Professor Andrew Tyas

Learning in an industrial context provides skills such as management, project management, communication, presentation skills, health and safety awareness, and risk management, all of which enable our graduates to transition more easily into their careers, giving them a more holistic view of their profession.

PROFESSOR ANDY TYAS

Andy is a graduate of Loughborough University of Technology, who spent five years working in civil engineering design practice before returning to academia. He received his PhD from the University of Sheffield for a DERA sponsored study of impact dynamics and was appointed Lecturer in Structural Design in 1997.

Andy’s research concentrates on blast and impact engineering, with a focus on protecting people, buildings and vehicles from explosions. This branch of structural engineering explores what happens to materials when they are subjected to extreme loading from explosions. Andy specialises in understanding these blast load parameters and applying his understanding to design infrastructure or transport for protection. Andy and his team have designed and developed the globally unique Characterisation of Blast Loading rig, which gives them unprecedented insights into the development of blast loading in the most aggressive scenarios. This experimental work, along with advanced numerical modelling, enables him to develop a better understanding of explosions and their effects. This research can help to save lives by designing protection systems for scenarios ranging from the detonation of a land mine, to a bomb exploding close to a structure.

His teaching areas interests include structural analysis, design and blast and impact dynamics. He provides the basic concepts and enables students to apply them in the unique way needed for blast and impact scenarios, where loads are extremely intense and last such a short time. He is particularly interested in helping students develop the confidence and maturity to produce suitable design ideas at the initial concept stage.

Andy is head of the Blast and Impact research group in the Department, managing the testing laboratory at Harpur Hill, Buxton where research into blast physics and the response of structures to rapid dynamic loading is conducted. Along with Dr Jim Warren, he is also a Director of Blastech Ltd, a University spin-out company offering consultancy and commercial testing services to industry in the field of blast and impact loading of structures. Additionally, he collaborates with Dr Matthew Gilbert in the development of computational optimisation-based methods for the design of structures.