UAA has an active research program in the areas of geotechnical, structural earthquake engineering, and engineering seismology.  Our research objective is to develop fundamental understandings of engineering structure responses with particular focus on Alaska’s tectonic and climatic setup including earthquakes, cold temperature, frozen soils (seasonally frozen soil and permafrost) and snow/ice. Our research approach is to investigate these effects by carrying out experimental studies/field testing and provide recommendations for accounting these effects in the design of civil engineering structures.  Our research encompass (1) In-situ monitoring of structures, (2) ground motion and structural modeling, (3) field testing of prototype structures/facilities, and (4) laboratory experiments.  Current projects include:

• Strong-motion instrumentation and data analyses of downhole arrays, buildings and bridges, free-field sites
•  Effect of load history on performance limit of bridge columns
• Nonlinear finite element analysis of structures
• Impact of frozen soils on the seismic site responses
• Liquefiable soil-pile-structure interaction in cold regions
  
• De-icing of pavement

Contact Professors Z. Joey Yang, Utpal Dutta, Bart Quimby and Helen Liu for more details.