Dr. Kuan-Chen Fu, P.E.

Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering
The University of Toledo
2801 W. Bancroft Street
Toledo, Ohio 43606-3390
Phone: (419)530-8120
E-mail: kfu@eng.utoledo.edu

Research Interest

Dr. Fu is an experienced civil engineer with interest in structural analysis, finite element and boundary element methods, and optimal systems design. He has done innovative and extensive work on structural optimization and the finite element method. His current research interest is in Genetic Algorithm and Neural Networks.

Academic Degrees:

bullet BSCE, National Cheng-Kung University, Taiwan, ROC.
bullet MSCE, The University of Notre Dame
bullet Ph.D., The University of Notre Dame

University of Toledo Appointment Record:

bullet Assistant Professor
bullet Associate Professor
bullet Professor, 1978

Other Professional Experience:

bullet Bridge designer, Charles W. Cole and Sons, South Bend, Indiana, 1959-1964.
bullet Structural engineer and computer programmer in Bridge Design Section, Hazelet and Erdal,
    Cincinnati, Ohio, Summer, 1966.
bullet Senior engineer and system analyst, Computer Service Department, J.E. Griener Co., Inc.,
    Baltimore, Maryland, Summer 1973.

Professional Registration:

Registered in the State of Indiana, No. 9768, since 1962.
Registered in the Republic of China, No. 3228, since 1979

Reviewed Professional Publications:

A. Journal and Conference Publications:

 

1. "Non-destructive evaluation of ceramic candle filters using artificial neural networks", Electronic Journal of Structural Engineering, 2005 Vol. 5, coauthored by Yanqin Zhou and Lijun Li.

2.      “Optimum Design of Welded Steel Plate Girder Bridges Using a Genetic Algorithm with Elitism", Journal of Bridge Engineering, May 2005, co-authors, Y. Zhai and S. Zhou.

3.      “Non-linear Finite Element Analysis for Highway Bridge Superstructures”, Journal of Bridge Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineering., May, 2003.

4.      “Minimum Cost Design of Plate Girder Bridges using a Genetic Algorithm”, accepted for presentation at the 15th ASCE Engineering Mechanics Conference, June 2-5, 2002, New York, New York.

5.      “The Solutions of a Complete Circular Cylindrical Shell under Concentrated Loads”, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, American Society of Civil Engineering, Vol.127, No.3, March 2001.

6.      “Non-Destructive Evaluation of Ceramic Candle Filters using Artificial Neural Networks,” accepted for presentation at the 18th Annual International Pittsburgh Coal Conference, December 3-7, 2001, Newcastle, Australia, sponsored by US Department of Energy, University of Pittsburgh and CSIRO Energy Technology.

7.      “Analysis of Shallow Cylindrical shell by Boundary Element Method,” International Journal of Solids and Structures, Vol. 35 Nos. 1-2, pp. 1-17, 1998

8.      "Plate Girder Bridge Design Using Genetic Algorithm", Presented at the Fourth World Congress on Computational Mechanics, June 29-July 2, 1998.

9.      "Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis of Composite Bridges", Proceedings of the Fourth NSF National Workshop on Bridge Research in Progress, Buffalo, New York, June 17-19, 1996, co-sponsored by the State University of New York and the National Science Foundation.

10.      "Shifting Natural Frequencies of Plates through Preforming," Journal of Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, Vol. 24, No.3, pp411-418, 1995.

11.      "The Effect of Initial Curvature on the Natural Frequency of a Thin Plate on Hinge Support," ASCE Journal of Engineering Mechanics, Vol. 120, No. 4, April, 1994.

12.  "The Influence of Preform on the Vibration Mode of a Thin Plate," ASCE Special Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering, Anaheim, California, June, 1993.

13.  "Rational Design of the Axially Adjustable System in a Strip Mill," 1993 Annual Meeting of Association of Iron and Steel Engineers, Nashville, Tennessee, May, 1993.

14.  A 3-D Morphometrical Study of the Distal Human Femur," co-authored with Dr. Hefzy Vol. 206, Journal of Engineering in Medicine, Dec. 1992.

15.  "Optimization of Axially Loaded Non-prismatic Column," International Journal of Computers and Structures, Vol. 43, No.1, pp. 159-162, 1992.

16.  "A Boundary Element Technique on the Solution of Cylindrical Shell Bending Problems," Proceedings of 13th International Conference on Boundary Element Method, Tulsa, Oklahoma, August 21-23, 1991, co-author, D. Ren.

17.  "The Analysis of a Spherical Shell," Proceedings of ASCE Engineering Mechanics Specialty Conference, Columbus, Ohio, May 19-22, 1991, co-author, A. Harb.

18.  "Engineering Applications of the Analysis of a Spherical Shell, Proceedings of ASCE Engineering Mechanics Specialty Conference, Columbus, Ohio, May 19-22, 1991, co-author, A. Harb.

