• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.311-335
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• 2024

This work aims to show a model to estimate the minimum cost (Thickness and area of steel in X and Y directions) for design a circular isolated footing with eccentric column that considers that the surface in contact with the ground works partially under compression. The formulation is shown by integration to find the moments, the bending shears and the punching shear using the pressure volume under the footing. Some researchers show the minimum cost design for circular isolated footings for an eccentric column assuming that the contact area works completely in compression, others consider the contact surface with the ground working partially in compression for a column in the center of the base. Three numerical examples are developed to obtain the complete design, which are: Example 1 for a column in the center of the base,Example 2 for a column at a distance of 1.50 m from the center of the base in the X direction, Example 3 for a column at a distance of 1.50 m from the center of the base in both directions. Also, a comparison of the new model against the model proposed by other authors is presented. The comparison shows that the new model generates a great saving of up to 43.74% for minimum area and 48.44% for minimum cost design in a column located in the center of the base, and when the column is located at a distance of radius/2 starting from the center of the base in the X direction generates great savings of up to 45.24% for minimum area and 31.80% for minimum cost design. Therefore, it is advisable to use the model presented in this study.

• Interaction and multiscale mechanics
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.321-336
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• 2011

This paper presents the results of static vertical load tests carried out on a model building frame supported by pile groups embedded in cohesionless soil (sand). The effect of soil interaction on displacements and rotation at the column base and also the shears and bending moments in the columns of the building frame were investigated. The experimental results have been compared with those obtained from the finite element analysis and conventional method of analysis. Soil nonlinearity in the lateral direction is characterized by the p-y curves and in the axial direction by nonlinear vertical springs along the length of the piles (${\tau}-z$ curves) at their tips (Q-z curves). The results reveal that the conventional method gives the shear force in the column by about 40-60%, the bending moment at the column top about 20-30% and at the column base about 75-100% more than those from the experimental results. The response of the frame from the experimental results is in good agreement with that obtained by the nonlinear finite element analysis.

• International Journal of Railway
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.73-82
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• 2010

Global and local behaviors of a lightly RC shear walls are investigated in this paper. For the sake of cyclic behaviors, nominal ground accelerations of 0.15 g, 0.40 g and 0.55 g which associated with natural periods of the walls are applied as listed in French CAMUS-2000 shake table test. Modified Kent & Park model, Drucker-Prager model for concrete material and $Giufr\acute{e}$-Menegotto-Pinto model for rebar are used for time history analyses using fiber/solids elements respectively. Alternatively, Eulerian beam analysis are discussed by imposing inelastic hinges at the most possible plastic hinge location using modified Takeda's trilinear model with stiffness reduction. Relative displacements, base shears, bending moments of 5-story shear building with 36-tons of mass under bi-lateral seismic excitation are extracted and compared with EC-8, PS-92 and KBC-09 provisions. Multi-scaled degradation process; material damage, elemental fracture and structural failure in turn is discussed in the view of numerical accuracy, efficiency and limitation depending on three different model-based analyses.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.211-224
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• 2023

This work presents a modified analytical model for the bending behavior of axially functionally graded (AFG) carbon nanotubes reinforced composite (CNTRC) nanobeams. New higher order shear deformation beam theory is exploited to satisfy parabolic variation of shear through thickness direction and zero shears at the bottom and top surfaces.A Modified continuum nonlocal strain gradient theoryis employed to include the microstructure and the geometrical nano-size length scales. The extended rule of the mixture and the molecular dynamics simulations are exploited to evaluate the equivalent mechanical properties of FG-CNTRC beams. Carbon nanotubes reinforcements are distributed axially through the beam length direction with a new power graded function with two parameters. The equilibrium equations are derived with associated nonclassical boundary conditions, and Navier's procedure are used to solve the obtained differential equation and get the response of nanobeam under uniform, linear, or sinusoidal mechanical loadings. Numerical results are carried out to investigate the impact of inhomogeneity parameters, geometrical parameters, loadings type, nonlocal and length scale parameters on deflections and stresses of the AFG CNTRC nanobeams. The proposed model can be used in the design and analysis of MEMS and NEMS systems fabricated from carbon nanotubes reinforced composite nanobeam.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.197-217
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• 2012

