Overview
Background
Mehdi Serati completed his PhD at The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) through The University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane, Australia in Geotechnical Engineering. His core research expertise is in the design and setup of advanced equipment and experiments to test rocks and brittle composites. His area of work is analytical and experimental methods of geotechnical problems, materials testing, rock mechanics, and rock fracture mechanics. He is also the Deputy Manager of the internationally-recognized Large Open Pit Project, which is a collaboration funded by mining companies worldwide aimed at addressing critical gaps in the current understanding of rock slope failures and landslides in large open pit mines (see also https://www.lopproject.com/).
Availability
- Dr Mehdi Serati is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research impacts
- Invited Keynote Speaker/Presenter:
- Interview with ABC Radio Brisbane
- Interview with ABC Radio Sunshine Coast
- Invited Speaker at the BTS Conference and Exhibition
- Invited Speaker at Green Concrete and Sustainability Workshop
- Invited Keynote Speaker at the International IDU Engineering Symposium
- Invited Speaker at Australian Geomechanics Society
- Invited Keynote Speaker at Sibrageo Rock Mechanics and Dams Symposium
- Invited Speaker at Australian Geomechanics Society Workshop
- UQ News:
- New industry research fellowship to help turn waste glass into construction treasure
- It’s crystal clear: crushed glass could save our sand
- The Large Open Pit Project at UQ GEC
- Advanced rock mechanical testing and research capacities at UQ Civil
- Crushed Waste Glass re-use for soil stabilisation
- The potential use of crushed waste glass
- GEC Newsletter
- Research Coverage at National/International Magazines and News Platforms:
Works
Search Professor Mehdi Serati’s works on UQ eSpace
Featured
2021
Journal Article
On assessing the tensile cracking pattern in brittle rocks and solids
Serati, Mehdi, Bahaaddini, Mojtaba, Roshan, Hamid, Zhang, Tian Tian and Bryant, Nicholas (2021). On assessing the tensile cracking pattern in brittle rocks and solids. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, 80 (7), 1-13. doi: 10.1007/s10064-021-02249-8
Featured
2021
Journal Article
The potential use of crushed waste glass as a sustainable alternative to natural and manufactured sand in geotechnical applications
Kazmi, Danish, Serati, Mehdi, Williams, David J., Qasim, Sadaf and Cheng, Yi Pik (2021). The potential use of crushed waste glass as a sustainable alternative to natural and manufactured sand in geotechnical applications. Journal of Cleaner Production, 284 124762, 124762. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124762
Featured
2016
Journal Article
Theoretical treatment of disc cutters subjected to general cutting forces
Serati, Mehdi, Alehossein, Habib and Williams, David J. (2016). Theoretical treatment of disc cutters subjected to general cutting forces. Journal of Engineering Mathematics, 100 (1), 1-25. doi: 10.1007/s10665-015-9839-1
Featured
2015
Journal Article
Estimating the tensile strength of super hard brittle materials using truncated spheroidal specimens
Serati, Mehdi, Alehossein, Habib and Williams, David J. (2015). Estimating the tensile strength of super hard brittle materials using truncated spheroidal specimens. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 78, 123-140. doi: 10.1016/j.jmps.2015.02.011
Featured
2012
Journal Article
Elastic stress analysis of partially loaded hollow discs
Serati, Mehdi, Alehossein, Habib and Williams, David J. (2012). Elastic stress analysis of partially loaded hollow discs. International Journal of Engineering Science, 53, 19-37. doi: 10.1016/j.ijengsci.2011.12.010
2024
Journal Article
