In recognition of Robert and Natalie Englekirk's gift of $1.5 million to the University of California, San Diego, the campus has named the Charles Lee Powell Structural Research Laboratories at UCSD, which are known world-wide for large-scale seismic safety tests of buildings and bridges, the Robert and Natalie Englekirk Structural Engineering Center (Englekirk Center)
The Englekirk's Committment is primarily directed toward work at UCSD's new structural research center located on Pomerado Road and I-15, eight miles east of the university's La Jolla campus. Their gift leverages nearly $17 million in federal and state support for three new testing facilities including the world's first outdoor shake table, the country's largest soil-structure interaction facility, and the world's first blast simulator for studying the effects of bomb blasts and testing technologies to harden structures against terrorist bomb attacks.
In addition to his personal contribution, Robert Englekirk has engaged 45 companies and organizations among southern California's building industry to participate on an advisory board and to contribute over $1 million to support research at UCSD's Englekirk Center.
Laboratories at the Englekirk Center include:
UCSD-NEES OUTDOOR SHAKE TABLE At 25 feet by 40 feet, the world's first outdoor shake table is also the largest shake table in the United States - able to test structures weighing up to 2,200 tons and as tall as 100 feet.
SOIL FOUNDATION-STRUCTURE INTERACTION FACILITY (SFSI) With its two refillable soil pits, laminar soil shear box, and two reaction walls, the SFSI is the nation's largest facility for testing soil-structure reactions to earthquakes and other natural disasters.
BLAST SIMULATOR The world's first blast simulator will be used to perform fully repeatable, controlled explosive loading simulations on critical structural elements, and will be used to develop new techniques to harden buildings, bridges, tunnels, and other civil structures against terrorist bomb attacks.
The advantages of high strength concrete (HSC) for high-rise structures have long been realized. Notably smaller column sections are possible, resulting in more functional and usable floor space. Lack of seismic design provisions has precluded the use of HSC in regions of high seismicity, particularly in bracing systems. HSC can supplement and enhance seismic bracing systems, leading to structural designs that exhibit superior performance during seismic events.
In an effort to address this need, our firm developed a comprehensive research program sponsored by the Carpenters/Contractors Cooperative Committee (C4). Testing was conducted at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the University of Southern California (USC).
As a result of our initial research and testing programs, we have proposed several design recommendations for HSC. Particularly, we have designed and integrated HSC in seismic bracing systems, leading to structural systems that perform far better than conventionally designed concrete bracing systems.
Cyclic Tests of Cast-in-Place High Strength Beam-Column Joints Download PDF
High Strength Concrete Applications in Regions of High Seismicity Download PDF
Recent Advances in the Design and Construction of Concrete Buildings Download PDF
