Dr. Ahlberg received a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. His primary area of research is in soil-structure interaction of foundation elements. He is involved in drilled shaft and abutment wall research, including lateral performance of drilled shafts and passive pressure development for wall-type foundations. Dr. Ahlberg has investigated structures damaged by earthquake, storm surge, wind, fire, construction problems, design defects, ground settlement, and soil pressure. He also has experience in earthquake engineering, reinforced concrete, steel, wood and masonry design, as well as geotechnical designs for retaining walls, tiebacks, and deep foundations.
Lemnitzer A, Ahlberg E, Nigbor R, Shamsabadi A, Wallace JW, Stewart JP. Lateral performance of full-scale bridge abutment wall with granular backfill. ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 2009 April; 135(4).
Ahlberg E. Interaction between soil and full scale drilled shafts under cyclic lateral loads. Doctoral Dissertation, Civil Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, Spring 2008.
Stewart JP, Wallace JW, Taciroglu E, Ahlberg E, Lemnitzer A, Rha C, Tehrani P, Keowen S, Nigbor RL, Salamanca A. Full scale cyclic testing of foundation support systems for highway bridges. Part II: Abutment backwalls. Report No. UCLA-SGEL 2007/02, Structural and Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory, University of California, Los Angeles, October 2007.
Stewart JP, Wallace JW, Taciroglu E, Ahlberg E, Lemnitzer A, Rha C, Tehrani P, Keowen S, Nigbor RL, Salamanca A. Full scale cyclic testing of foundation support systems for highway bridges. Part I: Drilled shaft foundations. Report No. UCLA-SGEL 2007/01, Structural and Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory, University of California, Los Angeles, December 2007.
Ahlberg E, Rha C, Stewart JP, Nigbor RL, Wallace JW, Taciroglu E. Field testing and analytical modeling of a reinforced concrete embedded pile under lateral loading. 5th National Seismic Conference on Bridges and Highways, San Mateo, CA, September 18, 2006.
Ahlberg E, Stewart JP, Wallace JW, Rha C, Taciroglu E. Response of a reinforced concrete embedded pile under lateral loading. Part I: Field testing. Caltrans Bridge Conference, Sacramento, CA, November 1, 2005.
Rha C, Taciroglu E, Ahlberg E, Stewart JP, Wallace JW. Response of a reinforced concrete embedded pile under lateral loading. Part II: Numerical simulations. Caltrans Bridge Conference, Sacramento, CA, November 1, 2005.
Presentations and Published Abstracts
Ahlberg E. Insurance adjuster training for evaluating earthquake damage. State Farm Insurance Company, Irvine, CA, March, 2011.
Shusto LM, Ahlberg E. Earthquake damage assessment of wood-frame structures. Proceedings, 2011 Architectural Engineering National Conference, March 30–April 2, 2011.
Ahlberg E, Reyes L. Building code issues and adjustments. PLRB/LIRB 2010 Regional Adjusters Conference, Anaheim, CA, November 2–3, 2010.
Ahlberg E, Rha C, Stewart JP, Nigbor RL, Wallace JW, Taciroglu E. Field testing and analytical modeling of reinforced concrete foundation systems under lateral loading. George E. Brown Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Annual Meeting, Snowbird, UT, June 19, 2007.