Dr Samir Dirar BSc (Hons), MPhil (Cantab), PhD (Cantab), PCAP, FHEA

Samir Dirar

Department of Civil Engineering
Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Structural Engineering
Programme Director, MSc in Structural Engineering

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0) 121 414 4385
Fax
+44 (0) 121 414 3675
Email
s.m.o.h.dirar@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
School of Civil Engineering
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Samir is leading structural concrete research at the School of Engineering, University of Birmingham. His research focuses on resilience and sustainability of existing and new infrastructure assets. His research interests range from fundamental material behaviour to overall system response. Specific topics include strengthening and repair of existing structures, low impact concrete, nonlinear finite element modelling and structural health monitoring. Moreover, Samir is actively contributing to other areas of Structural Engineering research including, but not limited to, steel and aluminium structures.

Samir works closely with leading research groups in the UK and beyond. He has led and/or successfully delivered research projects funded by EPSRC, Horizon 2020, the UK construction industry, the British Council and overseas funders.

Qualifications

  • Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, University of Birmingham, 2017
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2016
  • PhD in Engineering, University of Cambridge, 2010
  • MPhil in Engineering, University of Cambridge, 2005
  • BSc (Hons) in Civil Engineering, University of Khartoum, 2002

Biography

Samir Dirar graduated from the University of Khartoum (U. of K.) with a First Class BSc (Hons) in Civil Engineering in 2002. He spent one year after graduation working as Graduate Engineer for a couple of private firms and assisting with teaching undergraduate students at U. of K.

In 2003, Samir received a Shell Centenary Scholarship to read for the MPhil in Engineering at Cambridge University Engineering Department (CUED). In 2004, he was awarded an EPSRC PhD Studentship, together with a Trinity College Overseas Fees Bursary, to read for the PhD in Engineering at CUED.

After the successful completion of his PhD degree, Samir joined the Civil and Computational Engineering Centre at Swansea University where he worked as Post-doctoral Researcher until 2010.

Samir joined the University of Birmingham in 2010 as Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Structural Engineering. In 2017, he was promoted to Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Structural Engineering.

Teaching

Samir has taught a variety of Civil and Structural Engineering modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Postgraduate supervision

Samir has supervised 11 doctoral researchers (5 as main supervisor and 6 as co-supervisor) to successful completion. He is currently supervising 5 doctoral researchers on a wide spectrum of Structural Engineering topics.

Research

Research interests

Samir is interested in the performance of civil engineering structures. Of special interest is the innovative use of construction materials for sustainable and resilient infrastructure assets.

Selected current projects

FRP shear strengthening of concrete beams subjected to fatigue loading

  • This project investigates the behaviour of FRP shear-strengthened simply supported and continuous concrete beams subjected to cyclic (fatigue) loading, which is invariably the case in shear strengthening practice.

Novel concrete systems containing recycled plastic waste

  • Plastic waste makes a significant contribution towards the pollution of the environment. The aim of this project is to develop sustainable and resilient concrete systems by incorporating appropriate plastic waste materials.

Strengthening and repair of corrosion-damaged concrete members

  • Annually, large amounts of money are spent on repairing corrosion-damaged concrete structures. This project looks into the use of advanced composite materials to strengthen and/or repair concrete members subjected to corrosion damage.

Other activities

  • Conference Chair, 9th International Conference on Advanced Composites in Construction (ACIC 2019)
  • Guest Editor, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering and Computational Mechanics (Vol. 171, Issue 2 and Vol. 171, Issue 4)
  • Member of American Concrete Institute (ACI) Committee 440-0F - FRP-Repair-Strengthening
  • Member of fib Action Group 8 Non-linear Finite Element Modelling
  • Member of ASTM International Committee D30 on Composite Materials
  • Member of the Scientific Committee, 25th UKACM Conference on Computational Mechanics

Publications

Editorials

  • Faramarzi, A. and Dirar, S. (2018) Editorial. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 171(4), 145-146. doi: 10.1680/jencm.2018.171.4.145
  • Dirar, S. and Faramarzi, A. (2018) Editorial. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 171(2), 47-48. doi: 10.1680/jencm.2018.171.2.47

Book chapters

  • Faizi, K., Faramarzi, A., Dirar, S. and Chapman, D. (2018) Finite element modelling of the performance of hybrid foundation systems for offshore wind turbines. In: Springer Series in Geomechanics and Geoengineering, Energy Geotechnics, 495-501

