CERIS and IDMEC Researchers Receive International Best Paper Award

The paper “Seismic Response of Three-Dimensional Pultruded GFRP Frames” has been honoured with the 2024 Best Research Paper Award (New Construction) from the Journal of Composites for Construction, published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

This distinction is awarded annually by a committee of the journal’s Editorial Board members and recognises outstanding scientific contributions that advance knowledge and professional practice in the field of composite materials applied to construction.

The award-winning paper was authored by:

• José Gonilha
• David Martins
• João R. Correia
• Nuno Silvestre
• Luís Guerreiro

The authors are members of CERIS – Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability, and of IDMEC – Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica, further reinforcing the strong international standing of these research units in structural engineering and composite materials research.

The study presents the first known shaking table tests on a full-scale, two-storey, three-dimensional frame made entirely of pultruded GFRP profiles. Tests, conducted under the FRP-Quake project, assessed the structure’s dynamic and seismic performance based on the design earthquake for mainland Portugal.

The results demonstrated that the structure maintained its integrity for seismic intensities up to 37% above normative requirements, confirming the feasibility of using all-GFRP structural systems in seismic regions.

Congratulations to the authors on this outstanding achievement!