Civil engineer receives grant to study alternative reinforcements in concrete
A University of Texas at Arlington civil engineering professor has received a $96,000 grant from BASF Construction Chemicals to study the feasibility of using synthetic and steel fibers as alternative reinforcements in precast concrete structures. Ali Abolmaali, the Tseng Huang Endowed Professor of Structural Engineering and Applied Mechanics, said the grant with the Germany-based company is the first of its kind at UT Arlington. “We will be doing the testing at Hansen Pipe in Grand Prairie,” said Abolmaali, who also directs the UT Arlington Center for Structural Engineering Research.