UVA Engineering Professor Researches Smart Metals

Associate Professor Osman Ozbulut at the University of Virginia is no stranger to earthquakes after experiencing them while growing up in Elazığ, Turkey.

The first student in Texas A&M’s civil engineering department to deeply research shape memory alloys, Dr. Ozbulut currently teaches at UVA’s Department of Engineering Systems and Environment. He later set up the Resilient and Advanced Infrastructure Laboratory at UVA. Since 2012, the professor’s time at UVA has been largely dedicated to building resilient, sustainable civil infrastructure systems, and his research on building material is one way to contribute to new engineering design while benefiting communities that suffer from natural disasters.

Dr. Ozbulut’s point of focus in his research are shape memory alloys because they are easily installed, effective, and resilient. The damper system is “the first shape memory alloy-based device that has the potential to be easily and cheaply fabricated to protect buildings from earthquakes in the future.” The device would essentially “absorb” the destructive energy of an earthquake and bounce back to its original shape, keeping buildings largely undamaged.

Studies show that the majority of deaths during earthquakes are due to the collapse of poorly built structures, but if new technologies like this are widely implemented, buildings would take the brunt of the damage while protecting those inside—and buildings themselves wouldn’t suffer as much damage. The technology is still being tested but results look promising! To read more about Dr. Ozbulut’s research on smart metals, see the full article here.