The 10th edition of a highly successful conference series (CONCREEP-10) on the Mechanics and Physics of Creep, Shrinkage, and Durability of Concrete and Concrete Structures was held between 21 and 23 September, 2015 at Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien). The first conference started more than half a century ago in Munich (1958) and the main objective of CONCREEP-10 remained true to the original objectives of this conference series, to review and discuss novel efforts in both research and engineering practice on physical origin, prediction and structural effects of time-dependent deformation of concrete.
Papers written by prominent scientists and engineers from around the world were included in the CONCREEP-10 conference and among these papers were a research paper written by PhD student, Pieter Daniel Nieuwoudt, and his supervisor, Professor Billy Boshoff, both of the Unit for Construction Materials (UCM). The paper focussed on modelling the time-dependent pull-out behaviour of hooked-end steel fibres from concrete. Pieter had the privilege to attend this conference in Vienna, thanks to the financial support of UCM's industry partners, namely PPC and THRIP.
Apart from the academic experience participants of CONCREEP-10 could also experience the culture of Vienna, the capital and the largest city of Austria. Together with its rich musical history and architectural ensembles Vienna provides many activities such as boat rides on the Danube River, tours through the beautiful city, and visits to museums and imperial palaces. The CONCREEP-10 conference allowed Pieter to get up to date with the work being done on the time-dependent behaviour of concrete in both research and engineering practice as well as to experience different cultures as he had the opportunity to interact with participants from around the world.
