About
Dr. Elkady is a Lecturer in Structural Engineering at the University of Southampton. He specializes in the performance of steel and composite steel/concrete structures under multi-hazards, with particularly strong experience in large-scale testing and advanced numerical modelling and simulation of structural components and systems under seismic loading.
Research
Research groups
Research interests
- Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering.
- Collapse Risk and Loss Assessment of Steel and Composite Buildings.
- Resilience-based design, retrofit and rehabilitation of Existing Structures.
- Nonlinear Numerical and Finite Element Modelling and Analysis of Structures.
- Large-Scale Experimental Evaluation of Structural Components and Systems.
Current research
Development of robust numerical models for predicting structural demands and collapse risk
Within the context of performance-based engineering, robust numerical models are essential in predicting structural behavior accurately under different hazards and to guide design and retrofit schemes. Such models are also needed to predict collapse risk due to structural instability which is equally important from a life-safety point-of-view. This research focuses on developing mechanics-based and data-driven numerical models that can accurately capture the different degrading mechanisms in various structural components and connections.
Energy-dissipative devices and smart connections for damage mitigation
The design of critical structures -in particular- is more concerned with limiting damage in structural and non-structural elements to ensure continuous functionality and to avoid monetary losses. The objective of this research is to: 1) develop accurate fragility functions for the different damage states in critical components and 2) utilize advances in manufacturing and material science to develop structural fuses and smart connections as means to isolate critical components from structural demands.
EaRL – Software for Earthquake Risk, Loss & Lifecycle Assessment
EaRL is an open source MATLAB-based software for earthquake risk, loss and lifecycle Analysis. EaRL provides an interactive and user-friendly platform for evaluating the consequences of natural hazards in general, and seismic hazard in particular, on the built environment and communities, in support of the performance-based earthquake engineering framework. The software platform is meant to assist engineers, stakeholders, (re-) insurers and building owners make informed design/retrofit decisions to mitigate the impact of earthquake hazard on the built infrastructure and potentially optimize the seismic lifecycle performance of infrastructure assets. This is supported by a comprehensive library for visualizing and reporting the disaggregated economic losses. Being an open-source software, EaRL paves the way for researchers and practicing engineers worldwide to collaborate and contribute to its metadata, functionalities and interactive features. The choice of the versatile Matlab and GitHub environments, in addition to the software's well-documented technical details and codebase, will hopefully stimulate further developments in support of performance-based design.
FM-2D
Frame Modeler 2D is an open-source MATLAB-based computational platform for modeling and analyzing building assets (steel MRFs and CBFs supported in current release) in OpenSEES using state-of-the-art modeling guidelines.
Download executable and source code here
Video tutorials on YouTube
SCRonED
SRConED is an interactive interface for exploring and processing a recently-collated comprehensive experimental database for bare steel and composite semi-rigid (SR) connections. The current version of the database (v1.0) include data for flush end-plate connections (FEP) covering more than 360 tests from 58 experimental programs. Data for other SR connections will be rolled out in future versions.
Access the database and download installation executable here
Two-Dimensional OpenSEES Numerical Models for Archetype Steel Buildings with Special Moment Frames
Ready-to-run 2-dimensional nonlinear OpenSEES numerical models for archetype steel buildings (4, 8, 12 and 20-story) with special moment frames designed in California according to ASCE 7-10.
- Download models and full documentation here.
II-DAP: Interactive Interface for Dynamic Analysis Procedures (Version 1.3.0)
The Interactive Interface for Dynamic Analysis Procedures (IIDAP) is a standalone MATLAB-based program that performs various dynamic analysis procedures for deteriorating and non-deteriorating single degree-of-freedom (SDoF) systems. The program is able to develop fragility curves of various damage states including collapse. It also interfaces with site-specific hazard curves to compute the mean annual frequency of collapse. The program works both in MAC and Windows machines.
- Software files downloadable here.
- Installation procedures and tutorials can be found in the following link
Steel Wide-Flange Column Test Data
This repository contains test data sets for two experimental programs on 22 steel wide-flange columns tested under cyclic lateral drift combined with axial load. The data includes the moment-rotation hysteretic response at the column base as well as the history of the column axial shortening.
Download the data repository here
Research projects
Active projects
Publications
Teaching
CENV2026 Numerical Methods
CENV2035 City Infrastructure Design Project
Year 4 Civil Engineering Coordinator
Biography
I obtained my bachelor degree (BSc, Hons) in Civil Engineering from Alexandria University, Egypt and my graduate degrees, MSc and PhD, from McGill University, Canada. Prior to joining the University of Southampton in Fall 2019, I worked as a research scientist in the Resilient Steel Structures Laboratory at École Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland from 2016 to 2019.
My research primarily focuses on structural resilience by 1) quantifying structural robustness metrics such as collapse risk and economic losses following man-made and natural hazards; and 2) developing methodologies for mitigating damage. This is achieved through integrated experimental and computational research. Past research has involved both large-scale and full-scale testing of deep steel columns under cyclic loading as well as comprehensive numerical and analytical studies to investigate collapse risk in archetype steel frame buildings under seismic hazard. This work has influenced the North American (AISC and CSA) seismic provisions related to the design of steel moment-resisting frame systems. Landmark experimental data complemented with high fidelity finite element simulations were used to develop nonlinear modelling recommendations for steel beam-columns and composite steel beams in support of performance-based seismic design and assessment as part of the ASCE 41 guidelines for seismic assessment of new and existing structures.
At the University of Southampton, I continue to utilize the state-of-the-art facilities within the National Infrastructure Laboratory to further expand our understanding of the degrading mechanisms in the built environment under natural and man-made hazards and to develop design provisions and innovative techniques to mitigate damage and improve resilience. See under “Research” section for more details.