Areas of Concentration

• Structures and Materials

The Structure and Materials area aims to analyze materials and structures through the most diverse experimental techniques considering examples, prototypes and/or real structures. In addition, mathematical models and numerical solution techniques using computers are used to analyze and solve problems that can be applied to the most diverse areas of knowledge, especially in the context of the behavior of materials and structural systems. Its objectives are also the synthesis, characterization and application of ceramic, polymeric, metallic, electronic, hybrid, biomaterial, composite and supramolecular materials, as well as the study of alternatives for the application of materials in various fields, improving and/or adapting their properties, for the most diverse applications, such as: civil construction and electro-electronic, chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical and biomedical, food and other industries.

• Environmental Technology

This area of concentration was conceived from the union of researchers who work in the area of the environment at the UFPE agreste campus. Its objective is the search for alternatives that contribute to the solution or mitigation of environmental problems experienced by the region in which the postgraduate program intends to operate. It is a region with a semi-arid climate, with hydrographic basins significantly impacted by the different uses of surface, underground and soil waters. Problems such as water scarcity, pollution of bodies of water, inadequate disposal of solid waste, among others, are not particular to the Pernambuco Agreste region. In this sense, the training of masters aims to contribute to the advancement of knowledge of topics related to the environment in general. This area has researchers working in three main areas of engineering: water resources, sanitation and environmental geotechnics. A transversal interaction between the areas of the program will be obtained through the development of research together between researchers in the area of sanitation and those in the area of materials, when carrying out research on the use of industrial solid waste (initially) for application in the construction. The lines of research were established in order to take advantage of the experience of the researchers who compose it to train human resources capable of contributing to the environmental development of the Pernambuco countryside.

Research lines

Area of Concentration: Structures and Materials

• Structural analysis

It aims to study the structural behavior of tall buildings, thin parts, structural systems developed with the most diverse materials, precast structures, soil/structure interaction, etc. For this purpose, experimental techniques for monitoring prototypes or real structures and numerical modeling techniques for non-linear, static and dynamic problems are used, through several computational variants.

• Numerical simulation

The objective of this line of research is to apply and develop mathematical models and numerical algorithms in engineering projects. These models and algorithms are used to analyze problems in different engineering fields, such as solid mechanics and transport phenomena. More specifically, the main Research Lines are related to the treatment of problems of non-linear, static and dynamic structures, structural optimization, numerical simulation of fluid-structure interaction problems, analysis of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures. All aspects of computer simulation are treated from pre-processing to post-processing. Therefore, this Research Line intends to combine cutting-edge scientific development with the solution of real engineering problems.

• Materials science

In this line of research, materials are studied from the point of view of processing, structure and properties. Using a theoretical and/or experimental approach, the relationship between microscopic structure and macroscopic properties, surface and interface phenomena, mechanisms of degradation and improvement of properties, as well as other aspects of scientific and technological interest, are investigated.

• Construction materials and components

Its purpose is to advance the scientific and technological knowledge of traditional and innovative materials and components in the Civil Construction Sector, taking into account regional characteristics and needs. This line is centered on a modern and systemic approach, encompassing sustainability, quality and durability of infrastructure works and buildings in general.

Area of Concentration: Environmental Technology

• Development of the semiarid

The region with a semi-arid climate is characterized, in general, by low levels of purchasing and educational power, poor supply of health services, precarious housing conditions and deficiency in basic sanitation services (water supply, sanitary sewage, urban cleaning, urban drainage, solid waste and rainwater management). In this context, this line of research is dedicated to the study of local problems with an environmental approach, seeking the development and/or application of technologies and alternatives to mitigate these problems.

• Treatment of solid and liquid waste

Human activities generate numerous by-products that are inappropriately discarded and known as waste. However, when properly managed, many of these materials can be reused, converting into resources for industrial production and energy generation. Thus, considering the use of planning principles and the technological advance of waste treatment, this line of research aims to present basic information about the various actions that make up the proper management of solid and liquid waste, covering the various methods of treatment and final destination, using as assumptions the reduction of generation at source and reuse. With regard to solid waste, this line of research will work on the application and innovation of the various types of consolidated treatment, where in the final destination area with the principles of environmental geotechnics in the control and monitoring of the generation of liquids and gases, still proposes alternatives for the use of industrial waste, aiming at its stabilization or solidification in a ceramic matrix or binding materials (mortars and concrete), avoiding the percolation of toxic components to the environment, allowing the technical-scientific, economic and environmental development of important industrial activities in the region. With regard to the treatment of liquid waste (wastewater), this line deals with the deepening of the understanding of biological processes, considering the knowledge of the degradation processes of compounds, which are easy or difficult to remove by biological means. The main aspects to be addressed are: treatment of domestic and industrial effluents; metabolic pathways and microorganisms involved in the degradation processes of compounds; technological aspects; startup and monitoring of systems at laboratory, pilot and real scales and water quality in general.

• Quality and quantity of surface and groundwater

This line of research is aimed at evaluating the quality of water used in industrial processes or human supply in the region (city of Caruaru and its surroundings), which has remarkable characteristics of poor seasonal and regional distribution of water resources and large inflow of industrial effluents. on local springs, hence it is necessary to advance in the knowledge of the quality of water consumed by the population and industries. In addition, the objective is to study the sustainable use of water to mitigate the impacts resulting from excessive withdrawal, such as: wells with demand greater than the availability of the underground reservoir and subsidence of the soil by the exploitation of water. In addition to studying quality, quantity must be analyzed, as this is one of the factors that influence the quality of water courses. The amount of water is intrinsically linked to the hydrological processes that occur in the hydrographic basins, such as evapotranspiration, surface runoff and infiltration. The characterization of hydrological processes describes the behavior of surface and groundwater to understand the quantity and quality.

Under construction

On this page are the research groups to which PPGECAM professors are linked.

Groups:

• COMPUTATIONAL ENGINEERING