Clayton Pettit joined Dr. Cruz’s research team while completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Alberta. Since then he has been enrolled in the MSc program and has been conducting research into the effective stiffness shallow foundations provide on masonry walls. Currently, CSA S304-14 conservatively requires all slender masonry walls to be considered as pin-pin which ignores any stiffness provided by the foundation. Clayton will test a series of masonry wallets and will examine the effects that a rigid base have on the strength, deformation, and failure mode.
Amr Ba Rahim is a PhD student conducting a research on the performance of Partially Grouted (PG) masonry walls against cyclic loading. Micro-scale finite Element analysis will be carried out to generate a model of PG walls verified by the experimental results so that it can be used to study the effect of the design parameters on the performance of PG walls beyond the range considered in the experimental part. The performance of current equations used to predict the strength of PG walls will be assessed. This research is expected to develop a safer and more economic type of wall compared to other options.
He started his PhD program at UofA in September 2017, under the supervision of Dr. Cruz-Noguez. He obtained his master degree in Structural Engineering at KFUPM in 2015 and his BS degree in Civil Engineering at University of Aden in 2010.
He started his PhD program at UofA in September 2017, under the supervision of Dr. Cruz-Noguez. He obtained his master degree in Structural Engineering at KFUPM in 2015 and his BS degree in Civil Engineering at University of Aden in 2010.
Karren Hudson is an undergraduate student currently working towards her BSc in Civil Engineering. Karren started a Dean’s Research Award project under Dr. Cruz in January 2017, and continued her work throughout the summer. During this time, she was involved in two research projects. Her research focused on finite element modeling of simple reinforced concrete structures, using the Mazar’s model of concrete as implemented in the finite element analysis code OOFEM. Karren also assisted in the development of a database of experiments performed on fully grouted masonry walls that can be analysed using artificial neural networks.
Jesús Salazar is a student enrolled in the Master of Sciences in Structural Engineering program. He is currently working in the development of a new concrete material associated to the “Opensees shell element”. It is based on the open source finite element code OpenSEES, in order to perform nonlinear seismic analysis of shear walls. He joined Dr. Cruz’s research group in January 2017. He received his BSc degree in Civil Engineering in December 2014 from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Studies, Campus Guadalajara, Mexico. Prior to enrolling at the University of Alberta, he worked for 2 years as a structural design engineer.
Jesus’ research interests lie in the use of finite element analysis in order to perform nonlinear analysis in concrete members. The new concrete material he is developing will be based in the Mazars’ model for biaxial concrete.
Jesus’ research interests lie in the use of finite element analysis in order to perform nonlinear analysis in concrete members. The new concrete material he is developing will be based in the Mazars’ model for biaxial concrete.
Odín Guzmán is a PhD student working in the development of a finite-element (FE) / artificial neural network (ANN) analysis model for slender masonry walls, validated with experimental data. Additionally, he is involved in the reliability analysis to define a criterion (limit state) to decide whether the engineered system is satisfactory taking into account the nonlinearity of the stress-strain response in the materials, cracking mechanism, short-long term deformations, and second order effects. He is a new member of the Dr. Cruz’s research group. He joined on January, 2017. He studied his BSc and MSc in the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City. He has worked as a Structural Engineer in Mexico designing industrial, and oil and gas facilities.
Odin’s research interest lie in the behaviour of slender masonry walls. He studies the application of out-of-plane loads on the structural system and the stringent code limits related to their buckling stability and susceptibility to second order effects. Since walls possessing h/t ratios greater than 20 represent a large portion of the market of tall masonry walls in Canada, there is a need to develop robust analysis models addressing this research gap.
Odin’s research interest lie in the behaviour of slender masonry walls. He studies the application of out-of-plane loads on the structural system and the stringent code limits related to their buckling stability and susceptibility to second order effects. Since walls possessing h/t ratios greater than 20 represent a large portion of the market of tall masonry walls in Canada, there is a need to develop robust analysis models addressing this research gap.
Jeffrey Hung’s research is focused on development of an artificial neural network (ANN) for analyzing the shear strength of PGM walls. He started his MSc in September 2016. The behaviour of partially grouted masonry (PGM) shear walls is complex, due to the inherent anisotropic properties of masonry materials and nonlinear interactions between the mortar, grouted cells, ungrouted cells, and reinforcing steel. Since PGM shear walls are often part of lateral force resisting systems in masonry structures, it is crucial that its shear behaviour is well understood, and its shear strength is accurately predicted. ANNs have the unique ability to address highly complex problems and the potential to predict accurate results without a defined algorithmic solution. By providing an ANN with a dataset of multiple inputs and a corresponding output, it can be trained to determine the weighted effect of each input parameter and describe nonlinear relationships that may exist among the variables. A combined database of experimental results and finite element models of PGM shear walls is used as input for the ANN analysis model.
