Feb. 13, 2012
Although the stringent building codes in earthquake-prone areas such as California are based on scientific data, technical and cost considerations have made documentation of complex ground deformation near fault lines almost impossible.
Civil engineering Assistant Professor George Mavroeidis has set out to bring data to bear on structural design through his research, calculating how intense ground deformations associated with earthquakes affect engineering structures. This research is based on an interdisciplinary approach that ranges from the description of the seismic source, to ground motion modeling, and to dynamic structural response.
"The direct recording of actual rotational motions excited by earthquakes, such as rocking and torsion, is not a trivial task due to lack of technology for measuring small ground rotations precisely and inexpensively," he says."However, torsional motions can be detrimental to buildings even with small eccentricities, and rocking motions are an important consideration for tall structures such as the towers of cable-supported bridges."
As regions around earthquake faults continue to become more densely built and populated, Mavroeidis's research takes on a certain urgency. The importance of his ground-breaking project has been affirmed by the National Science Foundation, which last September awarded Mavroeidis a five-year, $225,000 Faculty Early Career Development grant.
This NSF program, know by the acronym CAREER, supports tenure-track assistant professors who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through their outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. Such activities, the foundation says, "should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research."
Mavroeidis is the fourth School of Engineering professor at Catholic University to receive a CAREER award over the past five years.