• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.197-206
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• 2020

Reutilization of solid waste such as Tire Derived Aggregate (TDA) and mixing it with soft soil for backfill material not only reduces the required volume of backfill soil (i.e., sand-mining procedures; reinforcement), but also preserves the environment from pollution by recycling. TDA is a widely-used material that has a good track record for improving sustainable construction. This paper attempted to investigate the performance of Kaolin-TDA mixtures as a backfill material underneath a strip footing and close to a retaining wall. For this purpose, different types of TDA i.e., powdery, shredded, small-size granular (1-4 mm) and large-size granular (5-8 mm), were mixed with Kaolin at 0, 20, 40, and 60% by weight. Static surcharge load with the rate of 10 kPa per min was applied on the strip footing until the failure of footing happened. The behaviour of samples K80-G (1-4 mm) 20 and K80-G (5-8 mm) 20 were identical to that of pure Kaolin, except that the maximum footing stress had grown by roughly three times (300-310 kPa). Therefore, it can be concluded that the total flexibility of the backfill and shear strength of the strip footing have been increased by adding the TDA. The results indicate that, a significant increase in the failure vertical stress of the footing is observed at the optimum mixture content. In addition, the TDA increases the elasticity behaviour of the backfill.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제7권5호
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• pp.477-493
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• 2014

This study examines the behaviour of single micropiles subjected to axial tension or compression load in collapsible loess under in-situ moisture content and saturated condition. Five tension loading tests and five compression loading tests on single micropiles were carried out at a typical loess site of the Loess Plateau in Northwest China. A series of laboratory tests, including grain size distribution, specific gravity, moisture content, Atterberg limits, density, granular components, shear strength, and collapse index, were carried out during the micropile loading tests to determine the values of soil parameters. The loess at the test site poses a severe collapse risk upon wetting. The tension or compression load-displacement curves of the micropiles in loess, under in-situ moisture content or saturated condition, can generally be simplified into three distinct regions: an initial linear, a curvilinear transition, and a final linear region, and the bearing capacity or failure load can be interpreted by the L1-L2 method as done in other studies. Micropiles in loess should be considered as frictional pile foundations though the tip resistances are about 10%-15% of the applied loads. Both the tension and compression capacities increase linearly with the ratio of the pile length to the shaft diameter, L/d. For micropiles in loess under in-situ moisture content, the interpreted failure loads or capacities under tension are 66%-87% of those under compression. However, the prewetting of the loess can lead to the reductions of 50% in the tensile bearing capacity and 70% in the compressive bearing capacity.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제16권6호
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• pp.933-961
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• 2015

Damage by high-speed impact fracture is a dominant mode of failure in several applications of concrete structures. Numerical modelling can play a crucial role in understanding and predicting complex fracture processes. The commonly used mesh-based Finite Element Method has difficulties in accurately modelling the high deformation and disintegration associated with fracture, as this often distorts the mesh. Even with careful re-meshing FEM often fails to handle extreme deformations and results in poor accuracy. Moreover, simulating the mechanism of fragmentation requires detachment of elements along their boundaries, and this needs a fine mesh to allow the natural propagation of damage/cracks. Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) is an alternative particle based (mesh-less) Lagrangian method that is particularly suitable for analysing fracture because of its capability to model large deformation and to track free surfaces generated due to fracturing. Here we demonstrate the capabilities of SPH for predicting brittle fracture by studying a slender concrete structure (column) under the impact of a high-speed projectile. To explore the effect of the projectile material behaviour on the fracture process, the projectile is assumed to be either perfectly-elastic or elastoplastic in two separate cases. The transient stress field and the resulting evolution of damage under impact are investigated. The nature of the collision and the constitutive behaviour are found to considerably affect the fracture process for the structure including the crack propagation rates, and the size and motion of the fragments. The progress of fracture is tracked by measuring the average damage level of the structure and the extent of energy dissipation, which depend strongly on the type of collision. The effect of fracture property (failure strain) of the concrete due to its various compositions is found to have a profound effect on the damage and fragmentation pattern of the structure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제60권4호
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• pp.633-653
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• 2016