Journal papers

  • Elflah, M., Theofanous, M., Dirar, S. and Yuan, H. (2019) Structural behaviour of stainless steel beam-to-tubular column joints. Engineering Structures, 184, 158-175. doi: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2019.01.073
  • Elflah, M., Theofanous, M. and Dirar, S. (2019) Behaviour of stainless steel beam-to-column joints-part 2: Numerical modelling and parametric study. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 152, 194-212. doi: 10.1016/j.jcsr.2018.04.017
  • Gkantou, M., Kokosis, G., Theofanous, M. and Dirar, S. (2019) Plastic design of stainless steel continuous beams. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 152, 68-80. doi: 10.1016/j.jcsr.2018.03.025
  • Elflah, M., Theofanous, M., Dirar, S. and Yuan, H. (2019) Behaviour of stainless steel beam-to-column joints — Part 1: Experimental investigation. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 152, 183-193. doi: 10.1016/j.jcsr.2018.02.040
  • Rahman, R., Dirar, S., Jemaa, Y., Theofanous, M. and Elshafie, M. (2018) Experimental behavior and design of exterior reinforced concrete beam-column joints strengthened with embedded bars. ASCE Journal of Composites for Construction, 22(6), 04018047. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943-5614.0000883
  • Alqahtani, F.K., Ghataora, G., Dirar, S., Iqbal Khan, M. and Zafar, I. (2018) Experimental study to investigate the engineering and durability performance of concrete using synthetic aggregates. Construction and Building Materials, 173, 350-358. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.04.018
  • Butler, L.J., Xu, J., He, P., Gibbons, N., Dirar, S., Middleton, C.R. and Elshafie, M.Z.E.B. Robust fibre optic sensor arrays for monitoring early-age performance of mass-produced concrete sleepers. Structural Health Monitoring, 17(3), 635-653. doi: 10.1177/1475921717714615
  • Kokosis, G., Gkantou, M., Theofanous, M. and Dirar, S. (2017) Ultimate response and design of stainless steel continuous beams. ce/papers, 1(2-3), 3584-3592. doi: 10.1002/cepa.414
  • Caro, M., Jemaa, Y., Dirar, S. and Quinn, A. (2017) Bond performance of Deep Embedment FRP bars epoxy-bonded into concrete. Engineering Structures, 147, 448-457. doi: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2017.05.069
  • Alqahtani, F.K., Ghataora, G., Iqbal Khan, M. and Dirar, S. (2017) Novel lightweight concrete containing manufactured plastic aggregate. Construction and Building Materials, 148, 386-397. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.05.011
  • Alqahtani, F.K., Iqbal Khan, M., Ghataora, G. and Dirar, S. (2016) Production of recycled plastic aggregates and its utilisation in concrete. ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 04016248-1 - 04016248-12. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0001765
  • Qapo, M., Dirar, S. and Jemaa, Y. (2016) Finite element parametric study of reinforced concrete beams shear-strengthened with embedded FRP bars. Composite Structures, 149, 93-105. doi: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2016.04.017
  • Tijani, A.I., Yang, J. and Dirar, S. (2015) Enhancing the performance of recycled aggregate concrete with microsilica. International Journal of Structural and Civil Engineering Research, 4(4), 347-353.
  • Tijani, A., Yang, J. and Dirar, S. (2015) Optimum use of microsilica in high performance concrete. International Journal of Civil and Structural Engineering, 2(2), 297-301.
  • Qin, S., Dirar, S., Yang, J., Chan, A.H.C. and Elshafie, M.Z.E.B. (2015) CFRP shear strengthening of reinforced-concrete T-beams with corroded shear links. ASCE Journal of Composites for Construction, 19(5), 04014081-1 - 04014081-10. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943-5614.0000548
  • Su, H., Yang, J., Ghataora, G.S. and Dirar, S. (2015) Surface modified used rubber tyre aggregates: effect on recycled concrete performance. Magazine of Concrete Research, 67(12), 680-691. doi: 10.1680/macr.14.00255
  • Aldeka, A.B., Dirar, S., Chan, A.H.C. and Martinez-Vazquez, P. (2015) Seismic response of non-structural components attached to reinforced concrete structures with different eccentricity ratios. Earthquakes and Structures, 8(5), 1069-1089. doi: 10.12989/eas.2015.8.5.1069
  • Tijani, A., Yang, J. and Dirar, S. (2015) High performance concrete using recycled aggregate, microsilica and synthetic macro fibre. International Journal of Civil and Structural Engineering, 2(1), 77-80.
  • Su, H., Yang, J., Ling, T-C., Ghataora, G.S. and Dirar, S. (2015) Properties of concrete prepared with waste tyre rubber particles of uniform and varying sizes. Journal of Cleaner Production, 91, 288-296. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.12.022
  • Qapo, M., Dirar, S., Yang, J. and Elshafie, M.Z.E.B. (2015) Nonlinear finite element modelling and parametric study of CFRP shear-strengthened prestressed concrete girders. Construction and Building Materials, 76, 245-255. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.11.068
  • Ge, Y., Elshafie, M.Z.E.B., Dirar, S. and Middleton, C.R. (2014) The response of embedded strain sensors in concrete beams subjected to thermal loading. Construction and Building Materials, 70, 279-290. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2014.07.102
  • Aldeka, A.B., Chan, A.H.C. and Dirar, S. (2014) Response of non-structural components mounted on irregular RC buildings: comparison between FE and EC8 predictions. Earthquakes and Structures, 6(4), 351-373. doi: 10.12989/eas.2014.6.4.351  
  • Dirar, S., Lees, J.M. and Morley, C. T. (2013) Precracked reinforced concrete T-beams repaired in shear with prestressed carbon fiber-reinforced polymer straps. ACI Structural Journal, 110(5), 855-866. doi: 10.14359/51685838
  • Dirar, S., Lees, J.M. and Morley, C. (2013) Phased nonlinear finite-element analysis of precracked RC T-beams repaired in shear with CFRP sheets. ASCE Journal of Composites for Construction, 17(4), 476-487. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)CC.1943-5614.0000341
  • Dirar, S., Lees, J. and Morley, C. (2012) Precracked reinforced concrete T-beams repaired in shear with bonded carbon fiber-reinforced polymer sheets. ACI Structural Journal, 109(2), 215-224. doi: 10.14359/51683632

