Biography
Eleni completed a MEng with honours at the National Technical University of Athens with specialization in concrete and steel design and earthquake engineering.She holds a Master’s degree with distinction in structural steel design and sustainable development from the Imperial College London.
Eleni joined the Concrete & Composite Structures Group in 2011 in order to undertake PhD research into long-term durability of CFRP prestressing tendons and prestressed structures. Her research is in collaboration with EMPA (Switzerland) and Dr Giovanni P. Terrasi. Eleni's PhD supervisor is Dr Janet Lees and her advisor is Dr Chris Burgoyne.
Eleni is a member of Lucy Cavendish College.
Research
Eleni's project emphasises on the use of composite materials ,Carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRPs), as internal reinforcement in concrete structures. Carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are promising alternatives to steel reinforcement for marine and offshore structures. CFRPs do not corrode but, in humid environments, it is important to ensure that the long-term durability of the CFRP is not adversely affected due to moisture absorption in the epoxy-matrix material. Her research project focuses on two main issues: the long-term durability of the matrix dominated properties in CFRP reinforcement in isolation and the long-term bond performance between CFRP tendons and concrete in pretensioned structures.
Publications
Toumpanaki, E., Lees, J.M. and Terrasi, G.P. (2013). "Effect of Moisture Uptake on the Shear Stiffness of CFRP Tendons and the Role of the Manufacturing Route",Proc., FRPRCS-11:11th International Symposium in Fiber Reinforced Polymers for Reinforced Concrete Structures, Guimarães, Portugal, 26-28 June.
Toumpanaki, E., Lees, J.M. and Terrasi, G.P. (2014). "Measurement of the sand coating layer in CFRP tendons through image processing",Proc., CICE 2014:7th International Conference on Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites in Civil Engineering, Vancouver, Canada, 20-22 August.
Toumpanaki, E., Lees, J.M. and Terrasi, G.P. (2014). "Shear modulus of cylindrical CFRP tendons exposed to moisture",Journal of Composites for Construction. to be published.
Teaching and Supervisions
Supervisions: Part IB Structures