• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.385-400
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• 2014

Pounding damage to bridges and buildings is observed in most major earthquakes. The damage mainly occurs in reinforced concrete slabs, e.g. building floors and bridge decks. This study presents the results from pounding of reinforced concrete slabs. A parametric investigation was conducted involving the mass of the pendulums, the relative velocities of impact and the geometry of the contact surface. The effect of these parameters on the coefficient of restitution and peak impact acceleration is shown. In contrast to predictions from numerical force models, it was observed that peak acceleration is independent of mass. The coefficient of restitution is affected by the impact velocity, total participating mass and the mass ratio of striker and struck block.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.527-539
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• 2018

The use of reinforced concrete (RC) shear wall with concrete filled steel tube (CFST) columns and steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) shear wall has aroused widespread attention in recent years. A new shear wall, named SFRC shear wall with CFST columns, is proposed in this paper, which makes use of CFST column and SFRC shear wall. Six SFRC shear wall with CFST columns specimens were tested under cyclic loading. The effects of test parameters including steel fiber volume fraction and concrete strength on the failure mode, strength, ductility, rigidity and dissipated energy of shear wall specimens were investigated. The results showed that all tested shear wall specimens exhibited a distinct shear failure mode. Steel fibers could effectively control the crack width and improve the distribution of cracks. The load carrying and energy dissipation capacities of specimens increased with the increase of steel fiber volume fraction and concrete strength, whilst the ductility of specimens increased with the increase of steel fiber volume fraction and the decrease of concrete strength.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.141-161
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• 2016

In seismic fragility and risk analysis, the definition of structural limit state (LS) capacities is of crucial importance. Traditionally, LS capacities are defined according to design code provisions or using deterministic pushover analysis without considering the inherent randomness of structural parameters. To assess the effects of structural randomness on LS capacities, ten structural parameters that include material strengths and gravity loads are considered as random variables, and a probabilistic pushover method based on a correlation-controlled Latin hypercube sampling technique is used to estimate the uncertainties in LS capacities for four typical reinforced concrete frame buildings. A series of ten LSs are identified from the pushover curves based on the design-code-given thresholds and the available damage-controlled criteria. The obtained LS capacities are further represented by a lognormal model with the median $m_C$ and the dispersion ${\beta}_C$. The results show that structural uncertainties have limited influence on $m_C$ for the LSs other than that near collapse. The commonly used assumption of ${\beta}_C$ between 0.25 and 0.30 overestimates the uncertainties in LS capacities for each individual building, but they are suitable for a building group with moderate damages. A low uncertainty as ${\beta}_C=0.1{\sim}0.15$ is adequate for the LSs associated with slight damages of structures, while a large uncertainty as ${\beta}_C=0.40{\sim}0.45$ is suggested for the LSs near collapse.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.325-354
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• 2004

Slabs in buildings and bridge decks, which are restrained against lateral displacements at the edges, have ultimate strengths far in excess of those predicted by analytical methods based on yield line theory. The increase in strength has been attributed to membrane action, which is due to the in-plane forces developed at the supports. The benefits of compressive membrane action are usually not taken into account in currently available design methods developed based on plastic flow theories assuming concrete to be a rigid-plastic material. By extending the existing knowledge of compressive membrane action, it is possible to design slabs in building and bridge structures economically with less than normal reinforcement. Recent research on building and bridge structures reflects the importance of membrane action in design. This paper describes the finite element modelling of membrane action in reinforced concrete slabs through optimisation of a simple concrete model. Through a series of parametric studies using the simple concrete model in the finite element simulation of eight fully clamped concrete slabs with significant membrane action, a set of fixed numerical model parameter values is identified and computational conditions established, which would guarantee reliable strength prediction of arbitrary slabs. The reliability of the identified values to simulate membrane action (for prediction purposes) is further verified by the direct simulation of 42 other slabs, which gave an average value of 0.9698 for the ratio of experimental to predicted strengths and a standard deviation of 0.117. A 'deflection factor' is also established for the slabs, relating the predicted peak deflection to experimental values, which, (for the same level of fixity at the supports), can be used for accurate displacement determination. The proposed optimised concrete model and finite element procedure can be used as a tool to simulate membrane action in slabs in building and bridge structures having variable support and loading conditions including fire. Other practical applications of the developed finite element procedure and design process are also discussed.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.487-497
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• 2020

During the last few decades, fluid viscous dampers have been significantly improved in terms of performance and reliability. Viscous dampers dissipate the input energy into heat and the increased temperature may damage internal seals of the damper. As a result, thermal compensation is crucial for almost all fluid viscous dampers. In this study, while referring to the main working principles of the recently developed bypass viscous damper in Iran, a comprehensive case study is conducted on a RC building having diagonal braces equipped with such viscous dampers. Experimental results of a small-scale bypass viscous damper is presented and it is shown that the currently available simplified Maxwell models can simulate behavior of the bypass viscous damper with good accuracy. Using a case study, contribution of bypass viscous dampers to seismic behavior of structural and non-structural elements are investigated. A designed procedure is adopted to increase damping ratio of the building from 3% to 15%. In this way, reductions of 25% and 13% in the required concrete and steel rebar materials have been achieved. From nonlinear time history analyses, it is observed that bypass viscous dampers can greatly improve seismic behavior of structural elements and non-structural elements.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.124-134
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• 2018

