• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.195-204
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• 2022

As a brittle failure mode, punching-shear failure can be widely found in traditional RC slab-column connections, which may lead to the entire collapse of a flat plate structure. In this paper, a novel RC slab-column connection with inner steel truss was proposed to enhance the punching strength. In the proposed connection, steel trusses, each of which was composed of four steel angles and a series of steel strips, were pre-assembled at the periphery of the column capital and behaved as transverse reinforcements. With the aim of exploring the punching behavior of this novel RC slab-column connection, a static punching test was conducted on two full-scaled RC slab specimens, and the crack patterns, failure modes, load-deflection and load-strain responses were thoroughly analyzed to explore the contribution of the applied inner steel trusses to the overall punching behavior. The test results indicated that all the test specimens suffered the typical punching-shear failure, and the higher punching strength and initial stiffness could be found in the specimen with inner steel trusses. The numerical models of tested specimens were analyzed in ABAQUS. These models were verified by comparing the results of the tests with the results of the analyzes, and subsequently the sensitivity of the punching capacity to different parameters was studied. Based on the test results, a modified critical shear crack theory, which could take the contribution of the steel trusses into account, was put forward to predict the punching strength of this novel RC slab-column connection, and the calculated results agreed well with the test results.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.3-10
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• 2017

The HBS slab is a method in which a lightweight sieve is installed on top of the psc slab and two ribs of the neighboring psc slab are combined with ribs formed by the site concrete to act as a single member on the same axis. The purpose of this study is to implement the performance comparison with the existing method through the experimental study on the PSC slab method. In this study, the HBS slab was developed as a method to improve the limit of the existing method and the performance comparison with the existing method is tried to verify its superiority. The comparison of the structural performance with the existing method is carried out through the experimental study of the HBS slab, and the structural performance against the bending performance and shear and the bonding performance between the pc beam and the hbs slab are examined and compared with the existing method through the theoretical method.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.571-586
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• 2012

The paper addresses some key issues related to the design of composite slabs with cold-formed profiled steel sheets. An experimental programme is first presented, involving six composite slab specimens tested with a view to evaluating Eurocode 4 (EC4) provisions on testing of composite slabs. In four specimens, the EC4-prescribed 5000 load cycles were applied using different load ranges resulting from alternative interpretations of the reference load $W_t$. Although the rationale of the application of cyclic loading is to induce loss of chemical bond between the concrete plate and the steel sheet, no such loss was noted in the tests for either interpretation of the range of load cycles. Using the recorded response of the specimens the values of factors m and k (related to interface shear transfer in the composite slab) were determined for the specific steel sheet used in the tests, on the basis of three alternative interpretations of the related EC4 provisions. The test results confirmed the need for a more unambiguous description of the m-k test and its interpretation in a future edition of the Code, as well as for an increase in the load amplitude range to be used in the cyclic loading tests, to make sure that the intended loss of bond between the concrete slab and the steel sheet is actually reached. The study also included the development of a special-purpose software that facilitates design of composite slabs; a parametric investigation of the importance of m-k values in slab design is presented in the last part of the paper.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.37-57
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• 2012

The behavior of beam-column joints in moment resisting frame structures is susceptible to damage caused by seismic effects due to poor performance of the joints. A good number of researches were carried out to understand the complex mechanism of RC joints considered in current seismic design codes. The traditional construction detailing of transverse reinforcement has resulted in serious joint failures during earthquakes. This paper introduces a new design philosophy involving the use of additional diagonal bars within the joint particularly suitable for low to medium seismic effects in earthquake zones. In this study, ten full-scale interior beam-column specimens were constructed with various additional reinforcement details and configurations. The results of the experiment showed that adding additional bars is a promising approach in reinforced concrete structures where earthquakes are eminent. In terms of overall cracking observation during the test, the specimens with additional bars (diagonal and straight) compared with the ones without them showed fewer cracks in the column. Furthermore, concrete confinement is certainly an important design measure as recommended by most international codes.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.765-779
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• 2020

Collapse of bridges in recent earthquakes demonstrates the need to deepen the understanding of the behaviour of these structures against seismic actions. This paper presents a highly detailed numerical model of an actual bridge subjected to extreme seismic action which results in its collapse. Normally, nonlinear numerical models have high difficulties to achieve convergence when reinforced concrete is intended to be represented. The main objective of this work is to determine the efficiency of different passive control strategies to prevent the structural collapse of an existing bridge. Metallic dampers and seismic isolation by decoupling the mass were evaluated. The response is evaluated not only in terms of reduction of displacements, but also in increasing of shear force and axial force in key elements, which can be a negative characteristic of the systems studied. It can be concluded that the use of a metallic damper significantly reduces the horizontal displacements and ensures the integrity of the structure from extreme seismic actions. Moreover, the isolation of the deck, which in principle seems to be the most effective solution to protect existing bridges, proves inadequate for the case analysed due to its dynamic characteristics and its particular geometry and an unpredictable type of axial pounding in the columns. This unexpected effect on the isolation system would have been impossible to identify with simplified models.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.877-889
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• 2019

