Durga KC

Graduate Researcher  |  Structural Engineering

Prestressed Concrete  |  Bridge Systems  |  High Strength Materials

MS Structural Engineering student at UT San Antonio, graduating August 2026. Currently leading the anchorage and flexural investigation on a TxDOT-funded project to evaluate 300 ksi prestressing strands for pretensioned concrete girders.

Durga KC — Structural Engineer
Current Research
Evaluation of 300 ksi Prestressing Strands for Prestressed Concrete Girders
TxDOT Funded
View Detail

Breaking Bridge
Girders to Failure

The Motivation

300 ksi strands offer span extension and reduced cost for bridge construction

The Investigation

17 full-scale TxDOT girder sections tested to failure.
Behavior evaluated at prestress release and at ultimate strength.

The Goal

Recommendations to TxDOT and AASHTO LRFD for next-generation prestressing steel

Sensors placed, data lines verified, under active cranes on a live production floor. Cast after cast.

Installing Sensors
Installing Sensors
Girders Just Before Prestress Release
Girders Just Before Prestress Release
Instrumentation to Track Prestress Transfer at Release
Instrumentation to Track Prestress Transfer at Release

From 0.6-in. strands to 70-in. tall girders, tested at full-scale at the Large-Scale Testing Lab

Tension Test of a 0.6-in. 300-ksi Strand
Tension Test of a 0.6-in. 300-ksi Strand
Shear Failure of a Tx62 Girder
Shear Failure of a Tx62 Girder
Load Test Setup
Load Test Setup
Strain Profile at Release
Strain Profile at Release

17 girders. Thousands of data points. One question: Can 300 ksi strands reshape how Texas builds bridges?

Competencies

What I Bring
to the Table

Field data acquisition at precast yard
Good data doesn't care where you collect it. Neither do I.

Full-Scale Structural Testing

Destructive load testing of pretensioned concrete bridge girders; specimens up to 78 in. deep and 80 ft long. Shear, flexure, and anchorage evaluated at prestress release and at ultimate strength.

Instrumentation & Data Acquisition

Fiber optic sensors, strain gauges, LVDTs, string pots, DIC. Multi-platform DAQ environments; FlexLogger, ODiSI 6100, and custom configurations. Sensor layout design through post-processing.

Design Codes & Standards

AASHTO LRFD, ACI 318, ACI/PCI 319, ASCE 7, NDS. Applied in practice and evaluated through research; current work assesses validity of existing provisions for 300 ksi prestressing strands.

Computation & Analysis

MATLAB, Python, Excel VBA for experimental data analysis and visualization. SAP2000, ETABS, Response-2000 for structural modeling. PGSuper and CSiBridge for bridge-specific design and analysis.

Design & Research

Reinforced concrete building design per ACI 318. Bridge design and experimental research; from load rating to full-scale destructive testing.

Drafting & Technical Communication

AutoCAD, Civil 3D, SketchUp for structural visualization. Technical reporting in LaTeX. Conference presentations, research documentation, and undergraduate instruction.

Contact Me

Let's Build Safer
Bridges Together