• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.18 no.2E
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• pp.79-87
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• 2006

The main objective of this research is to examine the behavior of high-strength concrete(HSC) columns. Eight test columns in one-third scale were tested under the conditions of cyclic lateral force and a constant axial load equal to 30% of the column axial load capacity. The $200{\times}200mm$ square columns were reinforced with eight DB bars constituting a longitudinal steel ratio of 2.54% of the column cross-sectional area. The main experimental parameters were volumetric ratio of transverse reinforcement(${\rho}_s$=1.58, 2.25 percent), tie configuration(Type H, Type C, Type D) and tie yield strength($f_{yh}$=548.8 and 779.1 MPa). It was found that the hysteretic behaviour and ultimate deformability of HSC columns were influenced by the amount and details of transverse reinforcement in the potential plastic hinge regions. Columns of transverse reinforcement in the amount 42 percent higher than that required by seismic provisions of ACI 318-02 showed ductile behavior. At 30% of the axial load capacity, it is recommended that the yield strength of transverse reinforcement be held equal to or below 548.8 MPa. Correlations between the calculated damage index and the damage progress are proposed.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.425-434
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• 2019

The most effective passive vibration control and seismic resistance options in a reinforced concrete (RC) high-rise building (HRB) are the base isolation and the tuned mass damper (TMD) system. Many options, which may be suitable or not for different soil types, with different types of bearing systems, like rubber isolator, friction pendulum isolator and tension/compression isolator, are investigated to resist the base straining actions under five different earthquakes. TMD resists the seismic response, as a control system, by reducing top displacement or the total movement of the structure. Base isolation and TMDs work under seismic load in a different way, so the combination between base isolation and TMDs will reduce the harmful effect of the earthquakes in an effective and systematic way. In this paper, a comprehensive study of the combination of TMDs with three different base-isolator types for three different soil types and under five different earthquakes is conducted. The seismic response results under five different earthquakes of the studied nine RC HRB models (depicted by the top displacement, base shear force and base bending moment) are compared to show the most suitable hybrid passive vibration control system for three different soil types.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.173-180
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• 1998

This paper presents the design chart to evaluate the two-demensional stability of geoteztilereinforcement embankments on soft foundations. The potential failure surface in this study is assumed as the logarithmic spiral curves refracted at the boundary of layers. To facilitate the iterative calculations, a program that determines the geoteztile tensile force for geotextilereinforcement embankments was developed. This program can be used for situations with a variety of soil layers and soil types. And it can be also used for a static or seismic condition. A series of calculations has been made for a schematised situation. The results of these computation are shown in design charts. Considering static or seismic load strate, these charts in the preliminary stage of the design provide a reasonable estimate of geoteztile tensile force for geotextile-reinforcement embankments on softs foundations. In the final swage a more detailed calculation can be made by developed programs.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2018

Column is usually floating on the stone base directly with or without positioning tenon in traditional Chinese timber structure. Vertical load originated by the heavy upper structure would induce large friction force and compression force between interfaces of column foot and stone base. This study focused on the mechanical behaviors of column foot joint with consideration of the influence of vertical load. Mechanism of column rocking and stress state of column foot has been explored by theoretical analysis. A nonlinear finite element model of column foot joint has been built and verified using the full-scale test. The verified model is then used to investigate the mechanical behaviors of the joint subjected to cyclic loading with different static vertical loads. Column rocking mechanism and stress distributions of column foot were studied in detail, showing good agreement with the theoretical analysis. Mechanical behaviors of column foot joint and the effects of the vertical load on the seismic behavior of column foot were studied. Result showed that compression stress, restoring moment and stiffness increased with the increase of vertical load. An appropriate vertical load originated by the heavy upper structure would produce certain restoring moment and reset the rocking columns, ensuring the stability of the whole frame.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.489-499
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• 2024

Infill masonry walls are vulnerable to lateral loads, including seismic, wind, and concentrated push loads. Various strengthening metal fittings have been proposed to improve lateral load resistance, particularly against seismic loads. This study introduces the use of post-compressed wedges as a novel reinforcement method for infill masonry walls to enhance lateral load resistance. The resistance of the infill masonry wall against lateral-concentrated push loads was assessed using an out-of-plane push-over test on specimens sized 2,300×2,410×190 mm³. The presence or absence of wedges and wedge spacing were set as variables. The push-over test results showed that both the unreinforced specimen and the specimen reinforced with 300 mm spaced wedges toppled, while the specimen reinforced with 100 mm spaced wedges remained upright. Peak loads were measured to be 0.74, 29.77, and 5.88 kN for unreinforced specimens and specimens reinforced with 100 mm and 300 mm spaced wedges, respectively. Notably, a tighter reinforcement spacing yielded a similar strength, as expected, which was attributed to the increased friction force between the masonry wall and steel frame. The W-series specimens exhibited a trend comparable to that of the displacement ductility ratio. Overall, the findings validate that post-compressed wedges improve the out-of-plane strength of infill masonry walls.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2017

