• Wind and Structures
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.235-252
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• 2016

A wind velocity power spectrum (WVPS) with high fidelity is extremely important for accurate prediction of structural buffeting response. WVPS heavily depends on the geographical locations, local terrains and topographies. Hence, field measurement of wind characteristics may be the unique way to obtain the accurate WVPS for a specific region. In this paper, a systematic analysis and discussions of existing WVPSs were performed. Six recorded strong wind data from the structural health monitoring systems (SHMS) of Runyang Suspension Bridge (RSB) and Sutong Cable-stayed Bridge (SCB) in Jiangsu Province of China were selected for analysis. The measured and pre-processed wind velocity data was first transformed from time domain to frequency domain to obtain the measured spectrum. The spectrum for each strong wind was then fitted using the nonlinear least square method and compared with both the fitted spectrum from statistical analysis and the recommended spectrum in specifications. The modified Kaimal spectrum was proved to be the "best" choice for the coastal area of East Jiangsu Province. Finally, a suitable WVPS formula fit for the coastal area of East Jiangsu Province was presented based on the modified Kaimal spectrum. Results in this study provide a more accurate and reliable WVPS for wind-resistant design of engineering structures in the coastal area of East Jiangsu Province.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.387-402
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• 2010

From typical stress-axial strain curve and stress-volume strain curve of a concrete under uniaxial compression, the initiation and localization of microcracks within the interior of the specimen can be identified. The occurrence of random microcrack indicates the end of the linear elasticity, and the localization of microcrack implies formation of major crack, which triggers the onset of unstable crack propagation. The interval between initiation and localization of microcracks is characterized by a stable microcrack growth. Based on fracture behavior observed from a uniaxial compressive test of a concrete cylinder, a model has been developed to extract fundamental fracture properties of a concrete, i.e. the equivalent fracture toughness and the size of fracture process zone. The introduction of cracking Poisson's ratio accounts for tensile failure characteristics of concrete even under uniaxal compression. To justify the validity of the model proposed, tests on three-point bending have been performed to obtain the fracture toughness in accordance with two parameter fracture model and double-K fracture model. Surprisingly, it yields favorably comparable results and provides an encouraging alternative approach to determine fracture properties for concretes.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.253-281
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• 2014

The quest for enhanced thermal comfort for dwellings encompasses the holistic utilization of improved building fabric, impact of weather variation and amongst passive cooling design consideration the provision of appropriate ventilation and shading strategy. Whilst thermal comfort is prime to dwellings considerations, limited research has been done in this area with the attention focused mostly on non-dwellings. This paper examines the current and future thermal comfort implications of four different standard construction specifications which show a progressive increase in thermal mass and airtightness and is underpinned by the newly developed CIBSE adaptive thermal comfort method for assessing the risk of overheating in naturally ventilated dwellings. Interactive investigation on the impact of building fabric variation, natural ventilation scenarios, external shading and varying occupants' characteristics to analyse dwellings thermal comfort based on non-heating season of current and future weather patterns of London and Birmingham is conducted. The overheating analysis focus on the whole building and individual zones. The findings from the thermal analysis simulation are illustrated graphically coupled with statistical analysis of data collected from the simulation. The results indicate that, judicious integrated approach of improved design options could substantially reduce the operating temperatures in dwellings and enhance thermal comfort.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.219-229
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• 2021

In recent years, geopolymer cements, have gained significant attention as an environmental-friendly type of cement. In this experimental research, effects of different alkaline activator solutions and variations of associated parameters, including time of addition, concentration, and weight ratio, on the mechanical strengths of Granulated Ground Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS)-based Geopolymer Concrete (GPC) were investigated. Investigation of the effects of simultaneous usage of KOH and NaOH solutions on the tensile and flexural strengths of GGBFS-based GPC, and the influence of NaOH solution addition time delay on the mechanical strengths is among the novel aspects investigated in this research. four series of mix designs and corresponding specimen testing is conducted to study different parameters of the active alkali solutions on GPC mechanical strengths. The results showed that addition of NaOH to the mix after 3 min of mixing KOH and Na2SiO3 with dry components (1/3 of the total mixing duration) resulted in the highest compressive, tensile and flexural strengths amongst other cases. Moreover, increasing the KOH concentration up to 12 M resulted in the highest compressive strength, while weight ratio of 1.5 for Na2SiO3/KOH was the optimum value to achieve highest compressive strengths.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.167-178
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• 2024

The natural frequency shift under cyclic environmental loads is a key issue in the design of monopile-based offshore wind power turbines because of their dynamic sensitivity. Existing evidence reveals that the natural frequency shift of the turbine system in sand is related to the varying foundation stiffness, which is caused by soil deformation around the monopile under cyclic loads. Therefore, it is an urgent need to investigate the effect of soil deformation on the system frequency. In the present paper, three generalized geometric models that can describe soil deformation under two-way cyclic loads are proposed. On this basis, the cycling-induced changes in soil parameters around the monopile are quantified. A theoretical approach considering three-spring foundation stiffness is employed to calculate the natural frequency during cycling. Further, a parametric study is conducted to describe and evaluate the frequency shift characteristics of the system under different conditions of sand relative density, pile slenderness ratio and pile-soil relative stiffness. The results indicate that the frequency shift trends are mainly affected by the pile-soil relative stiffness. Following the relevant conclusions, a design optimization is proposed to avoid resonance of the monopile-based wind turbines during their service life.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.455-468
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• 2006

