Susan Faraji

Susan Faraji

Professor

College
Francis College of Engineering
Department
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Phone
978-934-2276
Office
Shah Hall

Expertise

Structural Engineering

Research Interests

Structural Engineering

Integral abutment bridges, jointless bridges, wind and seismic analysis, motion based design, nonlinear analysis of structures, vibration, tentage framing, finite element modeling, 3-D modeling, tall buildings, and soil-structure interaction.

Education

  • Ph D: Mechanical Engineering, (2004), Old Dominion University
  • Ph D: Civil Engineering, (1983), University of Massachusetts - Amherst Massachusetts
  • BS: Structural Engineering, (1979), Arya-Mehr University - Tehran, Iran
    Dissertation/Thesis Title: A Study of Steel Bridges.
  • MS, (1979), Northeastern University - Boston Massachusetts

Biosketch

Susan Faraji, Ph.D. is a Professor of Structural Engineering in the Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UMass Lowell. She has more than three decades of teaching, research, publication, and consulting experience in the field. Over the past 31 years, she has taught a wide range of courses at UMass Lowell, from basic mechanics to advanced design and analysis courses, such as Concrete Design, Steel Design, Bridge Design, Seismic Design, Practice of Structural Engineering, Finite Elements, Structural Dynamics, Structural Analysis and Behavior of Structures.

She has an extended knowledge of a variety of codes, such as the Massachusetts building code, AISC, ACI, AASHTO, IBC, ASCE/SEI. She also has extensive industrial experience, having worked with a variety of government agencies, such as the United States Army, the Massachusetts DOT, the Rhode Island DOT, and the NCHRP, and a variety of consulting firms, such as the Shaw Group, the Maguire Group, Purcell Associates, Bayside Engineering, and YAS Ventures, LLC, on diverse projects. These projects include a variety of buildings, such as schools, hospitals, commercial buildings, apartment buildings, parking garages, and a dome-shaped building. She has further worked on culverts, ramps, an elevator, an aircraft prototype model, tentage framing, retaining walls, pontoons, and many bridges. Her work has involved the analysis, design (using the latest design codes), and two and three dimensional computer modeling of a wide range of structures for a variety of loadings, such as gravity, snow, wind and seismic.

Faraji co-authored with Dr. Connor of MIT a comprehensive 1200 page book, Fundamentals of Structural Engineering (Springer, 2012). The material is presented in 3 parts and 15 chapters. Part I covers statically determinate structures. It starts with a chapter introducing structural engineering, followed by chapters on determinate trusses, beams, frames, cable structures, curved members, shallow foundations, and vertical retaining walls. Part II covers methods for the analysis of statically indeterminate structures. It has chapters on the force method, the displacement method, approximate methods for low-rise and high-rise rigid frames, and the finite element method for framed structures. Part III covers materials regarding the practice of structural engineering. It has chapters on modern bridges, lateral load issues for multistory buildings, and vertical loads on multistory buildings. The book’s second edition will be published soon.

Selected Awards and Honors

  • Pahlavi Foundation Scholar - Northeastern University
  • University Merit Award, Scholarship/Research
  • University Merit Award, Teaching
  • University Merit Award, Service, University
  • University Scholar - Arya-Mehr University