The length of fracture process zone deciphers variations of rock tensile strength
Aligholi, Saeed, Torabi, A.R., Serati, Mehdi and Masoumi, Hossein (2024). The length of fracture process zone deciphers variations of rock tensile strength. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 182 105885, 105885. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrmms.2024.105885
2024
Journal Article
Mechanical behavior, petrography and microstructural analysis of mining waste recycled bricks
Ingunza, Maria P. D., Williams, David, Serati, Medhi and Olaya, Sebastian Q. (2024). Mechanical behavior, petrography and microstructural analysis of mining waste recycled bricks. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 1-12. doi: 10.1007/s10163-024-02051-0
2024
Journal Article
Optimizing in-situ CO2 mineralisation: geomechanics and scalability in dunite and serpentinite rocks - Examples from Australia and New Zealand
Al Kalbani, Muhannad, Serati, Mehdi, Hofmann, Harald, Ritchie, Tom and Bore, Thierry (2024). Optimizing in-situ CO2 mineralisation: geomechanics and scalability in dunite and serpentinite rocks - Examples from Australia and New Zealand. Science of the Total Environment, 927 172277. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172277
2024
Journal Article
Correction: Shear Strength and Consolidation Behaviour of Kaolin Clay Reinforced with a Granular Column Backfilled with Crushed Waste Glass
Kazmi, Danish, Serati, Mehdi, Williams, David J., Olaya, Sebastian Quintero, Qasim, Sadaf, Cheng, Yi Pik, Grizi, Athina and Javadi, Akbar A. (2024). Correction: Shear Strength and Consolidation Behaviour of Kaolin Clay Reinforced with a Granular Column Backfilled with Crushed Waste Glass. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 42 (5), 3633-3634. doi: 10.1007/s10706-024-02786-5
2024
Journal Article
Utilizing crushed limestone as a sustainable alternative in shotcrete applications
Mutaz, Elamin, Dafalla, Muawia, Al-Mahbashi, Ahmed M. and Serati, Mehdi (2024). Utilizing crushed limestone as a sustainable alternative in shotcrete applications. Materials, 17 (7) 1486, 1486. doi: 10.3390/ma17071486
2024
Journal Article
Determining rock crack stress thresholds using ultrasonic through-transmission measurements
He, Jiangwan, Serati, Mehdi, Veidt, Martin and De Alwis, Arthur (2024). Determining rock crack stress thresholds using ultrasonic through-transmission measurements. International Journal of Coal Science & Technology, 11 (1) 19, 1-14. doi: 10.1007/s40789-024-00669-x
2024
Journal Article
Shear Strength and Consolidation Behaviour of Kaolin Clay Reinforced with a Granular Column Backfilled with Crushed Waste Glass
Kazmi, Danish, Serati, Mehdi, Williams, David J., Quintero Olaya, Sebastian, Qasim, Sadaf, Cheng, Yi Pik, Grizi, Athina and Javadi, Akbar A. (2024). Shear Strength and Consolidation Behaviour of Kaolin Clay Reinforced with a Granular Column Backfilled with Crushed Waste Glass. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 42 (5), 1-18. doi: 10.1007/s10706-024-02748-x
2024
Journal Article
Failure characterization of fully grouted rock bolts under triaxial testing
Nourizadeh, Hadi, Mirzaghorbanali, Ali, Serati, Mehdi, Mahmoud, Mutaz El-Amin, McDougall, Kevin and Aziz, Naj (2024). Failure characterization of fully grouted rock bolts under triaxial testing. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 16 (3), 778-789. doi: 10.1016/j.jrmge.2023.08.013
2024
Conference Publication
Application of scaling subtraction methods for characterising nonlinearity in disparate rocks
He, Jiangwan, Veidt, Martin, Carcione, Alessandro and Serati, Mehdi (2024). Application of scaling subtraction methods for characterising nonlinearity in disparate rocks. ACAM 2024, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 7-9 February 2024. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Engineers Australia.
