The Chair of Construction Mechanics was established in 1936 and was called Static of Buildings until September 1968. The head of Chair was doctor of technical sciences, professor, honored worker of science and technology Gurgen Oganezov from 1936-1967. During 1967-1979 and 1984-1990 the head of Chair was the candidate of technical sciences, professor Grigor Petrosyan. In 1979-84 the head of Chair was PhD, associate professor Suren Sardaryan, in 1990-1994 doctor of technical sciences, professor Levon Petrosyan and in 1995-1997 doctor of physics and mathematical sciences, professor Suren Darbinyan. Since 1997 the head of Chair is doctor of technical sciences, professor, academician, honored worker of science and technology Eduard Khachiyan.
Currently doctor of technical sciences, professor, academician, honored worker of science and technology Eduard Khachiyan (head of Chair), candidate of technical sciences, docent Levon Levonyan (since 1969), candidate of technical sciences, docent Vigen Arzumanyan (1969-1995, then since 2007 till now), assistants Donara Melqonyan (2001) and Tigran Khachiyan (since 2009) are teaching to the students of the Chair.
Academician Khachiyan together with professor V. Hambardzumyan have developed the first national norms of seismic-resistant construction of the Republic of Armenia and their amended and refined version. Academician E. Khachiyan is the deputy chairman of the CIS Interstate Joint Seismic-resistant Construction Standards Development Committee and also developed the seismic-resistant construction norms of the Republic of Ukraine in 2006. E.Khachiyan’s “Applied Seismology” monograph (2005) was awarded the State Prize of the RA President in the sphere of technical sciences. In 2008 the amended monograph was published in the Russian language. Over the last ten years Chair professors Khachiyan and Hambardzumyan supervised 1 doctoral thesis and 6 PhD theses, including a thesis defended by a citizen of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Chair carries out research activities such as strong earthquake prediction as a momentary disruption of the earth’s crust, structural constructions and their bearing elements’ calculation taking into account the effects of static and dynamic spatial and non-linear work, stress and deformity state of bearing structures in the case of bending, torsion and combined effects in the conditions of non-homogeneity of material and its non-elastic deformity.
Chair keeps in traditional touch with the Chair of Construction Mechanics of Moscow University of Civil Engineering, Russian journal on “Seismic-resistant Construction and Safety of Buildings” (“Сейсмостойкое строительство. Безопасность сооружений”) and collegial editorial committee of “Studies on the Theory of Constructions” journal (“ВЕСТНИК ЦНИИНСК им. В.А. Кучеренко. Исследования по теории сооружений.”), Moscow.
