Shear strength of reinforced concrete beams has been extensively studied by many experimental campaigns conducted on simply supported beams. This situation has led to implement empirical design formulations in codes that cannot be representative of other real structures, such as continuous beams. These structures are characterised by the potential development of plastic hinges in areas of maximum shear

This study proposed a new retrofit solution using bolted connections for in-service offshore wind turbines (OWTs) with monopile foundation via a finite element analysis-based optimization approach. The monopile foundation 5 MW OWT provided by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) was selected for this study. The transition zone of the monopile OWT subjected to wind and wave loadings, the grout

A novel membrane element named as GCMQ (Generalised Conforming Mixed Quadrilateral) has recently been proposed for modelling reinforced concrete shear walls, as well as other types of planar problems. In this work, a simplified version, abbreviated to SGCMQ (Simplified GCMQ), is constructed by omitting the enhanced strain field for the purpose of an improved balance between cost and performance. The

Past research has used synthetic fiber (SY.F) and steel fiber (ST.F) for decades to advance concrete mechanical characteristics, including shear, tensile, and flexural strengths. Nevertheless, there is limited information concerning the torsional concrete reinforced with SY.F and ST.F performance. This research aims to explore the torsional performance of hollow reinforcement concrete beams reinforced

A damped outrigger system is developed to improve the conventional outrigger system by providing supplemental damping to control vibration in high-rise buildings. The optimal seismic performance of a buckling-restrained brace (BRB) outrigger system is investigated in this study using a spectrum-analysis-based simplified model. This simplified model is first calibrated by an ANSYS model via response

Shear links is a kind of commonly used energy dissipation component of which the yield force is always multiplied by a hardening factor to check the capacity of gusset plates and embedded parts or other connecting components. If the overstrength fact due to hardening is underestimated, there are safety hazards. In this paper, three tests on I-shaped shear links with the LYP100 steel web are carried

A rocking steel frame is proposed in this paper, which can reduce the plastic deformation of the main structural components under strong earthquake actions and can be easily repaired after earthquakes. Three 1:2 testing steel frames (buckling-restrained braced steel frame, rocking steel frame with rigid beam-column joint and rocking steel frame with semi-rigid beam-column joint) are designed and manufactured

The study investigates the mechanical response of glass shells cold bent into hyperparaboloid shapes used in building technology. Focus is addressed on two subjects: the application of the cold bending procedure to vertically oriented rather than horizontal plates, which allows to minimize the disturbance produced by the initial deflection due to self-weight, and the effect of wind load on curved glass

This paper presents the cyclic behavior of double-skin composite (DSC) walls for mid- to high-rise buildings, which consist of concrete filled steel tubes (CFTs), a pair of steel faceplates connected by tie bolts, and infill concrete. Four 1/3-scale DSC wall specimens, varying in faceplate profile and tie bolt spacing, were tested under combined axial and cyclic lateral loading. All specimens failed

This paper presents a segmental approach that quantifies the short-term load–deflection behavior of corroded reinforced concrete (RC) beams confined with stirrups. Corrosion of the reinforcement weakens the bond strength between the concrete and reinforcement, while the confinement effect provided by the stirrups strengthens the bond-slip characteristics. The traditional moment–curvature (M/χ) approach

Few studies have prospectively examined the axial compressive behavior of FRP-confined steel-reinforced concrete (FCSRC) columns employing high strength concrete (HSC) with a compressive cylinder strength up to 120 MPa. In FCSRC columns, the encased steel sections would ensure a ductile response under the large axial deformation and provide additionally axial and shear load-carrying capacities. Therefore

The performance of moment frames in concrete structures is influenced by the behavior of beam-column joints. Experience in past earthquakes has shown that beam-column joints with non-seismic details are highly vulnerable due to the lack of details and transverse reinforcement intervals in the joint core; furthermore, the brittle failure in joints of such type causes overall structural destruction.

