Leandro F.m. Sanchez

Biography

Dr. Leandro Sanchez received his B.S. in civil engineering from Maua School of Engineering (Sao Caetano do Sul, Brazil) in 2004, and his M.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo, Brazil) in 2008. He acquired his Ph.D. in earth sciences from Laval University (Quebec, Canada) in 2014 and afterwards pursued a one year post-doctoral training at McGill University (Montreal, Canada). From 2006 to 2009 he worked at Desek Ltda in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as a consultant engineer, dealing mainly with concrete technology, durability and rehabilitation of structures. His research interests center on two major themes: a) assessment of the actual damage (diagnosis) and the potential for further deterioration (prognosis) of aging concrete infrastructure and; b) designing high-performance materials for sustainable development in concrete construction. In the first research theme, he has worked on characterizing damage in concrete distressed mainly due to alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR), one of the main deleterious processes affecting the durability of concrete infrastructure worldwide. He has explored and improved some microscopic and mechanical tools for evaluating AAR damage degree and development in concrete. He has also investigated the implications of the use of the prior tools for assessing different damage mechanisms such as delayed ettringite formation (DEF) and freezing and thawing cycles (FT), single or coupled with AAR. Moreover, he has been making contributions to the evaluation of AAR further development in critical aging infrastructure. In the second research theme, he is working mainly on the use of recycled concrete aggregate as a novel sustainable material for new construction. Dr. Sanchez was awarded with the VANIER Scholarship, the most prestigious PhD scholarship in Canada given by NSERC and he has also participated in a CREATE/FONCER- INFRA program, also funded by NSERC, which aimed at meeting the immediate needs of the Canadian Society by forming a team of experts for the maintenance and rehabilitation of concrete infrastructure. He has given numerous invited talks and conference presentations, and has published several scientific papers in the most recognized journals in the area. Moreover, he also currently participates in several technical committees worldwide such as ACI (201-durability; 236-materials science of concrete), RILEM (avoiding alkali-aggregate reaction in concrete structures; alkali-aggregate reaction prognosis) and IBRACON (alkali-aggregate reaction; concrete durability).  

Research Interest

  Research Interests Alkali-Aggregate Reaction (AAR) Durability and Mechanical Properties of Concrete Materials/Structures interaction Diagnosis and Prognosis of Civil Aging Infrastructure Management and Rehabilitation of Structures Design, Characterization and Performance of Sustainable and Innovative Materials