Faculty Profiles

After witnessing the devastation caused by the 1971 San Fernando Valley earthquake and the 1972 Nicaragua earthquake, Professor Hegemier, then an aerospace engineer, decided to devote his research to developing systems to retrofit bridges, roadways and buildings. He helped assemble a team of experts at UCSD. Hegemier and his colleagues have succeeded in creating and testing full-scale models of bridge column retrofit systems, which have been applied by the California Department of Transportation. These systems stood the ultimate test in the 1994 earthquake that hit Los Angeles, when 114 retrofitted bridges received only minor damage from the quake while several bridges scheduled for retrofit failed. Today, Hegemier is working with industry partners to develop and use light-weight fiber reinforced composites to prevent earthquake damage and restore components of the nation's aging infrastructure. He is also working on blast mitigation techniques using fiber reinforced composites to protect critical structures such as embassies from terrorist attacks.

Capsule Bio:

Prior to coming to UCSD, Gilbert A. Hegemier was a mechanical engineer at TRW Systems Space Technology Lab, the National Engineering Science Company, and the Naval Ordinance Laboratory. Hegemier has two patents and is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME); the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute; and the California Universities for Research on Earthquake Engineering. He is a Fellow of the ASME, and in 1996, he received the Jacobs School's annual Teacher of the Year Award. Hegemier was named chair of the Department of Structural Engineering in 2007.

Education:

• Ph.D., Solid Mechanics and Structures, California Institute of Technology, 1964
• M.S., Solid Mechanics and Structures, California Institute of Technology, 1960

Awards:

• Outstanding Paper Award, The Masonry Society, 1993
• Who's Who in 1994 (Annual Tribute to San Diegans Who are Making a Difference), San Diego Magazine, 1994
• Chancellor's Associates Shiley Achievement Award, 1994
• Election to Golden Key National Honor Society, 1995
• Recognition by American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1995
• CERF (Civil Engineering Research Foundation) Charles Pankow Award for Innovation, 1996
• Teacher of the Year, UCSD School of Engineering Annual Teaching Award (Mechanical Engineering), 1996
• Elected a Fellow of ASME International (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), 1997
• Best Paper Award (ASCE Journal), 1997
• Best Application Paper Award (Journal of Composites for Construction), 1998

Selected Publications:

• Davol, A., Hegemier, G.A., Karbhari, V., Seible, F., and Zhao, L., (1998). "Carbon/Epoxy Shell Fabrication Specification for the Kings Stormwater Channel Bridge," Charles Lee Powell Structural Research Laboratories, Report No. TR-98/10, pp. 13
• Burgueno, R., Hegemier, G.A., Karbhari, V., Seible, F., and Zhao, L., (1998). "PMC Deck System Fabrication Specifications for the Kings Stormwater Channel Bridge," Charles Lee Powell Structural Research Laboratories, Report No. TR-98/09, pp. 23.
• Hegemier, G.A., Moesslacher, K.J., and Shkoller, S., (1998). "On the Prediction of Petal Evolution in Hypervelocity Impact Events," Fatigue, Fracture and Residual Stresses, ASME International, PVP - Vol. 373, pp. 229-236.
• Hegemier, G.A., Karbhari, V., and Seible, F., (1997). "Fiber Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites (PMCs) for Civil Structures," Proceedings, 4th International Conference on Composites Engineering, pp. 4.
• Hegemier, G.A., Karbhari, V., Kosmatka, J., and Seible, F., (1997). "Advanced Composites Technology Transfer/Bridge Infrastructure Renewal Consortium," Division of Structural Engineering, University of California, San Diego, Report No. ACTT/BIR-97/53, 288 pp.
• Hegemier, G.A., Innamorato, D., Priestley, M.J.N., and Seible, F., (1997). "Seismic Retrofit of RC Columns with Continuous Carbon Fiber Jackets," Journal of Composites for Construction, ASCE, Vol. 1, pp. 52-62.
• Burgueno, R., Davol, A., Hegemier, G.A., Karbhari, V., and Seible, F., (1997). "The Carbon Shell System for Modular Short and Medium Span Bridges," Proceedings, International Composites Expo, Nashville, Tennessee, pp. 3D-1 to 3D-6.
• Hegemier, G.A., Karbhari, V., Seible, F., and Zhao, L., (1997). "Fiber Reinforced Composite Decks for Infrastructure Renewal - Results and Issues," Proceedings, 1997 International Composites Expo, Nashville, Tennessee, pp. 3C-1 to 3C-6.
• Hegemier, G.A., and Shkoller, (1996). "Homogenization of Plain Weave Composites Using Two-Scale Convergence", Int. J. Solids, Structures, Vol. 32, No. 617, pp. 783-794.
• Hegemier, G.A., Karbhari, V., Seible, F., and Wernli, M., "Advanced Composite Stay-Cable Survey Short-and-Long Term Tests," University of California, San Diego, Structural Systems Research Project, Report No. SSRP-99/11.