Recent advances in modelling and simulations of engineering structures : a keynote address – advances in civil engineering

Civil engineering systems are often complex and pose significant challenge for modelling and computer simulations. Although finite element modelling and analysis is generally regarded as an acceptable approach for the understanding of the behaviour of civil engineering systems, exact details of the concepts, methods, models and data structures required for modelling remain unclear. The ongoing research in the field of modelling and simulation of civil engineering systems with application to buildings and transport structures is reviewed in this keynote address paper. Basics of nonlinear finite element modelling are reviewed for completeness. An emerging inverse method for predicting fatigue life of structures will also be highlighted.