Conference papers

  • Ridwan, Dirar, S., Jemaa, Y., Theofanous, M. and Elshafie, M. (2018) Strengthening of shear-deficient exterior beam-column joints using embedded steel bars. In: The International Conference on Advances in Civil and Environmental Engineering (ICAnCEE 2018), Bali, Indonesia, 7pp
  • Bock, M., Theofanous, M. and Dirar, S. (2018) Flexural resistance and bearing strength of soldier beams used in temporary works. In: 8th International Conference on Thin Walled Structures (ICTWS 2018), Lisbon, Portugal, 15pp
  • Theofanous, M., Almatrafi, M., Dirar, S. and Gkantou, M. (2018) Structural response of cold-formed lipped Z purlins – Experimental investigation. In: 8th International Conference on Thin Walled Structures (ICTWS 2018), Lisbon, Portugal, 14pp
  • Dirar, S., Qapo, M. and Theofanous, M. (2018) Design of reinforced concrete T-beams strengthened in shear with externally bonded FRP composites. In: 9th International Conference on Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites in Civil Engineering (CICE 2018), Paris, France, 10pp
  • Dirar, S. and Theofanous, M. (2017) Large-scale reinforced concrete T-beams strengthened in shear with embedded GFRP bars. In: 8th International Conference on Advanced Composites in Construction (ACIC 2015), Sheffield, United Kingdom, 6pp
  • Mehravar, M., Harireche, O., Faramarzi, A. and Dirar, S. (2017) Soil conditions and piping criterion during suction caisson installation in layered strata. In: 25th UK Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering, Birmingham, United Kingdom, 4 pp
  • Caro, M., Jemaa, Y., Dirar, S. and Quinn, A. (2016) Bond performance of the deep embedment shear strengthening method. In: 6th International Conference on Concrete Repair (Concrete Solutions), Thessaloniki, Greece, 8pp
  • Faramarzi, A., Faizi, K., Dirar, S., Mehravar, M. and Harireche, O. (2016) Modelling the seepage flow during caisson installation in a natural seabed. In: 24th UK Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering, Cardiff, United Kingdom, 4 pp
  • Alqahtani, F.K., Ghataora, G., Khan, I. and Dirar, S. (2016) Innovative recycled plastic lightweight aggregate. In: 9th Saudi Students Conference in the UK, Birmingham, United Kingdom, 10pp
  • Jemaa, Y., Jones, C. and Dirar, S. (2015) Deep embedment strengthening of full-scale shear-deficient reinforced concrete beams. In: 12th International Symposium on Fiber Reinforced Polymers for Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-12) & 5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Fiber Reinforced Polymers in Structures (APFIS-2015) Joint Conference, Nanjing, China, 6 pp
  • Alqahtani, F.K., Ghataora, G., Iqbal Khan, M., Dirar, S., Kioul, A. and Al-Otaibi, M. (2015) Lightweight concrete containing recycled plastic aggregates. In: The International Conference on Electromechanical Control Technology and Transportation (ICECTT 2015), Zhuhai, China, pp.527-533
  • Qapo, M., Dirar, S., Yang, J. and Elshafie, M. (2015) Numerical modelling of CFRP shear-strengthened prestressed concrete beams. In: 7th International Conference on Advanced Composites in Construction (ACIC 2015), Cambridge, United Kingdom, 6pp
  • Abdul Rahman, R., Dirar, S., Jemaa, Y., Yang, J. and Elshafie, M. (2015) Shear strengthening of exterior beam-column joints using embedded carbon fibre reinforced polymer bars. In: 7th International Conference on Advanced Composites in Construction (ACIC 2015), Cambridge, United Kingdom, 6pp
