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Matthew R. Eatherton

Professor and Raymond G. & Madelyn Ann Curry Fellow

Matthew R. Eatherton

Matthew R. Eatherton, Professor and Raymond G. & Madelyn Ann Curry Fellow

105-A Patton Hall
Blacksburg, VA, USA 24061
Mail Code: (0105)



Program Area : Structural Engineering and Materials
Personal Homepage : http://www.eatherton.cee.vt.edu/
Professional Registration : California P.E., California S.E.
meather@vt.edu
(540) 231-4559

Areas of Interest

Steel structures, high performance seismic force resisting systems, earthquake resistance of structures, structural dynamics, sustainability of structural systems, experimental research and methods

  • Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2010
  • M.S. in Civil Engineering, University of Missouri at Columbia, 1999
  • B.S. in Civil Engineering, University of Missouri at Columbia, 1997
  • Associate, GFDS Engineers, San Francisco, CA (2001-2006)
  • Design Engineer, Leigh and O'Kane Structural Engineers, Kansas City, MO (2000-2001)
  • Design Engineer, Constructive Engineering Design, Kansas City, MO (1999-2000)
  • Montague-Betts Professorship in Structural Steel Design 2024
  • American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Special Achievement Award 2024
  • Virginia Tech College of Engineering Certificate of Teaching Excellence 2024
  • Virginia Tech College of Engineering Certificate of Teaching Excellence 2021
  • Raymond G. and Madelyn Ann Curry Faculty Fellow 2018
  • Virginia Tech College of Engineering Faculty Fellow 2016
  • American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Moissef Paper Award 2016
  • American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Early Faculty Award 2016
  • 2015 NSF CAREER Award (Faculty Early Career Development Program)
  • Virginia Tech CIDER Teacher of the Week, 2015
  • Virginia Tech Scholar of the Week, 2015
  • 2013 Dean’s Award for Outstanding New Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech College of Engineering – in recognition of extraordinary performance
  • American Institute of Steel Construction Milek Faculty Fellowship 2012 – given to one person per year for potential to contribute to steel research and education
  • CEE 3434: Design of Steel Structures I
  • CEE 5430: Intermediate Design of Steel Buildings
  • CEE 5470: Structural Design for Seismic Load Effects
  • CEE 5744: Topics in Structural Steel Design
  • CEE 6434: Advanced Steel Design
  • Avellaneda-Ramirez, R. E., Eatherton, M. R., Easterling, W. S., Schafer, B. W., Hajjar, J. F. (2024) “Experimental Program on Behavior of Concrete-Filled Steel Deck Composite Diaphragms” Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 150, No. 2
  • Mercado-Celin M.A., Eatherton, M.R., Murray, T.M. (2024) “Four-Bolt Unstiffened End-Plate Moment Connections with 36 in. Deep Beams for Intermediate Moment Frame”, AISC Engineering Journal, First Quarter
  • Wei, G., Eatherton, M.R., Schafer, B.W., and Seek, M. (2024) “Evaluating the Use of Standing Seam Roof as Beam Lateral Bracing”, Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Vol. 212
  • Stevens, R., Hebdon, M., and Eatherton, M.R. (2024) “Seismic Behavior of Steel Moment Frame Connections with Repairs in the Plastic Hinge Region”, Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 140, No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1061/JSENDH.STENG-12970
  • Nguyen, T.N., and Eatherton, M.R. (2023) “Computational and Experimental Study of Structural Fuses Optimized to Resist Buckling” Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Vol. 201
  • Wei, G., Foroughi, H., Torabian, S., Eatherton, M.R., and Schafer, B.W. (2023) “Seismic Design of Diaphragms for Steel Buildings Considering Diaphragm Inelasticity”, Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 149, No. 7
  • Bompa, D.V., Elghazouli, A.Y., Bogdan, T., Eatherton, M.R., and Leon, R.T. (2023) “Inelastic Cyclic Response of RBS Connections with Large Sections” Engineering Structures, Vol. 281, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2023.115758
  • Nguyen, T. and Eatherton, M.R. (2023) “Development of the Tied Butterfly Shape for Structural Fuses”, Engineering Structures, Vol. 297
  • Koutromanos, I. Tola-Tola, Adrian, and Eatherton, M.R. (2022) “Phase-field description of ductile fracture in structural steel under cyclic loading” Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 148, No. 7.
  • Tola, A., Eatherton, M.R., and Koutromanos, I. (2022) “Experimental Program for Characterization of Low-Cycle Fatigue Fracture in Structural Steel” Journal of Engineering Fracture Mechanics, Volume 276, Part A
  • Qi, L., Leon, R.T., Eatherton, M.R., and Paquette, J.L. (2021) “Parametric Investigation on the Design of RBS Moment Connections with Jumbo Beams and Columns”, Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Vol. 177.
  • Fang, C., Wang, W., Qiu, C., MacRae, G., and Eatherton, M. (2021) “Seismic Resilient Steel Structures: A Critical Review of Research, Practice, Challenges and Opportunities”, Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Volume 191, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2022.107172.
  • Eatherton, M.R. and Maurya, A. (2020) “Experimental Investigation of a Self-Centering Beam Moment Frame”, AISC Engineering Journal, Vol. 57, pp. 221-241.
  • Eatherton, M.R., O’Brien, P.E., and Easterling, W.S. (2020) “An Examination of Ductility and Seismic Diaphragm Design Force Reduction Factors for Steel Deck and Composite Diaphragms” Journal of Structural Engineering, DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943-541X.0002797.
