Larry D. Luttrell

Larry Luttrell is a professor emeritus of civil engineering at West Virginia University.

He is a native of Kentucky who served in the U.S. Army Security Agency, Far East, during the Korean War.

The GI bill allowed him to attend the University of Kentucky, where he received the BS and MS degrees in civil engineering.

In 1965, as a new PhD graduate from Cornell University, he came to WVU.

During Luttrell's tenure at WVU, he continued his research in steel structures, particularly in cold-formed steel systems. His research and development in composite concrete and steel deck systems is the basis for one of the two approaches used in the ASCE Standard for Composite Slabs.

The Major Units Laboratory at WVU became a center for testing shear bracing systems and that work led to his standard diaphragm design approach. He wrote the first two editions of the Steel Deck Institute Diaphragm Design Manual and was lead author for the third edition. He developed similar standards for the Metal Construction Association for low-rise buildings.

During 33 years of teaching at WVU, Luttrell received several outstanding teaching awards. His interaction with thousands of students, including two of his own, defined West Virginia University for him.

Luttrell continues in his advisory role to the Steel Deck Institute and currently is involved in testing and design solutions for structural noise problems associated with large clear-span buildings.

He continues to engineer and teach.