Cagla Balaban

Dr Ayse Cagla Balaban BSc, MSc, PhD, PGCert HE, FHEA

Lecturer in Built Environment

Dr A. Cagla Balaban is a Lecturer in Built Environment with Civil Engineering background. She completed her undergraduate degree in Turkey, and she moved to the UK in order to complete her master’s degree in Civil Engineering and her PhD degree in civil/mechanical engineering at the University of Greenwich.

During her PhD, she has been investigating the manufacturing techniques and fracture mechanisms as well as design concepts of sandwich composite structures. She has been collaborating several universities in Turkey and the UK.  As an early career researcher, she has taken part in several multidisciplinary projects. Her current research interests are fracture behaviours of composite materials and composite materials with nanomaterials, sustainable materials, and system designs.

Responsibilities within the university

  • Lecturer in Built Environment
  • Early Career Researcher (ECR) Network – School of Engineering & Built Environment Committee Member
  • Link Tutor – Zuyd University of Applied Science, Netherlands
  • Link Tutor – Saxion University of Applied Science, Netherlands
  • Women in Property – School of Engineering & Built Environment Representative
  • Women in Engineering – School of Engineering & Built Environment Representative

Module leader

  • BUIL1260 Design and Structures
  • BUIL1263 Research Practice and Dissertation
  • BUIL1268 Quantity Surveying Practice 1

Recognition

  • Advance Higher Education Fellow
  • Women's Engineering Society Member
  • UK Advising and Tutoring (UKAT) Affiliate Member
  • Mental Health First Aider

Research / Scholarly interests

Composite and Sandwich Composite Materials

  • Manufacturing of Composite/Sandwich Composite materials with different techniques (vacuum assisted resin infusion method, hand lay-out method etc.)
  • Structural design of composite/sandwich materials with different components (Carbon Fibre/Epoxy, Glass Fibre Epoxy etc.)
  • Finite Element Analysis of Composite/Sandwich Composites (using ANSYS).
  • Applications of Composite/Sandwich Composite materials in Construction.

Improvement of mechanical properties of materials (composites, concretes etc.) by using nanomaterials.

  • Mechanical properties identification by experimental testing (Tensile Testing, Flexural Testing procedures etc.).
  • Fracture toughness calculations of materials (3ENF and 4ENF test procedures etc.).
  • Finite Element Analysis of materials under different loading conditions (using ANSYS).
  • Using different types of additives/nanomaterials to improve mechanical properties of construction materials (additives as carbon nanotubes, other carbon nanomaterials Graphene, etc.)

Environmental and geometrical effects on composite construction materials for sustainability and long-term durability.

  • Design of Fibre Composites for Construction applications.
  • Design of sandwich composites with different components and optimising their usage areas.

Key funded projects

  • The creation of a network group on water management and cross infection in healthcare buildings. (2021/2022 Impact Development Fund)
  • Concrete of the Future: Integrating upcycled waste material into sustainable concrete production. (2021/2022 ECR Network - Sandpit)
  • An Investigation of Carbon/Epoxy – PVC Curved Sandwich Beam (REF 2018/2019 Funding)
  • An Investigation of Curved Sandwich Beams in Fracture and Impact Tests (REF 2017/2018 Funding)

Dr Balaban welcomes potential opportunities for industrial/ academic collaborations in one of the research topics above and/or related areas. To discuss your proposal, please contact her by email on ayse.balaban@greenwich.ac.uk.

Recent publications

Conference proceedings

Balaban, Ayse Cagla , Tee, Kong Fah, Toygar, Meltem Evren (2019), Low velocity impact behaviour of sandwich composite structures with e-glass/epoxy facesheets and PVC foam. Elsevier. In: , , , Procedia Structural Integrity. Elsevier, Procedia Structural Integrity, 18 . pp. 577-585 ISSN: 2452-3216 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prostr.2019.08.202).