Skills

My expertise and services in the area of geotechnical earthquake engineering include ground motion hazard analysis, site-specific response, seismic deformation modeling, soil-structure-interaction analysis, liquefaction hazard assessment, and lateral spread analysis. My doctoral dissertation was focused on the geotechnical earthquake engineering and partially saturated soils mechanics, systemically exploring the seismic site response of partially saturated soils for the first time. I’ve offered my expertise in this area to numerous clients in private and public sectors in California. These services were provided employing a wide range of techniques and procedures including probabilistic and deterministic seismic hazard analyses, equivalent- and nonlinear site response analysis using the available numerical platforms (e.g., DeepSoil, Shake), kinematic and inertia soil-structure interaction analyses, liquefaction hazards assessment and mitigation, and lateral spread calculations.

Finite element modeling (FEM) is a process where a complex phenomenon in a heterogeneous earthen environment is modeled within a mathematical framework in geotechnical engineering. The purpose of FEM is to estimate load-deformation patterns within the earthen materials and control the overall stability and integrity of different geotechnical features. I’ve helped provide practical solutions to clients in the areas of transportation, energy infrastructure, water resource management, and building construction through innovative finite element analyses. I offer my services in two- and three-dimensional environments employing two main FEM packages: Plaxis and MIDAS GTS NX.

I help clients with the geotechnical engineering aspects of the design and construction of shallow and deep foundations. The geotechnical analyses required for the foundation design provide axial/lateral bearing capacity of the foundation soil and control the extent of immediate/consolidation settlement in the underlying deposits. Where needed, I use different software to perform/complement my analyses, including SHAFT, AllPile, LPILE, Settle3D, etc.

Whether slope stability analysis and seepage modeling are needed independently or inherently coupled, I help the clients evaluate stability of earthen slopes and seepage processes within the soil layers. Rapid drawdown in water reservoirs can severely impact the stability of side slopes, especially in fine-grained embankments. I’ve led various projects involving static/seismic slope stability as well as time-dependent stability of slopes due to the water infiltration.  I employ traditional limit-equilibrium and/or strength reduction methods on a project-by-project basis using different software tools (Slide, Slope/W, Seep/W, Plaxis, Midas GTS NX).

I’ve provided lateral earth pressure diagrams and global stability analyses for various earth retaining structures involving excavation (cut walls) or backfill (fill walls). Examples of cut walls include sheet-pile, soldier-pile-lagging, tieback-anchors, and soil-nail walls. Examples of fill walls include gravity, cantilevered, and Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) walls.

I’ve led the installation/data collection/interpretation efforts for different geotechnical instrumentation including vibrating-wire pore pressure/temperature transducers, fiber optic distributed temperature sensors, shape accelerometer arrays (SAA), and inclinometers to monitor displacement, pore pressure, and temperature in different geotechnical and municipal solid waste facilities.