• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.91-118
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• 2019

Every year, many people are severely injured or lose their lives in accidents such as fire, chemical spill, public pandemonium, school shooting, and workplace violence. Research indicates that the fate of people in an emergency situation involving one or more hazards depends not only on the design of the space (e.g., residential building, industrial facility, shopping mall, sports stadium, school, concert hall) in which the incident occurs, but also on a host of other factors including but not limited to (a) occupants' characteristics, (b) level of familiarity with and cognition of the surroundings, and (c) effectiveness of hazard intervention systems. In this paper, we present EVAQ, a simulation framework for modeling large crowd evacuation by taking into account occupants' behaviors and interactions during an emergency. In particular, human's personal (i.e., age, gender, disability) and interpersonal (i.e., group behavior and interactions) attributes are parameterized in a hazard-impacted environment. In addition, different hazard types (e.g., fire, lone wolf attacker) and propagation patterns, as well as intervention schemes (simulating building repellent systems, firefighters, law enforcement) are modeled. Next, the application of EVAQ to crowd egress planning in an airport terminal under human attack, and a shopping mall in fire emergency are presented and results are discussed. Finally, a validation test is performed using real world data from a past building fire incident to assess the reliability and integrity of EVAQ in comparison with existing evacuation modeling tools.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.179-196
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• 2019

Temporary scaffold systems in the construction site play an important role for ensuring the safety of the workers and for constructing the stable structures. To assemble the scaffold, the pipe scaffolding system, the wedge binding scaffolding system and the particular materials have been utilized. To design the material arrangement of a scaffold, firstly the configuration was determined considering the construction geometry. Then, the strength of the scaffold was confirmed and the quantity of the material was accounted. In this paper, the design method of the temporary scaffold was proposed for intending the semi-automatic procedure. In the proposed design method, the geometric design and the safety requirement were specified by the safety standard and the design flow was followed by the designer's knowledge. The size and the quantities of the materials were calculated by referring to the relation between the scaffold and the constructing structure. In the calculating procedure, three dimensional positions of each scaffold materials were calculated and recorded simultaneously. Then, three dimensional scaffold structural was drawn semi-automatically on the CAD software by using the obtained material sizes, positions and directions. The proposed design method provides us the precise quantities of scaffold materials and enables us to reduce the design effort and the cost estimation processes. In addition, the obtained results can be applied to BIM software after converting to IFC format.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.141-153
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• 2019

This research is comprised of virtually simulating behavior while experiencing low gravity effects in advance of real world testing in low gravity aboard Zero Gravity Corporation's (Zero-G) research aircraft (727-200F). The experiment simulated a drill rig penetrating a regolith simulant. Regolith is a layer of loose, heterogeneous superficial deposits covering solid rock on surfaces of the Earth' moon, asteroids and Mars. The behavior and propagation of space debris when drilled in low gravity was tested through simulations and visualization in a leading dynamic simulation software as well as discrete element modeling software and in preparation for comparing to real world results from flying the experiment aboard Zero-G. The study of outer space regolith could lead to deeper scientific knowledge of extra-terrestrial surfaces, which could lead us to breakthroughs with respect to space mining or in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). These studies aimed to test and evaluate the drilling process in low to zero gravity environments and to determine static stress analysis on the drill when tested in low gravity environments. These tests and simulations were conducted by a team from Texas A&M University's Department of Construction Science, the United States Air Force Academy's Department of Astronautical Engineering, and Crow Industries

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.31-42
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• 2021

This research aims to demonstrate the optimal geometrical design of splayed multiple cross-sectional pin fin heat sinks (SMCSPFHS), which are a type of side-inlet-side-outlet heat sink (SISOHS). The optimiser strength Pareto evolutionary algorithm2 (SPEA2)is employed to explore a set of Pareto optimalsolutions. Objective functions are the fan pumping power and junction temperature. Function evaluations can be accomplished using computational fluid dynamics(CFD) analysis. Design variablesinclude pin cross-sectional areas, the number of fins, fin pitch, thickness of heatsink base, inlet air speed, fin heights, and fin orientations with respect to the base. Design constraints are defined in such a way as to make a heat sink usable and easy to manufacture. The optimum results obtained from SPEA2 are compared with the straight pin fin design results obtained from hybrid population-based incremental learning and differential evolution (PBIL-DE), SPEA2, and an unrestricted population size evolutionary multiobjective optimisation algorithm (UPSEMOA). The results indicate that the splayed pin-fin design using SPEA2 issuperiorto those reported in the literature.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.55-75
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• 2021

The lightweight superstructure is beneficial for bridges in remote areas and emergency erection. In such weight-sensitive applications, the combination of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) as a material and box-beams as a structural system have enormous scope. This combination offers various advantages, but as a thin-walled structure, their designs are often governed by buckling criteria. FRP box-beams lose their stability either by flange or web buckling mode. In this paper, the web buckling behavior of simply supported FRP box-beam subjected to transverse load has been studied by modeling full box-beam to consider the effect of real state of stress (stress variation in length direction) and boundary conditions (rotational restraint at web-flange junction). A parametric study by varying the sectional geometry and fiber orientation is carried out by using ANSYS software. The accuracy of the FE models was ensured by verifying them against the available results provided in the literature. With the help of developed database the influential parameters (i.e., αs, βw, δw and γ) affecting the web bucklings are identified. Design trends have been developed which will be helpful to the designers in the preliminary stage. Finally, the importance of governing parameters and design trends are demonstrated through pedestrian bridge design.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2021