One of the major threats to the stability of classical columns and colonnades are earthquakes. The behavior of columns under high seismic excitation loads is non-linear and complex since rocking, wobbling and sliding failure modes can occur. Therefore, three dimensional simulation approaches are essential to investigate the in-plane and out-of-plane response of such structures during harmonic and seismic loading excitations. Using a software based on the Distinct Element Method (DEM) of analysis, a three dimensional numerical study has been performed to investigate the parameters affecting the seismic behaviour of colonnades' structural systems. A typical section of the two-storey colonnade of the Forum in Pompeii has been modelled and studied parametrically, in order to identify the main factors affecting the stability and to improve our understanding of the earthquake behaviour of such structures. The model is then used to compare the results between 2D and 3D simulations emphasizing the different response for the selected earthquake records. From the results analysis, it was found that the high-frequency motion requires large base acceleration amplitude to lead to the collapse of the colonnade in a shear-slip mode between the drums. However, low-frequency harmonic excitations are more prominent to cause structural collapse of the two-storey colonnade than the high-frequency ones with predominant rocking failure mode. Finally, the 2D analysis found to be unconservative since underestimates the displacement demands of the colonnade system when compared with the 3D analysis.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제9권6호
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• pp.615-636
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• 2000

Some elevated water tanks have failed due to torsional vibrations in past earthquakes. The overall axisymmetric structural geometry and mass distribution of such structures may leave only a small accidental eccentricity between centre of stiffness and centre of mass. Such a small accidental eccentricity is not expected to cause a torsional failure. This paper studies the possibility of amplified torsional behaviour of elevated water tanks due to such small accidental eccentricity in the elastic as well as inelastic range; using two simple idealized systems with two coupled lateral-torsional degrees of freedom. The systems are capable of retaining the characteristics of two extreme categories of water tanks namely, a) tanks on staging with less number of columns and panels and b) tanks on staging with large number of columns and panels. The study shows that the presence of a small eccentricity may lead to large displacement of the staging edge in the elastic range, if the torsional-to-lateral time period ratio $({\tau})$ of the elevated tanks lies within a critical range of 0.7< ${\tau}$ <1.25. Inelastic behaviour study reveals that such excessive displacement in some of the reinforced concrete staging elements may cause unsymmetric yielding. This may lead to progressive strength deterioration through successive yielding in same elements under cyclic loading during earthquakes. Such localized strength drop progressively develop large strength eccentricity resulting in large localized inelastic displacement and ductility demand, leading to failure. So, elevated water tanks should have ${\tau}$ outside the said critical range to avoid amplified torsional response. The tanks supported on staging with less number of columns and panels are found to have greater torsional vulnerability. Tanks located near faults seem to have torsional vulnerability for large ${\tau}$.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제58권5호
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• pp.757-781
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• 2016

The results of diagnostics and analysis of an industrial hall located on the premises of a thermal power plant severely damaged by fire are presented in the paper. The comprehensive failure-related diagnostics, non-destructive and destructive tests of steel and concrete materials, geodetic surveying of selected structural members, numerical modelling, static analysis and reliability assessment were focused on two basic goals: The determination of the current technical condition of the load bearing structure and the assessment of its post fire resistance as well as assessing the degree of damage and subsequent design of reconstruction measures and arrangements which would enable the safe and reliable use of the building. The current mechanical properties of the steel material obtained from the tests and measured geometric characteristics of the structural members with imperfections were employed in finite element models to study the post-fire behaviour of the structure. In order to compare the behaviour of the numerically modelled steel roof truss, subjected to the effects of fire, with the real post-fire response of the damaged structure theoretically obtained resistance, critical temperature and the time at which the structure no longer meets the required reliability criteria under its given loading are compared with real values. A very good agreement between the simulated results and real characteristics of the structure after the fire was observed.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.115-129
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• 2019

The effectiveness of an innovative method for the earthquake-resistant rehabilitation of existing poorly detailed reinforced concrete (RC) structures is experimentally investigated herein. Eight column subassemblages were subjected to earthquake-type loading and their hysteretic behaviour was evaluated. Four of the specimens were identical and representative of columns found in RC structures designed in the 1950s-70s period for gravity load only. These original specimens were subjected to cyclic lateral deformations and developed brittle failure mechanisms. Three of the damaged specimens were subsequently retrofitted with innovative high-strength steel fiber-reinforced concrete (HSSFC) jackets. The main variables examined were the jacket width and the contribution of mesh steel reinforcement in the seismic performance of the enhanced columns. The influence of steel fiber volume fraction was also examined using test results of a previous work of Tsonos et al. (2017). The fourth earthquake damaged subassemblage was strengthened with a conventional RC jacket and was subjected to the same lateral displacement history as the other three retrofitted columns. The seismic behaviour of the subassemblages strengthened according to the proposed retrofit scheme was evaluated with respect to that of the original specimens and that of the column strengthened with the conventional RC jacket. Test results clearly demonstrated that the HSSFC jackets effectively prevented the development of shear failure mechanisms, while ensuring a ductile seismic response similar to that of the subassemblage retrofitted with the conventional RC jacket. Ultimately, an indisputable superiority in the overall seismic performance of the strengthened columns was achieved with respect to the original specimens.

