Felipe Contreras

Universidad de los Andes Colombia / Earthquake-Resilient Structural Engineering

Advisor: Prof. Andrés Torres

Felipe Contreras studies the seismic performance of buckling-restrained brace frames — an advanced lateral-load-resisting system increasingly adopted in high-rise construction — under the particular ground-motion hazard profile of Bogotá's soft lacustrine basin, where long-period spectral amplification can multiply structural demands by factors of 3–5 compared to rock-site records. At Universidad de los Andes's Civil Engineering department, supervised by Prof. Andrés Torres, he runs nonlinear time-history analyses in OpenSees using a suite of 60 near-fault and subduction records spectrally matched to the Bogotá basin response spectrum, tracking BRB core yielding strains and gusset plate rotational demands across 12 prototype archetypes. His experimental programme on a shake-table at the Universidad de los Andes structural laboratory validates the numerical models and reveals that current AISC 341 detailing provisions are insufficient for basin-amplified pulse-type motions, allowing cumulative plastic deformation demands that cause core fracture 40% earlier than the code design life assumes. Felipe's consulting engagement with the Bogotá District infrastructure office — which is assessing the BRB retrofit feasibility for 34 school buildings — means his research directly influences the city's seismic resilience investment programme.