2023
Journal Article
Crack mode-changing stress level in porous rocks under polyaxial stress conditions
Mutaz, E., Serati, M. and Williams, D. J. (2023). Crack mode-changing stress level in porous rocks under polyaxial stress conditions. Acta Geotechnica, 19 (2), 1-21. doi: 10.1007/s11440-023-01994-2
2023
Journal Article
A comprehensive review of enhanced in-situ CO2 mineralisation in Australia and New Zealand
Al Kalbani, Muhannad, Serati, Mehdi, Hofmann, Harald and Bore, Thierry (2023). A comprehensive review of enhanced in-situ CO2 mineralisation in Australia and New Zealand. International Journal of Coal Geology, 276 104316, 1-23. doi: 10.1016/j.coal.2023.104316
2023
Conference Publication
Concrete spalling mechanism: an experimental study
Emami, Dorna, Saha, Souvik, Serati, Mehdi, Asche, Harry and Gayler, Alistair (2023). Concrete spalling mechanism: an experimental study. 26th World Mining Congress, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 26-29 June 2023. Clayton, VIC Australia: CSIRO Australia.
2023
Conference Publication
Evaluating the use of crushed waste glass modified asphalt mixes in mine haul roads
Kumar, Aayush, Serati, Mehdi, Vangla, Prashanth, Van Wijk, Ian, Williams, David J. and Ramana, G. V. (2023). Evaluating the use of crushed waste glass modified asphalt mixes in mine haul roads. 26th World Mining Congress, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 26 - 29 June 2023.
2023
Conference Publication
How fast can tensile cracks propagate in rock?
Koul, S., Serati, M. and Bahaaddini, M. (2023). How fast can tensile cracks propagate in rock?. 57th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Atlanta, GA, United States, 25-28 June 2023. Richardson, TX, United States: ARMA. doi: 10.56952/arma-2023-0602
2023
Conference Publication
Subjectivity in crack initiation measurements using conventional stress-strain based methods
Koosmen, K., Wang, T., Asche, H. and Serati, M. (2023). Subjectivity in crack initiation measurements using conventional stress-strain based methods. 57th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Atlanta, GA, United States, 25-28 June 2023. Atlanta, GA, United States: ARMA. doi: 10.56952/arma-2023-0565
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Mehdi Serati is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
-
Thermo-Mechanical Damage Behavior of Rock Under Polyaxial Stresses
Knowledge of rock damage behaviour is of great importance in many engineering applications including the design of open-pit mines, deep underground tunnels, repositories, and deep wells, as well as in geophysics, tectonics, and seismology disciplines. It is therefore imperative to understand how environmental parameters affect rock damage in such applications for better and safer designs. In deep underground operations, in particular, accumulation of damage is predominantly controlled by (high) temperature and pressure (HTP) that rock is exposed to. This project aims to:
- Evaluate the effect of temperature on the mechanical strength of rocks under true triaxial (3D) stress conditions,
- Investigate fracture pattern of rocks under elevated temperatures as well as far-field external loads, and
- Introduce a more accurate and reliable coupled 3D thermo-mechanical damage model for rocks.
We are seeking a full-time, highly motivated PhD candidate to perform high-quality research in the field of rock fracture mechanics. The successful candidate will be working under the supervision of Dr Mehdi Serati and Professor David Williams the Geotechnical Engineering Centre (GEC) within the School of Civil Engineering. The candidate will join a multidisciplinary team in partnership with industry partners.
-
Combined Dynamic/Biaxial Compression Failure Mode of Geostructures
Mechanical response of geomaterials (e.g. brick, rock, shotcrete, and concrete) under cyclic, dynamic and fast strain-rate loads are substantially different from that of a quasi-static or homogenous loading. Such impact/cyclic stresses could, for instance, be exerted to geostructures during drilling and blasting (D&B) or spalling and rockburst events in deep excavations, which usually deform the near-field rocks at very high strain rates. While quasi-static compression tests have been widely performed on geostructures since the 1960s, coupled dynamic/cyclic and biaxial loading on geostructures have largely been ignored since it would require sophisticated laboratory equipment to model the complex stress conditions. Using the new Hybrid Biaxial/True Triaxial testing facility at UQ Civil, the main objective of this PhD project is to investigate the fracture growth in geomaterials under combined dynamic/cyclic/biaxial stresses by adopting digital image correlation (3D DIC) and high-speed photography techniques.
