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08/04/2009 HKUST Professor Awarded China National Keystone Project
Picture shows the Project's Chief Scientist Prof Li Zongjin and his HKUST teammates. (From left) Professors Chris Leung and Moe Cheung (Civil and Environmental
Engineering), Xiaoping Wang (Mathematics) and Zhenyang Lin (Chemistry).
HKUST Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Li Zongjin has been awarded a HK$30-million project to conduct research on concrete under China's National Basic Research Program, also known as the 973 project.
As the Chief Scientist of the project, he will work closely with a cross-boundary and multi-disciplinary research team comprising four HKUST scientists— Professors Moe Cheung and Chris Leung (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Xiaoping Wang (Mathematics) and Zhenyang Lin (Chemistry), and 50 scientists from seven universities in Mainland China, including Southeast University, Wuhan University of Technology, Zhejiang University, Jiangsu Institute of Building Research, Tongji University, Tsinghua University, and Wuhan University. Entitled "Basic Research on Environmentally Friendly Contemporary Concrete", this 5-year project is the first and only 973 project featuring concrete studies.
The project is aimed at achieving better understanding of the fundamental hydration mechanism of contemporary concrete, the microstructure formation and its impact on the performance of concrete, as well as deterioration mechanism of the concrete under combination effect of loading and environmental factors. Such understanding is crucial to addressing the shortcomings of contemporary concrete—early age cracking and reduced durability.
"In the States, infrastructures built with an intended life span of 75 years carry an actual service life of 40 years. According to statistics in 2004, 27.5 % of bridges in the States has durability problem. In China, the number of bridges in danger increased significantly from 2000 and reached 15,000 in 2005. The loss in monetary terms due to corrosion in reinforced concrete structure in China amounts to 1 trillion RMB per year," commented Professor Li Zongjin.
"China's infrastructural development has been developing at a phenomenal speed. It builds half of the world's new bridges. In five years' time, the total highway network in Mainland China will amount to 65,000 kilometers. There is a pressing need for scientists to help prolong the service life of structures and buildings in China."
The National Basic Research Project 973 was named after its launch date March 1997. It covers seven research areas, including agriculture, energy, information, resource and environment, population and health, materials, and synthesis and frontier science. This year a total of 74 research projects are being funded by the 973 project nationally.
Prof Li graduated from Northwestern University of the United States with a doctorate degree in structural engineering. He joined HKUST in 1994 as a faculty member. His research in concrete hydration dynamics and non-destructive testing have been recognized internationally. With a wealth of experience on managing research projects, Prof Li has been the manager overseeing more than 35 research projects with over HK$30 million funding. He owns two US patents and four China patens.
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