Department of

Civil and Environmental Engineering


Dr. Maria Lopez de Murphy
Will Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering

 

Office: Lab:
Penn State University 102 College of Engineering
231E Sackett Building 3127 Research Drive  CATO Park
University Park  PA 16802 State College PA 16801
(814) 865-9423 (phone) (814) 865-9548 (phone)
(814) 863-7304 (fax) (814) 865-3039 (fax)

Email: mmlopez@engr.psu.edu

Honors and Awards
National Student Chapter of the Year, Faculty advisor Penn State's Student Chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), 2007
James F. Will Career Development Professorship, The Pennsylvania State University . (2003-2005)
Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, National Science Foundation. (2002-2007)
Boeing Outstanding Educator Award, Faculty advisor of the "Student Projects for Engineering Experience and Design (SPEED)" program at Clarkson University . (2001)

Primary Research Interests
Use of Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP) in Reinforced Concrete Structures
Use of Ferrocement and Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites in Structural Applications

Specific Research Topics
Repair and Rehabilitation Systems for Civil Infrastructure
Characterization, Modeling and Size Effect of Concrete Repairs
Bond Behavior of Fiber Reinforced Polymeric Laminate in Tension
Effect of Sustained Loads and Environment on Mechanically Fastened FRP Beams
Fiber Reinforced Concrete for Structural Applications
Enhanced Performance of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete with Low Fiber Volume Fractions
Shear Performance of  Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Beams

Ongoing Research Projects
NSF CAREER: Repair and Rehabilitation Systems for Civil Infrastructure
Fracture Properties of Fiber Reinforced Concrete
Anchorage Systems for FRP Strengthened members
Improved Overlay Design Parameters for Concrete Airfield Pavements

Courses Taught at Penn State University
C E 340, Structural Analysis   
C E 341, Design of Concrete Structures
C E 544, Advanced Reinforced Concrete
C E 543, Prestressed Concrete                                                                                                                                                                        Top

Vitae

Professional Preparation
2000 Ph.D., Civil Engineering, University of Michigan
1996 M.S., Civil Engineering, University of Michigan
1995  Advanced Degree in Structural Engineering, Universidad del Valle
1993 C.E.,Civil Engineering , Universidad del Valle, Colombia

Experience
Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University (2003 - present)
Assistant Professor, Clarkson University , Potsdam , New York (2000-2002)
Teaching Assistant, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan (1999-2000)
Research Assistant, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan (1997-2000)
Assistant Professor , Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia (1993-1995)

Professional Memberships
American Concrete Institute (ACI), Voting Member, Committees:
440 Fiber Reinforced Polymers
544 Fiber Reinforced Concrete
446 Fracture Mechanics     
Transportation Research Board (TRB), Voting member, committee, AFF80 Structural Fiber reinforced plastics
Member, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Member, American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)
Member, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI)
Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal Cement and Concrete Composites
Faculty Advisor of Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (2007), Penn State Chapter

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Selected Publications

1 .  Refereed Journal publications 
Coronado , C, Lopez, M .. Experimental characterization of concrete-epoxy interfaces. ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering (in press)

Coronado, Carlos A. and Lopez, Maria M ., A damage approach for the prediction of debonding failure on concrete elements strengthened with FRP , ASCE Journal of Composites for Construction , 11:4 pp. 391-400 . July-August 2007

Cole, T., Lopez, Maria, Ziehl , P. Fatigue behavior and nondestructive evaluation of full-scale FRP honeycomb bridge specimen. ASCE Journal of Bridge Engineering 11:4 pp. 420-429 . July 2006

Coronado, C. A., Lopez, Maria M., Sensitivity analysis of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with FRP laminates, Journal of Cement and Concrete Composites 28:1 pp. 102-114. 2006

J. J. Biernacki , S. Gopalakrishnan , M. C. Garcia- Juenger , M. Lopez de Murphy, K. Subramaniam , J. Weiss. D. Jansen, N. Lakshmanan and S. P. Shah . Indo-US workshop on high performance concrete composites J. Structural Engineering , 32:4 pp. 275-282 . Oct-Nov 2005 .

