• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.503-516
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• 2011

Uncertainty in concrete properties, including concrete modulus of elasticity and modulus of rupture, are predicted by developing a microstructural homogenization model. The homogenization model is developed by analyzing a concrete representative volume element (RVE) using the finite element (FE) method. The concrete RVE considers concrete as a three phase composite material including: cement paste, aggregate and interfacial transition zone (ITZ). The homogenization model allows for considering two sources of variability in concrete, randomly dispersed aggregates in the concrete matrix and uncertain mechanical properties of composite phases of concrete. Using the proposed homogenization technique, the uncertainty in concrete modulus of elasticity and modulus of rupture (described by numerical cumulative probability density function) are determined. Deflection uncertainty of reinforced concrete (RC) beams, propagated from uncertainties in concrete properties, is quantified using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. Cracked plane frame analysis is used to account for tension stiffening in concrete. Concrete homogenization enables a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between concrete materials and structural modeling, which is necessary for realistic serviceability prediction.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.203-211
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• 2023

For fast-built and safe precast concrete (PC) construction, the dry mechanical splicing method is a critical technique that enables a self-sustaining system (SSS) during construction with no temporary support and minimizes onsite jobs. However, due to limited experimental evidence, traditional wet splicing methods are still dominantly adopted in the domestic precast industry. For PC beam-column connections, the current design code requires achieving emulative connection performances and corresponding structural integrity to be comparable with typical reinforced concrete (RC) systems with monolithic connections. To this end, this study conducted the standard material tests on mechanical splices to check their satisfactory performance as the Type 2 mechanical splice specified in the ACI 318 code. Two PC beam-column connection specimens with dry mechanical splices and an RC control specimen as the special moment frame were subsequently fabricated and tested under lateral reversed cyclic loadings. Test results showed that the seismic performances of all the PC specimens were fully comparable to the RC specimen in terms of strength, stiffness, energy dissipation, drift capacity, and failure mode, and their hysteresis responses showed a mitigated pinching effect compared to the control RC specimen. The seismic performances of the PC and RC specimens were evaluated quantitatively based on the ACI 374 report, and it appeared that all the test specimens fully satisfied the seismic performance criteria as a code-compliant special moment frame system.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.29-39
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• 2021

This study aimed to develop a method for the determination of the damaged story in reinforced concrete (RC) structure with ambient vibrations, based on modified jerk energy methodology. The damage was taken as a localized reduction in the stiffness of the structural member. For loading, random white noise excitation was used, and dynamic responses from the finite element model (FEM) of 4 story RC shear frame were extracted at nodal points. The data thus obtained from the structure was used in the damage detection and localization algorithm. In the structure, two damage configurations have been introduced. In the first configuration, damage to the structure was artificially caused by a local reduction in the modulus of elasticity. In the second configuration, the damage was caused, using the Elcentro1940 and Kashmir2005 earthquakes in real-time history. The damage was successfully detected if the frequency drop was greater than 5% and the mode shape correlation remained less than 0.8. The results of the damage were also compared to the performance criteria developed in the Seismostruct software. It is demonstrated that the proposed algorithm has effectively detected the existence of the damage and can locate the damaged story for multiple damage scenarios in the RC structure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.31-50
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• 2016

During the recent years, resistance mechanisms of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings against progressive collapse are investigated extensively. Although a general agreement is observed about their qualitative behavior in technical literature, there is not such a comprehensive point of view regarding the quantitative methods for predicting collapse resistance of RC members. Therefore, in the present study a simplified theoretical method is developed in order to predict general behavior of RC frames under the column removal scenario. In the introduced method, the robustness of the frame is extracted based on the capacity of the beams. The proposed method expresses ultimate arching and catenary capacities of the beams and also obtains the corresponding vertical displacements. Based on the calculated capacities, the introduced method also provides a quantitative assessment of structural robustness and determines whether or not the collapse occurs. The capability of the method is evaluated using experimental results in the literature. The evaluation study indicates that the proposed theoretical procedure can establish a reliable foundation for progressive collapse assessment of RC frame structures.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.555-565
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• 2020

The main objective of seismic codes is to prevent structural collapse and ensure life safety. Collapse probability of a structure is usually assessed by making a series of analytical model assumptions. This paper investigates the effect of finite element modeling (FEM) assumptions on the estimated collapse capacity of a reinforced concrete (RC) frame building and points out the modeling limitations. Widely used element formulations and hysteresis models are considered in the analysis. A full-scale, three-story RC frame building was utilized as the experimental model. Alternative finite element models are established by adopting a range of different modeling strategies. Using each model, the collapse capacity of the structure is evaluated via Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA). Results indicate that the analytically estimated collapse capacities are significantly sensitive to the utilized modeling approaches. Furthermore, results also show that models that represent stiffness degradation lead to a better correlation between the actual and analytical responses. Results of this study are expected to be useful for in developing proper models for assessing the collapse probability of RC frame structures.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.77-90
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• 2019

