Francesco I.
Private tutor in London, United Kingdom
Education
I completed a 5 years degree in Structural Engineering at the University of Rome Tor Vergata presenting a dissertation on the use of Ultra High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete for the design of structural elements. My work focused on the evolution of standard concrete design methods to incorporate the enhancement of the mechanical properties given by the use of steel fibers in the cement mix. I have also developed a preliminary design of a stress ribbon arched footbridge in UHPFRC, going through the process of form optimization in order to benefit from the mechanical properties of the material to design a slender and optimised structure. The analysis has been undertaken using first principle methods for 3-dimensional stress analysis as well as Finite Element models for the global and local preliminary design. Throughout my academic studies, I have strived to focus on learning the first principles of structural mechanics and design, often going beyond the requirements set by the university and proactively and independently expanded my knowledge in those fields. The quality of my final work has been highly commended by the examining committee which granted a 110/110 mark (100%) and also agreed to grant a special commendation or “cum Laude” to certify the high quality of education I have been able to achieve during my studies. The main subjects of the Structural Engineering degree are: Architectural Design, Solid Mechanics, Structural Engineering, Bridge Engineering, Earthquake Engineering, Steel Detailing, Concrete Detailing, Statics, Calculus and Physics. For all of those and many others more I have achieved the best marks during my career as a student. I
Experience
In July 2010 I attended a three days workshop on design of cable structures held by IABSE in Rome. During the workshop I have been able to discuss many aspects of design of cabled structures with the world’s leading expert, namely Satoshi Kashima and many others. In September 2010 I started my professional carrier working for a engineering consultancy in Milan. I was tasked with the analysis of several Masonry buildings and Bridges, which had been damaged by the earthquake of L’Aquila in 2009, and identify suitable strategies for their strengthening. In October, I passed the selection to become Earthquake Engineer for SPEA Engineering Europe S.R.L. Given the amount and complexity of the jobs at the time handled by the team, I developed a strong background in performance based design, assessment and retrofitting of concrete and steel building and bridges. I have been in charge of the inspection and assessment of many of the biggest flyovers and bridges in Italy like the Livorno Flyover (10km length over multiple piers) and Capodichino Flyover (2km length over multiple piers), to name a few, and also the design of many concrete structures for highway and residential use. During my experience in SPEA I have also learnt how to design Tuned Mass Dampers for bridges and later on started applying them on buildings. I spent an extensive amount of time performing time history and non-linear static analyses for heterogeneous types of structures including buildings, canopies, bridges, retaining structures and also had the opportunity to work on geotechnical designs like the pile retaining wall in “Aglio” service station on the A1 Roma-Napoli, which comprised 40no. 1.2m diameter retaining piles of 40m depth and ground anchorages of 20m length. During my employment with SPEA I strengthened my knowledge of seismic design to EN 1998 to working proficiency level. Thanks to the number and types of works undertaken within SPEA, I had been able to get enough experience to sit my Professional Review for the Italian Council of Engineers in Rome (CNI) achieving in December 2011 the Chartered status after a 4 days examination including written and verbal tests. Since I moved in the UK I also started the process for recognition of the Italian Qualification in the UK, currently expected to be achieved at the end of 2017. In 2012 I decided to move to London to seek new opportunities in the civil engineering industry. In October I started working as a Graduate Bridge Engineer for Ramboll UK. I quickly progressed in becoming Design Engineer after 6 months of employment due to my ability to work independently and deep understanding of structural design principles. I quickly developed my reputation within the team as a point of contact for question related to first principles of structural design. During my employment with Ramboll I acquired full proficiency in the design of RC and PSC structures to EN 1992, steel and steel composite structures to EN 1993 and EN1994, masonry structures to EN 1996 and timber structures to EN 1995. In Ramboll I worked closely with Dr. Paul Jackson who is nationally renowned for its contribution to several studies and guides regarding the design of concrete structures in the UK and overseas. With him I have been responsible for the modelling, analysis and detailing of the Phase 2 Strengthening of the Hammersmith Flyover. This complex and award winning projects presented many challenges due to the fact that the materials (SCC concrete and UHPFRC) and the methods of strengthening (Progressive strengthening) used were not covered in any UK code. Therefore a design approach based on first principles and 3D FEM analysis was necessary. Due to my knowledge of inelastic behaviour of concrete and steel structures and finite element modelling, I have been selected as the responsible person for the analysis of the local effects on the existing and new structures which has been a critical role throughout the 3 years of the projects. Since 2012 I have been working as a freelance tutor for students of engineering and architecture degrees from several UK and European universities. So far I have tutored over 20 students in subjects ranging from Structural Engineering, Solid Mechanics, Geotechnics, Architectural Design. From 2014 I have been selected to take part as a mentor to the Integrated Design Project organised by the department of Civil Environmental Engineering & Geomatics of University College of London. The module required engineers with industry experience to take part in mentoring a group of students involved in the design of a building or a bridge undertaken in collaboration with other disciplines. In this occurrence I have been responsible for tutoring, motivating and marking projects regarding the design of a footbridge over a railway including station platforms and the design of a tower building in a highly constraint environment which imposed severe condition on the definition of the foundation layout. I mentored my students highlighting, at first, the theoretical aspects of their design, and then progressed with giving them guidance on how to overcome spatial, normative and external constraints. With regard with the design of the tower most of my work as a mentor was to teach the student how to interact with the geotechnical team in order to finalise both the design of the foundations and the structural arrangement of the tower in the given timescale which was very tight. The issue being the iterative nature involved with checking the settlement results from the geotechnical analysis and applying the results into the structural model of the tower to assess the effects of the settlement on the vertical and horizontal members. From February to November 2015 I have been working as a Site Engineer for Costain on the Hammersmith Flyover Strengthening construction site. I have been assisting for few months and then leading on the construction of the same concrete anchorage blocks and steel deviators I had designed. Thanks to this incredible learning experience on site I took the opportunity to learn the practical aspects of construction of steel and concrete structures on a detailed scale, and from the point of view of constructability and quality management of the construction process. I have supervised all the aspects related to setting out, steel fixing, fitting, procurement, construction, safety and sustainability of the works I was responsible for. After this experience I have all-round knowledge of the design process covering both theoretical and practical implications. After my work on site, in 2016 I went back to Ramboll to complete my ICE training and to collaborate in various projects like the conservation and refurbishment works for Lighthouse Building in Kings Cross. My role was to undertake inspections to assess the status of the masonry structures and highlight signs of near failures. I am currently Senior Trainer/R&D Engineer for Midas IT, the world’s leading developer of structural software for building and civil engineering. My Role requires in-depth knowledge of structural engineering principles because I am extensively involved in providing technical specifications for the implementation of Eurocode checks algorithms within the software. Since I joined the company I have been providing information and step to step guidance to the IT developers to implement concrete and steel torsion checks as per EN 1992 & EN1993 as well as an entire set of functions to check pre-stressed and post-tensioned elements to EN 1992. Thanks to my diverse and wide academic and industrial background I will able to provide to the students a wide range of skills related to structural engineering (from theoretical to practical) to help them develop a holistic, yet theoretically consistent, knowledge of structural design.
Availability
Monday at any time, Friday at any time, Sunday at any time, Sunday at any time
Can Meet
Up to 25 minutes away at my regular hourly rate, Up to 1 hour away for a flat fee
Hobbies
Piano, Guitar, Singing, Crossfit, Photography.
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