Dr. Roberto Leon

Interim Chair, Professor
School of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials Group

790 Atlantic Drive
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0355 USA
Phone: (404) 894-2202 FAX: (404) 894-2278
email: roberto.leon@ce.gatech.edu
 

Education

  • Ph.D. Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 1983
  • M.S.C.E., Structural Engineering, Stanford University, 1979
  • B.S.C.E., Civil Engineering, University of Massachusetts - Amherst, 1978

Honors/Awards

  • ASCE Norman Medal (2000)
  • ASCE State-of-the-Art Award (1996, 2000)
  • AISC T.R. Higgins Award, 1993
  • ASCE E. E. Friedman Young Engineer Award, 1988

Research Interests

  • Dynamic behavior and design of frame structures with semi-rigid connections, with emphasis on the effect of floor slab elements.
  • Performance and design of composite joists and joist girder structural systems.
  • Seismic performance of older structures in Mid-America, including riveted steel frames and unreinforced masonry structures.
  • Strength evaluation of older steel frames, with emphasis on the effect of riveted connections and concrete encasement on response under large cyclic loads.
  • Serviceability criteria for composite floor systems, including long-term deflections due to creep and shrinkage.
  • Testing of full scale and model structures in the laboratory, including trussed girder structures, and field instrumentation of structures.

Research Links

Selected Publications

  • Colaco, J.P., Furlong, R.W., Griffis, L.G., Leon, R.T., Viest, I.M., and Wyllie, L.A., 1997. Composite Construction Design for Buildings, McGraw-Hill/ASCE, New York, 416 pp.
  • Leon, R.T., 1997. "Seismic Performance of Bolted and Riveted Connections," in Background Reports on Metallurgy, Fracture Mechanics, Welding, Moment Connections and Frame System Behavior, SAC Report 95-09, SAC Joint Venture, Sacramento, 1997, pp. 5-1 to 5-83.
  • Leon, R.T., 1997. "Composite Connections," Chapter 23 in Structural Engineering Design Handbook (W.F. Chen, ed.), CRC Press. pp. 23-1 to 23-28.
  • ASCE Task Committee on Effective Length (R.Q. Bridge, M.J. Clarke, R.T. Leon, E.M. Lui, T.M. Sheikh, D.W. White, and J.F. Hajjar), 1997. Effective Length and Notional Load Approaches for Assessing Frame Stability: Implication for American Steel Design, ASCE, New York, 445 pp.
  • Leon, R.T., 1998. "Composite Columns and Structural Systems," Chapter 10 in Guide to Stability Design for Metal Structures (T.V. Galambos, ed.) 5th Ed., Wiley, New York, pp. 383-410.
  • ASCE Task Committee on Design Criteria on Design Criteria for Composite Structures in Steel and Concrete, "Design Guide for Partially Restrained Composite Connections," J. Structural Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 124, N.10, Oct. 1998, pp. 1099-1114.
  • Swanson, J., and Leon, R.T., 2000. "Bolted Steel Connections: Tests on T-Stub Components," ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 126, No. 1, pp. 50-56.
  • Leon, R.T., 2001. "A Critical Review of Current LRFD Provisions for Composite Members," Proceedings of the Annual Technical Session, May 9-12, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Structural Stability Research Council, U. of Florida, Gainsville, pp. 189-208.
  • Leon, R., DesRoches, R. Ocel, J., and Hess, G., 2001. "Innovative Beam-Column Joint Connections Using Shape Memory Alloy Components," Proceeding of the SPIE Smart Systems for Bridges, Structures, and Highways, New Port Beach, CA, March 2001.
  • Kim, U.S., Leon, R.T. and Galambos, T.V. 2001. "Seismic Behavior of Industrial Trussed Girder Structures," Proceedings of the First International Conference on Steel and Composite Structures (C.K. Choi and H.G. Kwak, eds.), June 12-14, Pusan, Korea, pp. 1369-1376.
  • Kim, D.H., and Leon, R.T., 2001. "Seismic Performance of PR Frames in Areas of Infrequent Seismicity," Proceedings of the First International Conference on Steel and Composite Structures (C.K. Choi and H.G. Kwak, eds.), June 12-14, Pusan, Korea, pp. 1377-1385.
  • Swanson, J., and Leon, R.T., 2001. "Stiffness Modeling of Bolted T-Stub Connections," ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 127, No. 4, pp. 498-505.
  • Forcier, G.P., Leon, R.T., Severson, B.E., and Roeder, C.W., 2002. "Performance of Riveted Steel Connections," Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Vol. 58, Nos.5-8, pp.779-799.
  • Leon, R.T. and Aho, M., 2001. "Towards New Design Provisions for Composite Columns," in Composite Construction in Steel and Concrete IV, M. Hosain and J.F. Hajjar (eds.), ASCE, New York, pp.518-527.
  • Alemdar, B., White, D., and Leon, R.T., 2001. "Frame Aanlysis Including Three-Dimensional Slab Effects in Partially-Restrained Composite Connections," in Composite Construction in Steel and Concrete IV, M. Hosain and J.F. Hajjar (eds.), ASCE, New York, pp. 262-273.