Publications

Localization of human activity using floor vibrations has gained attention in recent years. In human health technologies, floor vibrations have been recently used to estimate gait parameters to predict a patients’ health status. Various methodologies such as using the characteristics of wave traveling (algorithms based on time of arrival) or the properties of structures (Force Estimation and Event Localization, FEEL, algorithm) have been investigated to localize the impact, fall, or step events. This paper presents a probabilistic approach that builds upon the FEEL algorithm to offer the advantage of eliminating the need for a robust experimental setup. The proposed Probabilistic Force Estimation and Event Localization (PFEEL) algorithm provides a probabilistic measure to an event’s force estimation and localization using random variables associated with the floor’s dynamics. The algorithm can also guide calibration by identifying calibration points that provide the maximum information. This reduces the number of calibration points needed, which has practical benefits during the implementation. In this manuscript, we presented the design, development, and validation of the algorithm.

An impact detection methodology is disclosed. Systems and methods can be utilized to detect impacts of concern such as collisions, falls, or other incidents. Systems and methods can be utilized to monitor an area and detect falls or collisions of an individual, for instance, as may require intervention to aid the subject. A system can include two or more accelerometers and a controller. The accelerometers can be in communication with the structure (eg, within or on the walls or floor of a structure) and can monitor the structure for vibrations. The accelerometers can be coupled to a controller that is configured to process data obtained from the accelerometers and provide output with regard to the force and/or location of an impact within the structure.

The gap between research in academia and industry is narrowing as collaboration between the two becomes critical. Topology optimization has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint by minimizing material usage within the design space based on given loading conditions. While being a useful tool in the design phase of the engineering process, its complexity has hindered its progression and integration in actual design. As a result, the advantages of topology optimization have yet to be implemented into common engineering practice. To facilitate the implementation and promote the usage of topology optimization, San Francisco State University and the University of South Carolina collaborated with ARUP, a world leader in structural designs, to develop an Automated Topology Optimization Platform (ATOP) to synchronize commonly used industry software programs and provide a user-friendly and automated …

Greenhouse gases trap heat within our atmosphere, leading to an unnatural increase in temperature. Carbon dioxide and its equivalent emissions have been a large focus when considering sustainability in the civil engineering field, with a reduction of global warming potential being a top priority. According to a 2017 report by the World Green Building Council, the construction and usage of buildings account for 39 percent of human carbon emissions in the United States, almost one third of which are from the extraction, manufacturing, and transportation of materials. Substituting wood for high emission materials could greatly reduce carbon if harvested and disposed of in a controlled way. To investigate this important issue, San Francisco State University and University of South Carolina partnered with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, a world leader in designing high-rise buildings, through a National Science …

An impact detection methodology is disclosed. Systems and methods can be utilized to detect impacts of concern such as collisions, falls, or other incidents. Systems and methods can be utilized to monitor an area and detect falls or collisions of an individual, for instance, as may require intervention to aid the subject. A system can include two or more accelerometers and a controller. The accelerometers can be in communication with the structure (eg, within or on the walls or floor of a structure) and can monitor the structure for vibrations. The accelerometers can be coupled to a controller that is configured to process data obtained from the accelerometers and provide output with regard to the force and/or location of an impact within the structure.

With a call in recent years to increase safety and enhance the value of emerging high-rise building clusters, skybridges as linking systems are attacking interest by urban designers and could play a key role in the development of our future cities. While the functional and economic benefits of the skybridges are realized, the effects of skybridges on structural systems are not widely understood. Researchers and practitioners in both academia and industry have been investigating the potential of the skybridge serving to increase the resiliency and sustainability of the connected structures. However, there is a gap between engineering science in academia and engineering practice in industry, which has previously limiting the research outcomes from becoming built realities. Partnering with an industry expert in high-rise building design, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, this study sought to better understand how coupling behaviors between high-rise structures using a skybridge affect various aspects of the individual and the linked structures. In this study, parametric data, including modal information, displacement, shear, and overturning moment were gathered from realistic high-rise structure models to evaluate the structural performance under static and dynamic loading when the skybridge is installed at various locations of the structures.