  • Gibbons, N., Butler, L., Williamson, M., Ellwood, A., Platt, R., Oliver, J., Henwood, M., Holland, P., Dirar, S., Arthurs, S., Middleton, C. and Elshafie, M. (2015) Monitoring the early age behaviour of prestressed concrete beams using fibre optic sensors. In: 16th European Bridge Conference, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 11pp
  • Aldeka, A.B., Dirar, S., Martinez-Vazquez, P. and Chan, A.H.C. (2014) Influence of ground type on the seismic response of non-structural components integrated on asymmetrical reinforced concrete buildings. In: Australian Earthquake Engineering Society 2014 Conference, Lorne, Victoria, Australia, 11pp
  • Tijani, A.I., Yang, J. and Dirar, S. (2014) High performance concrete application using recycled aggregate and synthetic micro fibre. In: 34th Annual Cement and Concrete Science Conference, Sheffield, United Kingdom, pp.355-358
  • Yang, J., Su, H., Ghataora, G.S. and Dirar, S. (2014) Effect of surface pre-treatment of waste tire rubber aggregate on workability and compressive strength of concrete. In: 2nd Young Researchers’ Forum, London, United Kingdom, pp.177-182
  • Qin, S., Dirar, S. and Chan, A.H.C. (2014) Corrosion-damaged reinforced concrete T-beams strengthened in shear with embedded through-section carbon fiber-reinforced polymer rods. In: The 4th International fib Congress, Mumbai, India, 10pp
  • Qapo, M., Dirar, S. and Chan, A.H.C. (2014) Nonlinear finite element modelling of prestressed concrete girders strengthened in shear with CFRP reinforcement. In: The 4th International fib Congress, Mumbai, India, 10pp
  • Aldeka, A.B.B., Chan, A.H.C. and Dirar, S. (2013) Effects of torsion on the behaviour of non-structural components mounted on irregular reinforced concrete multi-storey buildings. In: 4th ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Computational Methods in Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering (COMPDYN 2013), Kos Island, Greece, 9pp
  • Aldeka, A.B.B., Chan, A.H.C. and Dirar, S. (2013) Finite element modelling of non-structural components mounted on irregular RC buildings. In: International Conference on Computational Mechanics (CM13), Durham, United Kingdom, 6pp
  • Aldeka, A.B., Chan, A.H.C. and Dirar, S. (2012) Finite element modelling of non-structural components mounted on a torsionally multi-storey building. In: 20th Annual Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering (ACME 2012), Manchester, United Kingdom, pp.67-70
  • Hassan Dirar, S., Morley, C. and Lees, J. (2007) Effect of effective depth and longitudinal steel ratio on the behaviour of pre-cracked reinforced concrete T-beams strengthened in shear with CFRP fabrics. In: 8th International Symposium on Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement for Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-8), Patras, Greece, Paper 5-8, 10pp
  • Hassan Dirar, S.M.O., Morley, C.T. and Lees, J.M. (2007) Effect of load history on the behaviour of reinforced concrete beams retrofitted in shear with CFRP systems. In: 3rd International Conference on Advanced Composites in Construction (ACIC 07), Bath, United Kingdom, pp.292-300
  • Hassan Dirar, S.M.O., Hoult, N.A., Morley, C.T. and Lees, J.M. (2006) Shear strengthening of pre-cracked reinforced concrete beams using CFRP straps. In: 2nd fib Congress, Naples, Italy, Paper 10-70, 10pp
  • Hassan Dirar, S.M.O. and Morley, C.T. (2005) Nonlinear finite element analysis of reinforced concrete deep beams. In: 8th International Conference on Computational Plasticity Fundamentals and Applications (COMPLAS VIII), Barcelona, Spain, pp.209-212

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