In order to improve the deformation capacity of the high-strength concrete shear wall, five high-strength concrete shear wall specimens confined with high-strength rectangular spiral reinforcement (HRSR) possessing different parameters, were designed in this paper. One specimen was only adopted high-strength rectangular spiral hoops in embedded columns, the rest of the four specimens were used high-strength rectangular spiral hoops in embedded columns, and high-strength spiral horizontal distribution reinforcement were used in the wall body. Pseudo-static test were carried out on high-strength concrete shear wall specimens confined with HRSR, to study the influence of the factors of longitudinal reinforcement ratio, hoop reinforcement form and the spiral stirrups outer the wall on the failure modes, failure mechanism, ductility, hysteresis characteristics, stiffness degradation and energy dissipation capacity of the shear wall. Results showed that using HRSR as hoops and transverse reinforcements could restrain concrete, slow load carrying capacity degeneration, improve the load carrying capacity and ductility of shear walls; under the vertical force, seismic performance of the RC shear wall with high axial compression ratio can be significantly improved through plastic hinge area or the whole body of the shear wall equipped with outer HRSR.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.69 no.5
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• pp.567-577
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• 2019

Guyed steel lattice towers (or guyed masts) are widely used for supporting antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting. This paper presents a numerical study on the static and dynamic response of guyed towers. Three-dimensional nonlinear finite-element models are used to simulate the response. Through performing static pushover analyses and free-vibration (modal) analyses, the effect of different bracing configurations is investigated. In addition, seismic analyses are performed on towers of different heights to study the influence of earthquake excitation time-lag (or the earthquake travel distance between tower anchors) and antenna weight on the seismic response of guyed towers. The results show that the inclusion of time lag in the seismic analysis of guyed towers can influence shear and moment distribution along the height of the mast. Moreover, it is found that the lateral response is insensitive to bracing configurations. The results also show that, depending on the mast height, an increased antenna weight can reduce the tower maximum base shear while other response quantities, such as cables tension force are found to be insensitive to variation in the antenna weight.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.449-467
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• 2006

Most existing concrete structures in Taiwan are considered nonductile due to insufficient transverse reinforcement and poor detailing of frame elements. Such features are fairly typical for buildings constructed prior to 1997, at which time the local building code was revised based on ACI 318-95. Among these structures, many contain perimeter or partition walls made of concrete or clay brick for architectural purposes. These walls, though treated as non-structural components in common design practice, could affect the structural behavior of the buildings during an earthquake. To study the behavior of such structures under seismic load, experiments were conducted on concrete frames of various configurations to show the force-deformation relationships, damage patterns, and other characteristics of the frames. For further interest, similar units with columns jacketed by carbon-fiber-reinforced-polymer (CFRP) were also tested to illustrate the effectiveness of this technique in the retrofit of concrete frames.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.401-413
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• 2015

In this study the progressive collapse resisting capacity of a RC beam-column subassemblage with and without strengthening was investigated. Total of five specimens were tested; two unreinforced specimens, the one designed as gravity load-resisting system and the other as seismic load-resisting system, and three specimens reinforced with: (i) bonded strand, (ii) unbonded strand, and (iii) side steel plates with stud bolts. The two-span subassemblages were designed as part of an eight-story RC building. Monotonically increasing load was applied at the middle column of the specimens and the force-displacement relationships were plotted. It was observed that the gravity load-resisting specimen failed by fractures of re-bars in the beams. In the other specimens no failure was observed until the maximum displacement capacity of the actuator was reached. Highest strength was observed in the structure with unbonded strand. The test result of the specimen with side steel plates in beam-column joints showed that the force-displacement curve increased without fracture of re-bars. Based on the test results it was concluded that the progressive collapse resisting capacity of a RC frame could be significantly enhanced using unbonded strands or side plates with stud bolts.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.235-251
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• 2019

Corrosion of reinforcement is the greatest threat to the safety of existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Most of the olden structures are gravity load designed (GLD) and are seismically deficient. In present study, investigations are carried out on corrosion damaged GLD beam-column sub-assemblages under reverse cyclic loading, in order to evaluate their seismic performance. Five GLD beam-column sub-assemblage specimens comprising of i) One uncorroded ii) Two corroded iii) One uncorroded strengthened with steel bracket and haunch iv) One corroded strengthened with steel bracket and haunch, are tested under reverse cyclic loading. The performances of these specimens are assessed in terms of hysteretic behaviour, energy dissipation and strength degradation. It is noted that the nature of corrosion i.e. uniform or pitting corrosion and its location have significant influence on the behaviour of corrosion damaged GLD beam-column sub-assemblages. The corroded specimens with localised corrosion pits showed in-cyclic strength degradation. The study also reveals that external strengthening which provides an alternate force path but depends on the strength of the existing reinforcement bars, is able to mitigate the seismic risk of corroded GLD beam-column sub-assemblages to the level of control uncorroded GLD specimen.