Projects
A selection of computational modeling work exploring structural dynamics and numerical simulation — the same kind of analysis I apply to civil engineering problems.
Spherical Pendulum — Swing Plane Precession
A numerical simulation of a spherical pendulum, tracking its polar angle (theta) and azimuthal angle (phi) as the bob swings freely in three dimensions. Unlike a simple pendulum confined to a single plane, this system's swing plane gradually rotates (precesses) over time — a classic example of nonlinear dynamics.
This kind of simulation is a small-scale version of the same computational approach behind structural dynamics analysis: describing motion with differential equations, solving them numerically, and visualizing the result to build physical intuition before applying the same ideas to larger structural systems.
Articles
Academic papers I've authored or co-authored, available to download in full.
Linear Dynamic Stability of a Three-Story Shear Building Under Thermally Induced Axial Compression
Investigates how restrained thermal expansion — and the resulting axial compression — destabilizes a reduced three-story shear-building model. Stability is evaluated through the positive definiteness of an effective lateral stiffness matrix, identifying the critical temperature rise at which the structure's first natural frequency vanishes.
Download PDF (3.2 MB)Parametric Instability of a Vertical Riser under Harmonic Top Motion: Floquet Analysis and Added-Mass Sensitivity
A reduced-order stability analysis of a submerged flexible cylinder (marine riser) subjected to harmonic top motion, using a Mathieu–Floquet modal formulation. Reproduces the dominant 2:1 parametric resonance observed experimentally and maps how uncertainty in hydrodynamic added mass affects the predicted stability boundaries.
Download PDF (850 KB)Analytical, One-Dimensional, and Axisymmetric Finite Element Modeling of Steel-Fiber Pullout
Compares three models of increasing complexity — a closed-form shear-lag benchmark, a custom one-dimensional finite element formulation, and a two-dimensional axisymmetric Abaqus model — for the pullout of a steel fiber from a cementitious matrix, with a focus on code verification and mesh convergence.
Download PDF (690 KB)