Matthew Upshaw, Ph.D.

About Me

My name is Matthew Upshaw, and I am an experienced Engineer Intern (LAPELS E.I.0033876) with two years of experience in both commercial and industrial structural design. I earned my B.S. in Civil Engineering from Louisiana Tech University in Spring 2018 and subsequently earned my Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a Structures concentration from Louisiana State University. During my time at LSU, I worked as a graduate student research assistant exploring ways to improve the performance of recycled aggregate concrete, mainly through the use of geopolymer binders created from waste materials. I also worked full-time as an Engineer Intern at Fox-Nesbit Engineering, LLC in Baton Rouge, LA while completing my doctoral research. I also hold memberships in ASCE, ACI, and AISC. Explore my site to learn more about my education, research, and experience. Also, feel free to contact me using the form below or at the contact information listed below as well. Thanks for visiting!

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Featured Research

"Evaluation of Fresh and Mechanical Properties of a Metakaolin-Based Geopolymer Recycled Aggregate Concrete"

M. Upshaw, A. Okeil, and C.S. Cai (in preparation)

The results of an experimental study of the effect of differing ratios of natural aggregate replacement with recycled concrete aggregates on the properties of both ordinary Portland cement concrete and a metakaolin-based geopolymer concrete are presented in this paper. Utilizing both coarse and fine recycled concrete aggregates in fresh concrete mixes can positively impact the sustainability of the concrete industry by alleviating strain on landfills and reducing carbon emissions. However, doing so has detrimental impacts on several concrete properties such as density, compressive strength, static elastic modulus, and durability. This study aims to address those issues by incorporating a metakaolin-based geopolymer binder with silica fume and calcium compound additives. Results of the study showed that the detrimental impacts on important concrete properties can be dampened by the inclusion of this geopolymer binder. Additionally, it was shown that minimum concrete requirements set forth by ACI 318-14 can be achieved utilizing the developed geopolymer binder with up to 70% by weight of the total concrete aggregates replaced with recycled concrete aggregates. This study also demonstrates the efficacy of using calcium compounds to improve the mechanical properties of geopolymer concretes cured in ambient conditions. Overall, conclusions can be drawn from this study that recycled concrete aggregates can be utilized at high replacement ratios for general structural concrete applications.

**Contact me for full pre-print paper.**

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