This paper aims to investigate vibration frequency decrease (vibration period elongation) of reinforced concrete (RC) structure with unreinforced infill wall and reinforced infill wall exposed to progressively increased artificial earthquake load on shaking table. For this purpose, two shaking table experiments were selected as a case study. Shaking table experiments were carried on 1:1 scaled prototype one bay one storey RC structure with infill walls. The purpose of this shaking table experiment sequence is to assess local behavior and progressive collapse mechanism. Frequency decrease and eigen-vector evolution are directly related to in-plane and out-of-plane bearing capacities of infill wall enclosure with reinforced concrete frame. Firstly, frequency decrease-damage relationship was evaluated on the base of experiment results. Then, frequency decrease and stiffness degradation were evaluated with applied Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) by considering strength deterioration. Lastly, eigenvector evolution-local damage and eigenvector evolution-frequency decrease relationship was investigated. Five modes were considered while evaluating damage and frequency decrease of the tested specimens. The relationship between frequency decrease, stiffness degradation and damage level were presented while comparing with Unreinforced Brick Infill (URB) and Reinforced Infill wall with Bed Joint Reinforcement (BJR) on the base of natural vibration frequency.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.39-47
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• 2020

Lightly reinforced concrete (RC) moment frames may suffer significant damage during large earthquake events. Most buildings with RC moment frames were designed without considering seismic loads. The load-displacement response of gravity load designed frames could be altered by masonry infill walls. The objective of this study is to investigate the load-displacement response of gravity load designed frames with masonry infill walls. For this purpose, three-story gravity load designed frames with masonry infill walls were considered. The masonry infilled RC frames demonstrated larger lateral strength and stiffness than bare RC frames, whereas their drift capacity was less than that of bare frames. A specimen with a partial-height infill wall showed the least drift capacity and energy dissipation capacity. This specimen failed in shear, whereas other specimens experienced a relatively ductile failure mode (flexure-shear failure).

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.285-302
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• 2024

Conducting nonlinear pushover analysis typically demands intricate and resource-intensive computational efforts, involving a highly iterative process necessary for meeting both design-defined and requirements of codes in performance-based design. This study presents a computer-based technique for reinforced concrete (RC) buildings, incorporating optimization numerical approaches, optimality criteria and pushover analysis to automatically enhance seismic design performance. The optimal design of concrete beams, columns and shear walls in concrete frames is presented using the artificial bee colony optimization algorithm. The methodology is applied to three frames: a 4-story, an 8-story and a 12-story. These structures are designed to minimize overall weight while satisfying the levels of performance including Life Safety (LS), Collapse Prevention (CP), and Immediate Occupancy (IO). The process involves three main steps: first, optimization codes are implemented in MATLAB software, and the OpenSees software is used for nonlinear static analysis. By solving the optimization problem, several top designs are obtained for each frame and shear wall. Pushover analysis is conducted considering the constraints on relative displacement and plastic hinge rotation based on the nonlinear provisions of the FEMA356 nonlinear provisions to achieve each level of performance. Subsequently, convergence, pushover, and drift history curves are plotted for each frame, and leading to the selection of the best design. The results demonstrate that the algorithm effectively achieves optimal designs with reduced weight, meeting the desired performance criteria.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.641-656
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• 2016

Reinforced concrete frame buildings with masonry infill walls are one of the most popular structural systems in the world. In most cases, the effects of masonry infill walls are not considered in structural models. The results of earthquakes show that infill walls have a significant effect on the seismic response of buildings. In some cases, the buildings collapsed as a result of the formation of a soft story. This study developed a simple method, called corner opening, by replacing the corner of infill walls with a very flexible material to enhance the structural behavior of walls. To evaluate the proposed method a series of experiments were conducted on masonry infill wall and reinforced concrete frames with and without corner openings. Two 1:4 scale masonry infill walls with and without corner openings were tested under diagonal tension or shear strength and two RC frames with full infill walls and with corner opening infill walls were tested under monotonic horizontal loading up to a drift level of 2.5%. The experimental results revealed that the proposed method reduced the strength of infill wall specimens but considerably enhanced the ductility of infill wall specimens in the diagonal tension test. Moreover, the corner opening in infill walls prevented the slid shear failure of the infill wall in RC frames with infill walls.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.689-698
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• 2018

This study focuses on a novel procedure for the robustness assessment of reinforced concrete (RC) framed structures under threat-independent damage scenarios. The procedure is derived from coupled dynamic and non-linear static analyses. Two robustness indicators are defined and the method is applied to two RC frame buildings. The first building was designed for gravity load and earthquake resistance in accordance with Eurocode 8. The second was designed according to the tie force (TF) method, one of the design quantitative procedures for enhancing resistance to progressive collapse. In addition, in order to demonstrate the suitability and applicability of the TF method, the structural robustness and resistance to progressive collapse of the two designs is compared.