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| Hilf Memorial Lecture - Geohazards and Large Geographically Distributed Systems |
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| Start Date: | 2/2/2012 | Start Time: | 5:00 PM |
| End Date: | 2/2/2012 | End Time: | 6:00 PM |
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Event Description
19th Jack W. Hilf Memorial Lecture in Geotechnical Engineering
Geohazards and Large Geographically Distributed Systems
Tom O'Rourke, Cornell University
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Lecture at 5:00 pm, reception to follow
ECCR 265
Abstract: Geotechnical engineers play a critical role in managing the performance of large
geographically distributed systems that are affected by geohazards such as earthquakes, floods,
hurricanes, and landslides. Systems, such as water supplies, levees, and gas and liquid fuel supply
networks, may cover thousands of km2 and be subject to many different ground response and
geotechnical failure mechanisms. The geotechnical factors affecting system behavior have broad
implications for life safety and regional economic stability. The lecture will explore the geotechnical
aspects of large system behavior during extreme natural events, starting with the performance of
system components under extreme conditions of soil-structure interaction. The results of large-scale
laboratory tests of underground pipeline response to ground rupture will be summarized. The results
will be used to illustrate how such testing not only improves our understanding of complex soilstructure
interaction, but leads to improvements in geotechnical instrumentation and modeling of soil
behavior. The geotechnical factors affecting regional system response to geohazards will be
examined with reference to earthquake effects on the Los Angeles and San Francisco water
distribution networks as well as hurricane effects on both the New Orleans levee system and Gulf of
Mexico oil and gas pipeline supply network. The lecture will explore the implications of recent
earthquakes in New Zealand and the Tohoku earthquake in Japan with respect to low
probability/high consequence events and the need to improve the protection of critical infrastructure.
Biosketch: Professor O’Rourke is the Briggs Professor of Engineering at Cornell University. He is a
member of the US National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of American Association for the
Advancement of Science. He received several awards from professional societies, including the
Collingwood, Huber Research, C. Martin Duke Lifeline Earthquake Engineering, Stephen D. Bechtel
Pipeline Engineering, and Ralph B. Peck Awards from American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE),
the Hogentogler Award from American Society for Testing and Materials, and Trevithick Prize from
the British Institution of Civil Engineers. He served as President of the Earthquake Engineering
Research Institute and as a member of the U.S. National Academies Committee for New Orleans
Regional Hurricane Protection Projects. He authored or co-authored over 350 technical publications.
His research interests cover geotechnical engineering, earthquake engineering, underground
construction technologies, large geographically distributed systems, and geographic information
technologies and database management. He served as chair or member of the consulting boards of
many underground construction projects, as well as the peer reviews for projects associated with
highway, rapid transit, water supply, and energy distribution systems. |
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This event is open to
Everyone |
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