The developments of double skin composite (DSC) walls with novel enhanced C-channel connectors (DSCW-EC) were reported. Followed axial compression tests on prototype walls were carried to evaluate structural performances of this novel DSC composite structures. The testing program consists of five specimens and focused on the layout of the novel enhanced C-channel (EC) connectors, which include the web direction of C-channels, steel-faceplate thickness, vertical and horizontal spacing of C-channels. Crushing in concrete core and buckling of steel faceplate were two main observed failed modes from the compression tests. However, elastic or plastic buckling of the steel faceplate varies with designed parameters in different specimens. The influences of those investigated parameters on axial compressive behaviors of DSCW-ECs were analyzed and discussed. Recommendations on the layout of novel EC connectors were then given based on these test results and discussions. This paper also developed analytical models for predictions on ultimate compressive resistance of DSCW-ECs. Validation against the reported test results show that the developed theoretical models predict well the ultimate compressive resistance of DSCW-ECs.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.435-445
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• 2019

The collapses of curved bridges are mainly caused by the damaged columns, subjected to the combined loadings of axial load, shear force, flexural moment and torsional moment, under earthquakes. However, these combined loadings have not been fully investigated. This paper firstly investigated the mechanical characteristics of the bending-torsion coupling effects, based on the seismic response spectrum analysis of 24 curved bridge models. And then 9 reinforced concrete (RC) and circular column specimens were tested, by changing the bending-tortion ratio (M/T), axial compression ratio, longitudinal reinforcement ratio and spiral reinforcement ratio, respectively. The results show that the bending-torsion coupling effects of piers are more significant, along with the decrease of girder curvature and the increase of pier height. The M/T ratio ranges from 6 to 15 for common cases, and influences the crack distribution, plastic zone and hysteretic curve of piers. And these seismic characteristics are also influenced by the compression ratio, longitudinal reinforcement ratio and spiral reinforcement ratios of piers.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.683-692
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• 2019

Traditional damage detection methods for nonlinear structures are often based on simplified models, such as the mass-spring-damper and shear-building models, which are insufficient for predicting the vibration responses of a real structure. Conventional global nonlinear finite element model updating methods are computationally intensive and time consuming. Thus, they cannot be applied to practical structures. A decentralized approach for identifying the nonlinear material parameters is proposed in this study. With this technique, a structure is divided into several small zones on the basis of its structural configuration. The unknown material parameters and measured vibration responses are then divided into several subsets accordingly. The structural parameters of each subset are then updated using the vibration responses of the subset with the Newton-successive-over-relaxation (SOR) method. A reinforced concrete and steel frame structure subjected to earthquake loading is used to verify the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method. The parameters in the material constitutive model, such as compressive strength, initial tangent stiffness and yielding stress, are identified accurately and efficiently compared with the global nonlinear model updating approach.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.243-256
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• 2022

The static analysis of spinning functionally graded (FG) nanotube on the basis of the nonlocal strain gradient theory (NSGT) is presented. The high-order beam theory is employed for mathematical modeling of the tube structures according to the Sinusoidal shear deformation beam theory. The energy conservation principle is operated to generate the equations. The centrifugal force is assumed along the tube length due to the rotating of the tube, moreover, the nanotube is made of functionally graded material (FGM) composed of ceramic and metal phases along the tube radius direction. The generalized differential quadratic method (GDQM) is utilized to solve the formulations. Finally, the numerical results are discussed in detail to examine the impact of different relevant parameters on the bending the buckling behavior of the rotating nanotube.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.369-380
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• 2017

The effects of the vertical component of a ground motion on the earthquake performances of semi-ductile high-rise R/C structures were investigated in the present study. Linear and non-linear time-history analyses were conducted on an existing in-service R/C building for the loading scenarios including and excluding the vertical component of the ground motion. The ratio of the vertical peak acceleration to the horizontal peak acceleration (V/H) of the ground motion was adopted as the main parameter of the study. Three different near-source earthquake records with varying V/H ratio were used in the analyses. The linear time-history analyses indicated that the incorporation of the vertical component of a ground motion into analyses greatly influences the vertical deflections of a structure and the overturning moments at its base. The lateral deflections, the angles of rotation and the base shear forces were influenced to a lesser extent. Considering the key indicators of vertical deflection and overturning moments determined from the linear time-history analysis, the non-linear analyses revealed that the changes in the forces and deformations of the structure with the inclusion of the vertical ground motion are resisted by the shear-walls. The performances and damage states of the beams were not affected by the vertical ground motion. The vertical ground motion component of earthquakes is markedly concluded to be considered for design and damage estimation of the vertical load-bearing elements of the shear-walls and columns.