We are seeking a full-time, highly motivated PhD candidate to perform high-quality research in the field of rock testing and fracture mechanics. The successful candidate will be working under the supervision of Dr Mehdi Serati and Professor David Williams the Geotechnical Engineering Centre (GEC) within the School of Civil Engineering. The candidate will join a multidisciplinary team in partnership with industry partners.
-
Utilization of Waste Glass In Concrete Mixes
Due to their widespread, prolonged and expanding exploitation, reserves of natural sand are depleting worldwide. It is estimated that globally nearly 50 billion tonnes of sand are consumed per annum, which makes sand the most widely consumed natural resource on the planet, after freshwater. The depletion of sand reserves has also resulted in a dramatic increase in sand price to almost six times over the last 25 years. In civil engineering, therefore, crushed waste glass (CWG) has been investigated for some time as a potential substitute for sand and fine-grained aggregate in concrete production, or Glascrete. This study aims to assess the applicability of CWG (also known colloquially as Cullet) in concrete mixes and investigate further how this replacement affect concrete physical properties. Unconfined compressive strength, tensile and true triaxial strength of concrete mixes will be particularly investigated. The advisory team of teh project includes Dr Mehdi Serati, Dr Harry Ashe, and Mr Niki Jackson (of GCP Applied Technologies).
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Thermo-mechanical Damage Behaviour in Hydraulic Fracturing of Brittle Rocks Under Polyaxial Stresses
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Zhongwei Chen
-
Doctor Philosophy
Experimental and numerical investigation of fire-induced concrete spalling under biaxial stresses
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Catastrophic rock and concrete brittle failures
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Williams
-
Doctor Philosophy
Rock burst and Spalling under Cyclic and Creep Stress Conditions
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Thermo-Mechanics of Asphalt Mixes with Crushed Waste Glass Aggregates
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Williams
-
Doctor Philosophy
XRCT Hydromechanical Damage Evolution In Porous Rocks: Characterisation and Modelling
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Investigating the Crack Growth and Failure Mechanisms in Sprayed Concrete (Shotcrete) under Cyclic Loading
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Williams, Associate Professor Zhongwei Chen
-
Doctor Philosophy
Shotcrete Spalling in Tunnel Fires
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Damage Monitoring in Brittle Rocks with Nonlinear Ultrasonic
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Martin Veidt, Dr Mitch Dunn
-
Doctor Philosophy
Biocementation for Dispersive Soil Stabilization: Optimization and Up-scaling
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Williams
-
Doctor Philosophy
Utilization of Solid Wastes in Shotcrete Production
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Impact and Biaxial Cyclic Loading of Geosynthetics
Associate Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding and Characterizing the Effects of CO2 Enhanced Mineralization Using Hydraulic Fracturing in Peridotite Igneous Rocks
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Harald Hofmann, Dr Thierry Bore
-
Doctor Philosophy
A Review of Quarry Mine Datasets in Queensland
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alexander Scheuermann
Completed supervision
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Physical Modelling of Spalling Failure in Underground Structures
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Williams
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Geotechnical Behaviour of Soil Reinforced with Granular Columns Backfilled with Alternative Sand Sources
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Williams
-
2020
Master Philosophy
Unsealed road pavement management: Surface condition deterioration and sustainability modelling
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Williams
-
2018
Doctor Philosophy
Interface and Composite Behaviour of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soils
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Williams
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Mehdi Serati directly for media enquiries about:
- Analytical and Numerical Methods in Geomechanics
- Civil Engineering
- Computational Modelling
- Geomechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Rock Breakage
- Rock Fracture Mechanics
- Rock Mechanics
Need help?
For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team: