Toan Duc Cao Headshot

Toan Duc Cao

Research Assistant Professor

Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management and Safety
College of Engineering Technology

585-475-2195
Office Hours
Tuesday: 9:00 AM-11:00 AM Thursday: 11:00 AM -1:00 PM; 4:00 PM-5:00 PM
Office Location
Office Mailing Address
Engineering Technology Hall 78 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY 14623

Toan Duc Cao

Research Assistant Professor

Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management and Safety
College of Engineering Technology

Bio

Dr. Toan Duc Cao is a research assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management and Safety at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He obtained a Ph.D in Civil Engineering (Computational Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering) at the Catholic University of Portugal in 2014. He has experience teaching several courses in civil engineering for more than 7 years. Currently, he is teaching several courses in civil engineering as Materials of Construction Laboratory (CVET 141), Materials of Construction (CVET 140), Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (CVET 150), Strength of Materials (CVET 220), Principles of Dynamics in Civil Engineering Technology (CVET 437), Statics (CVET 210) and Elementary Soil Mechanics (CVET 240) at RIT. 

Through his academic research, he has more than 15 years of experience in theoretical and experimental geomechanics. He has an extensive national and international collaboration network and has worked in leading academic institutions in Vietnam, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Germany, and the United States. Currently, he is a co-PI for an active research grant from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). He has a strong background in both physics-based and statistical modeling of coupled problems under multiphysics (e.g., thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical) processes. He has developed physical, mathematical, experimental, constitutive, and computational models for the simulation of non-isothermal multiphase porous materials, structural concrete, fluid-structure interaction, nuclear waste disposal, earthquakes, catastrophic landslides, hydraulic fracturing, dams, and levees. Moreover, he has more than 14 years of experience in analytical and numerical methods (e.g., the Finite element method, the Hybrid-Trefftz method, the Boundary element method, the Extended finite element method, and the Meshless method) and developed the finite element code for open sources (e.g., MOOSE, KRATOS) and commercial numerical computation platforms (e.g., ABAQUS, ANSYS, COMES-GEO, SWANDYNE, SAP2000, CSiBridge, GEO5 and PLAXIS).

Concerning industrial experiences in geotechnical engineering, he familiarizes himself with the responsibilities of the geotechnical position: (1) assist senior level engineers, lab and field testing, and on-site inspection; (2) compile and analyze geotechnical reports, design, and analysis of earthen structures; (3) prepare reports and provide necessary guidelines in planning, design, and implementation of Civil and Geotechnical Engineering projects. 

He has engaged in a variety of pursuits to hone the skills and confidence to instruct students and to encourage their enthusiasm and curiosity for a range of topics relevant to Computational Mechanics, Geotechnical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Geomaterials, Geomechanics, Simulation and Design, Computer Engineering Graphics, Structural Concrete, Construction, Transportation. He successfully mentored 2 MS students and 2 Ph.D. students in his research area. Currently, he is monitoring 6 undergraduate students in his research project for several study purposes. He is developing research proposals and writing articles for scholarly top-tier journals and conferences. 

Select Scholarship

JOURNAL PAPERS:

  1. Cao, D.T., Sun, L. Constitutive Model and Temperature Dependent Elastoplastic Behavior of Unsaturated Soils. Acta Geotechnica, Submitted (09/11/2023); Tracking number: AGEO-D-23-01004.
  2. Cao, D.T., Thota, S.K., Vahedifard, F., and Amirlatifi, A. General Model for Thermal Conductivity of Unsaturated Soils Considering Effect of Suction, Temperature and Confining Pressure. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE, 2021, 147(11). https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/%28ASCE%29GT.1943-5606.0002660
  3. Cao, D.T., Hussain, F., and Schrefler, B.A. Porous media fracturing dynamics: stepwise crack advancement and fluid pressure oscillations. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2018;111:113-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2017.10.014

BOOK CHAPTERS:

  1. Milanese, E., Cao, D.T., Simoni, L. and Schrefler, B.A. Fracturing in dry and saturated porous media. The book chapter (Advances in Computational Plasticity), Springer, 2018. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-60885-3_13 
  2. Sanavia, L. and Cao, D.T. Finite element analysis of non-isothermal multiphase porous media in dynamics.  The book chapter for alert doctoral school 2015, September 28 to October 3, 2015, Aussois, France. http://alertgeomaterials.eu/data/school/2015/2015_ALERT_schoolbook.pdf
  3. Sanavia, L., and Cao, D.T. Modelling multiphase geomaterials at high temperature with application to strain localization and rapid catastrophic landslide. The book chapter for alert doctoral school 2016, October 3-8, 2016, Aussois, France. http://alertgeomaterials.eu/presentations-of-the-alert-workshop-2016/

CONFERENCE PAPERS :

  1. Cao, D.T., Thota, S.K., Vahedifard, F., Amirlatifi A. A Temperature-Dependent Model for Thermal Conductivity Function of Unsaturated Soils. Geo-Congress 2021, Dallas, Texas, May 10-14, 2021, USA. https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/9780784483428.010

 

Currently Teaching

CVET-141
1 Credits
The Materials of Construction Laboratory will be taken concurrently with Materials of Construction (CVET-140). Standard laboratory tests will be performed for evaluating the properties of aggregate, Portland cement concrete, asphalt cement concrete, and mortar. Mix design procedures for Portland cement concrete and asphalt cement concrete will be learned and used. An introduction to green building materials will be provided.
CVET-150
2 Credits
Introduction to engineering graphics as a means of communication in the technical fields. The course is laboratory oriented and provides the student with basic skills to create and edit professional 2D and 3D drawings with this comprehensive first course in the use of computer aided design and drafting (CADD) software for (mechanical, architectural and civil drawings). The course assumes no prior knowledge of engineering drawing or CADD.
CVET-220
4 Credits
Study how forces and moments affect axial, shearing, and bending stresses and deflections of structural members. The relationships between stress and strain, for both axial and torsional loading, are explored. Beams, shafts, and columns are analyzed and designed based on stress and deformation. Combined stress states are analyzed, including using Mohr's circle. Statically indeterminate problems are evaluated. Euler's equations and column design principles are studied and applied.
CVET-240
3 Credits
An introduction to soil mechanics and its application to problems encountered in civil engineering design and construction. Major topics include soil properties and classification, weight-volume relationships, compaction/ground improvement, groundwater flow, stresses in soils, settlement analysis, and shear strength.

In the News

  • March 24, 2023

    Person wearing a suit and holding laptop in hand.

    Researcher receives funding to improve infrastructure safety for nuclear waste disposal

    Researchers at RIT are investigating the combined physical effects of heat, chemical reactions, and seismic activity on concrete lining structures used to dispose of nuclear waste. Results from the work could improve nuclear waste infrastructure designs, better long-term safety management, and refine strategies to meet climate change targets.