W. Samuel Easterling, James L. and Katherine S. Melsa Dean of Engineering, and Onur Avci, research assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, are members of a research team investigating modular steel plate floor framing and diaphragm systems in steel building structures. The new project is funded by the Charles Pankow Foundation.
The team, led by Jerome Hajjar, CDM Smith Professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering at Northeastern University, will combine both computer simulations and experimental testing to understand how modular steel floor designs behave within a larger steel structure and how they react under severe winds, earthquakes, extreme loads and vibrations.
Read more here about the project, research team collaborators, and the potential for modular steel plate floors to significantly speed up construction times and decrease building costs.