CEE 200-1 Seminar: Dr. Luigi Di Sarno presents “Experimental Seismic Assessment of Existing and Retrofitted RC Bridges”

Speaker: Dr. Luigi Di Sarno
Affiliation: University of Sannio at Benevento, Italy

Dr Luigi Di Sarno, Assistant Professor in Earthquake Engineering at the Engineering Department at the University of Sannio at Benevento, Italy will present: ‘Experimental Seismic Assessment of Existing and Retrofitted RC Bridges’.

Summary:
The seismic vulnerability assessment of existing and new lifeline systems, especially transportation systems, is becoming of paramount importance in resilient social communities. Unfortunately, the transportation systems, especially in Italy, were mainly built in the late 60’s and early 70’s and were designed primarily for gravity loads. As a result, most of the reinforced concrete (RC) bridges do not employ seismic details and their structural performance has often been found to be inadequate under earthquake strong motions. In addition, existing seismic codes of practice, especially in Europe, do not contain specific guidelines for the reliable assessment of existing RC bridges.

The seminar will illustrate the outcomes of two recent experimental seismic performance assessment carried out on typical portal frames and single columns existing reinforced concrete (RC) bridge designed for gravity loads only. The experimental response has been assessed by means of pseudo-dynamic and shake table testing. Intervention schemes employing innovative materials and technologies have also been considered as retrofitting measures to mitigate the onset of damage. The comprehensive experimental investigations prove the effectiveness of the isolation systems in preventing damage in the RC piers, especially limiting the maximum shear at the base of the piers, lowering the lateral drifts, preventing the onset of plastification in the frame sections and inhibiting the occurrence of the shear failure in the transverse beams of the RC portal frames of the piers.

Biography:
Dr Luigi Di Sarno is Assistant Professor (qualified as Associate Professor since 2014) in Earthquake Engineering at the Engineering Department, University of Sannio at Benevento, Italy. Dr. Di Sarno obtained his PhD in Structural Engineering from University of Salerno, in Italy. He also holds a MSc in Earthquake Engineering and Structural Design and a MSc in Structural Steel Design both from Imperial College, London, UK. Luigi has been Visiting Professor at the Mid-America Earthquake Center, headquartered at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA, since 2003. More recently, he became Honorary Member Staff at the College of Engineering, University of Bristol, UK. Other visiting appointments include Imperial College of London, UK, University of Toronto, Canada, Bogazici University, Turkey. He is currently working on large projects for the State Emergency Management Agency (DPC), Italian Ministry of Education and Research and European Community, the District for Constructions STRESS and AMRA Scarl. He is acting as team-member of the RELUIS Consortium, which is a headquartered in the Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture, University of Naples, Federico II. He is Co-PI of EU-funded research projects dealing with the seismic assessment and retrofitting of existing monumental and RC buildings, pseudo-dynamic and shaking table experimental tests on existing bridges, advanced hybrid tests for seismic soil-structure interaction, seismic response of natural gas pipelines and resilience of petrochemical plants.Dr. Di Sarno acts as a technical reviewer of several international journals dealing with structural analysis and design, seismic assessment and vulnerability. He is part of the editorial board of international journals dealing with structural engineering. Dr. Di Sarno’s research interests include:

  • seismic analysis, design and retrofitting of residential buildings, health care facilities, critical facilities and bridges, especially with base isolation and supplemental damping;

  • analysis and design of tall buildings subjected to extreme loads,
  • advanced experimental testing and numerical simulation.

Dr. Di Sarno has authored more than 200 research publications, including refereed journals, conference papers, research reports, book chapters and field investigation reports. He has co-authored with Professor A.S. Elnashai the book: Fundamentals of Earthquake Engineering, edited by Wiley & Sons.

Date/Time:
Date(s) - May 30, 2017
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Location:
Kinsey Pavilion 1200B
Kinsey Pavilion Los Angeles CA 90095