Smart structural systems are defined as ones that demonstrate the ability to modify their characteristics and/or properties in order to respond favorably to unexpected severe loading conditions. The performance of such a task requires a set of additional components to be integrated within such systems. These components belong to three major categories, sensors, processors and actuators. It is wellknown that all structural systems entail some level of uncertainty, because of their extremely complex nature, lack of complete information, simplifications and modeling. Similarly, sensors, processors and actuators are expected to reflect a similar uncertain behavior. As it is imperative to be able to evaluate the impact of such components on the behavior of the system, it is as important to ensure, or at least evaluate, the reliability of such components. In this paper, a system model for reliability assessment of smart structural systems is outlined. The presented model is considered a necessary first step in the development of a reliability assessment algorithm for smart structural systems. The system model outlines the basic components of the system, in addition to, performance functions and inter-relations among individual components. A fault tree model is developed in order to aggregate the individual underlying component reliabilities into an overall system reliability measure. Identification of appropriate limit states for all underlying components are beyond the scope of this paper. However, it is the objective of this paper to set up the necessary framework for identifying such limit states. A sample model for a three-story single bay smart rigid frame, is developed in order to demonstrate the proposed framework.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.297-314
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• 2002

An energy method of analysis is presented which can be used to study the inelastic lateral-distortional buckling of hot-rolled I-sections continuously restrained at the level of the tension flange. The numerical modelling leads to the incremental and iterative solution of a fourth-order eigenproblem, with very rapid solutions being obtainable, so as to enable a study of the factors that influence the strength of continuously restained I-beams to be made. Although hot-rolled I-sections generally have stocky webs and are not susceptible to reductions in their overall buckling loads as a result of cross-sectional distortion, the effect of elastic restraints, particularly against twist rotation, can lead to buckling modes in which the effect of distortion is quite severe. While the phenomenon has been studied previously for elastic lateral-distortional buckling, it is extended in this paper to include the constitutive relationship characteristics of mild steel, and incorporates both the so-called 'polynomial' and 'simplified' models of residual stresses. The method is validated against inelastic lateral-torsional buckling solutions reported in previous studies, and is applied to illustrate some inelastic buckling problems. It is noted that over a certain range of member slenderness the provisions of the Australian AS4100 steel standard are unconservative.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.45-56
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• 2024

This paper proposes an analytical solution for the free vibration, bending and buckling a functionally graded (FG) beam resting on viscoelastic foundation. The materials characteristics of the FG beam are considered to be varying across the thickness according several power law functions. The governing equations are found analytically using a quasi-3D model that contains undetermined integral forms and involves few unknowns to derive. Navier's method for simply supported beam is employed to solve the problem. Numerical examples are presented and studied to demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed model. Then, a detailed parametric study is presented in the form of tables and graphs to study and analyze the effects of the different parameters on the response of FG beams with different material compositions resting on a viscoelastic foundation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.935-948
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• 2017

An experimental program was conducted to investigate the effects of the static compaction pressure, cement content, water/cement ratio, and curing time on unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the cement treated sand. UCS were conducted on samples prepared with 4 different cement/sand ratios and were compacted under the lowest and highest static pressures (8 MPa and 40 MPa). Each sample was cured for 7 and 28 days to observe the impact of curing time on UCS of cement treated samples. Results of the study showed the unconfined compressive strength of sand increased as the cement content (5% to 10%) of the cement-sand mixture and compaction pressure (8 MPa to 40 MPa) increased. UCS of sand soil increased 30% to 800% when cement content was increased from 2.5% to 10%. Impact of compaction pressure on UCS decreased with a reduction in cement contents. On the other hand, it was observed that as the water content the cement-sand mixture increased, the unconfined compressive strength showed tendency to decrease regardless of compaction pressure and cement content. When the curing time was extended from 7 days to 28 days, the unconfined compressive strengths of almost all the samples increased approximately by 2 or 3 times.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.449-461
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• 2024

The vertical reinforcement connection between the precast reinforced concrete shear wall and the cast-in-place reinforced concrete member is vital to the performance of shear walls under seismic loading. This paper investigated the structural behavior of three precast reinforced concrete shear walls, with different levels of connection (i.e., full connection, partial connection, and no connection), subjected to quasi-static lateral loading. The specimens were subjected to a constant vertical load, resulting in an axial load ratio of 0.4. The crack pattern, failure modes, load-displacement relationships, ductility, and energy dissipation characteristics are presented and discussed. The resultant seismic performances of the three tested specimens were compared in terms of skeleton curve, load-bearing capacity, stiffness, ductility, energy dissipation capacity, and viscous damping. The seismic performance of the partially connected shear wall was found to be comparable to that of the fully connected shear wall, exhibiting 1.7% and 3.5% higher yield and peak load capacities, 9.2% higher deformability, and similar variation in stiffness, energy dissipation capacity and viscous damping at increasing load levels. In comparison, the seismic performance of the non-connected shear wall was inferior, exhibiting 12.8% and 16.4% lower loads at the yield and peak load stages, 3.6% lower deformability, and significantly lower energy dissipation capacity at lower displacement and lower viscous damping.