• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.259-268
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• 2017

In this paper, the incremental nonlinear dynamic analysis is used to evaluate the seismic performance of steel moment frame structures. To this purpose, three special moment frame structure with 5, 10 and 15 stories are designed according to the Iran's national building code for steel structures and the provisions for design of earthquake resistant buildings (2800 code). Incremental Nonlinear Analysis (IDA) is performed for 15 different ground motions, and responses of the structures are evaluated. For the immediate occupancy and the collapse prevention performance levels, the probability that seismic demand exceeds the seismic capacity of the structures is computed based on FEMA350. Also, fragility curves are plotted for three high-code damage levels using HASUS provisions. Based on the obtained results, it is evident that increase in the height of the frame structures reduces the reliability level. In addition, it is concluded that for the design earthquake the probability of exceeding average collapse prevention level is considerably larger than high and full collapse prevention levels.9.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.465-492
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• 2008

Proper pretest planning is a vital component of any successful vibration test on engineering structures. The most important issue in dynamic testing of many engineering structures is arriving at the number and optimal placement of sensors. The sensors must be placed on the structure in such a way that all the important dynamic behaviour of a structural system is captured during the course of the test with sufficient accuracy so that the information can be effectively utilised for structural parameter identification or health monitoring. Several optimal sensor placement (OSP) techniques are proposed in the literature and each of these methods have been evaluated with respect to a specific problem encountered in various engineering disciplines like aerospace, civil, mechanical engineering, etc. In the present work, we propose to perform a detailed characteristic evaluation of some selective popular OSP techniques with respect to their application to practical civil engineering problems. Numerical experiments carried out in the paper on various practical civil engineering structures indicate that effective independence (EFI) method is more consistent when compared to all other sensor placement techniques.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.141-161
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• 2014

This article presents a new generation of empirical ground motion models for the prediction of response spectral accelerations in soil conditions, specifically developed for the Vrancea intermediate-depth seismic source. The strong ground motion database from which the ground motion prediction model is derived consists of over 800 horizontal components of acceleration recorded from nine Vrancea intermediate-depth seismic events as well as from other seventeen intermediate-depth earthquakes produced in other seismically active regions in the world. Among the main features of the new ground motion model are the prediction of spectral ordinates values (besides the prediction of the peak ground acceleration), the extension of the magnitudes range applicability, the use of consistent metrics (epicentral distance) for this type of seismic source, the extension of the distance range applicability to 300 km, the partition of total standard deviation in intra- and inter-event standard deviations and the use of a national strong ground motion database more than two times larger than in the previous studies. The results suggest that this model is an improvement of the previous generation of ground motion prediction models and can be properly employed in the analysis of the seismic hazard of Romania.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.355-368
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• 2005

Large and complex structures are being built now-a-days and, they are required to be functional even under extreme loading and environmental conditions. In order to meet the safety and maintenance demands, there is a need to build sensors integrated structural system, which can sense and provide necessary information about the structural response to complex loading and environment. Sophisticated tools have been developed for the design and construction of civil engineering structures. However, very little has been accomplished in the area of monitoring and rehabilitation. The employment of appropriate sensor is therefore crucial, and efforts must be directed towards non-destructive testing techniques that remain functional throughout the life of the structure. Fiber optic sensors are emerging as a superior non-destructive tool for evaluating the health of civil engineering structures. Flexibility, small in size and corrosion resistance of optical fibers allow them to be directly embedded in concrete structures. The inherent advantages of fiber optic sensors over conventional sensors include high resolution, ability to work in difficult environment, immunity from electromagnetic interference, large band width of signal, low noise and high sensitivity. This paper brings out the potential and current status of technology of fiber optic sensors for civil engineering applications. The importance of employing fiber optic sensors for health monitoring of civil engineering structures has been highlighted. Details of laboratory studies carried out on fiber optic strain sensors to assess their suitability for civil engineering applications are also covered.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

Steel-concrete composite walls have been proposed and developed for applications in various types of structures. The double-skin profiled composite walls, as a natural development of composite flooring, provide structural and architectural merits. However, adequate intermediate fasteners between profiled steel plates and concrete core are required to fully mobilize the composite action and to improve the structural behavior of the wall. In this research, two new types of fasteners (i.e., threaded rods and vertical plates) were proposed and three specimens with different fastener types or fastener arrangements were tested under axial compression. The experimental results were evaluated in terms of failure modes, axial load versus axial displacement response, strength index, ductility index, and load-strain relationship. It was found that specimen with symmetrically arranged thread rods sustained more stable axial strain than that with staggered arranged threaded rods. Meanwhile, vertical plates are more suitable for practical use since they provide stronger confinement to profiled steel plate and effectively prevent the steel plate from early local buckling, which eventually enhance the composite action and increase the axial compressive capacity of the wall. The calculation methods were then proposed and good agreement was observed between the test results and the predicted results.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.79-87
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• 2023

