Research

Theme I. Safety of Existing Structures and Non-Conventional Material

Long-term objective: advance the current methods of evaluating the safety of structures and quantify the safety of new construction materials.

Topic 1. Utilize reliability methods to evaluate the structural safety of existing structures.

The long-term objective of this research program is to develop user-friendly tools to assess the safety of existing structures subjected to gravity and lateral loads. Advanced system-based reliability methods like binomial distribution are developed and verified to optimize the design and assessment of structures. These methods are also used to predict the change in structural reliability during the structure service life “time-variant reliability”, and calibrate user-friendly reliability-based design charts to help standard engineers, who may not be necessarily familiar with structural reliability, in assessing the safety of structures.

Topic 2. Utilize reliability methods to optimize the design of structures reinforced or retrofitted using advanced materials.

The long-term objective of this research program is to quantify the reliability of new construction materials like Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) and SMA in structural applications. First order second moment (FOSM) reliability methods and Monte Carlo (MC) simulation are used to calibrate material resistance factors for different types and forms of advanced materials and optimize the design by considering the type and history of the applied load. The calibrated resistance factors are promoted for use in national and international design codes.

Theme II. Structural Design and Retrofit using Smart Materials

Long-term objective: innovative new construction methods and retrofit techniques using smart materials such as Shape Memory Alloy (SMA).

Topic 1. Applications of SMA in new construction.

The long-term objective of this research program is to improve the performance and safety of our concrete infrastructure including buildings, bridges, and industrial structures by utilizing self-repairing systems in the design and construction phases. Self-repairing systems consist of SMA bars, wires or tendons augmented with traditional construction material. The system can activate the SMA material to induce a load effect that counteracts the existing loads applied on the structural member. The activation process can be controlled depending on the desired performance objective.  

Topic 2. Applications of SMA in retrofitting existing structures.

The long-term objective of this research program is to create innovative new retrofitting techniques for concrete structures deficient under gravity and lateral loads. The superelastic property of SMA is utilized to propose and validate new retrofit details of beam-column joints in structures deficient under lateral loads (seismic and blast loads). The SME property of SMA is utilized to develop jack-free post-tensioning systems for concrete beams deficient under serviceability requirements.