Lopez, M.M., Naaman, A.E., Hill, R. Pinkerton, L., Behavior of RC beams strengthened with FRP laminates and tested under cyclic loading at low temperatures. Journal of Materials and Product Technology . 19:1/2 pp. 108-117. 2003

2. Refereed Proceedings
Lopez, M. and Coronado, C, Characterizing the concrete-epoxy layer on externally bonded FRP systems International Symposium on Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement for Concrete Structures – FRPRCS8 , 2-18, 8 p. Greece, July 2007

Lee, J, Lopez, M. and Bakis, C . Flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with mechanically fastened FRP strip International Symposium on Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement for Concrete Structures – FRPRCS8 , 9-1, 9 p. Greece, July 2007

Krishnaswamy, Raghu, Lopez, Maria M, Time performance of concrete-CFRP bond under the effects of freeze-thaw cycles and sustained loading, Transportation Research Board, 85th Annual Meeting. 06-0011, 24 p. Compendium of Papers CD-ROM, 2006.

McSweeney, B, Lopez, M , Bond behavior of a Fiber-Reinforced Polymeric laminate:  A parametric study through pull-off testing, Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement for Concrete Structures – FRPRCS7 , ACI SP-230-26 , pp 441-460. 2005

Coronado ,C , Lopez, M ,Modeling of concrete-FRP bond using nonlinear fracture mechanics. Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement for Concrete Structures –FRPRCS7 , ACI SP- 230-22 , pp 373-390. 2005

Lopez, M, M,   Park , Kihoon , Modeling of concrete confined with FRP wraps, 3rd International Conference on Composites in Construction CCC2005 . pp.251-258. 2005

Lopez, Maria M., Daihua , Zheng . Modeling of Fiber-reinforced Polymer honeycomb sandwich panels, Transportation Research Board, 84th Annual Meeting. Compendium of Papers CD-ROM. 05-2439, 2005.

3. Refereed Book Chapters
Lopez de Murphy, M., Hockenberry, T. and Achenbach, A., Enhanced Performance of Fiber Reinforced Concrete with Low Fiber Volume Fractions, High Performance Cement-Based Concrete Composites . J. Biernacki and S. Sha (editors). From the Series: Material Science of Concrete, special Volume. American Ceramic Society. pp. 137-145. 2005

4. Manuscripts under Review:
Mena, Scott, Lopez, M . Use of Ferrocement Production Technology, a Proposal for Undergraduate Laboratories (ASCE/ASEE Journal on Advances in Engineering Education)                                                                                                                                  Top

International Activities
 US-South America Workshop on Innovative Materials for Civil Infrastructure, Research & Education ,

Universidad Catolica de Chile . Santiago , Chile , October 13-15, 2008      

Recent Technical Presentations
Lopez de Murphy, Maria , Study of the Concrete-Epoxy Interface on Externally Bonded FRP Systems, Structural Engineering Seminar Series (SESS), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, September 2007

Lopez, M. and Coronado , C, Characterizing the Concrete-Epoxy Layer on Externally Bonded FRP Bonded Systems International Symposium on Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement for Concrete Structures – FRPRCS8 , Greece , July 16-18, 2007

Lee, J., Lopez, M. and Bakis, C. Flexural Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened with Mechanically Fastened FRP Strip International Symposium on Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement for Concrete Structures – FRPRCS8 , Greece, July 16-18, 2007 (C. Bakis, presenter)

Lopez, Ma ria M., Characterization of an FRP Honeycomb Sandwich Deck Section. Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering ( SAMPE'07) conference. Baltimore , June 2007

