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DR. DANIEL E. PRADEL

Chief Engineer
 

EDUCATION

Certificate of Postdoctoral Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, 1989, Major Field: Geotechnical Engineering

Dr. of Engineering, Civil Engineering, University of Tokyo, 1987, Major Field: Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering

Diploma of Civil Engineering, Swiss Institute of Technology, Lausanne, 1982, Major Field: Civil Engineering

 

REGISTRATIONS

State of California Registered Geotechnical Engineer (G.E. 2242)

State of California Registered Civil Engineer (R.C.E. 47734)

State of Nevada Registered Civil Engineer (R.C.E. 12285)

State of Hawaii Registered Civil Engineer (R.C.E 12243)

Registered Engineer in Switzerland Number 2/16791.

Deep Foundation Institute’s High-Strain Dynamic Pile Testing Certification

Post-Disaster Safety Assessment Program (SAP) Evaluator, State of California (SAPV61821), Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES)

 

EXPERIENCE

PRAAD GEOTECHNICAL (1997 to present)

As Chief Engineer and co-founder of Praad Geotechnical, Dr. Pradel serves as a consulting geotechnical engineer. Dr. Pradel has performed geotechnical earthquake engineering investigations of ground motions for specific sites, and regional studies of earthquake damage and seismicity. Dr. Pradel has also performed geotechnical investigations of slope failures, settlement, retaining walls, piping and expansion heave. He has also performed engineering analyses for the grading of engineered fills, construction of building foundations, and repair and mitigation of slopes and landslides.

LOCKWOOD-SINGH & ASSOCIATES (1989 to 1997)

Dr. Pradel has performed geotechnical investigations and analyses of earth failure mechanisms including landslides, subsidence, slope failure, settlement, and expansion heave. He has also performed engineering analyses for the design of foundations, earth structures, slopes, and the evaluation of seismicity, earthquake, and soil structure interaction.

Dr. Pradel has scheduled and directed numerous subsurface explorations and laboratory testing programs involving soil tests, water tests, chemical and bacterial analyses. He has conducted engineering investigations of subsurface conditions involving ground water, seepage, infiltration into underground structures and leaking underground storage tanks.

MOTOR COLUMBUS, SWITZERLAND (1982-1984)

Dr. Pradel was an Engineer in the Dams Department of Motor Columbus Consulting Engineers. He participated in the static and seismic design, and analyses of earth and concrete dams and their related structures.

Click here to learn about Dr. Pradel's experience in dams.

 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Testing Materials, International Society of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Structural Engineers Association of Southern California, Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects, Swiss Society of Soil and Rock Mechanics, International Conference of Building Officials.

 

COMMITTEES AND AWARDS

Committee Member, Recommended procedures for implementation of DMG SP117 ("Guidelines for evaluating and mitigating seismic hazards in California") for analyzing and mitigating landslide hazards in California (2001-2002)

Editor and Committee Member, Recommended procedures for implementation of DMG SP117 ("Guidelines for evaluating and mitigating seismic hazards in California") for analyzing and mitigating landslide hazards in California (1999-2000)

Chair of the Los Angeles Geotechnical Technical Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (1999-2000).

Vice-Chair of the Los Angeles Geotechnical Technical Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (1998-1999).

Treasurer and Secretary of the Los Angeles Geotechnical Technical Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (1996-1998).

1st and 2nd Director of the Los Angeles Geotechnical Technical Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (1994-1996).

Committee Member of the Geotechnical Engineering Career Awards Committee, for the National Science Foundation (1997).

Committee Member of the Slope Stability Committee for the Los Angeles County Department of Building and Safety (1995-1996).

Committee member of the American Society of Testing Materials Committee on Soil and Rock (1990-present).

Subcommittee chairman for the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California for Foundations (1990 - 1992).

Committee member of the American Society of Testing Materials Committee on Waste Management (1992-present).

"State of Vaud" award for thesis at the Swiss Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland (1982).

 

TEACHING, RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS

Dr. Pradel is an Adjunct Associate Professor at UCLA. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in Soil Mechanics, Foundation Engineering, Slope Stability, Earth Retaining Structures, Finite Elements, Constitutive Modeling and Structural Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering since 1988.

