ABOUT WUTEC
The company was established by Dr. G. Wu, P. Eng., in 1998 in British Columbia,
Canada.
Guoxi Wu, Ph.D., P. Eng., Founder and
Manager
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering and a master’s
degree in geotechnical engineering in Shanghai China, he joined in 1989 the
research group of Professor W. D. Liam Finn on geotechnical earthquake
engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada. There he received in 1992 another
master’s degree in geotechnical engineering with a research thesis on “Seismic
induced flow deformation and remediation study of Sardis dam [Mississippi,
USA]”. In 1994, he received a Ph.D. degree from
UBC also in geotechnical engineering with a Ph.D. thesis on “Dynamic
soil-structure interaction: Pile
foundations and retaining structures”.
In addition to the research work conducted with Professor Finn, Dr. Wu had also
worked in the early stage of his professional career closely with Professor Finn
on many consulting projects involving seismic performance of dams. These projects included seismic
rehabilitation design of Sardis dam in Mississippi, TARA-3 (Finn et al. 1986)
dynamic analyses of Kennecott Copper Tailings Dam [in Utah] and Wappapello Earth
Dam in Missouri, seismic response simulation of China’s Dashihe Tailings Dam
under the 1976 Tangshan Earthquake, seismic analysis of Lagunillas Dyke in
Venezuela, remediation option studies of Kushiro Dykes in Japan, and TARA-3
dynamic effective stress analysis with consideration of pore water pressure
dissipation during shaking for the Keenleyside Earth Dam in British Columbia.
Since 1995, Dr. Wu has worked in a number of major consulting companies in BC
including AMEC Environment & Infrastructure in Burnaby (formerly AGRA Earth and
Environmental), Klohn Crippen Berger Limited in Vancouver (formerly
Klohn-Crippen Consultants Limited in
Richmond), EBA Engineering Consulting Limited in Vancouver, Golder Associates
Ltd. in Burnaby, and the engineering group of BC Hydro since 2007.
Dr. Wu’s specialties include design of pile foundations, soil liquefaction
evaluation, seismic stability assessment and rehabilitation design of earth
structures, numerical analyses of soil-structure interaction under static and
dynamic loads, and ground improvement methods to mitigate liquefaction.
As a senior and specialist engineer practising mainly in the field of
geotechnical earthquake engineering, Dr. Wu has been involved in many consulting
projects including BC Hydro’s John Hart dam and Ruskin dam seismic upgrade
projects, seismic vulnerability assessment of Metro Vancouver’s First Narrows
and Port Mann water supply pipeline crossings, FLAC dynamic analysis for seismic
upgrade of the Seymour Falls Dam, seismic rehabilitation of the Pattullo Bridge
and the Mission Bridge, and seismic retrofit of the North Viaduct of the Lions
Gate Bridge. His practising experience
also includes design and construction of the pile foundations for the Moray
Channel Bridge and the Russ Baker Way Overpass for the Vancouver International
Airport, and also pile foundations for the North Serpentine River Bridge, the
South Serpentine River Bridge, the Nicomekl River Bridge, the Serpentine River
Bridge and the Metro Vancouver (formerly GVRD) Trunk Sewer/Cloverdale Canal
Crossing for Hwy 15/10 expansion in Surrey.
Dr. Wu has over 60 publications in research areas including seismic ground
response, soil liquefaction and seismic ground deformations, seismic soil
pressures on yielding and non-yielding retaining walls, and seismic performance
of pile foundations.
Dr. Wu is a key developer of the finite element computer programs including
VERSAT-S2D, VERSAT-D2D and VERSAT-P3D. He is probably the first (since version
2005) in using Microsoft .NET technology for geotechnical software. VERSAT codes
are executed in local PCs with an Internet-based access key. Thus,
VERSAT software does not require a hardware key.
Dr. Wu’s computer programming experience can be traced back to the
early 1980’s when his dream was to write a finite element code that can actually
work. At the time, of course,
the code was written in FORTRAN language and operated in a super Siemens
computer made in Germany and imported by Shanghai Tongji University in China.
However, his first successful
run from his own made finite element code materialized in 1992 after completion
of two finite element courses from UBC Civil Engineering.
In addition to seismic response of soil structures and pile foundations, Dr.
Wu's consulting expertise also includes seismic hazard assessment, earthquake
ground motions, and blast induced soil liquefaction.
Others
Ms. Rebecca Jiang, BBA
Marketing Director