Use of smart material for seismic retrofit of masonry walls
Department
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Major
Civil Engineering
Research Advisor
Chen, Genda
Advisor's Department
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Funding Source
Research Experience for Undergraduate Students from National Science Foundation
Abstract
Due to the current deterioration of some reinforced structures, it would be advantageous to discover a new method of reinforcement. The use of steel bars is currently the most widely used method of reinforcement in the civil engineering field. However, corrosion of the steel occurs, which in turn causes deterioration of the structure.
Shape memory alloy (SMA), also known as Nitinol, is the material being researched in this project to help alleviate deterioration. SMA’s performance is superior to that of the steel reinforcement. This material also holds many impressive qualities that would make it an exceptional type of reinforcement. It is believed that when the SMA is paired with a Fiber-Reinforced Polymer sheet, the performance of masonry walls would be enhanced under horizontal and earthquake loads. It is hoped that this material will be used more widely in the civil engineering field once more is discovered about its reinforcement characteristics.
Biography
Kerrie is a senior majoring in civil engineering from Joplin, Missouri. She is the wife of Chris Bames and the daughter of Daryl and Barb Weinkein. She is a member of Christian Campus Fellowship and Chi Epsilon Engineering Honor Society and enjoys participating in intramurals and scrapbooking. She plans on working in the civil engineering field upon graduation in May.
Research Category
Engineering
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Presentation Date
12 Apr 2006, 1:00 pm
Use of smart material for seismic retrofit of masonry walls
Due to the current deterioration of some reinforced structures, it would be advantageous to discover a new method of reinforcement. The use of steel bars is currently the most widely used method of reinforcement in the civil engineering field. However, corrosion of the steel occurs, which in turn causes deterioration of the structure.
Shape memory alloy (SMA), also known as Nitinol, is the material being researched in this project to help alleviate deterioration. SMA’s performance is superior to that of the steel reinforcement. This material also holds many impressive qualities that would make it an exceptional type of reinforcement. It is believed that when the SMA is paired with a Fiber-Reinforced Polymer sheet, the performance of masonry walls would be enhanced under horizontal and earthquake loads. It is hoped that this material will be used more widely in the civil engineering field once more is discovered about its reinforcement characteristics.
