• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.253-267
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• 2023

The bearing capacities resisted by the two-bay beams of multi-story planar frames with unequal spans under column removal scenarios differ considerably owing to the asymmetric stress on the left and right beams connected to the failed column and cause the potential for beams with larger span-to-depth ratios to be unable to exert effectively, which is disadvantageous for resisting the vertical load in unequal-span frame structures. To address this problem, the structural measure of adding braces to the weak bays of multi-story unequal-span frames was proposed, with the objective of achieving a coordinated stress state in two-bay beams with unequal spans, thereby improving the collapse resistance of unequal-span frame structures. Before conducting the numerical simulation, the modeling methods were verified by previous experimental results of two multi-story planar frames with and without steel braces. Thereafter, the effects of the tensile and compressive braces on the collapse behavior of the frame structures were elucidated. Then, based on the mechanical action laws of the braces throughout the collapse process, a detailed design method for improving the collapse resistance of unequal-span frame structures was proposed. Finally, the proposed design method was verified by using sufficient example models, and the results demonstrated that the design method has good application prospects and high practical value.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.86 no.4
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• pp.547-571
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• 2023

To deeply probe the actual earthquake level and fragility of typical reinforced concrete (RC) structures under multiple intensity grades, considering diachronic measurement building stock samples and actual observations of representative catastrophic earth shocks in China from 1990 to 2010, RC structures were divided into traditional RC structures (TRCs) and bottom reinforced concrete frame seismic wall masonry (BFM) structures, and the empirical damage characteristics and mechanisms were analysed. A great deal of statistics and induction were developed on the historical experience investigation data of 59 typical catastrophic earthquakes in 9 provinces of China. The database and fragility matrix prediction model were established with TRCs of 4,122.5284×104 m² and 5,844 buildings and BFMs of 5,872 buildings as empirical seismic damage samples. By employing the methods of structural damage probability and statistics, nonlinear prediction of seismic vulnerability, and numerical and applied functional analysis, the comparison matrix of actual fragility probability prediction of TRC and BFM in multiple intensity regions under the latest version of China's macrointensity standard was established. A novel nonlinear regression prediction model of seismic vulnerability was proposed, and prediction models considering the seismic damage ratio and transcendental probability parameters were constructed. The time-varying vulnerability comparative model of the sample database was developed according to the different periods of multiple earthquakes. The new calculation method of the average fragility prediction index (AFPI) matrix parameter model has been proposed to predict the seismic fragility of an areal RC structure.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.607-624
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• 2013

In this study the seismic risk assessments of six- and twelve-story staggered wall system structures with three different structural variations were performed. The performances of staggered wall structures with added columns along the central corridor and the structures with their first story walls replaced by beams and columns were compared with those of the regular staggered wall structures. To this end incremental dynamic analyses were carried out using twenty two pairs of earthquake records to obtain the failure probabilities for various intensity of seismic load. The seismic risk for each damage state was computed based on the fragility analysis results and the probability of occurrence of earthquake ground motions. According to the analysis results, it was observed that the structures with added columns along the central corridor showed lowest probability of failure and seismic risk. The structures with their first story walls replaced by beams and columns showed lowest margin for safety.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.187-196
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• 2020

Double skin composite wall system owns several structural merits in terms of high load-carrying capacity, large axial stiffness, and favorable ductility. A recently proposed form of truss connector was used to bond the steel plates to the concrete core to achieve good composite action. The structural behavior of rectangular high walls under compression and T-shaped high walls under eccentric compression has been investigated by the authors. Furthermore, the influences of the truss spacings, the wall width, and the faceplate thickness have been previously studied by the authors on short walls under uniform compression. This paper experimentally investigated the effect of width-to-thickness ratio on the compressive behavior of short walls. Compressive tests were conducted on three short specimens with different width-to-thickness ratios. Based on the test results, it is found that the composite wall shows high compressive resistance and good ductility. The walls fail by local buckling of steel plates and crushing of concrete core. It is also observed that width-to-thickness ratio has great influence on the compressive resistance, initial stiffness, and strain distribution across the section. Finally, the test results are compared with the predictions by modern codes.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.117-127
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• 2022

Data anomalies seriously threaten the reliability of the bridge structural health monitoring system and may trigger system misjudgment. To overcome the above problem, an efficient and accurate data anomaly detection method is desiderated. Traditional anomaly detection methods extract various abnormal features as the key indicators to identify data anomalies. Then set thresholds artificially for various features to identify specific anomalies, which is the artificial experience method. However, limited by the poor generalization ability among sensors, this method often leads to high labor costs. Another approach to anomaly detection is a data-driven approach based on machine learning methods. Among these, the bidirectional long-short memory neural network (BiLSTM), as an effective classification method, excels at finding complex relationships in multivariate time series data. However, training unprocessed original signals often leads to low computation efficiency and poor convergence, for lacking appropriate feature selection. Therefore, this article combines the advantages of the two methods by proposing a deep learning method with manual experience statistical features fed into it. Experimental comparative studies illustrate that the BiLSTM model with appropriate feature input has an accuracy rate of over 87-94%. Meanwhile, this paper provides basic principles of data cleaning and discusses the typical features of various anomalies. Furthermore, the optimization strategies of the feature space selection based on artificial experience are also highlighted.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.100-107
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• 2005

