USC Gets Grant to Study Concrete Quake Survival

A $600,000-grant to USC’s department of civil engineering for a comprehensive evaluation of reinforced concrete structures and their ability to withstand major earthquakes will be underwritten by the Carpenters/Contractors Cooperation Committee.

A significant portion of the funds will be earmarked for finding new and better ways to strengthen older concrete structures, according to M. S. Agbabian, chairman of the university’s civil engineering department.

“The Cooperation Committee’s generous contribution will allow USC to fill any gaps that remain in our understanding of seismic behavior of concrete structures,” he said.

The collapse of the double-decked portion of Interstate 880 in Oakland is a tragic reminder of the need to renovate our cities’ crumbling infrastructure, said William G. Luddy, executive director of the Carpenters/Contractors Cooperation Committee.

“Modern concrete technology was evident in the way structures like the BART tunnel withstood the massive San Francisco quake. USC’s research will go a long way towards ensuring that properly retrofitted bridges, roads and overpasses will be as strong as today’s state-of-the-art freeways and other concrete structures,” he said.