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Curriculum Vitae


Rafi L. Muhanna

Associate Professor
Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials
Mason 4156
404.385.1825
rafi.muhanna@gatech.edu

BIOGRAPHY

  • Ph.D., Higher Institute for Structure and Architecture, Sofia, Bulgaria, Civil Engineering, Solid and Structural Mechanics, 1979.
  • M.Sc., Higher Institute for Structure and Architecture, Sofia, Bulgaria, Structural Engineering, 1976.
  • B.Sc., University of Damascus, Syria, Civil Engineering, 1972.

Dr. Muhanna is an associate professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. He obtained his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Damascus in 1972, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the area of Solid and Structural Mechanics in 1976 and 1979, respectively from the Higher Institute for Structure and Architecture, Sofia, Bulgaria. He joined the faculty at the University of Damascus, Syria in 1980, and has also served on the faculty at Case Western Reserve University, Ohio and the University of Maryland (1991-2000).Dr. Muhanna has won a number of international prizes, among them: the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, one of the most prestigious international architectural awards, for the his masonry shell system without steel reinforcement (1992); the Golden Prize of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), for the best displayed patent at the International Fair of Damascus (1988); and the Special Prize of the United Nations HABITAT (1989).Dr. Muhanna's research activity is in the general area of solid and structural mechanics that includes uncertainty modeling, structural reliability, computational reliability, shell theory, and optimization of masonry building materials in structural systems. This research activity has culminated in the development of the new methods for reliable engineering computing, establishment of the Center for Reliable Engineering Computing (REC), and hosting the bi-annual international NSF sponsored workshop on Reliable Engineering Computing since 2004.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Computational solid and structural mechanics
  • Uncertainty modeling
  • Reliable engineering computing
  • Structural reliability
  • Finite elements

HONORS & AWARDS

  • Teaching Fellow, George W. Woodruff School Teaching Fellow, 2014.
  • Thank a Teacher certificate, 2011, in recognition for excellence in teaching, Georgia Institute of Technology.
  • The Architectural Personality of the Arab World, 1993, selected by magazine Al-Majala, London, U. K. The selection areas are Politics, Economics, Literature, Medicine and Art.
  • Award from the Government of Syria, 1993. For the structural analysis and design of the Unknown Soldier Memorial, Damascus. http://www.gtsav.gatech.edu/rec/unknownsoldier/The_Unknown_Soldier.jpg
  • The Aga Khan Award for Architecture, 1992. In recognition of the new cylindrical shell structural system without steel reinforcement, flexibility in construction, and economy.
  • One of the most prestigious international architectural awards in the world, for recognition of architectural excellence. Awarded triennially. The award is announced in more than 150 specialized journals and approximately 400 newspapers throughout the world. http://www.akdn.org/architecture/project.asp?id=1238
  • The Special Prize of the United Nations Center for Human Settlements (HABITAT), 1989.
  • The Silver Medal of the Fifth Biennale of Architecture Interarch '89, Sofia, Bulgaria, 1989.
  • The Gold Prize of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), United Nations Organization, Geneva, 1988.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS

ARTICLES
  • N. Xiao, F. Fedele, and R. L. Muhanna, Interval-based parameter identification for structural static problems, Reliable Computing, Vol 23, pp. 47-72, July, 2016.
  • Xiao, N., Muhanna, R., Fedele, F., and Mullen, R. (2015). Interval Finite Element Analysis of Structural Dynamic Problems, SAE Int. J. Mater. Manf. 8(2):382-389.
  • Xiao, N., Muhanna, R., Fedele, F., and Mullen, R. (2015). Uncertainty Analysis of Static Plane Problems by Intervals, SAE Int. J. Mater. Manf. 8(2):374-381.
  • Fedele, F., Muhanna, R., Xiao, N., and Mullen, R. (2015). Interval-Based Approach for Uncertainty Propagation in Inverse Problems, ASCE J. Eng. Mech., 141(1), 06014013.
  • Rafi L. Muhanna, Robert Mullen and M. V. Rama Rao (2015). Nonlinear FEA of Frames under Interval Material And Load Uncertainty, ASCE-ASME Journal of Risk and Uncertainty in Engineering Systems, Part B: Mechanical Engineering,1(4):041003-041003-8. doi:10.1115/1, 4030609.
BOOKS
  • Muhanna, R. L. and Mullen, R. L., Interval Based Finite Elements for Uncertainty Quantification in Engineering Mechanics, Chapter in Uncertainty Quantification in Scientific Computing, IFIP, International Federation for Information Processing 2012. (ISBN: 978-3-642-32676-9)
  • Muhanna, R. L. and Mullen, R. L., Interval Methods for Reliable Computing, Chapter in Reliability Design Handbook, CRC Press LLC, ISBN 0-8493-1180-2, edited by Efsratios Nikolaidis and Dan Ghiocel, 2005.
PROCEEDINGS
  • M. V. Rama Rao, R. L. Muhanna, and R. L. Mullen. Interval Finite Element Analysis of Thin Plates, REC 2016, Proceedings of REC 2016, pp 111-130.
  • Naijia Xiao, Francesco Fedele, and Rafi Muhanna. Structural Dynamic Response under Uncertainty-An Interval Finite Element Approach, Proceedings of REC 2016, pp 225-239.
  • Naijia Xiao, Robert Mullen, and Rafi Muhanna. Static Analysis of Structural Systems with Uncertain Parameters Using Probability-Box, Proceedings of REC 2016, pp 453-468.
  • N. Xiao, F. Fedele, and R. L. Muhanna, Interval Finite Element Approach for Modal Analysis of Linear Elastic Structures Under Uncertainty, Proceedings of the 34th IMAC 2016, Model Validation and Uncertainty Quantification, 2016, Volume 3, pp 143-150.
  • M.V.Rama Rao, Rafi.L. Muhanna, and Robert Mullen (2015). Analysis of a space truss by interval finite element approach, Proc. National Conference on Structures and Materials (NCASM-15), KS School of Engineering and Management, Bangalore, India, pp.30-34.
PRESENTATIONS
  • "Nonlinear Interval Finite Elements For Beams", Second International Conference on Vulnerability and Risk Analysis and Management (ICVRAM2014) ,13 - 16 July 2014, University of Liverpool, UK.
  • "Geometric Miss-fitting in Structures – Interval-Based Approach", REC2014, May 25-28, 2014, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois, 2014.
  • "Non-Linear Analysis of Beams with Large deflections – An Interval Finite Element Approach", REC2014, May 25-28, 2014, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois, 2014.
  • “Probability Bounds for the System Response of Non-Linear Structures,” ICOSSAR 2013, 11th International Conference on Structural Safety & Reliability, June 16-20, 2013, Columbia University, New York, NY.
  • “Interval And Fuzzy Monte Carlo Simulation with Neural Network Based Surrogate Models,” ICOSSAR 2013, 11th International Conference on Structural Safety & Reliability, June 16-20, 2013, Columbia University, New York, NY.
PATENTS
  • 1996 Patent, 60/026085, September 13, 1996, “Device and Method for Evaluation of Mechanical Behavior for All Possible Loading Combinations, “U. S., provisional.
  • 1988 Patent No. 4219, May 30, 1988, for “A New System for the Construction of Houses and Buildings using Natural Stone Shells, “Syria.

SEE ALL PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS: PRINTABLE CV

RECENT NEWS STORIES

Yang Wang and students in his research group install sensors on a bridge in Bartow County, Georgia, in July 2016. Wang, Francesco Fedele and Rafi Muhanna in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering will use data from instruments like these to feed a new interval-based optimization approach to assess structural systems and detect damage. (Photo Courtesy: Yang Wang)
Dealing with uncertainty: New NSF project will create more accurate, faster interval-based approach to assessing structures for damage
Hernandez wins Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher award for his interval calculator
Muhanna to deliver invited lecture at gathering of world’s experts on uncertainty modeling
Map of School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Mason Building, 790 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, GA 30332-0355
Phone: 404-894-2201
Fax: 404-894-2278