Structures and mechanics research in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is organized around three broad themes: (i) computational mechanics, (ii) geomechanical modeling and characterization, and (iii) dynamics and control. Computational mechanics researchers at Duke are advancing efficient and precise algorithms to enable rigorous solutions to heretofore intractable problems involving contact, friction, visco-elastic hyper-elasticity, and fluid-structure-soil interaction. In the area of geomechanical modeling and characterization, research is focused on the development of mathematical models incorporating interactions among the chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties of soils and rocks, and on noninvasive techniques for interrogating and characterizing sub-surface properties. Researchers in the area of dynamics and control are solving problems related to nonlinear dynamic behavior of structural systems, in the measurement, modeling, and control of these systems, and in reliability of systems subjected to the extreme loads imparted by hurricanes and earthquakes.
CORE FACULTY Fred K. Boadu, Associate Professor - Engineering and environmental geophysics. Inverse theory applied to groundwater modeling and contaminant transport. Environmental mechanics. Characterization of fractured media using geophysical methods. Contamination detection and assessment using geophysical methods. Application of inverse theory and artificial neural networks to engineering and environmental problems. John E. Dolbow, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies - Theoretical and applied mechanics, computational fracture mechanics, nonlinear interfacial constitutive laws, finite element and mesh free methods. Henri P. Gavin, Associate Professor - Seismic vibration suppression, non-linear and semi-active control, vibration monitoring, laboratory and full-scale experiments. Tomasz A. Hueckel, Professor - Mechanics of materials, theoretical soil and rock mechanics, theory of plasticity, environmental mechanics. Tod A. Laursen, Professor - Structural and solid mechanics, inelastic material modeling, large deformation kinematics, finite-element concepts. Joseph C. Nadeau, Associate Professor of the Practice and Director of Undergraduate Studies - Theoretical and applied mechanics, micromechanics, composite materials, probabilistic methods. Henry Petroski, Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor - Failure analysis, design theory, engineering case histories. Jeffrey T. Scruggs, Assistant Professor - mechatronic systems for vibrating structures, nonlinear control of systems with constrained actuation, reliability-based structural design and control, semiactive vibration suppression, dynamics and control of tensegrity structures, and energy harvesting applications .