• 농업과학연구
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• 제39권3호
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• pp.427-439
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• 2012

In this study, an experiment with large-scale model was performed according to raising embankment in order to investigate the behaviour of failure due to overtopping. The pore water pressure, earth pressure and settlement by high water level, a rapid drawdown and overtopping were compared and analyzed. Also, seepage analysis and slope stability analysis were performed for steady state and transient conditions. The pore water pressure and earth pressure for inclined core type showed high value at the base of the core, but they showed no infiltration by leakage. The pore water pressure and earth pressure by overtopping increased at the upstream slope and core, it is considered a useful data that can accurately estimate the possibility of failure of the reservoir. The behavior of failure due to overtopping was gradually enlarged towards the downstream slope from reservoir crest, and the inclined core after the raising embankment was influenced significantly to prevent the reservoir failure. The pore water pressure distribution for steady state and transient condition showed positive (+) pore water pressure on the upstream slope, it was gradually changed negative (-) pore water pressure on the downstream slope. The pore water pressure by overtopping showed a larger than the high water level at the downstream slope, it was likely to be the piping phenomenon because the hydraulic gradients showed largely at the inclined core and reservoir crest. The safety factor showed high at the steady state, and transient conditions did not show differences depending on the rapid drawdown.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제81권1호
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• pp.81-91
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• 2022

The effects of interaction between concrete-gypsum interface and edge crack on the failure behavior of the specimens in senicircular bend (SCB) test were studied in the laboratory and also simulated numerically using the discrete element method. Some quarter circular specimens of gypsum and concrete with 5 cm radii and hieghts were separately prepared. Then the semicircular testing specimens were made by attaching one gypsum and one concrete sample to one another using a special glue and one edge crack is produced (in the interface) by do not using the glue in that part of the interface. The tensile strengths of concrete and gypsum samples were separately measured as 2.2 MPa and 1.3 MPa, respectively. during all testing performances a constant loading rate of 0.005 mm/s were stablished. The proposed testing method showed that the mechanism of failure and fracture in the brittle materials were mostly governed by the dimensions and number of discontinuities. The fracture toughnesses of the SCB samples were related to the fracture patterns during the failure processes of these specimens. The tensile behaviour of edge notch was related to the number of induced tensile cracks which were increased by decreasing the joint length. The fracture toughness of samples was constant by increasing the joint length. The failure process and fracture pattern in the notched semi-circular bending specimens were similar for both methods used in this study (i.e., the laboratory tests and the simulation procedure using the particle flow code (PFC2D)).

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.137-156
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• 2016

Due to excellent advantages such as better illuminative effects, considerable material savings and ease and rapidness of construction, the bolted ball-cylinder joint which is a new type joint system has been proposed in space truss structures. In order to reveal more information and understanding on the behaviour of bolted ball-cylinder joints, full-scale experiments on eight bolted ball-cylinder joint specimens were conducted. Five joint specimens were subjected to axial compressive force, while another three joint specimens were subjected to axial tensile force. The parameters investigated herein were the outside diameter of hollow cylinders, the height of hollow cylinders, the thickness of hollow cylinders, ribbed stiffener and axial force. These joint specimens were collapsed by excessive deformation of hollow cylinders, punching damage of hollow cylinders, evulsion of bolts, and weld cracking. The strain distributions on the hollow cylinder opening were mainly controlled by bending moments. To improve the ultimate bearing capacity and axial stiffness of bolted ball-cylinder joints, two effective measures were developed: (1) the thickness of the hollow cylinder needed to be thicker; (2) the ribbed stiffener should be adopted. In addition, the axial stiffness of bolted ball-cylinder joints exhibited significant non-linear characteristics.