Francis T.K. Au

Francis T.K. Au obtained his B.Sc.(Eng.) degree with first class honours, M.Sc.(Eng.) degree with distinction and Ph.D. degree from The University of Hong Kong. He joined Maunsell Consultants Asia as an engineer upon graduation with his first degree, where he was involved in new town projects, highway projects as well as marine engineering projects. He returned to the University of Hong Kong in 1988 after having 7 years of practical experience in the industry. He is engaged in research in bridge engineering and concrete structures. He has been involved in various projects, including the structural health monitoring system of the Lantau Fixed Crossing, vibration tests of bridge segments of Tsing Ma Bridge, vibration tests of Ting Kau Bridge, study of marine construction industry, road surface failure on bridges, development of bridge design software and shrinkage problems of large podium structures. He was the recipient of HKIE Transactions Prize 2002 (Civil), Best Teacher Award 2003-04, Faculty of Engineering, HKU, OVM Paper Award for Prestressing 2009 (Class 1) of China Civil Engineering Society and OVM Paper Award for Prestressing 2012 (Class 2) of China Civil Engineering Society.

Research Interests

• Bridge structures
• Vehicle-bridge interaction
• Temperature distribution in bridges
• In situ stitches of segmental bridges
• Concrete structures
• Beam-column joints
• Time-dependent behaviour
• Prestressed concrete bridges with corrugated steel webs
• Structural fire performance of post-tensioned flat slabs
• Seismic design of bridges in regions of low to medium seismicity

Representative Research / Consultancy Projects

• Ductility and deformability of high-strength concrete beams partially prestressed with conventional and non-conventional unbonded tendons
• Establishment of Bridge Rating Systems for Ting Kau Bridge and Kap Shui Mun Bridge
• Performance of in-situ concrete stitches in precast segmental bridge construction
• Structural health monitoring of cable-stayed bridges taking into account time-dependent deformations
• Full-range behaviour of concrete bridges with corrugated steel webs and external prestressing
• Performance-based design of post-tensioned high-strength concrete flat slabs under fire

Education

• B.Sc.(Eng.) (First Class Honours), The University of Hong Kong
• M.Sc.(Eng.) (Distinction), The University of Hong Kong
• Ph.D., The University of Hong Kong

Professional Affiliations

• Fellow, The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers
• Registered Professional Engineer (Civil and Structural), Hong Kong
• Fellow, The Institution of Structural Engineers, U.K.
• Member, The Institution of Civil Engineers, U.K.
• Member, American Society of Civil Engineers, U.S.A.
• Chartered Engineer, U.K.
• Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy, U.K.
• Qualification of Class 1 Registered Structural Engineer of P.R.C. (中華人民共和國一級註冊結構工程師資格)

Professional Experience

• Engineer, Maunsell Consultants Asia Limited (now part of AECOM), Hong Kong (1981 - 88)
• Lecturer / Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong (1988 - 98)
• Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong (1998 - 2010)
• Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong (2010 - date)

Honours and Awards

• Senior Morrison Scholarship (1978-1981)
• Esso Scholarship (1978-1981)
• Walter Brown Memorial Prize in Mathematics (1979)
• Ho Fook Prize in Engineering (1979)
• Tai Tung-Ngok Prize in Civil Engineering (1981)
• Wing Lung Bank Ltd. Prize in Civil Engineering (1981)
• Williamson Prize (1981)
• HKIE Transactions Prize 2002 (Civil) (listed with L.G. Tham and M. Tong)
• Best Teacher Award 2003-04, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong
• 第三届欧维姆优秀预应力论文奖一等奖（中国土木工程学会北京詹天佑土木工程科学技术发展基金会欧维姆预应力技术发展专项基金; 2009; 杜进生，区达光，张佑启，关国雄，无粘结预应力混凝土梁的延性分析) (OVM Paper Award for Prestressing 2009 (Class 1) of China Civil Engineering Society for the paper “J.S. Du, F.T.K. Au, Y.K. Cheung and A.K.H. Kwan, Ductility Analysis of Prestressed Concrete Beams with Unbonded Tendons, Engineering Structures, Volume 30, Issue 1, 13-21, 2008”)
• 第四届欧维姆优秀预应力论文奖二等奖（中国土木工程学会北京詹天佑土木工程科学技术发展基金会欧维姆预应力技术发展专项基金; 2012; 杜进生，区达光，体外FRP筋的极限应力分析) (OVM Paper Award for Prestressing 2012 (Class 2) of China Civil Engineering Society for the paper “J.S. Du and F.T.K. Au, Estimation of Ultimate Stress in External FRP Tendons, Proceedings of ICE, Structures and Buildings, Volume 162, Issue SB4, 213-220, 2009”)