• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.501-512
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• 2016

High-strength structural bolts have been utilized for beam-to-column connections in steel-framed structural buildings. Failure of these components may be caused by the bolt shank fracture or threads stripping-off, documented in the literature. Furthermore, these structural bolts are galvanized for corrosion resistance or quenched-and-tempered in the manufacturing process. This paper adopted the finite element simulation to demonstrate discrete mechanical performance for these bolts under tensile loading conditions, the coated and uncoated numerical model has been built up for two numerical integration methods: explicit and implicit. Experimental testing and numerical methods can fully approach the failure mechanism of these bolts and their ultimate load capacities. Comparison has also been conducted for two numerical integration methods, demonstrating that the explicit integration procedure is also suitable for solving quasi-static problems. Furthermore, by using precise bolt models in T-Stub, more accurately simulate the mechanical behavior of T-Stub, which will lay the foundation of the mechanical properties of steel bolted joints.

• Interaction and multiscale mechanics
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.17-34
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• 2011

This paper deals with the modeling of the plane frame structure-foundation-soil system. The superstructure along with the foundation beam is idealized as beam bending elements. The soil medium near the foundation beam with stress concentrated is idealized by isoparametric finite elements, and infinite elements are used to represent the far field of the soil media. This paper presents the modeling of shear wall structure-foundation and soil system using the optimal membrane triangular, super and conventional finite elements. Particularly, an alternative formulation is presented for the optimal triangular elements aimed at reducing the programming effort and computational cost. The proposed model is applied to a plane frame-combined footing-soil system. It is shown that the total settlement obtained from the non-linear interactive analysis is about 1.3 to 1.4 times that of the non-interactive analysis. Furthermore, the proposed model was found to be efficient in simulating the shear wall-foundation-soil system, being able to yield results that are similar to those obtained by the conventional finite element method.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.295-315
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• 2014

This paper presents the results of an analytical study on seismic reliability of viscoelastically damped frame systems in comparison with that of conventional moment resisting frame systems. In order to exhibit the reliability of the frame systems with viscoelastic dampers, seismic reliability analyses were carried out for steel framed buildings, 5 and 12 storeys in height, designed as: (a) Case 1: Conventional moment resisting frame, (b) Case 2: Frame with viscoelastic dampers providing supplemental effective damping ratio of 10%, and (c) Case 3: Frame with viscoelastic dampers providing supplemental effective damping ratio of 20%. Nonlinear time history analyses were utilized to develop seismic fragility curves whilst monitoring various performance objectives. To obtain robust estimators of the seismic reliability, a database including 15 natural earthquake ground motion records with markedly different characteristics was employed in the fragility analysis. The results indicate that depending upon the supplemental effective damping ratio, frames designed with viscoelastic dampers have considerably lower annual probability of exceedance of performance limit states for structural components, showing up to a five-fold reduction in comparison to conventionally designed moment resisting frame system.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.487-504
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• 2013

In the present work a new friction device, with a set of single or double rotational friction flanges and a link element, is described and tested. The mechanism may be applied for the strengthening of existing r/c or steel buildings as well as in new constructed buildings. The device has selectable variable behavior in different levels of displacement and an interlock mechanism that is provided by the link element. The link element may be designed to lock at preselected level of displacement, offering in this way an extra safety reserve against strong earthquakes. A summary of the existing literature about other similar mechanisms is initially presented in this paper. The proposed mechanism is presented and described in details. Laboratory experiments are presented in detail and the resulted response that proves the efficiency of the mechanism at selectable levels of strength capacity is discussed. Drawings of the mechanism attached to a r/c frame with connection details are also included. Finally a dynamic analysis of two r/c frames, with and without the proposed mechanism attached, is performed and the resulted response is given. The main conclusion is that the proposed mechanism is a cheap and efficient devise for the improvement of the performance of new or existing framed buildings to seismic loads.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Planning & Design
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.59-68
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• 2018

Salk Institute for Biological studies is widely considered as architectural masterpiece of Louis Kahn's. Its iconic plaza with symmetrical concrete structures, overlooking the Pacific ocean in La Jolla, has been acclaimed as a facade to the sky. Little has been written on Kahn's achievements in the building system integration in order to bridge the gap between technology and design. This paper explores the technical issues, the design intents, and the major building systems to identify the Kahn's integration methods between building systems. The project is analysed into four major systems; structure, mechanical, envelope, and interior system. The integration methods of building systems are investigated in physical, visual, and functional aspects. The most distinguished cases of building system integration are the introduction of the interstitial floors between the laboratories and the creation of the smooth and warm materiality of exposed concrete walls. Kahn proposed open floor plans for the laboratories which are capable of easily adapting to changing needs. He also introduced the interstitial floors which are framed of the vierendeel truss systems and deliberately overlapped the structure systems with the mechanical systems such as ducts, water pipes, and electric conduits. The exposed concrete walls mixed with pozzolan ashes look very much like granite or limestone as the result of the physical and visual integration between structure, envelope, and interior systems.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.483-500
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• 2022

