Jon Wren

So let's suppose I get that CEO job with the California High-Speed Rail Authority www.hsr.ca.gov. Here is. what I have in mind. (1) Travel time by mode placemats; (2) Lunches with the CEO as part of a "listening tour"; (3) An all hands meeting to discuss the findings of the "listening tour"; (4) a one-day retreat. to the Grand Island Mansion to strategize completing Merced to Bakersfield by 2028 when the Olympics come to Los Angeles, so that the Basketball events can take place at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento; and (5) the periodic preparation and submission of infographics (highly informational graphics) periodically to the Legislature with special emphasis on the Legislators who are on the High-Speed Rail Board. The current timeframe for Merced to Bakersfield is 2033. This is unacceptable. We really need to hit the 2028 target. This will save the taxpayers of California billions of dollars.

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Test your knowledge of engineering ethics.

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Our paper on enhancing the torsional performance of reinforced concrete beams has been published. https://rdcu.be/dMQpp

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This paper (Open Access) was published today by the Journal of Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics. Here I propose a methodology to minimally modify a ground motion time history to induce collapse in nonlinear single-degree-of-freedom systems. The metric used to characterize the modification is the Arias intensity. The methodology is presented as an alternative to incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) widely used in earthquake engineering.

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I am pleased to share our latest paper published in the ACI Structural Journal titled ‘Structural Behavior of Low-Carbon and Functionally Graded Concrete One-Way Slab Strips’, co-authored by my wonderful supervisors: Dr. Josh Woods, PhD PEng, Dr. Evan Bentz, and Dr. Neil Hoult! You can read it at the following link: https://lnkd.in/eqYhhmAa This study investigates the structural performance one way slab strips made of lower carbon concrete and different types of functionally graded (layered) concrete in comparison to conventional concrete. Results indicated little to no structural behavioural differences between lower carbon and conventional concrete, as well as slight enhancements in stiffness from functionally graded concrete.

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The latest issue of Geomechanics and Tunneling, Vol 17(2), features our publication: "A Framework to Demonstrate the Utility and Safety of the Observational Method (OM)." In this paper, we introduce a probabilistic methodology to assess how the Observational Method impacts structural safety, specifically examining changes in the probability of failure when the OM is applied. The full text is available here: https://lnkd.in/dCzJujvq

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Presented By: Remy Lequesne, University of Kansas Description: ACI Committee 133 led a team of researchers and engineers to survey reinforced concrete buildings damaged in the Pazarcik (Mw7.7), Elbistan (Mw7.6), and Yayladagi (Mw6.4) earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria in February 2023. The team, comprised of ACI members and collaborators from Turkey and the surrounding region, surveyed hundreds of buildings in ten cities in south-central Turkey. Most buildings surveyed were multi-story apartment buildings with reinforced concrete frame-wall systems, though the survey also included “tunnel-form” buildings that are comprised mostly of reinforced concrete walls and slabs. The presentation will describe reinforcement details that were commonly observed in damaged members, including widely spaced transverse reinforcement, “dog-leg” bends in longitudinal bars at the base of columns and walls, and lap-spliced column and wall longitudinal bars. The presentation will highlight reinforcement details in damaged members that are, or arguably are, permitted in ACI 318-19. These include inadequately confined beam and column longitudinal bars in joints when the members are not designated as part of the lateral force resisting system. https://lnkd.in/dbFH9ZKf

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Practice Periodical of ASCE wants papers on infrastructure!

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Railway Age recently quoted me in an article about the California High Speed Rail Authority's application for a Federal CRISI grant. You may wish to read it -- it is a good article: https://lnkd.in/gmkwyXV8. #railway #railways #railroad

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Seismic Design for Module Units has a lot of challenges improving the process and gathering information is the key for surpassing them.

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How do you increase efficiency without sacrificing quality? ⚡️ In this episode of The Civil Engineering Podcast from the archives, Anthony Fasano, PE, F. ASCE, explores how to work smarter, not harder, in your civil engineering workflows. Don’t let the fast pace of engineering leave you behind➡️ http://bit.ly/TCEPEp122Y What are your favorite time-saving tips? Share them below ⬇️ 💥Check out more episodes of The Civil Engineering Podcast on our YouTube or on your favorite podcast app 💥 #Engineer #Engineering #Efficiency #TimeSaving

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Ritika S. Kundu, Ph.D., P.E. will be presenting on Design and Construction Challenges at the Piney Branch CSO 049 Storage Tunnel in Washington, DC on Monday, June 24 at 10:25 a.m. at next week’s North American Tunneling Conference. The Piney Branch CSO 049 Storage Tunnel (PBST) will be the last major project for the DC Clean Rivers Program. The project includes construction of a 2,200-foot-long, 18-foot internal diameter storage tunnel; two connections to combined sewer infrastructure; and two shafts. Major challenges include excavation underneath an existing live outfall that must remain in service; excavation of the tunnel through several areas of low rock cover and mixed-face conditions; and negotiations with a variety of federal, regional, and local stakeholders to address project impacts. This presentation describes the overall project scope, geotechnical conditions along the alignment, design and construction challenges, and construction procurement. https://lnkd.in/gcuXxqEP   #delveunderground #NAT2024 #NATunneling2024

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Foundations are the structural elements that transfer the loads from the building to the ground, and they are essential for the stability and performance of any structure. Foundations are also one of the most complex and challenging aspects of structural engineering, as they require the integration of geotechnical, structural, and construction disciplines. One of the most critical factors in selecting a foundation design approach is the geotechnical conditions, which can vary significantly not only by region but also within the same area. This variability necessitates a hyperlocal approach to foundation design, ensuring that the specific needs of the building are meticulously tailored to its exact location. Scott Armstrong and Bradley Carville pose great info here on structural engineering. #Engineering #Design #Construction #StructuralEngineering #Building

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Published research article at Geosciences with the title: The estimation of shear wave velocity for shallow underground structures in the Central Himalayan region. https://lnkd.in/dVTqNGG7

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MM principal, Emily Guglielmo, is helping carve the future of AI in structural engineering through the new ISE Grant. Check out the links below to see a webinar with her fellow committee members and for more info on the ISE grant in this month's STRUCTURE magazine!

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【ASCE Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prizes Awarded Research】 Congratulations to 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. Zhen Leng, Professor of CEE, for being selected by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Committee on Technical Advancement to receive the 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋. 𝐇𝐮𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞 for his innovative research in developing durable low-carbon cost-effective pavement materials and technologies! The Huber Civil Engineering Research Prizes (Huber Award) is the highest-level mid-career research award in all areas of civil engineering. The award is annually given to individuals with notable achievements and contributions in research with respect to all disciplines of civil engineering. This award was first established by the ASCE Board of Direction in 1946 and was given for the first time in 1949. We eagerly anticipate more impactful accomplishments from Prof. Leng in the future and wish his work continues to inspire and pave the way for advancements in the field. #HKPolyUCEE #CivilEnvironmentalEngineering #ResearchExcellence #KnowledgeTransfer #GreenInfrastructure #SustainableFuture #ASCE #HuberCivilEngineeringResearchPrizes #LowCarbonPavementMaterials #PavementTechnologies

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