Dr. Pradel is the author of more than ten technical papers which have been published in the Journals of the "American Society of Civil Engineers", in "Soils and Foundations", and in several conferences including the International Conference of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering. He has also reviewed technical papers for the "Journal of Geotechnical Engineering", the "Geotechnical Testing Journal", the "Journal of Engineering Mechanics" and "Computers and Geotechnics", and participated in the Peer Review of the US Army Corps. of Engineers’ Manuals.

Dr. Pradel is also an active member in several research committees, his duties include reviewing documents and standards for the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM), being member of the American Society of Civil Engineers Education Committee, and was subcommittee chairman for "Foundations" within the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California.

 

PUBLICATIONS IN JOURNALS AND BOOKS:

Pradel D., Smith P., Stewart J. and Raad G. (2005), "Case History of Landslide Movement during the Northridge Earthquake". ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Vol. 131, No. 11, 1360-1369.

Pradel D. (1997), "Procedure to Evaluate Earthquake-Induced Settlements in Dry Sandy Soils". ASCE Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Vol. 124, No. 4, 364-368 and Vol. 124, No. 10, 1048.

Pradel D. and Raad G. (1993), "Influence of Permeability on Surficial Stability of Homogeneous Slopes". ASCE Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Vol. 119, No. 2, 315-332.

Pradel D., Raad G. and Harter R. (1992), "Hydrocompression Settlement of Deep Fills, Discussion". ASCE Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Vol. 118, No. 6, 954-955.

Lade P.V. and Pradel D. (1990), "Stability and Flow of Granular Materials: Experimental Investigation". ASCE Journal of Engineering Mechanics, Vol. 116, No. 11, 2532-2550.

Pradel D. and Lade P.V. (1990), "Stability and Flow of Granular Materials: Analytical Investigation". ASCE Journal of Engineering Mechanics, Vol. 116, No. 11, 2551-2566.

Pradel D., Ishihara K. and Gutierrez M. (1990), "Yielding and Flow of Sand under Principal Stress Axes Rotation". Soils and Foundations, Vol. 30, No. 1, 87-99.

Towhata I., Pradel D. and Ishihara K. (1988) "Plasticity Approach to Sand Behavior Under Principal Stress Axes Rotation". Micromechanics of Granular Materials, Studies in Applied Mechanics, Vol. 20, 191-200.

 

PUBLICATIONS IN PROCEEDINGS:

Pradel D. (1994), "Active Pressure Distribution in Cohesive Soils". Proc. of the XXIth International Conference of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, New Delhi, Vol. 2, 795-798.

Pradel D. (1991), "Instability and Plastic Flow of Soils". ASCE Engineering Mechanics Specialty Conference, Columbus OH, 1174-1178.

Pradel D. and Lade P.V. (1989), "Plastic Flow and Instability of Granular Materials". Proc. of the IIIrd International Symposium on Numerical Models in Geomechanics, Niagara Falls, 9-16.

Lade P.V. and Pradel D. (1989), "Comparison of Single and Double Hardening Models for Frictional Materials". Proc. of the IIIrd International Symposium on Numerical Models in Geomechanics, Niagara Falls, 147-154.

Pradel D. and Lade P.V. (1989), "Instability of Sand Under Applied Shear Stresses". Proc. of the XXth International Conference of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Rio de Janeiro, 8/18: 743-748.

Pradel D. (1988), "Model with Multiple Mechanisms for Anisotropic Behaviors of Sands". Proc. of the VIth International Conference on Numerical Methods in Geomechanics, Innsbruck, 503-508.

Pradel D., Ishihara K. and Gutierrez M. (1987), "On Modeling of Inherent Anisotropy of Sands". Proc. of the XXIIth Japan National Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Niigata, 359-362

Pradel D. and Ishihara K. (1987), "Elastoplastic Model for Anisotropic Behavior of Sands". Proc. of the IInd International Conference on Constitutive Laws for Engineering Materials, Tucson, 631-638.

 

COMMITTEE PUBLICATIONS:

American Society of Civil Engineers (2003): "Seismic Evaluation of Existing Buildings" ASCE/SEI 31-03.

Southern California Earthquake Center (2002): "Recommended Procedures for Implementation of DMG Special Publication 117 Guidelines for Analyzing and Mitigating Landslide Hazards in California."

 

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