Joseph Entz started his MSc project in September 2016. Tall, slender masonry walls are a competitive option for resisting axial and out-of-plane loading in both low and high-rise structures. The appeal of such walls is partially due to fewer construction materials, lower seismic weight, and faster construction. However, CSA S304-14 places restrictions on the axial load capacity, buckling stability, and reinforcement details of slender masonry walls, which limits their application. While most conventional masonry walls rely on a single reinforcement bar placed at the centre of a block, Joseph is working on a new type of slender masonry wall based on a concept adapted from seismic boundary elements, is being developed at the UofA. These ‘in-line boundary elements’ act as localized regions of strength and stiffness by providing tied reinforcement in two layers close to the surface of the wall.
Wai Man (Kairs) is a Msc. student working on a high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete, Engineered Cementitious Composite (EEC). Her research area is focusing the feasibility of fabricating ECC using local raw material and characterization on ECC material. The optimization of ECC material properties is investigated through different ECC trial mixes and material testing such as compressive test and tensile test. Her study shows that the ECC fabricated in her research had 100 times tensile capacity than the conventional concrete.
Ramon Rosales enrolled in the Master of Sciences in Structural Engineering program under the supervision of Dr. Carlos Cruz in September 2015. He obtained his Bachelor degree in Civil engineering from the University of Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. Before starting his studies at the University of Alberta, he accomplished three years of experience in the area of supervision, construction and on-site engineering.
Ramon’s research focuses on the Finite Element analysis of mechanical connections used in steel helical piles. Common practices in the design mechanical connectors neglect important aspects of the assembly response, such as stress concentration around pin/bolt holes, torsional stresses from the installation process, and interaction between the forces at the installation and service stages. This translates into potentially unsatisfactory designs in terms of the ultimate and service limit states, exhibiting either reduced strength or excessive deformations.
Ramon graduated in August 2017.
Ramon’s research focuses on the Finite Element analysis of mechanical connections used in steel helical piles. Common practices in the design mechanical connectors neglect important aspects of the assembly response, such as stress concentration around pin/bolt holes, torsional stresses from the installation process, and interaction between the forces at the installation and service stages. This translates into potentially unsatisfactory designs in terms of the ultimate and service limit states, exhibiting either reduced strength or excessive deformations.
Ramon graduated in August 2017.
Bernardo Garcia worked in the development of nonlinear analysis models for shear wall reinforced concrete structures for his MSc. He joined Dr. Cruz’s research group in 2015. He received his BSc degree in Civil Engineering in 2012 from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Studies, Mexico. Prior to enrolling at the University of Alberta, he worked for 2 years as a cost and design engineer.
Bernardo’s research interests lie in the use of finite element analysis software in reinforced concrete structures. His project resulted in the development of a modelling strategy and material model in FEA, to describe the combined behavior of complex RC structures under the effects of any type of loading. This would provide a better approach into understanding the necessities and important areas in the design of reinforced concrete structures.
Bernardo graduated in August 2017.
Bernardo’s research interests lie in the use of finite element analysis software in reinforced concrete structures. His project resulted in the development of a modelling strategy and material model in FEA, to describe the combined behavior of complex RC structures under the effects of any type of loading. This would provide a better approach into understanding the necessities and important areas in the design of reinforced concrete structures.
Bernardo graduated in August 2017.
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Fereshte Talaei joined in January 2015 for her MSc. Her project consists in the development of feasible design solutions for FRP-reinforced concrete shear wall. Glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars in reinforced concrete (RC) structures have shown superior properties such as high strength and high resistance to corrosion in comparison to conventional steel reinforcement. Thus, GFRP is a feasible alternative to steel in areas with aggressive environmental and chemical conditions. However, fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs) have not captured the market for reinforcing bars despite their obvious advantages in terms of lack of corrosion because of their high prices in comparison to steel. Fereshte's research considers the constraints that underlie the optimal design for shear walls reinforced with GFRP. The target is to identify ways in which GFRP can be used at minimum cost. Fereshte graduated in August 2017.
Sina Ghazizadeh joined in January 2015 for his MSc. His research project consisted on the development of a damage resilient, hybrid type of wall made with steel-fibre reinforced concrete and reinforced with both mild steel and fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars. The walls tested by Sina exhibited superior capabilities than conventional RC in terms of damage and permanent displacements. He graduated in April 2017.
Mohammad Javad Tolou Kian is a PhD candidate conducting research on damage resilient reinforced concrete (RC) shear wall structures. In 2014 Mohammad joined to the reinforced concrete research group at the UofA supervised by Dr. Cruz-Noguez and started his project including numerical modeling and experimental testing of four full-scale shear wall specimens – one conventional and three innovative specimens.
Mohammad’s research project and interests lie in the use of advanced materials such as shape memory alloy (SMA), glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) and fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) as well as pre-stressing techniques to reduce damage in RC shear walls. His goal is to reduce two main indicators considered to identify post-earthquake damage in RC shear wall structures – permanent lateral deformations and local concrete damage.
Mohammad’s research project and interests lie in the use of advanced materials such as shape memory alloy (SMA), glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) and fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) as well as pre-stressing techniques to reduce damage in RC shear walls. His goal is to reduce two main indicators considered to identify post-earthquake damage in RC shear wall structures – permanent lateral deformations and local concrete damage.
