Author Archives: Larry Fahnestock

Papers on Low-Ductility CBFs

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Two new papers on seismic behavior and design of low-ductility concentrically-braced frames are now in print:

Bradley, C.R., Hines, E.M. and Fahnestock, L.A. “Parametric Collapse Performance of Low-Ductility Concentrically Braced Frames with Reserve Capacity,” Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE, August 2021, 147 (8): 04021116. dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0003047

Bradley, C.R., Fahnestock, L.A. and Hines, E.M. “Dual System Design for a Low-Ductility Concentrically Braced Frame with a Reserve Moment Frame,” Structures, December 2021, 34: 3315-3328. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2021.09.009

SSRC I-RISE Summit

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On October 1, the Structural Stability Research Council (SSRC) and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) will host Day 2 of the Innovations for Research-to-Industry Stability Engagement (I-RISE) Summit.  This virtual event is facilitating discussions between industry professionals and steel structural stability researchers about pressing structural stability research needs.  On Day 1 (June 18), over 60 researchers and practicing engineers participated in plenary and breakout sessions to develop a set of promising stability research themes based on industry needs.  On Day 2, researchers will present research needs statements and project ideas for review and feedback.  Subsequently, researchers will refine the project ideas for consideration by funding agencies.  The event is open to anyone interested.  Contact ssrc@aisc.org to obtain Zoom meeting coordinates.

Liu Passes Prelim

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Congratulations to Gaoyu Liu on passing his PhD preliminary exam!  Gaoyu is co-advised by Prof. Larry Fahnestock and Prof. James LaFave, and he is studying approach slab response and performance at integral abutment bridges under thermal and traffic loading as part of a project sponsored by the Illinois Tollway.  Best wishes to Gaoyu as he continues his research!

2021 AISC Educator Workshop

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On August 5, AISC is offering a workshop to help educators enhance steel courses. The session will include teaching tips and resources covering topics like the importance of design, how students learn, how to design a steel course, using hands-on demonstrations to help students visualize behavior, learning outside the classroom, and how AISC teaching aids can enhance your course.  Read more and sign up here!

Ahershinge and Dorado Join Bridge Projects

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Sanjana Ahershinge and Ricardo Dorado recently joined bridge research projects under the direction of Prof. Fahnestock and Prof. LaFave and supported by the Illinois Center for Transportation.  Sanjana (Shri G.S. Institute of Technology and Science) and Ricardo (Universidad Catolica Boliviana “San Pablo”) both earned Bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering in 2018 and spent some time in engineering practice before coming to Illinois to pursue Master’s degrees.  Sanjana is part of the project ICT R27-225 “Strength and Serviceability of Damaged Steel Girders” and Ricardo is a Fulbright Fellow working on the project ICT R27-194 “Evaluation of Spatial and Temporal Load Distribution in Steel Bridge Superstructures.”  Welcome to Sanjana and Ricardo!

Kode Joins Horner & Shifrin

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Congratulations to Utkarsh Kode (MS, 2019) for his new position at Horner & Shifrin in St. Louis, Missouri!  Utkarsh contributed to several bridge research projects during his graduate studies in CEE at Illinois and is a co-author on the recent paper:

LaFave, J.M., Brambila, G., Kode, U., Liu, G. and Fahnestock, L.A. “Field Behavior of Integral Abutment Bridges under Thermal Loading,” Journal of Bridge Engineering, ASCE, April 2021, 26 (4): 04021013. dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)BE.1943-5592.0001677

Best wishes to Utkarsh as he begins his professional career in bridge engineering!

NASCC Next Week

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NASCC: The Virtual Steel Conference will be held next week, April 12-16, 2021.  NASCC includes multiple specialty tracks, including the SSRC Annual Stability Conference, and registration to the entire NASCC is free for students.

On Tuesday (April 13), Larry Fahnestock will be part of an international team presenting the session “A Frame-Spine System with Force-Limiting Connections for Seismic Resilience,” and on Thursday (April 15), Aradhana Agarwal will present her paper “Parametric Evaluation of Multi-Tiered Ordinary Concentrically Braced Frames under Seismic Loading,” in the Stability under Seismic Loading session of the SSRC ASC.  Tune in to learn more about these important advances in seismic stability, along with many other great presentations.

Zhou to Speak at SEI Illinois Webinar

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On March 25, Sunny Zhou (PhD student) will be speaking about her research at the SEI Illinois Chapter Webinar: Innovative Structural Engineering Research Spotlight.  This webinar will feature three University of Illinois structural engineering PhD students, and registration is free for all students.  Sunny is working on a major field monitoring campaign and she will be presenting on early results for two instrumented skewed steel I-girder bridges.

SEI Illinois Chapter – March Webinar

Sunny Zhou at Mattis Avenue Bridge over I-57

Tao Admitted to PhD Candidacy

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Congratulations to Zhuoqi Tao on passing the structural engineering qualifying exam and being admitted to candidacy in the PhD program!  Zhuoqi is studying innovative methods for seismic stability and damage control in steel building systems as part of the NSF-funded project Collaborative Research: Frame-Spine System for Seismic-Resilient Building Performance.  His recent work contributed to a unique full-scale four-story building test that was conducted at E-Defense in December 2020.

IAB Field Monitoring Paper

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A paper on field behavior of integral abutment bridges has been published in the ASCE Journal of Bridge Engineering:

LaFave, J.M., Brambila, G., Kode, U., Liu, G. and Fahnestock, L.A. “Field Behavior of Integral Abutment Bridges under Thermal Loading,” Journal of Bridge Engineering, ASCE, April 2021, 26 (4): 04021013. dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)BE.1943-5592.0001677

The work described in this paper was part of the project Analysis of Superstructures of Integral Abutment Bridges, which was sponsored by the Illinois Center for Transportation and the Illinois Tollway.