![]() | This is a
draft article. It is a work in progress
open to editing by
anyone. Please ensure
core content policies are met before publishing it as a
live Wikipedia article. Find sources:
Google (
books ·
news ·
scholar ·
free images ·
WP refs) ·
FENS ·
JSTOR ·
TWL
Last edited by
Particleshow22 (
talk |
contribs) 3 seconds ago. (
Update)
Finished drafting? or |
Gilbert Arthur Hegemier ASME Fellow | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | California Institute of Technology (Ph.D., M.S.) |
Known for | Retrofitting techniques for earthquake safety, and the use of fiber-reinforced composites in construction |
Awards |
|
Scientific career | |
Fields | Structural engineering, earthquake engineering |
Institutions | University of California, San Diego |
Thesis | Stability of Thin Cylindrical Shells Subjected to a Class of Axially Symmetric Moving Loads (1964) |
Doctoral advisor | Ernest Edwin Sechler |
Other academic advisors | James. K. Knowles |
Years active | 1964-present |
Title | Professor Emeritus |
Gilbert Arthur Hegemier is an American structural engineer, aerospace engineer, inventor, and academic. Hegemier is Professor Emeritus at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)'s Jacobs School of Engineering. He is known for his contributions to earthquake engineering, particularly in the development of retrofitting techniques for bridges, roadways, and buildings to enhance public safety and structural performance. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a Member of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (M.EERI), and has been a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers since 1997.
Hegemier holds an M.S. (1960) and a Ph.D. (1964) in Solid Mechanics and Structures from the California Institute of Technology. Early before his career in academia, Hegemier worked as a mechanical engineer for TRW Systems Space Technology Lab, the National Engineering Science Company, and the Naval Ordinance Laboratory.
After the devastating 1971 San Fernando Valley and 1972 Nicaragua earthquakes, Hegemier shifted his focus from aerospace engineering to earthquake safety. [1] He played a pivotal role at UCSD, leading a team that developed and tested full-scale bridge column retrofit systems. These innovations were crucial during the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake, proving effective as they significantly reduced damage to retrofitted bridges. Hegemier's work extends to using lightweight fiber-reinforced composites for infrastructure repair and blast mitigation to protect critical structures from terrorist attacks. He holds patents, [2] [3] [4] is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2022 Revelle Medal. [5] [6] Hegemier has been a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers since 1997, [7] and a Member of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (M.EERI). He was elected to the Golden Key International Honour Society in 1995. Hegemier is director of the Charles Lee Powell Laboratories at UCSD. [8]
Hegemier was the Principal Investigator for an NSF-funded project to equip the new Structural Systems Laboratory at UCSD, starting in 1986. This project, which had a budget of $1,205,700, focused on establishing a facility capable of full-scale experimental testing of buildings up to five stories. The lab aimed to serve as a hub for the Structural Engineering Program at UCSD, support international collaborations, and foster interactions between academia and the industry. [9] [10]
Hegemier is the Chairman of Composite Solutions Inc. [11] [12]
Hegemier was tenured to full Professor of applied mechanics at UCSD. [13] In 2007, He became the Chair of the Department of Structural Engineering.
'The situation is both new and serious,' Gilbert Hegemier, director of structural systems laboratory at the University of California at San Diego, told New Scientist this week. 'We will not know how serious until the inspections of bridges and freeways are made and design tests are carried out in research laboratories.
"This is a landmark test that will enable a very fast and economically advantageous high technology construction method to be used in seismically active regions of the United States," said Gilbert A. Hegemier, director of UC San Diego's Powell Structural Research Laboratories, and professor and chair of the Jacobs School of Engineering's Department of Structural Engineering.
Gilbert A. Hegemier, a U.C.S.D. professor of applied mechanics, said the approximately $50 million needed to build the bridge would also test concepts that could be exploited in the repair of existing structures and in the development of manufacturing techniques to make Lego-like construction a reality. "The hand-assembly methods for making composites for Stealth aircraft need to be automated," Hegemier says.