Jose Restrepo

Professor, Structural Engineering

Seismic design of buildings for improved response during earthquakes.

Professor Restrepo focuses on the discovery of construction alternatives for state-of-the-art, performance-based designs. This involves the conceptual design of reinforced, prestressed and precast concrete structures, reinforcement detailing and strut-and-tie models. By using shake table tests on buildings and buildings components, Restrepo evaluates their non-linear dynamic reponse. Currently, Restrepo is developing "articulated" buildings with linked components that form a moveable whole. This flexibility provides damage free response, externally and internally. Concrete or steel columns are linked together with braided strands of steel that run through internal ducts and are anchored to the ground. The strands will not yield during a quake and will reposition the building when it is displaced. Vibration dampeners in the floor act like shock absorbers to minimize movement and eliminate damage.

Capsule Bio:
Jose Restrepo received his C.E from the Universidad de Medellin in Colombia in 1983, and his Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand in 1993. Before coming to UCSD in 2001, Restrepo was a senior lecturer at the University of Canterbury. Restrepo is a member of the New Zealand Concrete Society.

Institute Affiliation:
Charles Lee Powell Structural Research Laboratories »