Mingwei Cai

Master of Science in Civil Engineering

Northwestern University

Overview

I am a master student in structural engineering. I obtained my Bachelor degree in Engineering in Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA). During my undergraduate period, I have done some researches of concrete stirring time and asphalt base. After joining Northwestern University, I participated in NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge. In this project, I designed a new type reducing adaptor based on existing ones and improved concrete mix design for getting a better concrete to pumping. My research interest lies in concrete behavior about computational mechanics and modeling.

Current Research

Modeling of Shear Wall Behavior under Alkali-silica Reaction Influence

The mechanical response of reinforced concrete (RC) shear wall was evaluated, under monotonic load and different environmental conditions. Properties such as fracture energy, compressive strength and tensile strength were measured. A multi-physics computational framework, based on the Lattice Discrete Particle Model (LDPM) was proposed and numerical simulations were performed.
LDPM parameters (Shear Strength Ratio, Tensile Strength, and Tensile Fracture Energy) and ASR model parameters (Imbibition Diffusion Coefficient, Water Imbibition Capacity, and Equivalent Porosity Thickness) were calibrated by a C++ program.
Studying the influence of reinforcement and geometry, Six RC shear wall with different opening and reinforcement ratios were simulated. Besides, the failure mode was compared with results in the literature.