ProfessorFrank Collins

Within a 40 year career, Professor Collins has had a relatively short 15 year activity in research - despite this, his research interests have achieved important goals:
>2000 citations for an important journal publication that addressed CO2 emissions liberated by common construction materials ("Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) emissions: A comparison between geopolymer and OPC cement concrete", LK Turner, FG Collins, Construction and building materials 43, 125-130)
From 72 journal publications:
- h index of 39
- i10-index of 56
>10,000 citations

Key Areas of Research
Built infrastructure sustains our quality of life: homes provide shelter; buildings accommodate a multitude of activities; transport infrastructure connects us via our roads, bridges, airports, railways, and ports; built services provide our well-being (energy generation and distribution, communication nodes and transmission, water and wastewater storage, treatment, and reticulation). Research activities are based on meeting the challenges of a sustainable built infrastructure within the areas of:
(i) Utilisation of wastes as alternative construction materials
• CO2 sequestration by concrete demolition waste
• Dr Collins’ PhD research developed high early strength utilising alkali-activated slag: ground-breaking research because it was the 1st study that yielded high early strength of a cementitious binder containing 0% Portland cement. Further work has included Alkali-activated fly ash (waste from coal burning power stations), as OPC replacement, as well as hybrid binders.
• Carbon footprint analysis serving as life cycle comparisons of geopolymers versus blended cements and Portland cements
• Recycled waste paint as an admixture to improve properties of fresh concrete (Monash Engineering Small Grant)
• Cutting edge cement and concrete technology for optimisation of supply and construction activities

(ii) Impairment of sustainability of built infrastructure by ageing
• Life cycle predictive modelling of ageing reinforced concrete structures, design for durability, and “when and how to intervene?” (Chief Investigator on ARC Grants: DP120102203, LP0883290; LP0776702, and Industry Partner on C00107061)
• Member of American Concrete Institute Technical Committees: (i) 222 Corrosion of Metals in Concrete; and (ii) 365 Service Life Prediction of Concrete Structures
• Life cycle predictive modelling of durability, supported by intervention strategies for maintenance and rehabilitation of built infrastructure. Collective research and industry experience will be the basis of a new book with CRC Press (Taylor and Francis Group), “Ageing of Built Infrastructure - A Life Cycle Approach”
 
(iii) Smarter construction technologies towards building durable, stronger infrastructure.
• Thermoelectric power generation utilising temperature differences within concrete structures to enable sustainable powering of external utilities such as street lighting.
• Self-sensing concrete structures
• Tensile Enhancement of Cements Utilising Carbon Nanotubes to Create Stronger, Lighter, More Ductile, and Easier-to-Build Structures (Chief Investigator on ARC Grant: DP110101095)
• Improved Strength of Blended Cements using Microorganisms (Monash Engineering Small Grant)
• Recycling entire components of structures using de-mountable technologies. Development of 1st, 2nd, 3rd… generational infrastructure that is resilient to extreme natural and man-made events


Publication of 3 books:
1. Collins, F. and Blin, F. (2019). “Ageing of Built Infrastructure – A Life Cycle Approach”, published by CRC Press (Taylor and Francis Group), ISBN 9781466580855
2. Ho, D.S.W. and Collins, F.G. (1992). Proceedings of the 1st RILEM International Conference, "Rehabilitation of Concrete Structures", 31 August to 02 September 1992, Melbourne, Australia, 1992. ISBN 0643054138, 486p.
3. Ho, D. W. S. and Collins, F. Proceedings of the 2nd RILEM International Conference on Rehabilitation of structures, RILEM, 21-23 September 1998, Melbourne, Australia, ISBN 0643063811, 632 p.