Research Activities

Dr. Mtenga and his students are interested in a wide variety of problems in the general area of structural analysis and design, and construction materials. In the recent past, they have focused their research on the following issues:

1. Structural system reliability and performance, in which Dr. Mtenga and his team of students are studying the system influence on the classic design of individual components (members), structural stability and lateral bracing requirements.

2. Biocomposites, in which they are studying the physical and mechanical characteristics of building materials made from natural fibers bonded with either inorganic binders or polymers (synthetic and natural). These natural fibers include both virgin fibers and recycled ("waste") fibers (office paper, newsprint, chemically treated demolition products, agricultural residues, etc.). The research is aimed at the minimization of solid waste going to landfills, as well as the development of more efficient use natural resources, thus reducing deforestation and associated green house effect.

3. Performance of highway safety structures, in which Dr. Mtenga, Dr. Spainhour and their team of students are using forensic engineering techniques to determine the influence of various parameters on the field performance of these highway safety structures. In this study, they expect to develop a database that can be used by designers and owners to determine which type of highway safety structure is most effective in a given environment.

Dr. Mtenga has conducted research on the behavior of wood connections under static and dynamic loading, at the US Department of Agriculture's Forest Products Laboratory at Madison- Wisconsin and at the University of Dar-es-Salaam, see Recent publications

Conducted studies on performance and reliability of light-frame wood roof systems, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, see Recent publications

Conducted studies on stress laminated lumber bridge decks, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, see Recent publications

Current Research and External Funding

Funded Projects

Mtenga, P.V. (PI) "Strength Characterization of Wallaba Poles for Utility Utilization." Funding agency: Greenheart Company of America, Inc.. Budget: $44,500. Duration: 01/1999- 12/1999.

Wekezer, J.; Mtenga, P.V.; Yazdani, N. and Sobanjo, J.O. "Professional Services and Program Support for OTA Program Development, Analysis, Conduct and Evaluation." Funding agency: Federal Highway Administration. Budget: $861,174. Duration: 6/1998 – 5/2003.

Mtenga, P.V. (PI) "Safety Concerns In and Around a Transit System and Their Impact on Ridership." Funding agency: US-Department of Transportation through University of South Florida. Budget: $45,000. Duration: 1995-1996.

Mtenga, P.V. (PI) and Spainhour, L.K. "Field Performance of Roadside Barriers." Funding agency: Sponsored by Florida Department of Transportation. Budget:$215,000. Duration: 08/1996-06/1999.

Mtenga, P.V. (PI) and Alamo, R. "Affordable Bio-composite for Structural Engineering Applications." Funding agency: National Science Foundation. Budget: $7,000. Duration: 06/1996 – 05/1997.

Wekezer, J., (PI), Spainhour, L.K.; Tawfiq, K.S. and Mtenga, P.V. "Analysis of Dynamic Stress Fields in Pavements and Transportation Infrastructure", Funding agency: National Science Foundation. Budget: $270,078. Duration: 01/1996 – 12/1998.

Nnaji, S. and Mtenga, P.V. "Decision Support System in Mass Transit Systems: Phase II". Funding agency: US-Department of Transportation through University of South Florida. Budget: $106,500. Duration: 07/1994- 12/1997.

Yazdani, N. (PI) and Mtenga, P.V. " Investigation of Camber in Bridge Girders", Funding agency: Florida Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration. Budget: $90,000. Duration: 10/94 – 06/97.

Nnaji, S. and Mtenga, P.V. "Decision Support System in Mass Transit Systems: Phase I". Funding agency: US-Department of Transportation through University of South Florida. Budget: $103,500. Duration: 07/1992- 12/1994.

Mtenga, P.V. (PD) "Undergraduate Laboratory for Structural Mechanics", Funding agency: National Science Foundation. Budget: $101,377. Duration: 7/1993 – 6/1995.

Past Research Efforts (before joining the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering)

My research interests are primarily in the areas of wood engineering, structural analysis, highway safety structures, with secondary interests in numerical analysis, decision support systems and the application of technology in engineering education.

A significant early step in my research career was during my Master of Science (MS) studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During this period, I was involved in the study of the behavior of nailed joints under dynamic loading. This included experimental work at the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin.

My doctoral research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison dealt with the performance and reliability of light-frame roof assemblies. The results of this study, together with several related and follow-up studies, contributed to ASTM Committee D-7 discussions in its deliberations on how to include system effect in the design of light-frame truss assemblies.

Present Research Efforts

I joined the Civil Engineering Department at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in the fall of 1991. At that time, there was no laboratory associated with the Structural Engineering courses. My belief in the need and importance of learning by experimentation motivated me to write a proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) requesting funding under the Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement (ILI) Program. Using the NSF grant, with matching funds from the University, I designed and equipped a laboratory facility for the Strength of Materials course. At my suggestion, the department formally started a mandatory laboratory class in Strength of Materials in the fall of 1996. So far, I have received very positive feedback from the students who have taken the laboratory class. Though it is primarily a teaching laboratory, the Strength of Materials Instruction Laboratory has proved to be very useful in my research efforts to date.