A kind of low-damage self-centering precast concrete (LDSCPC) frame connection with replaceable dampers was proposed. Precast components with embedded steel connectors were assembled by unbonded post-tensioned (PT) tendons, and the modular energy dissipation devices made them have great upgrading and expanding capacity. Based on the cyclic load tests of three specimens of LDSCPC frame joint and one

Orthotropic steel decks offer many advantages in bridges, but they are prone to fatigue damage. One of the effective approaches to increase the fatigue resistance is to enhance the stiffness through applying a concrete layer, forming a composite section with the steel deck. However, once the concrete is cracked, the composite action is compromised. To improve the fatigue resistance, this study proposes

Orthotropic steel decks (OSDs) are widely used in long span steel bridges owing to their outstanding structural characteristics and lightweight; however, the fatigue resistance of OSDs is still a prominent problem of such deck structures. Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) has been recently employed in orthotropic steel decks to enhance their structural behavior and extend their fatigue life. In

This paper presents the results of shear tests on light steel walls with two types of higher specification OSB/3 board and comparison with elastic theory based on the fixing shear stiffness. The tests were performed to BS EN 594 and showed that the design shear resistance was determined as 5.1 kN/m wall length for a limiting deflection of 0.003H or 4.3 kN/m for a limiting deflection of H/500, where

In tall and light structures, such as transmission towers, wind turbines, and light-gauge steel structures, there is an increasing application of pile cap with helical pile foundation systems to resist the uplift loads due to the effects of windstorms and earthquakes. There is a lack of knowledge, published literature, or analysis methods to account for the effects of the pile cap, helical pile group

The computational cost of the frequency response within the frequency interval may be high for large-scale structures. An efficient method for calculating the frequency response of a proportional damping system over a given frequency interval which starts from zero is proposed. The Sturm sequence number is used to adaptively determine the number of low-order modes that need to be calculated. The complementary

The modal parameters of transmission tower-line systems constitute the basis of their wind and seismic design. However, such structures become complicated spatial systems due to the coupling effects between the towers and lines, making it difficult to evaluate the modal parameters of a transmission tower. To study the tower-line coupling effects on the frequencies and mode shapes of a tower, a stochastic

The pursuit of a sustainable society requires an extensive intervention on the existing buildings, which are responsible for the major share of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In addition, such constructions have exhausted their nominal structural service life and are vulnerable to seismic hazard. In such a scenario, new integrated retrofit techniques have been proposed to foster the holistic and sustainable

When structures are subjected to blast, shock, and other impulsive events, the potential for progressive collapse of the structure due to the loss of load bearing members is a significant concern. An understanding of the behavior of bolted connections during and after impulsive events is necessary to predict and prevent collapse of the structure. Relatively little experimental research has been conducted

This paper presents a study to investigate the equivalent viscous damping (EVD) for the hysteretic response of a multiple cosine-curved dome (MCCD) system. The system comprises of several serially connected units with elastic multistable behavior. The system relies on consecutive snap-through buckling events of the connected units to elastically dissipate energy. The study aims to facilitate the direct

Apparent weakening by adaptive stiffness shaping of structures using a negative stiffness device (NSD) is a new passive structural control approach to mitigate the response of structures during severe ground motions. Experimental studies confirm significant reductions in acceleration, inter-story drift and base shear experienced by a structure when a NSD is deployed in conjunction with a viscous damper

In this study, a new damping reduction equation is proposed to obtain reasonable estimates of the actual nonlinear responses of seismic isolated structures (SIS) subjected to near fault ground motions (NFGM) with forward-rupture-directivity effect, using equivalent linear analysis (ELA) procedure. For this purpose, first, a set of 29 NFGM are selected and grouped according to their site soil classification

This paper addresses the influences of control devices on the seismic responses of rocking wall-frame building structures based on dimensional analysis. Firstly, the flexural-shear beam is adopted to represent the rocking wall-frame buildings, and the control elements include concentrated control devices (CCD, e.g., precast tendons) and distributed control devices (DCD, e.g., dampers installed at floors)

Dynamic shear amplification has been commonly studied in cantilever reinforced concrete wall systems, however, coupling beams or slabs can generate axial loads that can modify the response. A parametric study is carried out that covers 432 nonlinear time-history analyses (72 models with 6 records) of 2 coupled walls with different length, including variations in the amount of boundary element steel

A series of large-scale shaking table tests of tall buildings with nonlinear viscous dampers on soft soils in pile group foundations are performed to better understand the effect of the seismic pile-soil-structure interaction (PSSI) on the dynamic responses of the pile, soil, structure and the performance of the viscous dampers. Two different models are investigated, including a fixed-base structure

The piles of channel bridges generally exist in the form of steel casing composite piles (SCC pile, namely, the reinforced concrete pile wrapped by steel casing) owing to construction factors, such as drilling and temporary platforms. To investigate the effect of steel casings on the behaviors of the original reinforced concrete (RC) piles, and to clarify the reasons for this effect, we conducted a

