Dr. Odín Guzmán worked in the development of a finite-element (FE)/artificial neural network (ANN) analysis model for slender masonry walls, validated with experimental data. Additionally, he was involved in the reliability analysis to define a criterion (limit state) to decide whether the engineered system is satisfactorily taking into account the nonlinearity of the stress-strain response in the materials, cracking mechanism, short-long term deformations, and second order effects.
He was a member of the Dr. Cruz’s research group. He joined in January 2017. He studied his BSc and MSc in the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City. He has worked as a Structural Engineer in Mexico designing industrial and oil and gas facilities.
Dr. Guzmán’s research interest lies in the behaviour of slender masonry walls. He studies the application of out-of-plane loads on the structural system and the stringent code limits related to their buckling stability and susceptibility to second order effects. Since walls possessing h/t ratios greater than 20 represent a large portion of the market of tall masonry walls in Canada, there is a need to develop robust analysis models addressing this research gap.
Dissertation: Reliability Assessment for Loadbearing Concrete Masonry Walls Subjected to Gravity and Lateral Loads
Supervisor: Dr. Carlos “Lobo” Cruz-Noguez, Dr. Yong Li