using Perfect Fit Parts. 2022-2023 Client: Network Rail (UK)
Recently completed projects
- Advanced Patch Repair of Masonry Tunnels. 2020-2021 Client: Network Rail (UK)
Consultancies
- Service life of tunnels subjected to high-temperature gradients. 2020-2021 Client: Acciona (Norway)
- Development of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) in the UK with locally sourced materials. 2019 Client: Thorp Precast (UK)
Profile
I received my BSc and MSc in Civil Engineering from Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Spain. I then conducted research in concrete technology at UPC and Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands) and was awarded a PhD in 2013 for an investigation on the characterisation and modelling of fibre reinforced cementitious composites.
This was followed by three years as a postdoctoral researcher at UPC, involving research and enterprise projects in hydraulic infrastructure maintenance and development of high-performance cementitious composites for underground infrastructure. In 2015, I co-founded a spin-out company that develops enhanced cementitious composites and advanced technical solutions. I joined the spin-out company as a project leader in 2017 while combining my part-time research at UPC.
I joined Loughborough University through the Excellence 100 programme in 2018 as a Lecturer in Infrastructure Engineering and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2022. I am a member of the Enterprise Committee and the EDI Committee.
Professional affiliations
- Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (CEng MICE)
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Member of the Spanish Association of Structural Engineering (ACHE)
- Member of the Committee of Concrete Dams of the Spanish National Committee on Large Dams (SPANCOLD)
External activities
- Member of the Technical Committee of BSI B/517/11 Fibres for concrete
- Reviewer of the British Council Newton Fund (2018-present)
- Member of the Task Group for Expansive Reactions in Concrete Dams (SPANCOLD)
- Member of the Task Group TG1.6 for Ultra-High-Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete of ACHE (2016-2018)
Key collaborators
My research and enterprise activities are conducted with a range of academic and stakeholder partners, including:
- Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC), Universidade de Sao Paulo (Brazil), Politecnico de Milano (Italy)
- Network Rail, Mott McDonald, Thorp Precast