Selected Publications

  • Connor, J.J., Faraji, S. (2013). Introduction to Structural Engineering. Fundamentals of Structural Engineering, 3-49.
  • Connor, J.J., Faraji, S. (2012). Fundamentals of structural engineering.
  • Faraji, S., Ting, J.M., Crovo, D.S., Ernst, H. (2001). Nonlinear analysis of integral bridges: Finite-element model. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 127(5) 454-461.
  • Faraji, S., Ting, J., Crovo, D.S., Ernst, H. (2001). Nonlinear analysis of integral bridges: finite-element model. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 127(5) 454--461.
  • Ting, J., Faraji, S. (1998). Streamlined analysis and design of integral abutment bridges. Report UMTC, 97--13.
  • Faraji, S. (1998). “Streamlined Analysis and Design of Integral Abutment Bridges”. University of Massachusetts Transportation Center
  • Faraji, S. (1997). “Behavior of Integral Abutment Bridges in Massachusetts. Year II”. University of Massachusetts Transportation Center
  • Faraji, S. (1996). “Behavior of Integral Abutment Bridges in Massachusetts. Year I,”. University of Massachusetts Transportation Center
  • Faraji, S. (1995). “Development of the Means of Performing Seismic Design and Analysis of Bridges”. University of Massachusetts Transportation Center
  • Faraji, S. (1994). “Analytical Modeling of Tentage Frame Structures”. University of Massachusetts Lowell department of Civil Engineering
  • Faraji, S. (1990). “Higher Order Theories for Thick Transversely Isotropic Plates”. Developments in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, 15 606 - 613.
  • Faraji, S., Archer, R. (1989). “Method of Initial Functions for Thick Transversely Isotropic Cylindrical Shells”. Ingénieur-Archiv, 60 1 - 9.
  • Faraji, S. (1989). “Higher Order Theories for Thick Layers of Transversely Isotropic Materials with Loading Symmetric about the Middle Plane”. Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Civil and Structural Engineering Computing
  • Faraji, S., Archer, R.R. (1988). Higher order theories for thick cylindrical shells. Acta Mechanica, 74(1-4) 9-24.
  • Faraji, S. (1988). “Higher Order Theories for Transversely Isotropic Thick Cylindrical Shells”. Developments in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, 14 9 - 24.
  • Faraji, S., Archer, R. (1985). “Method of Initial Functions for Thick Shells”. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 21(8) 851 - 863.
  • Faraji, S., Archer, R. (1985). “Method of Initial Functions for Dynamic Thick Cylindrical Shell Theories”. Proceedings of the 3rd National Conference on Microcomputers

Selected Presentations

  • “Higher Order Theories for Thick Transversely Isotropic Plates” - Southeastern Conference for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, (SECTAM XV), March 1990 - Atlanta Georgia
  • “Higher Order Theories for Thick Layers of Transversely Isotropic Materials with Loading Symmetric about the Middle Plane” - Fourth International Conference on Civil and Structural Engineering Computing, September 1989 - London, England
  • “Higher Order Theories for Transversely Isotropic Thick Cylindrical Shells” - Southeastern Conference for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, April 1988 - Biloxi, Mississippi
  • “Method of Initial Functions for Dynamic Thick Cylindrical Shell Theories” - 3rd National Conference on Microcomputers, November 1985 - Orlando, Florida

Selected Contracts, Fellowships, Grants and Sponsored Research

  • Multi-modal Remote Sensing System (MRSS) for Transportation Infrastructure Inspection and Monitoring (2011), Sponsored Research - Massachusetts Highway Department
  • Streamlined Analysis and Design of Integral Abutment Bridges (1999), - Massachusetts Highway Department
    Faraji, S. (Co-Principal), Ting, J. (Co-Principal)
  • Forced Displacement Testing for Integral Abutment Bridges (1996), - Massachusetts Highway Department
    Faraji, S. (Co-Principal), Ting, J. (Co-Principal)
  • Behavior of Integral Abutment (Jointless) Bridges in Massachusetts (1995), - Massachusetts Highway Department
    Faraji, S.
  • Behavior of Integral Abutment (Jointless) Bridges in Massachusetts (1994), - Massachusetts Highway Department
    Faraji, S.
  • Finite Element Modeling of Structures (1994), - United States Army
    Faraji, S.
  • Structural Design (1994), - United States Army
    Faraji, S. (Principal)
  • (1993), - Massachusetts Highway Department
    Faraji, S. (Principal)
  • (1993), - United States Army
    Faraji, S. (Principal)
  • Beyond the Industrial Revolution in the Middle School. Teacher Enhancement in Science, Mathematics and Technology (1990), - National Science Foundation
    Faraji, S.
  • Investigation of Bridge No. L-15-49, Lowell, Massachusetts (1991), - Tenaska, Inc.
    Faraji, S.
  • Investigation of the University Avenue Bridge for Expected Deformation (1991), - Tenaska, Inc
    Faraji, S., Alberti, F.
  • Investigation of the Western Canal Bridge, Lowell, Massachusetts (1991), - Tenaska, Inc.
    Faraji, S., Alberti, F.
  • Dynamic Stress Analysis of a Six-story Concrete Parking Garage (1989), - Arthur Choo Associates, Inc.
    Faraji, S. (Principal)
  • Static and Dynamic Stress Analysis of a Bicycle Pathway (1989), - Arthur Choo Associates, Inc.
    Faraji, S. (Principal)
  • Stress Analysis of Structures under Time-Varying Loads (1987), - Maguire Group
    Faraji, S. (Principal)