SEI Professional Seminar Series

Damage-Resistant Steel Structural Systems for Seismic Applications

From a seismic standpoint, standard structures are designed for “life safety” performance under the design-basis earthquake, and are expected (and intended!) to exhibit damage to structural elements, often resulting in significant post-earthquake repair costs and/or large residual drifts (which may lead to demolition rather than repair). Essentially, standard structural design sacrifices the structure to save the occupants (which is, to be fair, an admirable goal).

In recent years, however, there has been a significant research push to improve the way that structures are designed for earthquake resistance. Rather than tell building owners that they will have astronomical repair costs after an earthquake, structural systems can be specialized (at a premium construction cost) to accommodate large lateral drifts while suffering damage only to specific, replaceable, specially-designed fuse elements.

This presentation will focus on the continued development of the self-centering concentrically braced frame (SC-CBF) system that Dr. Roke worked to develop and test during his PhD study at Lehigh University. Dr. Roke will present his work toward advancements in the knowledge base of SC-CBF response and behavior, as well as studies that have branched from the original concept.

Biography

David Roke is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. Dr. Roke received his BSCE in 2003 and MSCE in 2005, both from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Roke received his PhD in Structural Engineering in September 2010 from Lehigh University. Dr. Roke’s research interests include earthquake engineering, structural dynamics, and steel structural systems. Dr. Roke teaches Introduction to Mechanics of Solids, Engineering Materials Laboratory, Steel Design, Dynamics of Structures, Advanced Analysis of Steel Structural Members, and Earthquake Engineering.

CEE undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to attend the seminar.

Light refreshments will be served at 1:00 pm.