Professional profile

Soil Mechanics | In Situ and Laboratory Tests | Soil Dynamics | Seismic Response Analysis | Liquefaction Phenomena | Seismic Microzonation

Degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Studies of Catania. Ph.D. in "Geotechnical Engineering". Biennial scholarship for post-doc research activities in the sector of "Geotechnical Engineering" at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Catania. Senior Scientist at CNR ISPC.

Expertise on the dynamic soil behaviour by dynamic laboratory tests such as Cyclic Loading Torsional Shear tests, Resonant Column tests and Cyclic Loading Triaxial tests.

He worked on studies of seismic microzonation relative the historical centres of Catania (Church of San Nicola alla Rena), Noto (SR) (Cathedral of St. Nicholas) and Augusta (SR), based on the geotechnical and partly structural characterization of some historical Churches and buildings and on the definition of a project earthquake for the interventions and the evaluation of possible amplification or attenuation phenomena. The studies involved the use of in situ Cone Penetration Tests (CPT), Standard Penetration Tests (SPT), Down-Hole (D-H), Cross-Hole (C-H), Seismic Dilatometer Marchetti Tests (SDMT) and Ménard Pressuremeter Tests (MPT).

He took part in the study of the historical seismic, of the geotechnical investigations, of the seismic response analysis, of the seismic microzonation and of the interventions in foundation relative to the international research projects.

The seismic response analysis was conducted in Catania, in the areas of the Church of San Nicola alla Rena, the Monte Po Hill, the Catania Plain and the Plaja using the simplified hysteretic calculation models, the one-dimensional finite element GEODIN, the two-dimensional QUAD4M, QUAKE/W and STRATA in order to evaluate the influence of topographic and stratigraphic effects on the results. Dynamic geotechnical characterization studies were conducted in the seismic areas of San Giuliano di Puglia (CB) and Tito Scalo (PZ) following the on-site use of the Marchetti Seismic Dilatometer (SDMT). This device allowed the evaluation, in addition to the standard parameters, of the shear wave velocity trend as a function of depth and the decay law of the shear modulus G as the deformation level varies. This equipment was also used in the historic centre of Catania with the aim of planning restoration and structural reinforcement interventions of the architectural heritage based on a correct evaluation of the design spectrum in order to correctly define and size the technical interventions to be implemented. The results obtained allow the methodology to be applied to a larger number of architectural structures in order to determine a specific inelastic response spectrum for each site under study.

He was part of the research groups that carried out static and dynamic characterization studies, on site and in the laboratory, of the areas hit by the 1997 Umbria-Marche earthquake, the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake and the 2012 Emilia Romagna earthquake, also for the study of liquefaction phenomena.

He is author of more than 110 publications published on proceedings of national and international Conference, books, national and international journals and ISI publications.

He is a member of the International Committee on Pressuremeter (ICP), of the Italian Geotechnical Association (AGI) and of the National Group of Geotechnical Engineering (GNIG).

CNR Disciplinary Fields and Research Management Sectors

• PE8_3 Civil engineering, architecture, offshore construction, lightweight construction, geotechnics
• PE8_11 Environmental engineering, e.g. sustainable design, waste and water treatment, recycling, regeneration or recovery of compounds, carbon capture & storage
• SH8_1 Science and Technologies for Cultural Heritage

MUR Italian Scientific-Disciplinary Sector

• CEAR-05/A Geotechnics

Groups & Labs CNR ISPC

Cities and Cultural Heritage Research Group →

Publications

CNR IRIS platform →
ORCID →

Highlight

Lo Presti D. C. F., Jamiolkowski M., Pallara O., Cavallaro A. and Pedroni S., (1997): “Shear Modulus and Damping of Soils”; Proceedings of the International Symposium on the Pre-failure Deformation Behaviour of Geomaterials, 50th Geotechnique, London, 4 September 1997, Geotechnique 47, N°. 3, pp. 603 – 617. (ISSN: 0016-8505).

Cavallaro A., Massimino M. R. and Maugeri M., (2003): “Noto Cathedral: Soil and Foundation Investigation”; Construction and Building Materials, N°. 17, 2003, pp. 533 – 541. (ISSN: 0950-0618/03) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0950-0618(03)00060-6

Cavallaro A., Capilleri P. and Grasso S., (2018): “Site Characterization by in Situ and Laboratory Tests for Liquefaction Potential Evaluation during Emilia Romagna Earthquake”; Geosciences, Special Issue: “Site-Specific Seismic Hazard Analysis: New Perspectives, Open Issues and Challenges”, Geosciences 2018, 8(7), 242, pp. 1 – 15. (ISSN: 2076-3263) DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8070242