Odín Guzmán is a PhD student working in the development of a finite-element (FE)/artificial neural network (ANN) analysis model for slender masonry walls, validated with experimental data. Additionally, he is 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 is a new 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.
Odín’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.
(Co-supervised by Dr. Carlos Cruz Noguez)