• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제41권6호
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• pp.861-871
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• 2021

This study aims at investigating the hysteretic performance of a novel composite wall panel fabricated by infilling aerated concrete blocks into a novel light-steel frame used for low-rise residential buildings. The novel light-steel frame is consisted of two thin-wall rectangular hollow section columns and a truss-beam assembled using patented U-shape connectors. Two bare light-steel frames and two composite wall panels have been tested to failure under horizontal cyclic loading. Hysteretic curves, lateral resistance and stiffness of four specimens have been investigated and analyzed. Based on the testing results, it is found that the masonry infill can significantly increase the lateral resistance and stiffness of the novel light-steel frame, about 2.3~3 and 21.2~31.5 times, respectively. Failure mode of the light-steel frame is local yielding of the column. For the composite wall panel, firstly, masonry infill is crushed, subsequently, local yielding may occur at the column if loading continues. Hysteretic curve of the composite wall panel obtained is not plump, implying a poor energy dissipation capacity. However, the light-steel frame of the composite wall panel can dissipate more energy after the masonry infill is crushed. Therefore, the composite wall panel has a much higher energy dissipation capacity compared to the bare light-steel frame.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제13권6호
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• pp.749-764
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• 2014

Structural safety has always been a key preoccupation for engineers responsible for the design of civil engineering projects. One of the mechanisms of structural failure, which has gathered increasing attention over the past few decades, is referred to as 'progressive collapse' which happens when one or several structural members suddenly fail, whatever the cause (accident, attack, seismic loading(.Any weakness in design or construction of structural elements can induce the progressive collapse in structures, during seismic loading. Masonry infill panels have significant influence on structure response against the lateral load. Therefore in this paper, seismic performance and shear strength of R.C frames with brick infill panel under various lateral loading patterns are investigated. This evaluation is performed by nonlinear static analysis. The results provided important information for additional design guidance on seismic safety of RC frames with brick infill panel under progressive collapse.

• 콘크리트학회논문집
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.101-112
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• 2000

In many structures, the masonry infill panels have been used for architectural reasons and their influence on the structure is often ignored by engineers. However, it has been recognized that the presence of masonry infills may debates. Recently, the pushover analysis technique is used for the prediction of the inelastic behaviors of structures in the seismic evaluation of existing buildings. However, the reliability of this analysis method has not been fully checked with the test results, particularly in the case of masonry-infilled frames. The objective of this study is to verify the correlation between the experimental and analytical reponses of a high-rise masonry-infilled reinforced concrete frame using DRAIN-2DX program and the test results performed previously. It is concluded from this comparison that the strength and stiffness of members can be predicted with quite high reliability while the ductility capacity of members can not be described reasonably.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.609-627
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• 2016

Results of an experimental program are presented in this paper for the influence of vertical load on the in-plane behavior of masonry infilled steel frames. Five half-scaled single-story, single-bay steel frame specimens were tested under cyclic lateral loading. The specimens included four infilled frames and one bare frame. Two similar specimens as well as the bare frame had moment-resisting steel frames, while the remaining two specimens had pinned steel frames. For each frame type, one specimen was tested under simultaneous vertical and lateral loading, whereas the other was subjected only to lateral loading. The experimental results show that the vertical load changes the cracking patterns and failure modes of the infill panels. It improves dissipated hysteresis energy and equivalent viscous damping. Global responses of specimens, including stiffness and maximum strength, do no change by vertical loading considerably. Regarding the ductility, the presence of vertical load is ignorable in the specimen with moment-resisting frame. However, it increases the ductility of the infilled pinned frame specimen, leading to an enhancement in the m-factor by at least 2.5 times. In summary, it is concluded that the influence of the vertical load on the lateral response of infilled frames can be conservatively ignored.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.281-303
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• 2015

The effects of infill panels on the response of r.c. frames subjected to seismic action are widely recognized. Numerous experimental investigations were effected and several analytical models were developed on this subject. This work, which is part of a larger project dealing with specific materials and structures commonly used in Italy, discusses experimental tests on masonry and samples of bare and infilled portals. The experimental activity includes tests on elemental materials, and 12 wall samples. Finally, three one-bay one-story reinforced concrete frames, designed according to the outdated Italian technical code D.M. 1996 without seismic details, were tested (bare and infilled) under constant vertical and cyclic lateral load. The first cracks observed on the framed walls occurred at a drift of about 0.3%, reaching its maximum capacity at a drift of 0.5% while retaining its capacity up to a drift of 0.6%. Infill contributed to both the stiffness and strength of the bare reinforced concrete frame at small drifts thus improving overall system behavior. In addition to the experimental activities, previously mentioned, the recalibration of a model proposed by Comberscue (1996) was evaluated. The accuracy of an OpenSees non linear fiber based model of the prototype tested, including a strut element was verified through a comparison with the final experimental results. This work has been partially supported by research grant DPC-ReLUIS 2014.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.113-136
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• 2009

