Laboratory of Building Materials

As of October 21, 2021

Basic information

Division

Human Environmental Systems

* Please go to Courses to see the list of subjects offered by the division.

Laboratory's URL

https://aml.eng.hokudai.ac.jp/

Faculty members accepting applicants

Ryoma KITAGAKI (Prof.)

About the laboratory

Description

Our research mission is to study buildings and structures to let them more convenient, safer, and their lifetime longer based on material science. Especially, we are strongly interested in deteriorating mechanisms of materials and counter methodologies to stop deteriorating. It is very important for us to pursue the best way of measurement and analysis, and to contribute to society by publishing the latest data in order to settle important issues.
We have two main themes, concrete and polymer; both of them are important for buildings and structures. Generally, concrete-based materials are regarded as inorganic materials, and polymer-based materials are regarded as organic materials. However, in real buildings and structures, there are few pure materials; in most cases, these materials are used in combination, that is, the surface of concrete is impregnated with polymers, and calcium carbonate powder is mixed in polymer-based adhesive for jointing between iron and concrete. They have an extremely large number of inorganic-organic interfaces. Generally, because there are many unexplained points about inorganic-organic interface, if we treat it in a wrong way, it deteriorates easily and may cause an accident or disaster. On the other hand, in terms of excellent combinations, composites exhibit great performance in many respects and are widely used as excellent construction methods with many achievements.
Construction material is a very unique area dealing with both inorganic and organic materials. In order to deal with this diversity, we continue to challenge to acquire fundamental/advanced scientific knowledge and progress to understand the properties and interactions of various materials.
The following topics are our recent research works. We hope to contribute to our society through such works.

Ongoing projects

Research topic1:Degradation mechanism and durability of repairing agents coated on surface of structural materials.
Research topic 2: Deterioration behaviors of building materials caused by recent climate changes in cold regions
Research topic 3:Degradation mechanisms of cementitious materials and their composites
Research topic 4:Degradation mechanisms of polymers for building and construction use.
Research topic 5: Degradation mechanisms of insulation materials
Research topic 6:Carbon captured concrete waste and other soil materials

 

Information for potential applicants

Applicants' background

We are looking for people willing to research cementitious materials, who have fundamental knowledge on cement & concrete engineering. 

Also, we are looking for people willing to research polymer and its composites, who have fundamental knowledge on fundamental polymer physics.

Who should apply?

Students with a strong interest in material science focusing on degradation and changing mechanisms of materials under the concept of sustainability.

How to choose a research proposal topic?

The topic you propose shall be related to one of ongoing research projects in our lab

How the research proposal is evaluated?

We evaluate the student proposal based on basic knowledge and the research question based on logical composition of literature reviews.

Plan to accept applicants

Application type Enrollment semester Master’s course Doctoral course Comments
MEXT Scholarship (Uniform call) Oct. 2022
MEXT Embassy
e3 Special Selection Oct. 2022

How to apply

Please follow the application procedure for the respective application category announced at the e3 web page.

Accepting Research Students

We accept applicants as Research Students prior to entering Master’s or Doctoral program. Please check the e3 web page for information about the research students.

Availability of financial support

Please check the e3 web page for information about the scholarships and other financial support.

Inquiries

If you have any inquiries about the application and admission procedures etc., please contact the e3 office. You can submit your application on-line during the "matching period" irrespective of prior contact with potential supervisor(s).