M. Ala Saadeghvaziri, P.E.

Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

New Jersey Institute of Technology
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
University Heights
Newark, NJ 07102-1982

• Office Location: 260 Colton Hall
• Telephone: (973) 596-5813
• Fax: (973) 596-5790
• E-mail:  ala@njit.edu OR ala.saadeghvaziri@njit.edu

Education

• Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign, 1988
• M.S.   in Civil Engineering, University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign, 1983
• B.S.    in Civil Engineering, University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign, 1982

(high honors)

Research Interests

• Structural engineering with emphasis on non-linear response of structures and FSI,
• Finite element and computational methods,
• Earthquake engineering,
• Extreme Events Engineering and Structural Qualifications,
• Structural applications of composite materials.

Research Activities

• Seismic Design and Rehabilitation Strategies for Power Systems with Considerations to other Extreme Events
• Protective Jackets for Multi-Hazard Mitigation Measures (ProJack-M³): Proof of Concept
• Nonlinear Response of RC and Composite Structures
• Multi-hazard Design of Highway Bridges
• Improvement of Continuity Connection Over Fixed Piers
• Transverse Cracking in Concrete Bridge Decks

Sample Publications

· “Seismic Behavior and Capacity / Demand Analyses of Three Multi-Span Simply Supported Bridges” Journal of Engineering Structures, Vol. 30, No. 1, January 2008 (with Yazdani-Motlagh).

· “Hysteretic Behavior and Nonlinear Response of Stiffening Systems subjected to Earthquake Ground Motion” Journal of Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamic, Vol. 36, Issue 14, November, 2007 (with Yazdani-Motlagh).

· “On Modeling and Progressive Collapse of Highway Bridges Subjected to Blast Load,” Proc., 1^st Inter. Workshop on Performance, Protection and Strengthening of Structures under Extreme Loading, Whistler, Canada, 2007 (with Feizi and Wang).

· "Advantages and Considerations in Application of Base-isolation to Substation Transformers," Proc., 9^th Canadian Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Quebec, Canada, June 2007 (with Allaverdi, Kempner, and Feizi).

· "Development of High Performance Continuity using CFRP Composites," Proc., 2006 Structures Congress, ASCE, New York City, St. Louise, May, 2006 (with Libin and Spillers)

· "Transverse Cracking of Concrete Bridge Decks: Effects of Design Factors," Journal of Bridge Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 10, No.5, 2005 (with Hadidi).

· "Transverse Cracking of Concrete Bridge Decks: the State-of-the-Art,” Journal of Bridge Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 10, No.5, 2005 (with Hadidi).

· "Qualitative Assessment of Seismic Response of Internal Components of Power Transformers," Proc., 13^th World Conf. on Earthquake Engrg., IAEE, August 1-6, 2004, Vancouver, B.C., Canada (with Allaverdi).

· "Seismic Response of Transformer-Bushing Systems," IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Power Engineering Society, IEEE, No. 1, Vol. 19, Jan., 2004, pp. 131-137 (with Ersoy).

· "A Practical Tool to Accurately Estimate Tensile Stresses in Concrete Bridge Decks to Control Transverse Cracking," Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction, ASCE, Vol. 8 (2), May 2003 (with Hadidi).

· "A Comprehensive Composite Inelastic Fiber Element for Cyclic Analysis of CFT Columns," Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, Vol. 128, No. 4, April 2002 (with Aval, and Golafshani).

Last Updated February 2008