Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering

NSF Grant to Boost Earthquake Engineering Research

Professors Benson Shing, left, and Enrico Spacone are developing an experimental facility that will combine computer simulation with physical testing to evaluate the earthquake performance of large structures.

The National Science Foundation recently awarded a major equipment grant to the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering to develop an experimental facility for earthquake engineering research. This award is under the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Program.

In this project, Professors Benson Shing and Enrico Spacone are going to develop and implement a Fast Hybrid Test System that will consist of three high-speed, large load-capacity hydraulic actuators driven by a digital control system to simulate loads that will be exerted on structural systems and components in a major earthquake event. The system is "hybrid" in the sense that it will combine computer simulation with physical testing to allow the evaluation of earthquake performance of large structural systems, such as high-rise buildings and long bridges. More

Rocky Mountain National Park Presents Unique Energy Challenges for Student Project

Mike Johnston holds a solar collector on a spring day in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Supplying energy to the Alpine Visitors Center on Trail Ridge Road — with an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet — is a challenge for the National Park Service. Officials at Rocky Mountain National Park currently run two diesel generators 24 hours a day, using an average of 100 gallons a day of diesel fuel which they have to truck up the winding road for the busy summer visitors season.

"We looked at wind generation, but the park doesn't want the visual impacts from wind turbines," says Johnston, who worked with five undergraduate students on the project last fall. Now, Johnston is seeking grant funding to install photovoltaic collectors on the south face of the concessions building to provide power to the visitors center. More