Presentation

The Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics Unit (NESDE) is integrated in LNEC´s Structures Department (DE) dedicated to R&D&I activities in several fields related either with Earthquake Engineering either with Wind Engineering.

‚The studies in Earthquake Engineering and Wind Engineering began in Portugal and in the LNEC in the mid 50's of last century. NESDE, created in 1996, inherited from the former Applied Dynamics Division (NDA) a very dynamic and synergic scientific environment, open to the entire national and international scientific community. Counting only the last two decades, this circumstance has been revealed by the significant number of MSc and PhD theses (more than fifty) that were developed in its facility by more than a hundred visiting researchers, national and foreign, in short to long term internships as a result of a very active cooperation under the scope of R&D&I projects financed by the European Union or by the Portuguese National Foundation for Science and Technology.

ƒThe R&D&I activities carried out in the Unit address subjects from experimental and analytical modelling that support the progress of knowledge in Earthquake and Wind Engineering, and also support specialized studies, carried out for public and private entities, and drafting and implementation of regulations at National and European level.

The NESDE seismic testing facility is a founding member of the European consortium of large experimental earthquake engineering facilities, and integrating more recently the following European networks of research infrastructures:

• ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures)
• MERIL (Mapping of the European Research Infrastructures)
• ERNCIP (European Reference Network for Critical Infrastructure Protection)