Cole, T., Lopez, M., and Ziehl , P., Nondestructive Evaluation of Fatigue Damage to Full-Scale FRP Honeycomb Bridge Specimen, 2006 NDE Conference on Civil Engineering, the 7 th Structural Materials Technology (SMT) and the 6 th International Symposium on NDT in Civil Engineering, August 14-18, St. Louis, Missouri, 2006. (P. Zhiel , presenter)

Krishnaswamy, Raghu, Lopez, Ma ria M., Time performance of concrete-CFRP bond under the effects of freeze-thaw cycles and sustained loading , Transportation Research Board, 85th Annual Meeting. Washington , DC , January 23, 2006

Coronado, C., Lopez, M . Modeling of concrete-FRP bond using nonlinear fracture mechanics. 7 th International Symposium on Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforcement (FRP) for Concrete Structures –FRPRCS7 , Kansas City , MO , November 6-9, 2005

Lopez, M, M, Park, Kihoon *, Modeling of concrete confined with FRP wraps, 3rd International Conference on Composites in Construction CCC2005 , Lyon, France, July 2005

Lopez, Maria M., Daihua, Zheng . “ Modeling of Fiber-reinforced Polymer Honeycomb Sandwich Panels”, Transportation Research Board, 84th Annual Meeting. , January 9–13, 2005, Washington , D.C

Lopez de Murphy, M., Hockenberry, T. and Achenbach, A., “Enhanced Performance of Fiber Reinforced Concrete with Low Fiber Volume Fractions”. NSF funded Indo-U.S. Workshop on High Performance Cement Based Concrete Composites . Chennai , India , January 3-4, 2005

Lopez de Murphy, M. , Modeling of FRP-Concrete Bond Using Nonlinear Fracture Mechanics. Technical session sponsored by ACI committees 440 and 446 , American Concrete Institute (ACI) Fall 2004 Convention , San Francisco

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Students 

Current Students
Jae Ha Lee, Ph.D student . Research Topic: Study of Anchorage Systems for FRP Strengthened Members

Krishna Chaitanya Amirineni, MS. Research Topic: Fracture Properties of FRC Strengthened Members

Anusha Gullapalli , M.Eng Research Topic: Seismic Retrofit using Composite Materials

Former Students
Carlos Coronado, Ph.D (2006). Thesis title: Research Characterization, Modeling  and Size Effect of Concrete-Epoxy Interfaces

Travis Hockenberry , M.S (2007 ). Thesis title: Evaluation of shear capacity of hooked steel fiber reinforced concrete beams   with Stirrups

Andy Munas, B.S Honors (2007 ). Thesis title: Structural Evaluation of a 1937 Truss Bridge in PA

Andrew Sirianni , B.S.Honors (2007). Thesis title: Design of RC Apartment Building in Panama City , PANAMA

Rose Mary Chacko , M.Eng ( 2007 ). Portfolio: Performance of Large Scale FRP Strengthened RC Beams

Jae Ha Lee, M.S (2006). Thesis title : Effects of sustained loads and environment on mechanically fastened FRP beams

Raghu Krishnaswamy, M.S (2005). Thesis title: Short-term Effects of Freeze-Thaw Cycles and Sustained Loading on  Concrete-CFRP Bond

 Brian McSweeney, M.S (2005). Thesis title: FRP-Concrete Bond Behavior, A Parametric Study through Pull-off Testing

Brian Janis, M. Eng (2005). Portfolio: Shear Properties of Epoxies and Fiber Reinforced  Polymer Laminates by the V-notched Beam Method

Ki Hoon Park , M.S (2004). Thesis title: Research Modeling of Concrete Confined with FRP Wraps

Gary Glick, B.S Honors (2004). Thesis title: Behavior of RC beams strengthened in shear with externally bonded FRP Laminate

 Andrew Benkert (At Clarkson University , MS , 2002). Thesis title : Study of the Development Length of Fiber Reinforced Laminates used for Strengthening of Reinforced Concrete Members

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