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Wilkins Aquino

Associate Professor

Primary Research Areas

  • structural engineering

Graduate Fields

Research Focus

His current research emphasizes the development and application of new computational and sensing techniques for structural health monitoring, service life prediction, and smart structures. For this purpose, his research group draws knowledge from different areas of engineering and science such as machine learning and computational intelligence, computational mechanics, optimization, among others.

Current projects include the development of self-learning finite element codes, application of coevolutionary strategies for structural damage identification, inverse identification of material properties in soft tissues using non-contact ultrasound and machine learning strategies, and inverse identification of transient thermal properties in early age concrete.

Other research interests include simulation of structural degradation due to corrosion processes, durability mechanics, and progressive collapse analysis.

Educational Background

  • Ph.D. - U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - 2002
  • M.S. - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - 1999
  • B.S. - Purdue University - 1997

Research Grants

  • MULTIDIMENSIONAL HEART IMAGING WITH ULTRASOUND
  • CAREER: A SIMULATION ENVIRONMENT FOR STUDYING AGING AND DEGRADATION OF STRUCTURES AND MATERIALS
  • INCORPORATING MATERIALS AGING AND DEGRADATION INTO THE ANALYSIS OF SHIP STRUCTURES

Selected Publications

PubMed Listings
• John C. Brigham, W. Aquino, F. Mitri, J.F. Greenleaf, and M. Fatemi (2007). Inverse Estimation of Viscoelastic Material Models for Solids Immersed in Fluids using Acoustic Emissions. Journal of Applied Physics, 101, DOI: 10.1063/1.2423227.

• W. Aquino (2007). An Object-Oriented Framework for Reduced-Order Modeling Using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, Vol. 196/41-44, pp 4375-4390.

• John C. Brigham and W. Aquino (2007) Surrogate-Model Accelerated Random Search Algorithm for Global Optimization with Applications to Inverse Material Identification, Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, Vol. 196/45-48 pp 4561-4576, DOI: 10.1016/j.cma.2007.05.013

• B. Kouchmeshky, W. Aquino, J.C. Bongard, and H. Lipson (2007).Coevolutionary Strategy for Structural Damage Identification using Minimal Physical Testing. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering Volume 69, Issue 5, Pages 1085-1107.

• S. W. Phillips, W. Aquino, and W. Chirdon (2007). Simultaneous Inverse Identification of Transient Thermal Properties and Heat Sources Using Sparse Sensor Information. Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, December.

• B. Kouchmeshky, W. Aquino, and Adam E. Billek. (2007). Structural Damage Identification Using Frequency Response Functions and Coevolutionary Algorithms. Journal of Structural Control and Health Monitoring, in press, DOI: 10.1002/stc.211.

• W. Chirdon, W. Aquino, and K. Hover (2007). A Method for Measuring Transient Thermal Diffusivity in Hydrating Portland Cement Mortars Using an Oscillating Boundary Temperature. Cement and Concrete Research, Vol. 37, 680-690.

• W. Aquino and I. Erdem. (2007) Implementation of the Modified Compression Field Theory in a Tangent Stiffness-Based Finite Element Formulation. Journal of Steel and Composite Structures, Vol. 7, No. 4, 263-278.

• W. Aquino and J. C. Brigham. (2006). Self-Learning Finite Elements for Inverse Estimation of Thermal Constitutive Models. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 49, 15-16, 2466-2478.

• W. Aquino and N. M. Hawkins. (2007). Seismic Rehabilitation of Corroded Columns Using Carbon Composites. ACI Structural Journal, May-June, 346-354.

• W. Aquino, N. M. Hawkins, D. Lange. (2004). Moisture Distribution in Partially Enclosed Concrete. ACI Materials Journal, 101, No. 4, July-August, 259-265.

• W. Aquino, D.A. Lange, J. Olek. (2001). Influence of Metakaolin and Silica Fume on the Chemistry of ASR Products. Cement and Concrete Composites, 23, 6, 485-493.