ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Professor Len HoUaway holds the chair of Composite Structures in the Department
of Civil Engineering, University of Surrey, and is also visiting Research Professor at
the University of Southampton. He is a Eurlng. and Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the
Institution of Civil Engineers and Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers.
He has considerable research interests in advanced polymer composite systems and
has been engaged on research into fibre/matrix composites for 30 years; his area of
interest can be classified under three broad headings, namely, stress analysis, concept
development and design guidelines. He heads the Composite Structures Research Unit
which has an outstanding international reputation as a centre of excellence in the
pioneering use of combining traditional materials (such as concrete) with new materials
(such as high performance fibres in polymeric matrices) to explore and develop novel
structural components, which are then analysed using experimental and numerical
methods. The group has recently developed significant expertise in laser mapping and
optical fibre technology for the characterisation of defects and damage in composites
and structures; this latter work is in conjunction with the Schools of Mechanical and
Materials Engineering and of Electronic Engineering, Information Technology and
Mathematics.
He has published over 160 technical papers and is the author or editor of seven books
on various aspects of composites in the civil engineering industry. He has served on a
number of con^nittees associated with the composites industry, including those at the
Plastics and Rubber Institute, the British Plastic Federation, the Institution of Structural
Engineers and BRE, Garston. He is one of the co-investigators for a national network
of research organizations and industry which has been set up by the Universities of
Surrey and Southampton (Advanced Polymeric Composites for Structural Applications
in Construction [CoSACNet]); this is providing cross fertilization between academia
and industry and opening greater opportunities for collaboration in research projects.

Peter Head is Chief Executive of Maunsell's European Division. Maunsell are

now one of the world's largest consulting engineering practices. He has led the
development of new applications of advanced composite structures in civil engineering.
He worked with the late Roy Templeman on developing limit state design methods
and associated manufacturing specifications for composite materials and invented the
advanced composite construction system which is now becoming a recognised global
construction product. Peter put the conmiercial deals together and led the teams
designing and constructing the world's first major structural applications of these
materials including the Tees viaduct enclosure, Aberfeldy Footbridge, Bonds Mill Road
Bridge and the Second Severn Crossing.
The key innovation in all this work was the ability to design and specify every detail
of these advanced composite structures without prototyping and to make the solutions
X About the authors

cost effective in a low first cost marketplace. Peter's pioneering work has brought him
and his team many awards including the Royal Academy of Engineering's Silver Medal
in 1995 for an outstanding contribution to British industry and an OBE in 1998 for
services to bridge engineering. Internationally his work has also been recognised and in
1998 he was only the second British engineer to be made laureate of the International
Association of Bridge and Structural Engineer's Award of Merit.
In addition to his position at Maunsell, Peter is also a visiting Professor in the
Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Surrey.