Andrew Ziccarelli
Bio
Dr. Ziccarelli is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University. His expertise is in the simulation of structural components at extreme limit states, including large scale yielding, fracture and buckling, with an emphasis on steel structures and seismic loading conditions.
Dr. Ziccarelli has experience in both engineering industry and academics, which informs his research interests and his teaching. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 2011 with a BS in Civil Engineering and from Stanford University in 2014 with an MS in Civil & Environmental Engineering, he worked as a Project Engineer for TGRWA, LLC in Chicago from 2014-2017. In this role, Dr. Ziccarelli performed the structural design of new commercial and multi-family residential structures, assessed the condition of existing structures, and designed various retrofits and structural reinforcements. He then returned to Stanford in 2017, where he completed his PhD in Civil & Environmental Engineering in 2021. He is a registered Professional Civil Engineer in the State of California.
Dr. Ziccarelli teaches Mechanics of Solids (CE 225) and Theory and Behavior of Steel Structures (CE 523).
Education
B.S. Civil Engineering University of Notre Dame 2011
M.S. Civil & Environmental Engineering Stanford University 2014
Ph.D. Civil & Environmental Engineering Stanford University 2021
Area(s) of Expertise
Dr. Ziccarelli's research is part of the Structural Engineering and Mechanics group within CCEE. His primary research area is in the area of nonlinear structural analysis of structural components at extreme limit states, including large-scale yielding, fracture and buckling. His previous work focused on developing finite element techniques to simulate ductile crack propagation in steel structures under the effects of seismic loading. He is currently engaged in projects studying the propagation of fatigue cracks in marine hydrokinetic devices, and the transition from ductile to brittle fracture in steel structures under seismic loading. His projects generally involve both computational and experimental components.
Grants
Local buckling under seismic loading conditions is addressed in the AISC Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings (AISC 341) through limitations on element slenderness given in Table D1.1. The origins of the limits provided in Table D1.1 are unclear in some cases, and there are questions as to whether the current limits provide consistent, acceptable levels of performance across members and systems. In this project, a detailed finite element study is proposed which will provide further insight into the phenomenon of local buckling under seismic loading. First, continuum finite element models of selected experimental specimens will be built and analyzed. This will provide detailed stress-strain data for these previously-tested experimental specimens, while also allowing for the validation of modeling assumptions for component-level specimens. Then, a parametric finite element study will be performed on component specimens, where specimen parameters will be varied, which will expand the scope of the experiments and provide additional insight into the factors which impact local buckling behavior. This additional data may be taken into consideration in the development of revised slenderness limitations in Table D1.1.