The seismic induced interaction between multistory structures with unequal story heights (inter-story pounding) is studied taking into account the local response of the exterior beam-column joints. Although several parameters that influence the structural pounding have been studied sofar, the role of the joints local inelastic behaviour has not been yet investigated in the literature as key parameter for the pounding problem. Moreover, the influence of the infill panels as an additional parameter for the local damage effect of the joints on the inter-story pounding phenomenon is examined. Thirty six interaction cases between a multistory frame structure and an adjacent shorter and stiffer structure are studied for two different seismic excitations. The results are focused: (a) on the local response of the critical external column of the multistory structure that suffers the hit from the slab of the adjacent shorter structure, and (b) on the local response of the exterior beam-column joints of the multistory structure. Results of this investigation demonstrate that the possible local inelastic response of the exterior joints may be in some cases beneficial for the seismic behaviour of the critical column that suffers the impact. However, in all the examined cases the developing demands for deformation of the exterior joints are substantially increased and severe damages can be observed due to the pounding effect. The presence of the masonry infill panels has also been proved as an important parameter for the response of the exterior beam-column joints and thus for the safety of the building. Nevertheless, in all the examined inter-story pounding cases the presence of the infills was not enough for the total amelioration of the excessive demands for shear and ductility of the column that suffers the impact.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제9권5호
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• pp.999-1028
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• 2015

Despite the fact that the fundamental period appears to be one of the most critical parameters for the seismic design of structures according to the modal superposition method, the so far available in the literature proposals for its estimation are often conflicting with each other making their use uncertain. Furthermore, the majority of these proposals do not take into account the presence of infills walls into the structure despite the fact that infill walls increase the stiffness and mass of structure leading to significant changes in the fundamental period numerical value. Toward this end, this paper presents a detailed and indepth analytical investigation on the parameters that affect the fundamental period of reinforce concrete structure. The calculated values of the fundamental period are compared against those obtained from the seismic code and equations proposed by various researchers in the literature. From the analysis of the results it has been found that the number of storeys, the span length, the stiffness of the infill wall panels, the location of the soft storeys and the soil type are crucial parameters that influence the fundamental period of RC buildings.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제54권6호
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• pp.1175-1200
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• 2015

This paper investigates the fundamental period of vibration of RC buildings by means of finite element macro-modelling and modal eigenvalue analysis. As a base study, a number of 14-storey RC buildings have been considered "according to code designed" and "according to code non-designed". Several parameters have been studied including the number of spans; the span length in the direction of motion; the stiffness of the infills; the percentage openings of the infills and; the location of the soft storeys. The computed values of the fundamental period are compared against those obtained from seismic code and equations proposed by various researchers in the literature. From the analysis of the results it has been found that the span length, the stiffness of the infill wall panels and the location of the soft storeys are crucial parameters influencing the fundamental period of RC buildings.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.263-275
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• 2022

Structural collapses can occur as a result of a dynamic amplification of either, the building's seismic response or the ground shaking by local site effects; one of the reasons is a resonance effect due to the proximity of the structural elastic fundamental period TE and the soil fundamental period TS. We evaluate the vulnerability to resonance effects in Guadalajara, México, in a three-step schema: 1) we define structural systems in the building environment of western Guadalajara, in terms of their construction materials and structural components; 2) we estimate TE with different equations, to obtain a representative value in elastic conditions for each structural system; and, 3) we evaluate the resonance vulnerability by the analysis of the ratio between TE and TS. We observe that the larger the soil fundamental period, the higher the resonance vulnerability for buildings with height between 17 and 39 m. For the sites with a low TS, the most vulnerable buildings will be those with a height between 2 and 9 m. These results can be a helpful tool for disaster prevention, by avoiding the construction of buildings with certain heights and structural characteristics that would result in a dangerous proximity between TE and TS.