Abstract

This seminar focuses on the application of various machine learning models to structural engineering. Firstly, it discusses the use of multimodal large language models (MLLMs) such as ChatGPT-4o and Google Gemini to handle complex tasks involving images. The study evaluates their ability to pass the Fundamental Mechanics exam in structural engineering, which heavily involves images of structural systems. Secondly, the seminar explores the use of multi-task learning with deep neural networks for SCM-concrete design, addressing issues with incomplete datasets and long-tail data distribution. A SHAP-based method is used to interpret the effects of different raw materials on the performances of concrete. Finally, the seminar introduces an advanced object detector, YOLOv9, for the recognition of common structural defects, along with a parallel laser line system capable of automatically detecting and quantifying structural defects in a single scan with high precision.

Biography

Dr Ray Su is an Associate Professor at The University of Hong Kong. He has over 30 years of experience in the research on concrete materials and structures, including concrete fracture properties, low-carbon supplementary cementitious materials, durability of reinforced concrete, degradation mechanics and structural strengthening. Dr Su is currently applying artificial intelligence to advance structural engineering. He has published over 300 technical papers, which have been cited over 4800 times and achieved an h-index of 35. He has received several prestigious awards for his research, including the R&D Grand Award - HKIE Structural Excellence Award 2024, The HKIE Best Transactions Paper Prize 2023, and The HKIE Outstanding Paper Award for Young Engineers/Researchers 2022. In addition, he was honoured with the IAAM Scientist Award by the International Association of Advanced Materials in Sweden in 2020. Notably, in 2016, he was recognized as a top 1% scholar by Essential Science Indicators, and since 2019, he has been listed as a Top 2% Scientist by Stanford University. Currently, he is an Editor for HKIE Transactions and Associate Editor for Innovative Infrastructure Solutions. He is also a fellow member of The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and The Institution of Structural Engineers.