In this study, a tower crane mast which is very sensitive to the dynamic effects that will occur due to its delicate structure was scaled by similitude theory for the purpose of using in experimental studies. The variables that describe the structure in terms of dynamic were determined and pi groups were created by using the Buckingham Pi Theorem. A finite element model that is able to calculate the

Under fire conditions, the fire resistance of steel columns may be critically affected by steel creep. However, in the current codes of practice, creep effect has not been explicitly considered in determination of the high-temperature load-bearing capacity of steel columns. This may result in unsafe predictions of the load-bearing capacity of steel columns exposed to fire. In this study, both numerical

The inelastic buckling of longitudinal steel bar is one of the major damage states of reinforced concrete (RC) column under seismic loading, which may result in a reduction of section moment capacity and ductility. However, the relationship between bar buckling and deterioration in seismic behaviors of RC column has normally been proposed based on the theoretical analysis, direct experimental verification

This study presents a new approach for identification of aerodynamic damping of tall buildings from stochastic crosswind response time history using unscented Kalman filter (UKF) technique. The system damping ratio is expressed as a polynomial function of building displacement or velocity, which is equivalent to a polynomial function of amplitude of harmonic motion. The structural system with nonlinear

Economic damage and repair costs due to earthquakes are largely connected with permanent residual structural displacements. This study develops and tests the use of shape-memory Niti alloy rebars as a replacement to steel rebars in reinforced concrete walls. Large-scale cyclic quasi-static experimental tests on two units, predominantly behaving in flexure, show a clear reduction of residual displacements

The durability of reinforced concrete structures is an ongoing challenge for engineers, particularly in harsh environments. In these conditions, concrete is susceptible to excessive cracking which allows water or other aggressive agents to penetrate the structure, thereby accelerating the deterioration, mainly through corrosion, of the steel reinforcement. The deteriorated concrete structures require

The seismic performance of rounded rectangular hollow tall piers, applied popularly in railway bridges in high-intensity areas in China, has rarely been investigated till now. The current seismic design approaches mostly stem from short-to-medium solid columns whose seismic behavior is different from those of hollow members. According to cyclic tests in publications, there are also obvious differences

Premature damage of the post-cast concrete joints of precast concrete shear walls (PSWs) was observed in the past earthquakes due to the poor connection details and stress concentration of the wall-beam-slab joints. To avoid the potential failure, a new connection method featuring steel connectors, applied in the PSWs, is firstly proposed based on the plastic damage relocation design concept. Five

Construction of tall-wood buildings is increasing in North America. Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is one of the dominant structural mass-timber products and is a high strength, lightweight, value-added, wood-composite panel suited for shear walls. The advent of tall-wood buildings necessitates further connection development for increased seismic resiliency to meet life-safety and performance-based design

In this study, the effects of foundation uplift on the seismic loading of wind turbine tower and shallow foundation are investigated. A dynamic Winkler model is proposed for the dynamic response analysis of shallow foundation supported structures and is named as QzSimple4, in which PySimple3 is applied to replace the elastoplastic component in QzSimple2 for the compression under the foundation and

In recent years, a noticeable increase in the number of suicide bombing attacks has been noticed. These incidents have targeted civilians and civil infrastructure leaving numerous victims and huge losses in property. Residential complexes and commercial buildings are generally not designed to resist abnormal loads such as explosions. Blast wall systems, also known blast barriers, have been required

The coupling beam is the key component in high-rise coupled-wall and core-tube structures. To further improve the seismic performance and damage tolerance of traditional reinforced concrete coupling beams, engineered cementitious composites (ECC) becomes a prospective choice, due to the superior characteristics including tension strain-hardening and multi-cracking properties. However, there have been

Beam-to-column joints in seismic moment frames would directly influence the behaviours of the connected members. When reinforced joint configurations were adopted to shift plastic hinges away from the field welds, columns in seismic steel frames would suffer larger inner forces and should be specially checked to control yielding mechanics. However, there were only few investigations on reinforced joints

The study aimed to obtain the composite beams with high flexural capacity by using the high compressive strength and deformation capacity of Ultra-High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC). For this purpose, the composite RC beams consisting of UHPFRC layer in the compressive side and Normal Strength Concrete (NSC) in the tensile side were produced and the four-point bending tests were carried

