Xiaochao Tang, PhD, PE
- Chair of Civil Engineering
- Associate Professor
Affiliated Programs
Education
- PhD, Civil Engineering (2011)
Pennsylvania State University--University Park (PA) - MS, Civil Engineering (2006)
West Virginia University (WV) BS, Mining and Geotechnical Engineering (2002)
Central South University
About Me
Prior to joining the faculty of civil engineering at Widener University in 2013, I worked as a senior engineer for a consulting firm and a senior research associate at the Louisiana Transportation Research Center in the areas of geotechnical engineering, transportation infrastructure and materials. I currently serve on two standing committees (AFD20 and AFS60) of the Transportation Research Board of National Academies. I teach courses in geotechnical engineering at Widener.
I received my undergraduate degree in mining and geotechnical engineering from Central South University, technical engineering from Central South University, China in 2002, my MS in civil engineering from West Virginia University in 2006, and PhD in civil engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 2011.
Research Interests
My research interests lie in the general areas of geotechnical and infrastructure engineering. My recent work focuses on the instrumentation and monitoring of transportation infrastructure as well as characterization and effective use of new and sustainable materials for geotechnical and transportation projects.
The overall goal of my research is to address pressing issues related to the nation’s aging transportation infrastructure through innovative and practical ideas and technologies.
Media Expertise
- Geotechnical engineering
- Pavement design and analysis
- Instrumentation and monitoring of infrastructure
Publications
- Tang, Xiaochao, Shelley M. Stoffels, and Angelica M. Palomino. “Resilient and Permanent Deformation Characteristic of Unbound Pavement Layers Modified by Geogrids.” Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 2369, vol. 4 (2013): 3–10.
- Tang, Xiaochao., Angelica M. Palomino, and Shelley M. Stoffels, S. M. (2013). “Reinforcement Tensile Behavior Under Cyclic Moving Wheel Loads.” Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 2363 (2013): 113–121.
- Tang, Xiao-Chao, Shelley M. Stoffels, and Angelica M. Palomino. “Evaluation of Pavement Layer Moduli Using Instrumentation Measurements.” International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology 6, no. 6 (2013): 755–764.
Professional Affiliations & Memberships
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
Awards
- Provost Grand, Funding for Research, Widener University (2014–2015)
News
In the Media
Noteworthy
- Engineering Faculty Awarded More Than $200,000 from Manufacturing PA Innovation Program
Faculty in the School of Engineering have been awarded grant funding through the Manufacturing PA Innovation Program. Funded in part by the Department of Community and Economic Development, this fellowship program pairs graduate and undergraduate students with local manufacturers on research projects to develop new technologies and advance innovation statewide.
Three Widener engineering projects have been selected to participate in the 2024 initiative:
Babak Eslami, associate professor, and Kamran Fouladi, associate professor and associate dean, mechanical engineering.
Associate Professors Eslami and Fouladi are working with industrial partner American Additive Manufacturing to enhance durability and repeatability of 3D printing with Polyeth-ether ketone (PEEK) polymer. During this project, a Widener student-research team are modeling the industrial 3D printers used by American Additive Manufacturing to perform computational fluid dynamics study to have a better understanding of flows around the parts. Multi-scale material characterization will be performed on 3D printed parts in order to develop the optimum printing condition for PEEK.
John Suarez, associate professor, electrical engineering.
Associate Professor John Suarez and his student-research team will develop a radio-frequency system for sensing roadway nonuniformities in front of vehicles. The system is intended to operate in vehicles moving at relatively high speeds. The nonuniformities of greatest interest are potholes or other defects in the road which can damage vehicles or create unsafe conditions. Dr. Suarez’s group will work with Dorman Products, an industry leader in aftermarket automotive products located in Colmar, Pennsylvania.
Xiaochao Tang, associate professor, and Vicki Brown, professor, civil engineering.
Associate Professor Xiaochao Tang and Professor Vicki Brown along with a team of student-researchers are working to create a low-carbon sustainable alternative for concrete, the most widely used construction material. Cement, a key component of concrete, is a highly energy-intensive product that releases a large amount of carbon dioxide when produced. In collaboration with two partners, the Delaware County Reginal Water Quality Control Authority (DELCORA) in Chester, Pennsylvania and Conewago Manufacturing, LLC in Hanover, Pennsylvania, this project will utilize sewage sludge ash, a byproduct from DELCORA's wastewater treatment facility, to create an inorganic polymer binding agent, known as geopolymer, at ambient or slightly elevated temperatures. This project will potentially enable repurposing the ash, which would otherwise be disposed of in landfills, for beneficial reuse at scale. The project will also utilize Conewago's concrete mix and testing facility to characterize the geopolymer product and cast pilot scale test bed.
The Manufacturing PA project was financed [in part] by funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development.
- Engineering Professor Awarded EPA Grant to Develop Low-Carbon Sustainable Cement Product
Xiaochao Tang, associate professor of civil engineering, was awarded approximately $75,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, as part of the Agency’s People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Program.
The P3 Program supports faculty-student research designed to develop innovative solutions that address leading environmental and public health challenges. Tang's research aims to develop a process that uses industrial byproduct to create low-carbon sustainable cement product in an effort to reduce carbon emissions and solid waste that would otherwise be disposed of in landfills. This multidisciplinary project boasts educational opportunities to undergraduate students across the engineering programs and infuses sustainability into senior design projects in multiple departments.