Cold-formed steel wall panels sheathed with gypsum plasterboard have shown superior thermal and structural performance in fire. Recent damage caused by fire events in Australia has increased the need for accurate fire resistance ratings of wall systems used in low- and mid-rise construction. Past fire research has mostly focused on light gauge steel framed (LSF) walls under uniform axial compression and LSF floors under pure bending. However, in reality, LSF wall studs may be subject to both compression and bending actions due to eccentric loading at the wall to-roof or wall-to-floor connections. In order to investigate the fire resistance of LSF walls under the effects of these loading eccentricities, four full-scale standard fire tests were conducted on 3 m × 3 m LSF wall specimens lined with two 16 mm gypsum plasterboards under different combinations of axial compression and lateral load ratios. The findings show that the loading eccentricity can adversely affect the fire resistance level of the LSF wall depending on the magnitude of the eccentricity, the resultant compressive stresses in the hot and cold flanges of the wall studs caused by combined loading and the temperatures of the hot and cold flanges of the studs. Structural fire designers should consider the effects of loading eccentricity in the design of LSF walls to eliminate their potential failures in fire.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.39-66
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• 2022

Modern Bulgarian nationalists aspired towards incorporating the self-identified Bulgarian lands into the Bulgarian state. The Treaty of San Stefano ending the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 tantalizingly achieved these so-called national ideals. Great Power diplomacy quickly diminished Bulgaria's borders and international legal status with the 1878 Treaty of Berlin, exacerbating nationalist grievances. Bulgaria would expand vast resources to restore the San Stefano borders until Balkan Communist authoritarian regimes eventually suppressed the Macedonian issue as a foreign policy subject. Sofia's policy towards its neighbor has been overdetermined by the efforts of successive Bulgarian governments to institutionalize post-communist Bulgaria's own national identity. Bulgaria's integration into so-called Euro-Atlantic structures, i.e., NATO and the EU, had been the primary strategic objective of the Bulgarian authorities since the end of the Zhivkov regime. North Atlantic community security policy aims in response to the earliest post-Cold War foreign policy crises in the Western Balkans framed the parameters of Bulgarian diplomacy. The stabilization of FYROM in 2001, followed by Bulgaria's 2007 EU accession, led to Bulgarian nationalist values become more salient in Bulgarian politics and foreign policy. Sofia-Skopje relations are a test case for the effects of Europeanization on interdependent Balkan ethno-sectarian nationalisms and state territorial institutional development.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.591-609
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• 2023

In some buildings, the lateral structural response of steel framed buildings depends on the shear walls and it is very important to study the behavior of these elements under near-field seismic loads. The link beam in the opening of the shear wall between two wall plates is investigated numerically in terms of behavior and effects on frames. Based on the length of the beam and its bending and shear behavior, three types of models are constructed and analyzed, and the behavior of the frames is also compared. The results show that by reducing the length of the link beam, the base shear forces reduce about 20%. The changes in the length of the link beam have different effects on the degree of coupling. Increasing the length of the link beam increases the base shear about 15%. Also, it has both, a positive and a negative effect on the degree of coupling. The increasing strength of the coupling steel shear wall is linearly related to the yield stress of the beam materials, length, and flexural stiffness of the beam. The use of a shorter link beam will increase the additional strength and consequently improving the behavior of the coupling steel shear wall by reducing the stresses in this element. The link beam with large moment of inertia will also increase about 25% the additional strength and as a result the coefficient of behavior of the shear wall.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.571-578
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• 2022

Modularization in a high-rise building is different from a small building, as it is exposed to more lateral forces like wind and earthquakes. The integrity, robustness, and overall stability of the modules and their performance is based on the joining techniques and strong structural systems. High lateral stiff construction structures like concrete shear walls and frames, braced steel frames, and steel moment frames are used for the stability of high-rise modular buildings. Similarly, high-rise stick-built buildings have concrete cores and perimeter frames for lateral load strength and stiffness. Methods for general steel-concrete connections are available in many works of literature. However, there are few modular-related papers describing this connection system in modular buildings. This paper aims to review the various research and practice adopted for steel-to-concrete connections in construction and compare the methods between stick-built buildings and modular buildings. The literature review shows that the practice of steel module-to-concrete core connection in high-rise modular buildings is like outrigger beams-to-concrete core connection in stick-built framed buildings. This paper concludes that further studies are needed in developing proper guidelines for a steel module-to-concrete core connection system in high-rise modular buildings.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.140-146
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• 2008

The damage evaluation method for framed structures using continuous wavelet transform (CWT) is proposed. CWT is applied to the response acceleration of a structure subjected to earthquake load to decompose the response acceleration corresponding to each scale, then the normalized energy value for each scale is calculated. The difference between the normalized energy curvature (NEC) in each node before and after damage indicates a damaged element, which makes it possible to assess the soundness of structural elements. As damage becomes more severe the difference in normalized energy curvature becomes larger. The NEC calculated from the signal corresponding to high scale in CWT analysis is found to be a good index that shows the location and severity of damage.