The objective of this study is developing a thermo-metallurgical-mechanical finite element (FE) model incorporating the effect of solid-state phase transformation (SSPT) to accurately simulate deformations for single bead-on-plate welding of an ultra-high strength carbon steel. Comprehensive phase transformation modeling including both diffusive and diffusionless (displacive) transformation kinetics

Glass Fibre-Reinforced Polymers (GFRPs) are a popular option for pedestrian bridges over railway lines as they cause little disruption for installation or maintenance. However, as they are typically lighter and less stiff than traditional materials there is concern about their dynamic response due to human induced actions and train buffeting. Due to a lack of experimental information, further data

The utilization of large-span membrane structures as airport terminals has attracted considerable attention due to excellent building aesthetics, reasonable structural behavior and multi-functional applications. Safety and serviceability of such structures are strongly related to temperature effects in comparisons with steel/aluminum structures since temperature can accelerate material creep strain

The paper describes and evaluates application of output-only system identification to an eleven-span post-tensioned concrete bridge using hybrid excitation. A linear chirp sweeping force, induced by two light-weight electro-dynamic shakers, augmented environmental sources to excite the bridge during the hybrid testing exercise. To obtain the modal characteristics of the structure, two output-only time

Corrosion of reinforcement in concrete impairs the mechanical behaviour of rebars by decreasing their strength and deformation capacity. In this study, uniaxial tensile tests were carried out on 61 rebars taken from 22 pre- and un- cracked reinforced concrete beams subjected to drying and wetting cycles in chloride solution for over three years. A 3D-scanning technique was used to characterise the

Increasing terrorist attacks towards ordinary or strategic buildings and soft targets represent one of the major impetus to improve existing methods of design for blast-resistant structures. When a building undergoes an extreme dynamic event such as blast or impact, local damage of its key structural components (i.e., the columns) may lead to severe failure and even collapse of the entire building

Very-long floating bridges represent an innovative marine structure for crossing wide and deep fjords. During the design of a floating bridge, extreme structural responses at a specified probability of exceedance are required to be properly evaluated for ultimate limit state (ULS) design check. This study addresses the estimation of extreme structural responses due to wind and wave loads and associated

A new set of constitutive models named TsingHua University Concrete 2D (THUC2) is developed for use in ABAQUS. THUC2 has reduced mesh sensitivity and is based on the decoupling assumption and the fixed-angle crack assumption in order to consider the pinching effect, confinement, strength degradation, and shear softening of concrete. In the developed biaxial reinforced concrete models, the uniaxial

Increasing global demand for a sustainable society is driving the development of multi-storey light-frame wood structures, yet their complex structural components make detailed finite element modelling (FEM) impractical. The structural response of these buildings cannot typically be accurately captured with traditional simplified computational methods that rely on the use of parameter-based spring

This paper examines the influence of reinforcement detailing and fibers on the static and blast performance of beams built with high-strength concrete (HSC) and high-strength (HS) steel reinforcement. The beams in this study had dimensions of 125 mm × 250 mm × 2440 mm (b × d × L), and were built with HSC and Grade 690 MPa ASTM A1035 reinforcement. Longitudinal reinforcement in tension consisted of

This paper presents the results of a series of shake table tests carried out on a half-scale single-story unreinforced masonry building with asymmetric openings. First, the unretrofitted building is subjected to seven increasing steps of bidirectional seismic excitation. The damaged building is then rehabilitated using steel mesh and shotcrete layer with two walls retrofitted from the exterior face

Inflated membrane tubes are popularly used as supporting members in civil engineering and aerospace engineering. The stiffness and bearing capacity of the tube originate from the tensile stress of the membrane induced by the inner air pressure. Deformation of the tube under load results in a change in this pressure and hence influences the tensile stress of the enveloping membrane and the stiffness

For damage detection of railway tracks, a two-axle test vehicle is better than a single-axle vehicle due to its capability of self standing and stability. This paper presents a new, comprehensive theoretical framework for a two-axle test vehicle moving over railway tracks modeled as a simply supported beam with elastic foundation. Firstly, closed-form solutions for both the vehicle and rail responses

In this paper, the overall hysteretic behavior of uniform (BB) and proposed graded-thickness (BGB) thin-walled steel square box columns under constant axial force and circular bidirectional cyclic lateral loading is investigated. First of all, the adopted finite element model (FEM) in ABAQUS is verified with the experimental results in the literature and employed for the analysis. Second, the proposed