Dr. Michele Barbato received a grant of $20,000 for his proposal entitled A probabilistic performance-based approach for wind-borne debris hazard mitigation. This project aims at developing a general and novel probabilistic performance-based framework for mitigation of wind-borne debris impact hazard relative to structures located in hurricane and/or tornado prone regions. The integration of probabilistic hazard analysis, probabilistic demand analysis, probabilistic capacity analysis and probabilistic loss analysis will supply a rational basis for new performance-based design guidelines which will lead to more economical and safer structures for wind-borne debris impact hazard.

Dr. Ayman Okeil received a grant of $20,000 in collaboration with Dr. Hsiao-Chun Wu (EE) for his proposal entitled Nondestructive Imaging Of Highly-Stressed Zones Using Phased Array Ultrasonic Signals. The proposal aims to explore a novel nondestructive testing method for thin-walled steel infrastructure systems. At the core of the proposal is a two-dimensional scanning device capable of acquiring ultrasonic signals from a thin steel specimens. Algorithms by which the acquired digital signals are to be processed will be developed to capture unique features related to the state of stress in the tested specimens and help classify them accordingly. Presenting these algorithms in the form of contour plots showing yielded zones will help detect overstressed regions such as the gusset plate that has now been identified as the cause of the failure of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, MN, last August.