CSUEB engineering prof researches 3D models to predict flexural capacity of concrete slabs

CSUEB assistant engineering professor Cristián Gaedicke. His research on predicting the load capacity and crack propagation of concrete pavement slabs was sponsored by the FAA.

Cristián Gaedicke, assistant professor of engineering (courtesy of Cristián Gaedicke)

January 14, 2013 6:00am

Cristián Gaedicke, assistant professor of engineering at Cal State East Bay, published new research, “Three-dimensional cohesive crack model prediction of the flexural capacity of concrete slabs on soil,” in Engineering Fracture Mechanics.

Co-authored with two colleagues, Gaedicke’s research — which was sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration — seeks to propose a method for predicting the load capacity and crack propagation of concrete pavement slabs. This work has applications in airfield runways and taxiways as well as highways, all of which are subjected to increased demands from new-generation aircraft and trucks. The proposed method, based on computational mechanics, could be used by federal and state departments of transportation to generate computer models incorporating different concrete materials, pavement slab geometry, support conditions, and load configuration, which could significantly reduce the costs associated with testing full-scale slabs in the laboratory.

Gaedicke started as a new tenure-track faculty member in the Department of Engineering in the fall of 2012. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from the Catholic University of Chile and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Illinois. He is a licensed professional engineer in Texas, where he previously served as assistant professor at Texas State University-San Marcos.

CSUEB students, faculty and staff may read the entire Engineering Fracture Mechanics article online via the library.