Special moment resisting steel frame structures are now being used commonly in highly seismic regions as seismically reliable structures. However, a very important parameter describing the dynamics of steel structures during earthquake loading, Soil Structure Interaction (SSI), is generally neglected. In this study, the significance of consideration of flexibility of soil in being able to obtain a result closer to reality is asserted. The current paper focuses on calculation of seismic fragility curves special moment resisting steel frame structures under different earthquake loadings for fixed-base and SSI models. The observation of obtained fragility curves lead to the conclusion that the SSI has a considerable effect on component fragility for the steel structures, with its effects decreasing for higher peak ground acceleration. The results show that the structures when considered SSI have a higher probability of exceeding a damage limit state. This observation attests the role of SSI in the accurate study of structural performance.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.401-413
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• 2011

The aerodynamic stability of orthotropic tensioned membrane structures with rectangular plane is theoretically studied under the uniform ideal potential flow. The aerodynamic force acting on the membrane surface is determined by the potential flow theory in fluid mechanics and the thin airfoil theory in aerodynamics. Then, based on the large amplitude theory and the D'Alembert's principle, the interaction governing equation of wind-structure is established. Under the circumstances of single mode response, the Bubnov-Galerkin approximate method is applied to transform the complicated interaction equation into a system of second order nonlinear differential equation with constant coefficients. Through judging the stability of the system characteristic equation, the critical divergence instability wind velocity is determined. Finally, from different parametric analysis, we can conclude that it has positive significance to consider the characteristics of orthotropic and large amplitude for preventing the instability destruction of structures.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.5
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• pp.517-530
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• 2008

This paper deals with civil infrastructures in general, sensor and smart structure technology, and smart steel structures in particular. Smart structures technology, an integrated engineering field comprising sensor technology, structural control, smart materials and structural health monitoring, could dramatically transform and revolutionize the design, construction and maintenance of civil engineering structures. The central core of this technology is sensor and sensor networks that provide the essential data input in real time for condition assessment and decision making. Sensors and robust monitoring algorithms that can reliably detect the occurrence, location, and severity of damages such as crack and corrosion in steel structures will lead to increased levels of safety for civil infrastructure, and may significantly cut maintenance or repair cost through early detection. The emphasis of this paper is on sensor technology with a potential use in steel structures.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.123-139
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• 2019

Impact forces induced by external object collisions can cause serious damages to civil engineering structures. While accurate and prompt identification of such impact forces is a critical task in structural health monitoring, it is not readily feasible for civil structures because the force measurement is extremely challenging and the force location is unpredictable for full-scale field structures. This study proposes a novel approach for identification of impact force including its location and time history using a small number of multi-metric observations. The method combines an augmented Kalman filter (AKF) and Genetic algorithm for accurate identification of impact force. The location of impact force is statistically determined in the way to minimize the AKF response estimate error at measured locations and then time history of the impact force is accurately constructed by optimizing the error co-variances of AKF using Genetic algorithm. The efficacy of proposed approach is numerically demonstrated using a truss and a plate model considering the presence of modelling error and measurement noises.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.133-147
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• 2023

The random vibration of saddle membrane structures under wind load is studied theoretically and experimentally. First, the nonlinear random vibration differential equations of saddle membrane structures under wind loads are established based on von Karman's large deflection theory, thin shell theory and potential flow theory. The probabilistic density function (PDF) and its corresponding statistical parameters of the displacement response of membrane structure are obtained by using the diffusion process theory and the Fokker Planck Kolmogorov equation method (FPK) to solve the equation. Furthermore, a wind tunnel test is carried out to obtain the displacement time history data of the test model under wind load, and the statistical characteristics of the displacement time history of the prototype model are obtained by similarity theory and probability statistics method. Finally, the rationality of the theoretical model is verified by comparing the experimental model with the theoretical model. The results show that the theoretical model agrees with the experimental model, and the random vibration response can be effectively reduced by increasing the initial pretension force and the rise-span ratio within a certain range. The research methods can provide a theoretical reference for the random vibration of the membrane structure, and also be the foundation of structural reliability of membrane structure based on wind-induced response.