This is a very prestigious award for large and long term research projects which have made a significant contribution to the technological advancement related to steel structures.
The criteria of the award accounts not only for the technological advancement of natural science and engineering technology from the research project but also the engineering applications, particularly regarding the social and economical impact. This research project resulted in numerous publications and presentations in reputable journals as well as several conferences. The project also has several subprojects targeting key technical aspects that have been previously unaddressed in prior research. From a more applied perspective, the findings of the project have resulted and been integral to the development of a new national technical standard for the design and construction of mid-rise cold-formed steel buildings of which Lei Xu was a champion for. Several production and fabrication lines have been established based on the findings of the research with >35,000m2 of buildings constructed using the technology developed.
Prof. Lei Xu has been collaborating with Drs. Zhou and Shi of Chongqing University on numerous cold-formed steel research projects since 2005. Included are a couple pictures of a shaking table test on a six storey full-scale cold-formed steel structure completed recently. He was in their lab from Dec 2019 to Jan 2020 to guide them through the erection of the structure. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he was unable go back to their lab to conduct the test however he has been in regular communication throughout advising them on the process. Congratulations Lei on winning this prestigious award.