Research funding from outside sources is very important as far as research productivity is concerned. Sponsored research funding is essential in attracting promising graduate students. This is more important in attracting Ph.D. level students, who are very critical in a university-based research. The Civil Engineering Department at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, which was established in 1982, is gradually evolving from a primarily teaching department to a teaching/research department. On my arrival in 1991, it was primarily an undergraduate instruction department with a four years old Masters program and very limited graduate student enrollment. The Civil Engineering program was granted Ph.D. offering status only in the fall 1997. Furthermore, the departmental research facilities in my area of interest, structural engineering, are very limited, an issue that was pointed out by a number of those who reviewed my proposal submitted for outside funding solicitation. This situation motivated me to propose and develop a conceptual design for a Structural Research Laboratory at the College. My effort came to fruition when the idea was incorporated in the Phase II of the building, in which we have a two floor high structural laboratory and a strong reaction floor. The phase II building is scheduled to be operational in the fall semester 1998. This new laboratory and the recent Ph.D. offering by the department will increase my competitiveness in research, thus allowing me to bring additional outside funding to the college.

Despite the limited research facilities in the area of structural engineering at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, I have worked diligently to secure research funding from outside sources. I have written or co-written a total of 26 proposals, which were submitted to various state, federal and private funding agencies. The proposals I submitted can be subdivided into the following broad categories: a) wood and wood-based materials and structures; b) highway safety structures and issues; c) classroom instruction issues; d) knowledge-based decision making issues; and e) general topics related to structural engineering. Among these submitted proposals, eight (8) were funded, bringing to the college over $1.8 million. Four (4) of the proposals remain outstanding, awaiting disposition from the funding agencies. The details of these proposals are attached immediately after this statement.

The breakdown of the external funding I attracted to the College over the tenure track period is presented in Table RS-1. From this table it can be observed that for the duration that I have been on tenure track the ratio of external funding that I had to my salary ranged from 1.68 to 2.51 with an average of 2.13 .

In addition to the many research proposals submitted, I have written or co-written numerous technical publications in my field. These include: nine papers for refereed journals, three papers for refereed conference proceedings, nine papers for conference proceedings, two consulting project reports, five research project reports and one student laboratory manual. Details of these technical publications are presented in my resume.

In 1995 I was the lead author of a paper on "System Factors for Light-Frame Wood Roof Assemblies," published ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering. This paper, together with related work, has initiated debate both on conference floors, ASTM Committee D7 and in direct personal communication. For example during the Structural Engineering World Congress held in San Francisco (July 19-23, 1998), in a paper by Gromala and Sharp (Elsevier Science, paper T206-6) titled "On the Use and Mis-Use of Reliability Analysis in Wood Structural Design," my contribution was cited in length as follows:

........

Example 2. Mtenga, et al (1995) examines the theoretical performance of fully-sheathed, trussed roof systems. This paper focuses on one type of truss (Fink, simple span), one type of loading (uniform) one system size (7 trusses at 24" spacing) and three roof slopes (3:12; 6:12; 10:12).

In this paper, the authors exhibit excellent judgment in presenting their results. While their analyses showed cases in which computed system factors far exceeded current design practice (factors up to 2.2 were computed), they state that the conservatism in current factors "must be retained until more sophisticated analysis models. are fully verified and accepted for design." The authors provide a useful comparison of factors computed by both reliability analysis and by more conventional methods – and discuss the results of the reliability analysis in the context that they complement and independently verify the results from the conventional analysis. When presented in this manner, the results provide an excellent addition to the knowledge-base of the structural engineering community.

The above debate is part of an effort to recognize system effect in the design of light-frame metal-plated wood assemblies. This is an active topic in ASTM Committee D 7.

To address some of the concerns raised in these type discussions, I have initiated an un-funded research project to investigate the impact of some site conditions on the behavior of these wood systems. Some of the results these efforts are in a paper under review for Forest Products Journal titled "Performance of Metal-plated Wood Joints Exposed to Periods of Soaking Moisture."

Future Research Efforts

My future research efforts include the following:

1. Continuation of the studies that I have been conducting in the area of wood engineering. These studies have been on metal-plated joints subject to environmental effects. After the investigation of all the major parameters that may have an effect on the behavior, I am planning to use the information to study their impact on system behavior. This study will assist the wood truss industry in the development and adaptation of the system factor in the design of light-frame wood systems.
2. With the Structural Research Laboratory operational in the Phase II building, I am planning to conduct testing of a prototype of light-frame wood systems subjected to loads similar to those impacted by hurricane forces. This is a very pertinent issue in Florida.
3. Increase my efforts to secure funding in the area of "bio-composites." This work will be conducted in collaboration with other agencies, such as the University of Dar-Es-Salaam, under the umbrella of the Florida A&M University – University of Dar-Es-Salaam Link Agreement. This arrangement is important because of the fact that Tanzania has an abundance of the needed raw materials, while high end testing facilities such as the electron microscope to examine fracture pattern are available at the FAMU-FSU CoE.

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