Research Projects

The main focus of my reserach is data collection and analysis for developing predictive models that can be applied in different areas of interest:

 

TUNNELING

      

Prediction of ground surface movements due to mechanized tunneling, using mathematical modeling.
Building a database with information on various tunneling projects around the word. Prediction of TBM advancement rates and development of an algorithm to predict the ground surface movements using information about the soil and the TBM operational parameters. 
 

SOIL BEHAVIOR

Numerical modeling of soil behavior and response to tunneling.
Calibration of advanced soil models, such as MIT-S1, for describing the soil behavior of the different units of London Clay and its response to tunneling. Applications on Crossrail, Jubillee-Line Extension and Heathrow Express tunnel cases. 
 

DEEP EXCAVATIONS

Numerical modeling and prediction of ground lateral movements in braced excavations.
Development of a method for accurate prediction of the lateral movements of a corner-braced secant pile wall  with simple commercial 2D FE models and soil properties from basic in-situ tests. 
 

SOIL-TUNNEL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION

Analytical and numerical modeling of structural response to tunnel-induced ground movements. 
New method for analytically predicting the response of continuous pipelines to tunnel-induced ground movements.
New method for simulating numerically flexible buildings and predicting their response to tunnel-induced ground movements. 
 

SUBWAY DWELL TIME

Mathematical modeling for predicting the subway station dwell time including the effects of user-induced delays. 
Investigating the effects of human mobility and behavior on subway train delays, by collecting data from the New York City subway trains. 
 

CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS

Investigation of concrete foundation deterioration with increasing salinity in ground water after hurricane events because of climate change.
Measuring the rate and the extension of concrete deterioration, under certain extreme environmental conditions, using ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) technique. 
 

ENGINEERING EDUCATION

Introduction of new teaching modules to classic Civil Engineering undergraduate courses.
Development of innovative and alternative deductive methods for teaching Soil Mechanics and Foundations to undergraduate students.