Failure of a Multi-storeyed reinforced concrete framed structure occurs when a primary vertical structural component is isolated or made fragile, due to artificial or natural hazards. Load carried by vertical component (column) is transferred to neighbouring columns in the structure, if the neighbouring column is incompetent of holding the extra load, this leads to the progressive failure of neighbouring members and finally to the failure of partial or whole structure. The collapsing system frequently seeks alternative load path in order to stay alive. One of the imperative features of collapse is that the final damage is not relative to the initial damage. In this paper, the effect on the column and beam adjacent to statically removed vertical element in terms of axial force, shear force and bending moment is investigated. Using Alternate load path method, numerical modelling of two dimensional one bay, two bay with variation in storey heights are analysed with FE model in order to obtain better understanding of failure mechanism of multi-storeyed reinforced concrete framed structure. The results indicate that the corner column is more susceptible to progressive collapse when compared to middle column, using this simplified methodology one can easily predict how the structure can be made to stay alive in case of sudden failure of any horizontal or vertical structural element before designing.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.15-30
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• 2021

With improvement in innovative manufacturing technologies, it became possible to fabricate any complex shaped structural design for practical applications. This allows for the fabrication of curvilinearly stiffened pressure vessels and pipes. Compared to straight stiffeners, curvilinear stiffeners have shown to have better structural performance and weight savings under certain loading conditions. In this paper, an optimization framework for designing curvilinearly stiffened composite pressure vessels and pipes is presented. NURBS are utilized to define curvilinear stiffeners over the surface of the pipe. An integrated tool using Python, Rhinoceros 3D, MSC.PATRAN and MSC.NASTRAN is implemented for performing the optimization. Rhinoceros 3D is used for creating the geometry, which later is exported to MSC.PATRAN for finite element model generation. Finally, MSC.NASTRAN is used for structural analysis. A Bi-Level Programming (BLP) optimization technique, consisting of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Gradient-Based Optimization (GBO), is used to find optimal locations of stiffeners, geometric dimensions for stiffener cross-sections and layer thickness for the composite skin. A cylindrical pipe stiffened by orthogonal and curvilinear stiffeners under torsional and bending load cases is studied. It is seen that curvilinear stiffeners can lead to a potential 10.8% weight saving in the structure as compared to the case of using straight stiffeners.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.173-188
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• 2022

In modern buildings, glass is considered a structurally unsafe material due to its brittleness and unpredictable failure behavior. The possible use of structural glass elements (i.e., floors, beams and columns) is generally prevented by its poor tensile strength and a frequent occurrence of brittle failures. In this study an innovative modelling based on an equivalent thickness concept of laminated glass beam reinforced with FRP (Fiber Reinforced Polymer) composite material and of glass plates punched is presented. In particular, the novel numerical modelling applied to an embedding Carbon FRP-rod in the interlayer of a laminated structural glass beam is considered in order to increase both its failure strength, together with its post-failure strength and ductility. The proposed equivalent modelling of different specimens enables us to carefully evaluate the effects of this reinforcement. Both the responses of the reinforced beam and un-reinforced one are evaluated, and the corresponding results are compared and discussed. A novel equivalent modelling for reinforced glass beams using FRP composites is presented for FEM analyses in modern material components and proved estimations of the expected performance are provided. Moreover, the new suggested numerical analysis is also applied to laminated glass plates with wide holes at both ends for the technological reasons necessary to connect a glass beam to a structure. Obtained results are compared with an integer specimen. Experimental considerations are reported.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.189-210
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• 2022

Deployable structures have the ability to shift from a compact state to an expanded functional configuration. By extension, reconfigurability is another function that relies on embedded computation and actuators. Linkage-based mechanisms constitute promising systems in the development of deployable and reconfigurable structures with high flexibility and controllability. The present paper investigates the deployment and reconfigurability of modular linkage structures with a pin and a sliding support, the latter connected to a linear motion actuator. An appropriate control sequence consists of stepwise reconfigurations that involve the selective releasing of one intermediate joint in each closed-loop linkage, effectively reducing it to a 1-DOF "effective crank-slider" mechanism. This approach enables low self-weight and reduced energy consumption. A kinematics and finite-element analysis of different linkage systems, in all intermediate reconfiguration steps of a sequence, have been conducted for different lengths and geometrical characteristics of the members, as well as different actuation methods, i.e., direct and cable-driven actuation. The study provides insight into the impact of various structural typological and geometrical factors on the systems' behavior.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.253-279
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• 2022

This study investigated and predicted the Marshall stability of glass-fiber asphalt mix, carbon-fiber asphalt mix and glass-carbon-fiber asphalt (hybrid) mix by using machine learning techniques such as Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest(RF), The data was obtained from the experiments and the research articles. Assessment of results indicated that performance of the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based model outperformed applied models in training and testing datasets with values of indices as; coefficient of correlation (CC) 0.8492 and 0.8234, mean absolute error (MAE) 2.0999 and 2.5408, root mean squared error (RMSE) 2.8541 and 3.3165, relative absolute error (RAE) 48.16% and 54.05%, relative squared error (RRSE) 53.14% and 57.39%, Willmott's index (WI) 0.7490 and 0.7011, Scattering index (SI) 0.4134 and 0.3702 and BIAS 0.3020 and 0.4300 for both training and testing stages respectively. The Taylor diagram also confirms that the ANN-based model outperforms the other models. Results of sensitivity analysis show that Carbon fiber has a major influence in predicting the Marshall stability. However, the carbon fiber (CF) followed by glass-carbon fiber (50GF:50CF) and the optimal combination CF + (50GF:50CF) are found to be most sensitive in predicting the Marshall stability of fibrous asphalt concrete.