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IIT Dharwad successfully hosted an Institute Talk titled “Engineering New Generation Concretes and Structures for Fire Safety” on 19 January 2026 at the Permanent Campus. The talk was delivered by Prof. Venkatesh Kodur, University Distinguished Professor and Director of the Centre on Structural Fire Engineering and Diagnostics, Michigan State University, USA.
During the lecture, Prof. Kodur provided an in-depth overview of the evolving use of high-performance concretes (HPC) in modern construction and the associated challenges related to fire safety and structural resilience. He highlighted that although HPC such as high-strength concrete, fiber-reinforced concrete, self-consolidating concrete, and ultra-high-performance concrete offers superior strength, durability, and sustainability, these materials often exhibit reduced fire resistance compared to conventional normal-strength concrete.
The talk discussed key issues including rapid strength degradation at elevated temperatures, explosive spalling, and the impact of slender structural configurations commonly used in contemporary buildings. Prof. Kodur also presented experimental findings and case studies illustrating how severe fire exposure can affect the performance of HPC structural systems.
Importantly, the lecture outlined innovative material- and structural-level strategies to improve fire performance, including the use of fibers to mitigate spalling and improved reinforcement detailing to enhance fire resistance. The session concluded by emphasizing that with appropriate engineering design and material selection, the fire safety and resiliency of modern HPC structures can be significantly enhanced.
The talk was well received by faculty members, students, and researchers, and provided valuable insights into advancing fire-safe and resilient infrastructure.
Speaker's Bio: Dr. Venkatesh Kodur is a University Distinguished Professor and Director of the Centre on Structural Fire Engineering and Diagnostics at Michigan State University. He is an internationally recognized scholar for his contributions in civil and fire engineering fields and his research accomplishments have had major impacts. He has developed fundamental understanding on the behavior of materials and structural systems under extreme fire conditions. The techniques and methodologies resulting from his research is instrumental for minimizing the destructive impact of fire in the built infrastructure, which continues to cause thousands of deaths and billions of dollars of damage each year in the U.S. and around the world. Dr. Kodur has published results from his research in 550+ peer-reviewed papers in journals and conferences and has given 100+ plenary/key-note presentations at major international conferences and meetings. As per Google Scholar, he has more than 27,000 citations with an "h” index of 91. Dr. Kodur has served in various leadership positions, including as Chairperson (Head) and Associate Chairperson of the Department of Civil and Environment Engineering at MSU, and as Chair of various technical committees and editorial boards of journals from leading professional societies. Most recently he has been elected to be the Chairperson of the steering committee of the international organization- "Structure in Fire”. In recognition of his contributions, he has been elected as Fellow of eight Institutes and Academies; including Academy of Sciences of the Royal Society of Canada; National Academy of Sciences, India; Canadian Academy of Engineering; American Society of Civil Engineers; and Indian National Academy of Engineering. Dr. Kodur is also the recipient of distinguished awards, such as ‘NATO award for collaborative research’, ‘Govt. of Canada (NRCC) Outstanding Achievement Award’, and ‘Fulbright Scholar’ award. Dr. Kodur also holds prestigious appointments including, “Distinguished Invited Visiting Professor” at EWHA Woman’s University, South Korea; “INFOSYS Distinguished Visiting Chair Professor” at the Indian Institute of Science; Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay; Government of India “VAJRA Faculty (Award) for Collaborative Research” at the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi and “Adjunct Professor” at the University of Waterloo, Canada. Most notably, Dr. Kodur was part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and American Society of Civil Engineers high profile "Experts Team" that investigated the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings as a result of September 11 terrorist attacks.