Despite the many advantages of modular housing, low preference for modular housing for consumers who are familiar with RC structure leads to high construction cost of modular housing. The cost of modular buildings is about 130% of that of RC structures, so it is urgent to secure economical efficiency of modular buildings. Therefore, in this study, after calculating the savings amount of modular housing by type of construction work, economic analysis was conducted from a long - term perspective. In order to carry out the research, the authors compiled and analyzed the material cost, labor cost, and expenses incurred by each type of work by reclassifying the statement of the modular housing into the factory production and the site installation. After that, Pareto diagrams were created to find a core work that is included in the cost ratio of about 80%, and selected it as a cost reduction subject. Based on the assumption that the market size of domestic modular housing is similar to the level of modular advanced countries such as Japan and European countries, six cost reduction methods were set up that reflects the characteristics of the modular construction method and used for the expert interviews. Cost saving potentials in percentage from the interview were converted to the amount of savings that can be achieved by each type of method when applying the method. Finally, the findings of the study are expected to suggest long-term directions for technical development for modular construction and cost savings.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.809-822
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• 2016

Reinforced concrete buildings constitute the majority of the building stock of Turkey and much of them, do not comply the earthquake codes. Recently there is a great tendency for strengthening to heal their earthquake performance. The performance evaluations are usually executed by the numerical investigations performed in computer packages. However, the numerical models are often far from representing the real behaviour of the existing buildings. In this condition, experimental modal analysis fills a gap to correct the numerical models to be used in further analysis. On the other hand, there have been a few dynamic tests performed on the existing reinforced concrete buildings. Especially forced vibration survey is not preferred due to the inherent difficulties, high cost and probable risk of damage. This study applies both ambient and forced vibration surveys to investigate the dynamic properties of a six-story residential building in Istanbul. Mode shapes, modal frequencies and damping ration were determined. Later on numerical analysis with finite element method was performed. Based on the first three modes of the building, a model updating strategy was employed. The study enabled to compare the results of ambient and forced vibration surveys and check the accuracy of the numerical models used for the performance evaluation of the reinforced concrete buildings.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.83 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2022

The static design approach in the current code implies that the inherent torsional moment represents the state of zero inertial torsional moments at the center of mass (CM). However, both experimental and analytical results prove the existence of a large amount of the inertial torsional moment at the CM. Also, the definition of eccentricity by engineers, which is referred to as the resistance eccentricity, is defined as the distance between the center of mass and the center of resistance, which is conceptually different from the static eccentricity in the current codes, defined as the arm length about the center of rotation. The difference in the definitions of eccentricity should be made clear to avoid confusion about the torsion design. This study proposed prediction equations as a function of resistance eccentricity based on a resistance eccentricity model with advantages of (1) the recognition of the existence of torsional moment at the CM, (2) the avoidance of the confusion by using resistance eccentricity instead of the design eccentricity, and (3) a clear relationship of applied inertial forces at the CM and resisting forces. These predictions are compared with the seismic responses obtained from time-history analyses of a five-story building structure under moderate and severe earthquakes. Then, the trend of the resistance eccentricity corresponding to the maximum edge drift is investigated for elastic and inelastic responses. The comparison given in this study shows that these prediction equations can serve as a useful reference for the prediction in both the elastic and the inelastic ranges.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.467-488
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• 2023

Seismic retrofit of an existing steel-reinforced concrete hospital building that features innovative use of a continuous energy-dissipative steel column (CEDC) system is presented in this paper. The special system has been adopted to provide an efficient solution taking into account the difficulties of applying traditional intervention techniques to minimize the impact on architectural functionality and avoid the loss of building function and evacuation during the retrofit implementation. The lateral stiffness and strength of the CEDC system were defined based on the geometric and mechanical properties of the steel strip dampers. The hysteretic behavior under cyclic loadings was defined using a simplified numerical model. Its effectiveness was validated by comparing the results of full-scale experimental data available from the literature. All the main design considerations of the retrofitting plan are described in detail. The effectiveness of the proposed retrofitting system was demonstrated by nonlinear time-history analyses under different sets of earthquake-strong ground motions. The analysis results show that the CEDC system is effective in controlling the deformation pattern and significantly reducing damage to the existing structure during major earthquakes.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.265-272
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• 2023

This paper presents a conceptual strategy and technologies for the digital transformation of design and construction of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The development of an automated detail design strategy for RC structures is described. Integrated digital platform based on 5D BIM concept is proposed for the replacement of the current technology environment-based 2D CAD. Generally, the detail design development is labor-intensive and iterative. Effective automation of relevant aspects can dramatically improve productivity and accuracy. The proposed solutions for the automated BIM modeling based on the rebar and formwork detail design automation achieves the productivity and accuracy sufficient for site application. The platform integrates and manages the information flow between each solution or application and provides it to all participants of the project. Finally, it is expected that the proposed strategy and technologies can be further enhanced to achieve the productivity and accuracy needed for widespread site application and digital transformation.