John T. DeWolf
Biographical Sketch
John T. DeWolf’s initial professional experience was as a structural engineer with the firm of
Albert Kahn Associates in Detroit Michigan. He was involved in the design of large steel and
concrete buildings, including hospitals, manufacturing buildings and academic buildings.
He came to the University of Connecticut in 1973. He is now Professor Emeritus, Civil and
Environmental Engineering. He is co-author with Ferdinand P. Beer and E. Russell Johnston of
Mechanics of Materials, McGraw-Hill. He has continued to receive awards for his teaching from
the undergraduate Civil & Environmental students at the University of Connecticut. He has also
received an American Institute of Steel Construction Educator Career Enhancement Award. In
2006, he was selected as a University of Connecticut Teaching Fellow.
At the University of Connecticut, his research activities included stability studies of columns,
beams and frames, studies of the torsion behavior of beams and the development of design
guidelines on structural connections. His work has also included finite element analyses of
concrete foundations and the development of analytical guidelines for structural frame design.
He is the principal author of the design guide on steel column base plates, published by the
American Institute of Steel Construction.
During the past twenty five years, his research has primarily involved different techniques for
monitoring highway bridges. This began with a vibration study a four span continuous bridge
across the Connecticut River. This was followed by further studies to develop approaches for
long-term structural health monitoring. Presently he has two continuing research projects. One
involves long-term monitoring on a network of bridges in Connecticut. The other involves use of
short-term strain to assist the Connecticut Department of Transportation with their bridge
infrastructure.
DeWolf has also developed guidelines for implementing writing assignments into engineering
courses. These have been combined with back-of-the envelop calculations to provide a basis for
exploring different engineering designs. He has also studied the design and construction of
gothic cathedrals. He has used some of this material to introduce freshmen students to the field
of structural engineering.
John DeWolf has been active in the University Senate, as well as in different professional
societies. He is a professional member of the State of Connecticut Board of Professional
Engineering and Land Surveyors. In 2004, he was elected to the Connecticut Academy of
Science and Engineering.
Education
B.S. University of Hawaii, 1966
M.E. Cornell University, 1967
Ph.D., Cornell University, 1973
Research Areas
Bridge Vibrations and Monitoring Systems
Steel Building Frames
Stability of Structural Systems
Finite Element Methods
Selected Publications
F.P. Beer, E. R. Johnston, J.T. DeWolf and David F. Mazurek. 2009. "Mechanics of Materials,"
Fifth Edition, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
J.T. DeWolf. 2006. Incorporating of Writing Assignments in Steel Design Courses. Web site,
American Institute of Steel Construction.
J.T. DeWolf and D. Ricker. 1990. "Design of Column Base Plates." American Institute of
Steel Construction, Steel Design Guide Series 1, Chicago, Illinois.
J.W. Kou and J.T. DeWolf. 1997. Vibrational Behavior of Continuous Span Highway Bridge Influencing Variables. Journal Structural Division, American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol.
123, No. 3:333-344.
J.T. DeWolf, M.P. Culmo and R.G. Lauzon. 1998. Connecticut’s Bridge Infrastructure
Monitoring Program for Assessment. Journal Infrastructure Systems, American Society of Civil
Engineering, Vol. 4, No. 2:86-90.
J. Zhao, J.N. Ivan and J.T. DeWolf. 1998. Structural Damage Detection Using Artificial Neural
Networks. Journal Infrastructure Systems, American Society of Civil Engineering, Vol. 124, No.
3:93-101.
J.T. DeWolf and M.P. Culmo. 1998. Nondestructive Evaluation of the Steel Bridge
Infrastructure. Technology, Law and Insurance. Vol. 3, No. 4:251-260.
J. Zhao and J.T. DeWolf. 1999. Sensitivity Study for Vibrational Parameters Used in Damage
Detection. Journal Structural Division, American Society of Civil Engineers. Vol. 125, No.
4:410-416.
J. Yang and J.T. DeWolf. 1999. Mathematical Model for Relaxation in High-Strength Bolted
Connections. Journal Structural Division, American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. 125, No.
8:803-809.