Reinforcing steel bars in reinforced concrete structures are protected from corrosion by passive film on the steel surface inside concrete with high alkalinity. However, when the passive film breaks down due to chloride ion ingressed into the RC structures, a corrosion initiates at the surface of steel bars. Then, internal pressure by volume expansion of corrosion products in reinforcing bars induces cracking and spalling of cover concrete, which reduces not only durability performance but also structural performance in RC structures. In this paper, a service life prediction of RC structures is carried out by using a micro-mechanics based corrosion model. The corrosion model is composed of a chloride penetration model to evaluate the initiation of corrosion and an electric corrosion cell model and an oxygen diffusion model to evaluate the rate and the accumulated amounts of corrosion. Then, a corrosion cracking model is combined to the models to evaluate critical amount of corrosion product for initiation cracking in cover concrete. By implementing the models into a finite element analysis program, a time and space dependent corrosion analysis and a service life prediction of RC structures due to chloride attack are simulated and the results of the analysis are compared with test results. The effect of crack width on the corrosion and the service life of the RC structures are analyzed and discussed.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.71-82
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• 2020

One of the most suitable methods in structural design is seismic separator. Lead-Rubber Bearing (LRB) is one of the most well-known separation systems which can be used in different types of structures. This system mitigates the earthquake acceleration prior to transferring to the structure efficiently. However, the performance of this system in concrete structures with different heights have not been evaluated thoroughly yet. This paper aims to evaluate the performance of LRB separation system in concrete structures with different heights. For this purpose, three, 16, and 23 story concrete structures are equipped by LRB and exposed to a far-field earthquake. Next, a time history analysis is conducted on each of the structures. Finally, the performance of the concrete structures is compared with each other in the term of their response to the earthquakes and the formation of plastic hinges. The results of the paper show that the rate of change in acceleration response and the ratio of drift along the height of 8 and 23 stories concrete structures are more than those of the 16-stories, and the use of LRB reduces the formation of plastic joints.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.287-301
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• 2004

Structural acceleration regulation is a means of managing structural response energy and enhancing the performance of civil structures undergoing large seismic events. A quadratic output regulator that minimizes a measure including the total structural acceleration energy is developed and tested on a realistic non-linear, semi-active structural control case study. Suites of large scaled earthquakes are used to statistically quantify the impact of this type of control in terms of changes in the statistical distribution of controlled structural response. This approach includes the impulses due to control inputs and is shown to be more effective than a typical displacement focused control approach, by providing equivalent or better performance in terms of displacement and hysteretic energy reductions, while also significantly reducing peak story accelerations and the associated damage and occupant injury. For earthquake engineers faced with the dilemma of balancing displacement and acceleration demands this control approach can significantly reduce that concern, reducing structural damage and improving occupant safety.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.109-122
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• 2016

Concrete creep, while significantly changing the static behaviors of concrete filled steel tube (CFST) structures, do alter the structures' dynamic behaviors as well, which is studied quite limitedly. The attempt to investigate the influence of concrete creep on the dynamic property and response of CFST arch bridges was made in this paper. The mechanism through which creep exerts its influence was analyzed first; then a predicative formula was proposed for the concrete elastic modulus after creep based on available test data; finally a numerical analysis for the effect of creep on the dynamic behaviors of a long-span half-through CFST arch bridge was conducted. It is demonstrated that the presence of concrete creep increases the elastic modulus of concrete, and further magnifies the seismic responses of the displacement and internal force in some sections of the bridge. This influence is related closely to the excitation and the structure, and should be analyzed case-by-case.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.265-276
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• 2017

Structures are designed in such a way that they behave in a nonlinear manner when subject to strong ground motions. Energy concepts have been widely used to evaluate the structural performance for the last few decades. Energy based design can be expressed as the balance of energy input and the energy dissipation capacity of the structure. New research is needed for multi degree of freedom systems (MDOFs)-real structures- within the framework of the energy based design methodology. In this paper, energy parameters are evaluated for low-, medium- and high-rise steel special concentrically braced frames (SCBFs) in terms of total energy input and hysteretic energy. Nonlinear dynamic time history analyses are carried out to assess the variation of energy terms along the height of the frames. A seismic energy demand spectrum is developed and hysteretic energy distributions within the frames are presented.