Publications
Research
Papers and reports from my PhD work on concrete columns and steel connections, each with a short plain-English summary.
-
2026
Flexural Stiffness of Slender Reinforced Concrete Columns: Evaluating Design Codes, Long-Term Loading and Second-order Effects ↗
J. Esmaeelpour · PhD dissertation, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Better design equations for tall, slender concrete columns, plus a tool for modeling how concrete slowly creeps and shrinks over time.
-
2026
Design for Stability of Structural Steel Connections Using the Component-Based Finite Element Method ↗
M. D. Denavit, J. Esmaeelpour, M. Vild · Annual Stability Conference, Structural Stability Research Council (SSRC)
A way to check whether steel connections stay stable under load, using computer models.
-
2025
Evaluating Flexural Stiffness Equations for the Stability Design of Slender Reinforced Concrete Bridge Columns ↗
J. Esmaeelpour, M. D. Denavit, M. H. Scott · Journal of Bridge Engineering, ASCE, 30(11)
How well do the equations used to design tall bridge columns hold up? This paper tests them and shows where they fall short.
-
2024
Second Order Effects on the Design of Slender Reinforced Concrete Bridge Columns ↗
M. D. Denavit, J. Esmaeelpour, M. H. Scott, M. Zhu · Caltrans Report CA24-3684
Checks whether the design code's shortcut for tall bridge columns is accurate enough for real bridges.
-
2024
Further Investigation of Bearing and Tearout of Steel Bolted Connections ↗
M. D. Denavit, J. Esmaeelpour, P. Poudel · AISC Research Report No. 04
Tests and models of how bolted steel connections fail when the bolts pull against the plate.
-
2020
Performance of Reinforced Concrete Structures Against Progressive Collapse Due to Impact Loading ↗
J. Esmaeelpour, A. Naji · International Congress on Contemporary Trends in Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Urban Development, 3(1)
How concrete buildings hold up against progressive collapse when something hits them.