Speakers for the Fall 2021 Fazlur Rahman Khan Distinguished Lecture Series have been announced. The two lectures will be held in-person on campus and live-streamed via Zoom.
The Khan Lecture Series, which is co-sponsored by the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Art, Architecture, and Design, honors Dr. Fazlur Rahman Khan's legacy of excellence in structural engineering and architecture. Civil and environmental engineering professor Dan M. Frangopol is the inaugural holder of the Fazlur Rahman Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering and Architecture at Lehigh and the organizer of the lecture series.
Visit the FRK Lecture Series website for detailed information on this and past year's speakers, a history of Dr. Khan, and Zoom registration to attend the events virtually.
The Structural Engineering Institute-Lehigh Valley Chapter will be awarding 1 PDH credit for each lecture to eligible attendees.
2021 Fall Fazlur Rahman Khan Distinguished Lecture Series
PHILLIP GOULD, Distinguished Adjunct Professor, St. Louis University and Senior Professor, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
"From Slide Rule to FEA: Some Highlights Along the Way" Brief comments on the author’s professional career, from an aspiring structural designer of buildings and bridges to further graduate study and then an academic and research career, are offered. In deference to the namesake of this lecture, based on recollections of a junior engineer working closely with Fazlur Khan, Dr. Gould offers some observations on Khan’s early career. Dr. Gould’s subsequent academic and professional activities initially focused on thin -shell analysis, especially the emerging field of hyperbolic cooling towers. The advanced capabilities of the SHORE family of computer programs that were developed in the course of the shell research provided an important tool in the design and explanation of some unique extreme loading situations for both cooling towers and chimneys. As his career progressed, he became very involved in earthquake engineering with strong focus on education and mid-America issues. In the course of teaching graduate subjects, he authored several textbooks and enabled the dissemination of current knowledge as editor of the journal Engineering Structures. Read More
Wednesday, October 27, 2021 - 4:30 pm ET
RICHARD SAUSE, Joseph T. Stuart Professor of Structural Engineering; Director, Advanced Technology for Large Structural Systems (ATLSS) Center; Director, Institute for Cyber Physical Infrastructure & Energy, Lehigh University
"A Research Perspective on Seismic Performance of Steel Building Structures" Steel buildings designed and constructed in the US and other regions with modern seismic standards are anticipated to perform very well with respect to life safety under the expected earthquake demands. For ground motions at the maximum considered earthquake intensity, the probability of collapse is relatively small; however, the probability of structural and nonstructural damage is relatively large for ground motions with shorter return periods comparable to the expected life of these buildings, so questions about seismic resilience remain. Research to improve steel building seismic performance is ongoing with a focus on reducing damage by reducing global lateral drift, avoiding localization of drift, and reducing accelerations. Recent research results include innovative structural mechanisms, such as self-centering, to permit lateral drift without structural damage, as well as various damping systems to reduce drift. Current research seeks to control distributions of internal forces to minimize drift localization and to reduce accelerations. This presentation provides a perspective on current research questions and research outcomes toward improving steel building seismic performance. Read More
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - 4:30 pm ET