Events Calendar

Application of Shape Memory Alloys in Natural Hazards Mitigation

Speaker: Reginald DesRoches, Georgia Institute of Technology

Talk Title: Application of Shape Memory Alloys in Natural Hazards Mitigation

Abstract: The recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile underscore the importance of developing new
approaches and technologies to increase the performance of structures duringearthquakes.
The presentation will highlight the application on a new class of materials, namely shape
memory alloys (SMAs), in mitigating the effects of earthquakes in buildings and bridges. Shape
memory alloys are a unique metallic alloy which can undergo large deformations while
reverting back to their original, undeformed shape. This unique property has led to the
development of applications in the biomedical field (arterial stents), aerospace field (adaptive
wings), and commercial industry (eyeglass frames). A multi scale and multi-disciplinary
approach is taken to explore the use of SMAs for applications in earthquake engineering.
Several large scale applications are tested including a “smart” steel beam column connection
that uses shape memory alloys, innovative bracing systems, and recentering restraining devices
for bridges. The large scale experimental tests and complementary analysis show great
potential for the use of SMAs in seismic applications.


Biography: Reginald DesRoches is a Professor and Associate Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the
Georgia Institute of Technology. His primary research interests are design of buildings and critical
infrastructure under extreme loads, and application of smart materials in rehabilitation of structures,
where has published over 180 articles in archival journals and conference proceedings. Dr. DesRoches
is Past Chair of the executive committee of the Technical Council on Lifeline Earthquake Engineering
(TCLEE), a member of the executive committee of the National Academy of Sciences Disasters
Roundtable, and is on the Board for the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI). Dr.
DesRoches has served as the key technical leader in the US in response to the Haiti earthquake. He has
traveled to Haiti eight times since the earthquake, including a trip where he led a team of 28 engineers,
architects, city planners, and social scientists to study the impact of the earthquake, and provide
recommendations on the recovery and rebuilding Dr. DesRoches has received numerous awards,
including the NSF CAREER award and Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
(PECASE) in 2002. Most recently, he was a recipient of the 2007 ASCE Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering
Research Prize, the Georgia Tech ANAK Award for Outstanding Service, Teaching, and Research (2008),
and the Institute Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Advisor Award (2010).


Host: Sonny Astani Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Erin Sigman