19.  "The Development of the Integral Equation Method for the Analysis of a Spherical Shell under Axisymmetric Loads," February, 1990, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, American Society of Civil Engineers, co-Author: A. Harb.

20.  "The Analysis and Optimal Design of Spherical Shells Under Axisymmetric Loads," February, 1990, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, American Society of Civil Engineers, co-Author: A. Harb.

21.  "Shape Optimization of an Axially Loaded Column," Proceedings of Fourth International Colloquium on Structural Stability, Beijing, China, October, 1989, co-author, Dafan Ren.

22.  "A 3-D Geometrical Model of the Distal Human Femur," 1989 Advances in Bioengineering, ASME WAM, San Francisco, CA, Dec. 1989, pp. 89-90, co-author, Dr. M. S. Hefzy.

23.  "The Optimization of a Shell Structure," Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Boundary Element Method in Engineering, South Hampton University, England, 6-8 September, 1988, co-author, A. Harb.

24.  "Thermal Stresses of a Wind Turbine Blade Made of Orthotropic Material," International Journal of Computers and Structures, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 225-235, 1987.

25.  "Structural Design by Optimization Techniques," presented to the Annual Meeting of Ohio Academy of Science, April 26, 1986, published in The Ohio Journal of Science, Vol. 86, co-author: Tanoh V. Eyorokon.

26.  "Thermal Analysis of an Orthotropic Engineering Body," Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Applied Numerical Modeling, December, 1984, National Cheng-Kung University, Taiwan, The Republic of China.

27.  “Thermal-stress Analysis for a Wood Composite Blade," NASA publication, DOE/NASA/0373-1, NASA CR-174794, July, 1984, Available from National Technical Information Service. 

28.  "Shear Building Optimization with Dynamic Constraints," ASCE Eighth Conference on Electronic Computation, February 1983, Houston, Texas.

29.  "Computer Analysis of Continuous Bridges with Non-prismatic beams," Sino-American Symposium, September 1982, Peking, China.

30.  "An Innovative Concept in Structural Design," Proceedings of The 9th EMD/ASCE International Congress on the Application of Mathematics in Engineering, Weimar, Germany, June 28 - July 5, 1981.

31.  "Senior Project Design, An Exciting Course for Engineering Students", Proceedings of 1981 North Central Section, ASEE Conference, Dayton, Ohio, April 23 - 25, 1981.

32.  "Computer, a Teaching Aid in Structural Courses," presented at ASCE Seventh Conference on Electronic Computation, held on August 6-8, 1979 in St. Louis, Missouri. 

33.  "The Response Surface of a Simple Truss," presented at Third ASCE/EMD Specialty Conference held on September 17-19, 1979 at the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.

34.  "On the Unimodality of the Weight Function of a Five Bar Truss," International Journal of Computers & Structures, Vol. 9, pp. 331-333, 1978.

35.  "Discrete Frame Optimization by Complex-Simplex Procedure," International Journal of Computers & Structures, Vol. 9, pp. 207-217, l978.

36.  "A Method in Discrete Frame Optimization and Its Outlook," presented at "The Symposium on Future Trends in Computerized Structural Analysis and Synthesis" held October 30 to November 1, 1978 in Washington, D.C.

37.  "Optimum Structural Design with Discrete Variables," proceedings of Symposium on Applications of Computer Methods in Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, August, 1977.

38.  "Optimum Frame Design Using Available Sections," Proceedings of ASCE National Structural Engineering Conference, Madison, Wisconsin, August, 1976- complete paper.

39.  "Modified Penalty Function Technique for Roof Truss Optimization," Proceedings of Second Iranian Congress of Civil Engineering, May, 1976 - Complete paper.

40.  "On the Optimization Method and Its Application of Truss Design," Journal of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Vol. VI, February 1975.

41.  "An Application of Search Technique in Truss Configurational Optimization," International Journal of Computers and Structures, Vol. 3,1973.

42.  "Some Pragmatic Considerations on Truss Configurational Optimization," Proceedings of the 4th Canadian Congress of Applied Mechanics, Montreal Canada, May, 1973- extended outline.

43.  "Computer Science Education for an Overlooked Group, High School Teachers," SIGCSE Bulletin, a quarterly publication of the Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education, Association for Computing Machinery, Vol. 5, No. l, 1973.

44.  "An Experience in Innovating a Computerized Undergraduate Structural Analysis Course," Proceedings of the North Central Section of the American Society for Engineering Education, April, 1973, complete paper.

45.  "The Optimization of Truss Configuration," Transaction of Civil Engineering, The Engineering Journal, Engineering Institute of Canada, April 1972 issue.

46.  "Truss Configurational Optimization,  "Proceedings of National Symposium on Computerized Structural Analysis and Design, March 27-29, 1972, Washington, D. C. - Abstract.


B. U.S. Patent Award

  1. 1. U.S. patent Serial No. 5,448,901,'Rolling Mill Control System and Method for Controlling Axial Shifting of Rolls', was awarded on September 12, 1995.

