• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.395-409
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• 1998

This paper concerns the development and implementation of an orthotropic, stress resultant elasto-plastic finite element model for the collapse load analysis of reinforced concrete plates. The model implements yield line plasticity theory for reinforced concrete. The behaviour of the yield functions are studied, and modifications introduced to ensure a robust finite element model of cases involving bending and twisting stress resultants ($M_x$, $M_y$, $M_{xy}$). Onset of plasticity is always governed by the general yield-line-model (YLM), but in some cases a switch to the stress resultant form of the von Mises function is used to ensure the proper evolution of plastic strains. Case studies are presented, involving isotropic and orthotropic plates, to assess the behaviour of the yield line approach. The YLM function is shown to perform extremely well, in predicting both the collapse loads and failure mechanisms.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.49-62
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• 2013

Many previous tall building fires demonstrate that despite code compliant construction fires often spread vertically and burn over multiple floors at the same time. The collapses of the WTC complex buildings in 9/11 as well as other partial collapses like the ones of the Windsor Tower in Madrid and of the Technical University of Delft building posed new questions on the stability of tall buildings in fire. These accidents have shown that local or global collapse is possible in multi-floor fires. In most of the previous work involving multi-floor fires all floors were assumed to be heated simultaneously although in reality fires travel from one floor to another. This paper extends previous research by focusing on the collapse mechanisms of tall buildings in fire and performs a parametric study using various travelling rates. The results of the study demonstrate that vertically travelling fires have beneficial impact in terms of the global structural response of tall buildings in comparison to simultaneous fires. Contrary to the beneficial effect of the travelling fires in terms of the global structural response, it was noticed that higher tensile forces were also present in the floors compared to simultaneous multi-floor case. Designers are therefore advised to consider simultaneous multi-floor fire as an upper bound scenario. However, a scenario where a travelling fire is used is also suggested to be examined, as the tensile capacity of connections may be underestimated.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.475-483
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• 2016

A numerical analysis model capable of predicting the shape, the size and the potentiality of collapse of tetrahedral blocks considering the persistence obtained from the field survey of joint distribution around the underground excavation surface has been developed. Numerical functions of analyzing both the exposed trace distribution on the excavation surface and the formation of tetrahedral block controlled by the extent of joint surface have been established and linked to the previously developed three dimensional deterministic block analysis model. To illustrate the reliability of advanced numerical model the case of underground excavation in which the collapse of rock block had practically taken place was studied. Representative orientations of joint sets was determined based on the joint distribution pattern observed on the excavation surfaces. The formation of block on the roof of underground opening was analyzed to unveil the potential tetrahedral block the shape of which was very similar to the collapsed rock block. Mechanisms of collapse process has been also analyzed by considering the three dimensional shape of tetrahedral block.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.399-405
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• 2023

This study presents an optimal seismic design method based on genetic algorithms to induce beam-hinge collapse mechanisms in reinforced concrete moment frames. Two objective functions are used. The first minimizes the cost of the structure and the second maximizes the energy dissipation capacity of the structure. Constraints include strength conditions of columns and beams, minimum conditions for column-to-beam flexural strength ratio, and conditions for preventing plastic hinge occurrence of columns. Linear static analysis is performed to evaluate the strength of members, whereas nonlinear static analysis is carried out to evaluate energy dissipation capacity and occurrence of plastic hinges. The proposed method was applied to a four-story example structure, and it was confirmed that solutions for inducing a beam-hinge collapse mechanism are obtained. The value of the column-beam flexural strength ratio of the obtained design was found to be larger than the value suggested by existing seismic codes. A more robust strategy is needed to induce a beam-hinge collapse mode.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1993.10a
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• pp.55-62
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• 1993

Elastic failures of cantilevered cylindrical shells subject to lateral load are caused mainly by geometrical nonlinearlity. Geometerally nonlinear analysis is call for so as to investigate failure mechanisms. In this paper the geometericlly nonlinear analysis of cantilevered cylindrical shells under transverse load by the Rayleigh-Ritz Method is presented to examine the collapse loads and the process of cross-sectional deformations. The critical stress for relatively long cylinders have a tendency to show low level in comparison with the classical buckling stress for compression.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.51-62
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• 1986

