1. Research Professional, Département de Génie Civil, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Blvd. de l’Université, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada J1K 2R1; and Assistant Professor, Univ. of Minoufiya, Egypt (corresponding author).
2. Professor of Civil Engineering, Missouri Univ. of Science and Technology, 224 Engineering Research Laboratory, 500 W. 16th St., Rolla, MO 65409-0710; and Département de Génie Civil, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Blvd. de l’Université, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada J1K 2R1.