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Welcome!
This is a great year!
Yang Lu, Ph.D., P.E.
Associate Professor of Civil Engineering
College of Engineering
Boise State University
1910 University Drive
Boise, Idaho 83725-2060
Phone: 208-426-3783, E-mail: yanglufrank@boisestate.edu
http://coen.boisestate.edu/ce/faculty-staff-2/bio/?id=157
Micromechanics and Smart Infrastructure Group (MMSIG)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDqNbQJvU_o&feature=youtu.be
Dr. Lu, Yang is an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Boise State University. Prior to join Boise State University, Dr. Lu was a Fellow Research Associate in Engineering Lab at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Prior to joining NIST, Dr. Lu completed his Ph.D. from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. He also worked as a Research Scientist with the Center for Smart Infrastructure at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. He graduated with a M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Tsinghua University, China. Based on his cross-disciplinary educational background and extensive project experience, Dr. Lu has developed research in two interrelated fields: Computational Multiscale/Multiphysics Approaches extending from atomic to continuum level for studying the key functional behavior of complex materials, in order to model the fracture and transport behavior of multi-phase porous media; and Nanotechnology Application in Sustainable Construction to extend the service life of structures and infrastructures, and develop renewable energy in the public right-of-way. Dr. Lu has served as the Principle Researcher on a number of research projects and led a multidisciplinary team towards the development of multiscale modeling technologies and sustainable infrastructure. Dr. Lu is currently affiliated with different professional organizations in civil engineering, including ASCE, ACI, and TRB, and serves on many technical committees.
Dr. Lu has published 50+ papers in the pioneer journals in the field of atomistic modeling and computational mechanics of materials. His research involved atomistic modeling of stone-based materials interfaces and quasi-static crack growth in composite materials using the extended finite element method (XFEM). His current work include crack initiation through the use of optimized fracture criterion, crack tip remeshing for increased step size for fatigue crack growth modeling, analysis of quasi-static microstructural crack growth using XFEM and Cohesive Zone Model (CZM). Dr. Lu’s specific areas of work focus on the microstructure crack and transport properties in cement-based materials using realistic computer-based microstructural models and exact transport algorithms. The 3-D meshing of microstructure model is also an important contribution to the Virtual Cement and Concrete Testing Laboratory (VCCTL) at NIST. Fluid permeability and linear elastic properties are currently being investigated. Percolation and composite theory are also heavily used to understand the pore-space-dependent properties of cement-based materials.
The advances in multi-scale material modeling are promising, some of which are ready to improve engineering design, construction, and management practices for pavements (more so) and structures (underway). Dr. Lu plans to establish a Laboratory for Sustainable Structures and Materials in his academic career. Scales of research interest range from atomic to the continuum, accounting for microstructural features and response at the nano/pore/particle scale is critical to elucidate the deformation and failure properties at the continuum scale (engineering scale of interest).
Dr. Lu expects to build a research group focused on Computational Micro-structural Modeling for simulating nonlinear deformation and failure behaviors in heterogeneous porous media, including particulate materials (e.g. asphalt, concrete, ceramics), saturated and partially saturated soils and rock, unbound particulate aggregate (e.g. sand and gravel), energy harvest materials (e.g. piezoelectric), and energy storage materials and structures (nano-composite concrete), elastomers and gels (e.g. polymer networks, nanocomposites), and thin deformable porous materials and membranes, with the combination of 3-D image analysis technology.
I look forward to opportunities to collaborate with governmental agencies and private industry to help address practice needs and advance the state of art science & technology.
