Concrete and Steel

Chien-Chung Chen, Ph.D., P.E. - Associate Professor of Civil Engineering

Studying Self-Healing Concrete

Professor Chen became a structural engineer because he wanted to design buildings and bridges that harvest energy efficiently and use natural resources effectively. His research interests include steel encased concrete members, concrete filled box columns, self-healing concrete, and bridge engineering.

His research in steel-encased concrete members and concrete-filled box columns includes analytical and experimental work investigating composite actions between structural steel and reinforced/unreinforced concrete. His self-healing concrete research is aimed at developing a durable, sustainable concrete material that is capable of self-producing calcite to heal minor cracks in concrete.

He currently is co-PI on a National Science Foundation grant that will provide opportunities for high school and community college teachers from Northwest Indiana to participate in STEM research using state-of-the-art simulation and visualization technologies.

Professor Chen’s main teaching interests are in the area of structural engineering. He serves as faculty advisor to PNW’s steel bridge team that has been very successful in the ASCE Great Lakes Student Conference and AISC Student Steel Bridge competitions, winning numerous awards in recent years.