R. Sartor, M.P. Culmo and J.T. DeWolf. 1999. Short Term Strain Monitoring of Bridge
Structures. Journal Bridge Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. 4, No. 3:157164.
J. Yang and J.T. DeWolf. 2000. Relaxation in High-Strength Bolted Connections Using
Galvanized Steel. Journal Bridge Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers. Vol. 5, No.
2:99-106.
Y. Fu and J.T. DeWolf. 2001. Monitoring and Analysis of a Bridge with Partially Restrained
Bearings. Journal of Bridge Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers. Vol. 6, No.
1:23-29.
J.T. DeWolf. 2002. Incorporation of Writing into a Steel Design Course. Journal of
Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, American Society of Civil Engineers.
Vol. 128, No. 2:71-74.
J. Yang and J.T. DeWolf. 2002. Load Testing of a Deteriorated Concrete Box Girder Bridge.
Advances in Structural Engineering, Vol. 5, No. 2:63-73.
J. Zhao and J.T. DeWolf. 2002. Dynamic Monitoring of Steel Girder Highway Bridge. Journal
of Bridge Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers. Vol. 7, No. 6:350-356.
J. Yang and J.T. DeWolf. 2002. Reliability Assessment of Highway Truss Sign Supports.
Journal of Structural Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers. Vol. 128, No. 11:14291438.
J.T. DeWolf, R.G. Lauzon and M.P. Culmo. 2002. Monitoring Bridge Performance. Structural
Health Monitoring Journal. Vol. 1, No. 2:129-138.
Y. Fu and J.T. DeWolf. 2002. Cracking in a Curved, Reinforced Concrete Box Girder Bridge.
Advances in Structural Engineering, Vol. 5, No. 4:231-239.
Y. Fu and J.T. DeWolf. 2004. Effect of Differential Temperature on a Curved Post-Tensioned
Concrete Bridge. Advances in Structural Engineering. Vol. 7, No. 4:385-397.
J. Yang, M. P. Culmo and J.T. DeWolf. 2004. Stability Analysis of Truss Type Highway Sign
Support Structures. Wind & Structures. Vol. 7, No. 6, pp. 393-404.
M.P. Culmo, J.T. DeWolf and M. R. DelGrego. 2004. Behavior of Steel Bridges Under
Superload Permit Vehicles. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation
Research Board, No. 1892, TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., pp. 107-114.
R.G. Lauzon and J.T. DeWolf. 2006 Ambient Vibration Monitoring of a Highway Bridge
Undergoing a Destructive Test. Journal of Bridge Engineering, American Society of Civil
Engineers. Vol. 11, No. 5:1-9.
S. Chakraborty and J.T. DeWolf. 2006. Development and Implementation of a Continuous
Strain Monitoring System on a Multi-Girder Composite Steel Bridge. Journal of Bridge
Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers. Vol. 11, No. 6:753-762.
P. Mondal and J.T. DeWolf. 2007. Development of Computer-Based System for the
Temperature Monitoring of a Post-Tensioned Segmental Concrete Box-Girder Bridge.
Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering. Vol. 22:65-77.
J. Zhao and J.T. DeWolf. 2007. Modeling and Damage Detection for Cracked I-Shaped Steel
Beams. Structural Engineering and Mechanics, Vol. 25, No. 2:131-146.
J.T. DeWolf. 2007. Incorporation of writing Assignments into Structural Design Courses.
Structures, National Council of Structural Engineers Associations. Vol. 14, No. 4: 52-53.
C. Liu and J.T. DeWolf. 2007. Effect of temperature on Modal Variability of a Curved
Concrete Bridge under Ambient Loads. Journal of Structural Engineering, American Society of
Civil Engineers. Vol. 133, No. 12: 1742-1751.
J.K. Olund and J.T. DeWolf. 2007. Passive Structural Health Monitoring of Connecticut’s
Bridge Infrastructure. Journal of Infrastructure Systems, American Society of Civil Engineers.
Vol. 13, No. 4:330-339.
M.R. DelGrego, M.P. Culmo and J.T. DeWolf. 2008. Performance Evaluation through Field
Testing of Century-Old Railroad Truss Bridge. Journal of Bridge Engineering, American Society
of Civil Engineers. Vol. 13, No. 2:132-138.