Detailed analysis of internal forces of exterior beam-column joints of RC frames under seismic action is reported in this paper. A formula is derived for calculating the average joint shear from the column shears, and a formula is proposed to estimate torque in eccentric joints induced by seismic action. Average joint shear stress and strain are defined consistently for exterior joints, which can be used to establish joint shear constitutive relationship. Numerical results of shear, bending moment and torque in joints induced by seismic action are presented for a pair of concentric and eccentric exterior connections extracted from a seismically designed RC frame, and two sections located at the levels of beam bottom and top reinforcement, respectively, are identified as the critical joint sections for evaluating seismic joint behavior. A simplified analysis of the effects of joint shear and torque on the flexural strengths of the critical joint sections is made for the two connections extracted from the frame, and the results indicate that joint shear and torque induced by a strong earthquake may lead to "joint-hinging" mechanism of seismically designed RC frames.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.239-257
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• 2009

This paper develops and discusses a method by which it is possible to evaluate the Equivalent Static Force (ESF) of wind in the case of long-span bridges. Attention is focused on the alongwind direction. The study herein carried out deals with the classical problems of determining the maximum effects due to the alongwind action and the corresponding ESFs. The mean value of the maximum alongwind displacement of the deck is firstly obtained both by the spectral analysis and the Gust Response Factor (GRF) technique. Successively, in order to derive the other wind-induced effects acting on the deck, the Gust Effect Factor (GEF) technique is extended to long-span bridges. By adopting the GRF technique, it is possible to define the ESF that applied on the structure produces the maximum alongwind displacement. Nevertheless the application of the ESF so obtained does not furnish the correct maximum values of other wind-induced effects acting on the deck such as bending moments or shears. Based on this observation, a new technique is proposed which allows to define an ESF able to simultaneously reproduce the maximum alongwind effects of the bridge deck. The proposed technique is based on the GEF and the POD techniques and represents a valid instrument of research for the understanding of the wind excitation mechanism.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.113-139
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• 2016

The nonlinear seismic responses of steel buildings with perimeter moment resisting frames (PMRF) and interior gravity frames (IGF) are estimated, modeling the interior connections first as perfectly pinned (PPC), and then as partially restrained (PRC). Two 3D steel building models, twenty strong motions and three levels of the PRC rigidity, which are represented by the Richard Model and the Beam Line Theory, are considered. The RUAUMOKO Computer Program is used for the required time history nonlinear dynamic analysis. The responses can be significantly reduced when interior connections are considered as PRC, confirming what observed in experimental investigations. The reduction significantly varies with the strong motion, story, model, structural deformation, response parameter, and location of the structural element. The reduction is larger for global than for local response parameters; average reductions larger than 30% are observed for shears and displacements while they are about 20% for bending moments. The reduction is much larger for medium- than for low-rise buildings indicating a considerable influence of the structural complexity. It can be concluded that, the effect of the dissipated energy at PRC should not be neglected. Even for connections with relative small stiffness, which are usually idealized as PPC, the reduction can be significant. Thus, PRC can be used at IGF of steel buildings with PMRF to get more economical construction, to reduce the seismic response and to make steel building more seismic load tolerant. Much more research is needed to consider other aspects of the problem to reach more general conclusions.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.85-110
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• 2005

This paper aims at formulating various statistical models for the study of a ten year Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) data collected from various WIM stations in Hong Kong. In order to study the bridge live load model it is important to determine the mathematical distributions of different load affecting parameters such as gross vehicle weights, axle weights, axle spacings, average daily number of trucks etc. Each of the above parameters is analyzed by various stochastic processes in order to obtain the mathematical distributions and the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method is adopted to calculate the statistical parameters, expected values and standard deviations from the given samples of data. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) method of approach is used to check the suitability of the statistical model selected for the particular parameter and the Monte Carlo method is used to simulate the distributions of maximum value stochastic processes of a series of given stochastic processes. Using the statistical analysis approach the maximum value of gross vehicle weight and axle weight in bridge design life has been determined and the distribution functions of these parameters are obtained under both free-flowing traffic and dense traffic status. The maximum value of bending moments and shears for wide range of simple spans are obtained by extrapolation. It has been observed that the obtained maximum values of the gross vehicle weight and axle weight from this study are very close to their legal limitations of Hong Kong which are 42 tonnes for gross weight and 10 tonnes for axle weight.