Ian Ross

Graphical Communications for Engineering - SolidWorks & AutoCAD

• Designed and 3D-printed a functional catapult using SolidWorks, developing detailed models and sub-assemblies.
• Created engineering drawings using AutoCAD and SolidWorks and presented the completed design through a technical poster.

Finite Element Analysis - Abaqus

• Designed and tested a structural bracket using Abaqus, evaluating maximum Von Mises stress through finite element analysis.
• Optimized the bracket design using analytical calculations and Abaqus mesh optimization to evaluate structural performance.

Steel Design Case Study — High-Rise Column Failure & Retrofit

• Evaluated a W14×132 steel column from a high-rise building failure case study for local buckling and axial compressive strength using AISC design provisions.
• Analyzed column stability and calculated design compressive capacity based on effective slenderness ratios and A36 steel properties.
• Evaluated a welded steel-plate retrofit for the damaged column and quantified the resulting increase in design compressive buckling capacity from 1,164 kips to 1,917 kips, a 65% increase.

Finite Element Structural Analysis - MATLAB

• Developed a finite element model to analyze structural response under applied loading.
• Assembled global stiffness matrices and calculated nodal displacements and internal forces using MATLAB.

Undergraduate Researcher — Underwater Soil Mechanics
University of California, San Diego

• Conducted centrifuge experiments on saturated clay to investigate soil resistance under pressures representative of deep-ocean conditions.
• Performed scaled physical experiments using a torpedo-shaped anchor model to evaluate anchoring resistance and soil response during penetration.
• Analyzed experimental results to support the development of anchoring systems for offshore electricity-generating systems.