Invited Academic Presentations and Reports:

  1. Invited by Tongji University to give lectures on Finite Element Methods and on Structural Optimization for Fall Semester, 1997.
  2. Invited by the Structural Section of Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center, US Department of Transportation to make a presentation on the subject of "Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis of Composite Bridges', on April 5, 1996.
  3. Invited by the Governmentof the Republic of China to attend National Development Seminar 1992 and make presentation on the subject of Engineering Education, Taipei, Taiwan, January 6-12, 1992.
  4. "The Integral Equation Method for Shell Analysis and Optimum Design," presented to the Civil Eng. Department, Chung-Yuan Christian University, Taipei, Taiwan, Dec. 31, 1991.
  5. "The Future of the Chinese Culture and China as a Nation," presented to the Chinese Culture University, Taipei, Taiwan, Dec. 30, 1991.
  6. "The Integral Equation Method for the Analysis of Shell," presented to the Seminar in Civil Engineering, Univ, of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, Oct. 11, 1991.
  7. "Shell Analysis and Optimization, "presented to the Graduate School of Civil Engineering, Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, Nov. 6-7, 1990.
  8. "A lecture series on the subjects of truss, frame and shell optimization," presented to the Graduate School of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics of the following universities:
    1. Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xian, China, Sept. 11-17., 1990,
    2. Chongqing Institute of Architecture & Engineering, Chongqing, China, Sept. 19-25, 1990,
    3. Southeast University, Nanjing, China, Oct. 1-5, 1990
    4. Qinghua University, Beijing, China, Oct. 10-16, 1990
    5. Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China, Oct. 18-24, 1990
    6. Zheziang University, Hangzhou, China, Oct. 26-30, 1990.
  9. "Thermal-stress Analysis of a Large Wind Turbine Blade," presented tothe Wind Energy Research Section, NASA, August 19, 1983.
  10. "Weight Minimization of a Wood Composite Blade," presented to the Wind Energy Research Section, NASA, August, 1982.
  11. "Taiwan - The Republic of China," presented at Toledo Compass Clubheld on August 2, 1979 in Toledo.
  12. "The Rapid Industrialization of Taiwan and Her Ten National Construction Projects," presented to the "Seminar on China," sponsored by The University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, April 7, 1977.
  13. "An Introduction to Optimization and Optimum Structural Frame Design, "Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio, May 12, 1976.
  14. "Structural Optimization and Its Outlook," Engineering Science Research Center, National Science Council, Tainan, Taiwan, China, November, 1974.
  15. "Truss Optimization and the Hypothesis of Unimodality," the Graduate School and the Department of Civil Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, China, May 15, 1975.
  16. "Engineering Education in the United States," National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, China, June 3, 1975.

Courses Taught:
bullet Finite Element Method, Advanced Finite Element Methods
bullet Structural Mechanics - Matrix Analysis, Advanced Structural Mechanics
bullet Structural Optimization, Structural Dynamics
bullet Elastic Stability, Advanced Strength of Materials
bullet Reinforced Concrete Design, Structural Steel Design
bullet Numerical Methods in Civil Engineering
 

Research and Lecture Grants:

  1. "Lectures on Finite Element Methods and Structural Optimization" to Tongji University, Shanghai, China, supported jointly by Tongji University and United Nations' STAR/TOKTEN program, which paid allexpenses for two months in China and for international travel, September to December, 1997
  2. "Lecture Tours on the Subject of Structural Optimization,"to six renowned universities in China, supported by United Nations' TOKTEN International Technology Exchange Program, which paid all expensesfor the 8-week visit in China and for international travel, September to November, 1990.
  3. "Finite Element Analysis of the Wood Composite Blade of a Large Wind Turbine," $40,000, NAG-3-373, U.S. National Aeronautics & Space Administration.
  4. "Optimization of the Geometry of Engineering Trusses," $17,000, GF42390, U.S. National Science Foundation.
  5. "Optimization of Truss Configurations under Deterministicand Probabilistic Loading Conditions," $13,700, GK4658, U.S. National Science Foundation.

 Awards and Recognition:
  1. Elected to be a Fellow in the American Societyof Civil Engineers since 1990
  2. Elected to be the referee of "Journal of Computingin Civil Engineering," ASCE, and to be a member of the Technical Council on Computer Practices (TCCP) Publication Committee.
  3. Listed in "The International Directory of Distinguished Leadership"
  4. Listed in Who's Who in Technology Today
  5. Listed in American Men of Science
  6. Listed in Who's Who in the Midwest
  7. Listed in Who's Who in the Republic of China
  8. Chair Professorship in Civil Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, ROC, 1974-75
  9. Elected reviewer of the Journal of Applied Mechanics Review
  10. Elected reviewer of research proposal submitted to the National Science Foundation
  11. Fellowship awards:
a. NASA-ASEE Faculty Research Fellowship, Summer, 1983
b. NASA-ASEE Faculty Research Fellowship, Summer, 1982
c. NASA-ASEE Faculty Fellowship, Summer, 1976