The Wielen dip over the ragne of 6 < $M_{\upsilon}$ < 9 in the luminosity function (LF) for the solar neighborhood stars could be explained by the combination of two different IMFs which yields the age of 13 billion years of the solar neighborhood. This smaller age than the Galactic age, 15 billion years indicates the slow collapse model of the Galaxy, solving the G-dwarf problem. Two different IMFs suggest two different mechanisms for star formation in the solar neighborhood.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.1499-1528
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• 2015

The yielding mechanisms of reinforced concrete (RC) structures are the main cause of the collapse of RC buildings during earthquake excitation. Nowadays, the application of earthquake energy dissipation devices, such as viscous dampers (VDs), is being widely considered to protect RC structures which are designed to withstand severe seismic loads. However, the effect of VDs on the formation of plastic hinges and the yielding criteria of RC members has not been investigated extensively, due to the lack of an analytical model and a numerical means to evaluate the seismic response of structures. Therefore, this paper offers a comprehensive investigation of how damper devices influence the yielding mechanisms of RC buildings subjected to seismic excitation. For this purpose, adapting the Newmark method, a finite element algorithm was developed for the nonlinear dynamic analysis of reinforced concrete buildings equipped with VDs that are subjected to earthquake. A special finite element computer program was codified based on the developed algorithm. Finally, a parametric study was conducted for a three-story RC building equipped with supplementary VD devices, performing a nonlinear analysis in order to evaluate its effect on seismic damage and on the response of the structure. The results of this study showed that implementing VDs substantially changes the mechanism and formation of plastic hinges in RC buildings.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.37-48
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• 1984

The yield-line analysis is used for earring out the limit analysis of reinforced concrete slabs which are for example like those of vertical walls of tanks subjected to the loads of hydrostatical type. It is considered both isotropic and orthotropic reinforcement using the coefficient of orthotropy with different edge conditions. The yield-line analysis is carried out by using the vertical work method and four collapse mechanisms including the fan mechanisms which is more realistic than over diagonal mechanisms is considered. It is found that the fan mechanisms are more complicated than ever simple diagonal mechanisms which have used for the orthotropically reinforced concrete slabs subjected to hydrostatic pressures. Especially Horton's study is extended in this study, and they are formulated to the constrained multi-variables nonlinear optimization problems, which are solved by the Rosen-Brock Hillclimb Procedure Program and are more critical.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.2 no.4 s.6
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• pp.61-76
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• 2002

The structure system that is discreterized by continuous shells is usually used to make a large space structures and these structures show the collapse mechanisms that are captured at over the limit load, and snap-through and bifurcation are most well known of it. For the collapse mechanism, rise-span ratio, element stiffness and load mode are main factor, which it give an effect to unstable behavior. Moreover, resist force of structure can be reduced by initial condition and initial imperfection significantly. In order to investigate the instability of shell structures, the finite deformation theory can be applied and it becomes a nonlinear mathematics in which use equation of tangential stiffness incrementally. With an initial imperfection, using simple example and Flow Truss Dome, the buckling characteristics of space truss is main purpose of this paper, and unstable behavior is studied by proposed the numerical method. Also, by using MIDAS, this research work analyzes displacements and inner forces as the design load of model, and the ratio of buckling load of design load is investigated.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.243-257
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• 2016

The aim of this study is to investigate the seismic resistance of dry stone arches under in-plane seismic loading. For that purpose, several numerical analyses were performed using the combined finite-discrete element method (FDEM). Twelve types of arches with different ratios of a rise at the mid-span to the span, different thicknesses of stone blocks and different numbers of stone blocks in the arch were subjected to an incremental dynamic analysis based on excitation from three real horizontal and vertical ground motions. The minimum value of the failure peak ground acceleration that caused the collapse of the arch was adopted as a measure of the seismic resistance. In this study, the collapse mechanisms of each type of stone arch, as well as the influence of the geometry of stone blocks and stone arches on the seismic resistance of structures were observed. The conclusions obtained on the basis of the performed numerical analyses can be used as guidelines for the design of dry stone arches.