Resilient Structural Systems

Discoveries and impact

  • Reliability-based codification of structural steel design, culminating in the load factor and resistance design (LFRD) approach

  • Development of isogeometric finite element methods for CAD-integrated  structural analysis and design

  • Advanced understanding of the scale effect in fracture and failure of quasibrittle structures
  • Advancement of structural testing methods including effective force testing
  • Contributed to the understanding of multi-directional loading effects on structural systems
  • Development of novel composite structural systems
  • Development of climate-resilient pavement materials and infrastructure
  • Enhanced identification of damage in quasibrittle materials and systems via acoustic emission
  • Developed general linear failure criteria for quasi-brittle materials

Our Research

  • Modeling of probabilistic failure of engineering structures with novel mechanistic models
  • Understanding the behavior of reinforced and prestressed concrete structural systems
  • Investigating the effects of earthquakes and other hazards on structures and developing resilient systems
  • Investigating behavior of infrastructure systems and transferring advancements into practice
  • Evaluating the drained and undrained response of fluid-saturated rock with applications to geologic carbon storage
  • Developing experimental apparatus for measuring the constitutive behavior of rock, including guidelines to achieve controlled failure