ASCE has honored Aditya Jhunjhunwala, S.M.ASCE, and Amit Kanvinde, Ph.D., M.ASCE, with the 2024 Raymond C. Reese Research Prize for the paper “Fracture Mechanics-Based Fragility Assessment of Pre-Northridge Welded Column Splices,” published in the March 2023 issue of Journal of Structural Engineering.
The paper addresses the enormously important and complex problem of deficient welded column splices in existing buildings constructed prior to the major code improvements that resulted from the 1994 Northridge earthquake. It combines sophisticated fracture mechanics with the practicalities surrounding uncertainties in the models, material properties, and construction practices to determine meaningful fragilities that can be used to support decisions regarding repair/retrofit vs. nonintervention. The paper is supported by a convenient graphics-based tool and accompanying documentation for convenient implementation.
The Raymond C. Reese Research Prize is awarded to the author or authors of a paper that describes a notable achievement in research related to structural engineering.
