Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Dr Sepehr Ghaffari
Senior Lecturer
Dr. Sepehr Ghafari earned his PhD from Amirkabir University of Technology. He has been a lecturer of advanced highway engineering courses. Currently, he is a Senior Lecturer in School of Built Environment, Engineering, and Computing at Leeds Beckett University.
Between his masters and doctorate, Dr. Ghafari began his experience in industry as a design engineer and later as an engineering design team leader. He then continued as a construction project manager. From 2017, he has been a professional partner of the European Concrete Paving Association (EUPAVE) where he has contributed to the publications of technical guides in design of sustainable concrete paving. After his PhD in 2013, he took leadership of research teams on low temperature fracture mechanics of asphalt concrete mixtures while expanding into artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in Amirkabir University of Technology. He has taught multiple modules in civil engineering i.e., Advanced Highway Design (MSc), Pavement Engineering, Highway Engineering (Bsc), etc.
Dr. Ghafari has several peer-reviewed journal publications as well as international conference presentations. He is teaching a range of civil engineering modules at undergraduate and post-graduate levels in Leeds Beckett University including Highway Engineering, Materials Technology, Engineering Materials, Structural Engineering, and dissertations.
Current Teaching
- Highway Engineering A (BSc)
- Highway Engineering B (BSc)
- Undergraduate and post-graduate dissertations
- Materials Technology (MSc)
- Structural Engineering (BSc)
- Transportation Studies (MSc)
Research Interests
Dr. Ghafari’s research themes include advanced fracture mechanics of asphalt concrete and bituminous mixtures, sustainable asphalt and concrete mixtures incorporating crumb rubber, admixtures, and recycled aggregate, finite element modelling of pavement systems, incorporating of artificial intelligence (AI) models for pavement management, prediction of mechanical performance of pavement materials using machine learning, etc.
Selected Outputs
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Ghaffari S (2018) Sustainable Self-Consolidating Concrete Mixture Development For Use In Prefabricated Concrete New Jersey Barriers.
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Ghaffari S (2016) Fatigue Failure Comparison of HMA (Hot Mix Asphalt), JPCP (Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement), and RCC (Roller Compacted Concrete)-HMA Pavement Structures.
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Ghaffari S (2015) Determination of the Low Temperature R-Curves Using a Modified Single Specimen SE(B) Test Technique for Asphalt Concrete Mixtures.
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Ghaffari S (2015) Numerical Analysis of the Composite Roller Compacted Concrete and Hot Mix Asphalt Pavement Structures.
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Ghaffari S (2008) Numerical Analysis of Concrete Overlays on Flexible Pavements.
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Ghaffari S (In press) Low-Temperature Fracture Performance of Polymerized Sulfur Modified Asphalt Concrete Mixtures. Key Engineering Materials, 951 pp. 155-160.
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Ghaffari S; Nejad FM; Kazemi H (In press) Developing a Single-Specimen Technique for Low-Temperature R-Curve Determination of Asphalt Concrete Using a Modified Unloading Compliance Method. Key Engineering Materials, 951 pp. 141-146.
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Ghafari S; Nejad FM; Sheikh-Akbari A; Kazemi H (2024) Automating the determination of low-temperature fracture resistance curves of normal and rubberized asphalt concrete in single-edge notched beam tests using convolutional neural networks. Construction and Building Materials, 428 pp. 1-16.
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Dashti P; Ranjbar S; Ghafari S; Ramezani A; Nejad FM (2023) RSM-based and environmental assessment of eco-friendly geopolymer mortars containing recycled waste tire constituents. Journal of Cleaner Production, 428 pp. 1-15.
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Ghafari S; Nejad FM (2023) Developing Mixed-Mode (I/II) Fracture Resistance Curves for Asphalt Concrete Mixtures at Low Temperatures. Key Engineering Materials, 958 pp. 195-199.
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Ghaffari S (2023) Sustainable crumb rubber modified asphalt mixtures based on low-temperature crack propagation characteristics using the response surface methodology. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics, 123
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Ghaffari S (2022) Crack propagation characterization of crumb rubber modified asphalt concrete using J-R curves. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics
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Ghaffari S (2022) Prediction of low-temperature fracture resistance curves of unmodified and crumb rubber modified hot mix asphalt mixtures using a machine learning approach. Construction and Building Materials, 314 (B),
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Ghaffari S (2021) Effect of mode mixity, temperature, binder content, and gradation on mixed mode (I/II) R-curve of asphalt concrete at low temperatures. Construction and Building Materials
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Ghafari S; Moghadas Nejad F (2021) R-Curve Characterization of Crumb Rubber Modified Asphalt Mixtures Incorporating Warm Mix Additive at Low Temperatures. Key Engineering Materials, 894 pp. 109-114.
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Ghafari S; Nejad Moghadas F (2015) R-Curve Behavior and Crack Propagation Properties of Asphalt Concrete at Low Temperatures. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 21 (5), pp. 559-570.
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Ghaffari S (2013) Low temperature J-Resistance curve determination of asphalt concrete using Wavelet-Radon transform. Journal- Central South University
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Nejad FM; Ghafari S; Afandizadeh S (2013) Numerical analysis of thermal and composite stresses in pre-stressed concrete pavements. Computers and Concrete, 11 (2), pp. 169-182.
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Rens L (2020) Guide for the Design of Jointed Plain Concrete Pavements. Brussels, Belgium: EUPAVE (European Concrete Paving Association).
