Ph.D. Student in Structural Engineering
Prayush Rajbhandari is currently a PhD student at Swinburne University of Technology. He completed both his Master’s in Structural Engineering and Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering at Tribhuvan University. His professional journey began as a trainee at Picasso Consultant Pvt. Ltd., followed by engineering roles at Embark Engineering Services Pvt. Ltd., Panchakanya Group, and Realpath Engineering Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. Later, he served as an Assistant Lecturer at Everest Engineering College, where he taught structural mechanics. He chose an academic career to advance his research interests.
Leviat, Hobson, Ramset, Wurth, Hilti and AEFAC (Australian Engineered Fasteners and Anchors Council) members
Swinburne University of Technology
Dr. Jessey Lee
Dr. Tilak Pokharel
Dr. Anita Amirsardari
Dr. Emad Gad
My research project is on the performance of post-installed fastening in innovative concrete. By ‘innovative concrete,’ I mean high-strength concrete and steel fiber-reinforced concrete. Currently, concrete suppliers in Australia can readily provide high strength concrete with a compressive strength up to 100MPa and steel fiber reinforced concrete incorporating different types of steel fibers. However, the design of fasteners in Australia and other international standards are limited to normal concrete up to 60MPa and without steel fibers. Fasteners are essential for both structural and non-structural applications, making their use in high-strength and steel fiber-reinforced concrete inevitable.
This research aims to evaluate the applicability of existing design guidelines for fasteners to innovative concrete. To achieve this, extensive experimental testing will be conducted on fasteners in these concretes. Given the high costs and impracticality of obtaining all necessary data through experiments alone, finite element models will be developed and validated using the experimental results.
I chose to participate in an industry-led research project to help fill in any gaps between research and field practices. The best thing about this project is that we can get feedback from our industry partners, allowing it to be more impactful and relevant. The outcome of this research is expected to be directly used in the industry.
Networking with fellow students, teaching and mentoring, personal growth, and working in a highly sophisticated lab have been some of the best parts of my PhD journey. Furthermore, I receive valuable guidance from my supervisors and industry partners who are the leaders in anchor technology in Australia.
I have a feeling my answer will keep changing as I progress through my PhD. Initially, I thought I’d go straight into industry, given my work experience after my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. But now, I’m leaning towards staying in research for some time before making the switch to industry.
Currently, the design of fasteners according to the Australian Standard AS 5216: 2021 is limited to medium high-strength concrete (concrete with a characteristic compressive strength of 60 MPa) and concrete without steel fibers. However, the design of concrete structures according to the Australian Standard AS 3600: 2018 allows for much higher strength concrete (up to 120 MPa) and steel fiber-reinforced concrete.
My work is focused on extending AS 5216: 2021 to cover these advanced materials. This would enable the efficient and safe design of fasteners in high-strength and steel fiber-reinforced concrete, significantly benefiting Australia’s concrete ecosystem. By updating the standards, we can ensure that our infrastructure is both cutting-edge and reliable.
