Research Statement
I am generally interested in science and engieering issues in rock mechanics. Naturally rock masses pose many interesting questions not present in the mechanics of manufactured materials. Numerous structural and material discontinuities in rock ranging over mm to kilometer scales of aggregation are the source of many key issues in rock mechanics. My research is aimed at developing greater realism in rock engineering through a rational approach to the central question of "What to do about the joints?". On occassion, coupled analyses are necessary, for example, in the area of high-level geologic containment of radwaste. Another example is in saturated rock masses. My approach is to integrate laboratory testing, finite element modeling, and mine measurements to test various hypothesis about jointed rock behavior, with the aid of graduate students.