  • Huang, X., Eatherton, M.R., and Zhou, Z. (2020) “Initial Stiffness of Self-Centering Systems and Application to Self-Centering-Beam Moment-Frames” Engineering Structures, Vol. 203, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2019.109890
  • Farzampour, A., and Eatherton, M.R. (2019) “Parametric Study on Butterfly-Shaped Hysteretic Dampers” Frontiers of Structural and Civil Engineering, Vol. 13, pp 1214-1226, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-019-0550-6
  • Wood, M.T., Eatherton, M.R., and Galitz, C.L. (2019) “Pretensioning Procedures for ASTM F3043 Twist-Off Type Tension Control Bolt Assemblies” Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Vol. 155, pp. 385-394, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2019.01.003.
  • Wei, G., Koutromanos, I., Murray, T.M., and Eatherton, M.R. (2019) “Investigation of Partial Tension Field Action in Gable Frame Panel Zones”, Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Vol. 162, pp. 1-11, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2019.105746.
  • Avecillas, J.A., and Eatherton M.R. (2019) “Controlling Out-of-Plane Buckling in Shear-Acting Structural Fuses Through Topology Optimization”, Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 146, No. 7.
  • Phillips, A.R., and Eatherton, M.R. (2018) “Large-Scale Experimental Study of Ring Shaped-Steel Plate Shear Walls” Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 144, No. 8, pp. 1-13.
  • Farzampour, A., and Eatherton, M.R. (2018) “Yielding and Lateral Torsional Buckling Limit States for Butterfly-Shaped Shear Links”, Engineering Structures, Vol. 180, pp. 442-251.
  • Phillips, A.R. and Eatherton, M.R. (2018) “Computational Study of Elastic and Inelastic Ring Shaped – Steel Plate Shear Wall Behavior”, Engineering Structures, Vol. 177, pp. 655-667, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2018.10.008
  • Plaut, R. and Eatherton, M. (2017) “Lateral-Torsional Buckling of Butterfly-Shaped Beams with Rectangular Cross Section” Engineering Structures, Vol. 136, pp. 210-218.
  • Maurya, A., and Eatherton, M.R. (2016) “Experimental Study of the Restoring Force Mechanism in the Self-Centering Beam (SCB)” Frontiers of Structural and Civil Engineering, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 272-282.
  • Judd, J.P., Marinovic, I., Eatherton, M.R., Hyder, S., Phillips, A.R., and Charney, F.A. (2016) “Cyclic tests of all-steel web-restrained buckling-restrained brace subassemblages” Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Vol. 125, pp. 164-172.
  • Bruce, T., Eatherton, M. (2016) “Behavior of Post-Tensioning Strand Systems Subjected to Inelastic Cyclic Loading” Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 142, No 10.
  • Adekristi, A., and Eatherton, M.R. (2016) “Spectral Matching Algorithm using Wavelets and Broyden Nonlinear Solution Scheme” Journal of Earthquake Engineering, Vol. 20, No. 5, pp. 679-698, DOI: 10.1080/13632469.2015.1104753.
  • Padilla-Llano, D.A., Moen, C.D., Eatherton, M.R. (2016) “Cyclic Flexural Response and Energy Dissipation of Cold-Formed Steel Framing Members” Thin-Walled Structures, Vol. 98, pp. 518-532, doi:10.1016/j.tws.2015.10.021.
  • Maurya, A., Eatherton, M.R., Matsui, R., and Florig, S.H. (2016) “Experimental Investigation of Miniature Buckling Restrained Braces for Use as Structural Fuses” Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Vol. 127, pp. 54-65.
  • Phillips, A.R., Renard, H., and Eatherton, M.R. (2016) “Integrating Exposed Structural Steel Plate Shear Walls into the Architectural Design Process” Journal of Architectural Engineering Technology, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 1-7, DOI: 10.4172/2168-9717.100017
  • Toellner, B.W., Watkins, C.E., Abbas, E., and Eatherton, M.R. (2015) "Effect of Powder Actuated Fasteners on the Seismic Performance of Steel Moment Frame Connections" Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Vol. 105, pp. 174-185
  • Naga, P., and Eatherton, M.R. (2014) "Analyzing the Effect of Moving Resonance on Seismic Response of Structures using Wavelet Transforms" Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, Vol. 43, No. 5, pp. 759-768.
  • Padilla-Llano, D., Moen, C.D., and Eatherton, M.R. (2014) "Experimental Investigation of the Cyclic Axial Behavior of Cold-Formed Steel Framing Members" Thin-Walled Structures, Vol. 78, pp 95-107
  • Eatherton, M.R., and Hajjar J.F. (2014) "Hybrid Simulation Testing of a Self-Centering Rocking Steel Braced Frame System" Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, Vol. 43, No. 11, pp. 1725-1742.
  • Chancellor, B., Eatherton, M.R., Roke, D., Akbaş, T. (2014) "Self-Centering Seismic Lateral Force Resisting Systems: High Performance Structures for the City of Tomorrow" Buildings, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 520-548.
  • Egorova, N., Eatherton, M.R., and Maurya, A. (2014) "Testing of Ring-Shaped Steel Plate Shear Walls that Resist Buckling for Improved Seismic Performance" Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Vol. 103, pp. 179-189.
  • Eatherton, M.R., Fahnestock, L.A., and Miller, D. (2014) "Computational Study on the Behavior of Self-Centering Buckling Restrained Braces" Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, Vol. 43, No. 13, pp. 1897-1914.
  • Eatherton, M.R., Ma, X., Krawinkler, H., Deierlein, G.G., and Hajjar, J.F. (2014) "Quasi-Static Cyclic Behavior of Controlled Rocking Steel Frames" Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 140, No. 11.
  • Eatherton, M.R., Ma, X., Krawinkler, H., Mar, D., Billington, S., Hajjar, J.F., and Deierlein, G.G. (2014) "Design Concepts for Controlled Rocking of Self-Centering Steel Braced Frames" Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 140, No. 11.