• Computers and Concrete
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2023

Reinforced concrete flat slab (RCFS) with columns is a standard gravity floor system for tall buildings in North America. Typically, RCFS-column connections are designed to resist gravity loads, and their contribution to resisting seismic forces is ignored. However, past experimental research has shown that RCFS-column connections have some strength and ductility, which may not be ignored. Advanced numerical models have been developed in the past to determine the nonlinear cyclic behavior of RCFS-column connections. However, these models are either too complicated for nonlinear dynamic analysis of an entire building or not developed to model the behavior of modern RCFS-column connections. This paper proposes a new nonlinear model suitable for modern RCFS-column connections. The numerical model is verified using experimental data of specimens with various material and reinforcement properties. A 40-story RC shear wall building was designed and analyzed to investigate the influence of RCFS on the global response of tall concrete buildings. The seismic responses of the building with and without the RCFS were modelled and compared. The results show that the modelling of RCFS has a significant impact on the inter-story drifts and force demands on both the seismic force-resisting and gravity elements.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.94-100
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• 2023

Objective: Few studies have investigated alterations of ground reaction force (GRF) in individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) compared with lateral ankle sprain (LAS) copers and healthy controls during walking. This study aimed to investigate differences in GRF variables among the CAI, LAS coper, and control groups. Method: Eighteen individuals with CAI, 18 LAS copers, and 18 healthy controls were recruited for this study. All participants walked on 8-m walkway with a force plate three times. GRF data during stance phase were extracted and analyzed. The analysis of variance and ensemble curve analysis were used for statistical analyses of discrete points and time-series data respectively. Results: The CAI group showed a greater loading rate (LR) and a shorter time to impact peak force than the other groups, as well as decreased vGRF from 56% to 65% in the stance phase than the control group. No significant differences were noted in the other variables. Conclusion: Based on these findings, individuals with CAI should enhance their ability to create propulsion during the push-off phase and spend more time absorbing GRF to decrease the LR, which is considered one of risk factors for overuse injury and ankle osteoarthritis.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.83-90
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• 2009

Natural disasters, such as the recent floods in the Midwest, Hurricane Ike in the Gulf coast region (U.S.), and the earthquake in Sichuan (China), cause severe damage to the infrastructure as well as the associated industries and communities that rely on the infrastructure. The estimated damages due to Hurricane Ike in 2008 were a staggering $27 billion, the third worst in U.S. history. In addition, the worst earthquake in three decades in Sichuan resulted in about 90,000 people dead or missing and $20 billion of the estimated loss. A common observation in the analyses of these natural disaster events is the inadequacy of critical infrastructure to withstand the forces of natural calamities and the lack of mitigation strategies when they occur on the part of emergency-related organizations, industries, and communities. If the emergency-related agencies could identify and fortify the vulnerable critical infrastructure in the preparedness stage, the damage and impacts can be significantly reduced. Therefore, it is important to develop a decision support system (DSS) for identifying region-specific mitigation strategies based on the inter-relationships between the infrastructure and associated industries and communities in the affected region. To establish effective mitigation strategies, relevant data were collected from the affected areas with respect to the technical, social, and economic impact levels. The data analysis facilitated identifying the major factors, such as vulnerability, criticality, and severity, for developing a DSS. Customized mitigation strategies that will help agencies prepare, respond, and recover according to the disaster response were suggested.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.633-644
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• 2023

Taking a look at the previously published papers, it is revealed that there is a porosity index limitation (around 0.35) for the mechanical behavior analysis of the functionally graded porous (FGP) structures. Over mentioned magnitude of the porosity index, the elastic modulus falls below zero for some parts of the structure thickness. Therefore, the current paper is presented to analyze the vibrational behavior of the FGP Timoshenko beams (FGPTBs) using a novel refined formulation regardless of the porosity index magnitude. The silica aerogel foundation and various hydrothermal loadings are assumed as the source of external forces. To obtain the FGPTB's properties, the power law is hired, and employing Hamilton's principle in conjunction with Navier's solution method, the governing equations are extracted and solved. In the end, the impact of the various variables as different beam materials, elastic foundation parameters, and porosity index is captured and displayed. It is revealed that changing hygrothermal loading from non-linear toward uniform configuration results in non-dimensional frequency and stiffness pushing up. Also, Al - Al2O3 as the material composition of the beam and the porosity presence with the O pattern, provide more rigidity in comparison with using other materials and other types of porosity dispersion. The presented computational model in this paper hopes to help add more accuracy to the structures' analysis in high-tech industries.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.529-542
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• 2023

Wave propagation with high transverse deflection could affect the stability of the ball in its trajectory. For low stiffness balls similar to soccer and volleyball balls, the waves are more noticeable in comparison to other balls like ping-pong ball. On the other hand, the soccer balls are under heavy impact loads from shoots and contacting different objects in the field. The maximum recorded speed of a soccer ball after kicking is the 211 km/hr and the average maximum speed is around 112 km/hr. Therefore, in such speeds the aerodynamic forces become important which are directly related to geometrical shape of the ball. In this regard, the wave propagation in soccer ball is examined in the current study using large deformation shear deformable formulations. Classical relations of stress-strain components are taken into consideration along with minimum total energy principle. The final derived relations were solved by using harmonic differential quadrature method. The results are generally presented ion term of phase velocity as function of different influencing parameters of the materials, geometry and mass of the ball.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.89 no.4
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• pp.363-374
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• 2024

Significant changes have been made to estimate the punching shear capacity for edge column-slab joints in the latest editions of most current codes. The revised equations account for axial forces as well as moments conveyed to columns from slabs, which have a substantial impact on the punching resistance of such joints. Many key design parameters, such as reinforcement-ratio, concrete strength, size-effect, and critical-section perimeter, were treated differently or even ignored in various code provisions. Consequently, wide ranges of predicted punching shear strength were detected by applying different code formulas. Therefore, it is essential to assess the various current Codes' design-equations. Because of the similarity in estimated outcomes, only the ACI, EC, and SNiP are used in this study to cover a wide range of estimation ranges from highly conservative to unconservative. This paper is devoted to analyzing the techniques in these code provisions, comparing the estimated punching resistance with available experimental data, and finally developing efficient models predicting the punching capacity of edge column-slab connections. 63 samples from past investigations were chosen for validation. To appropriately predict the punching shear, newly updated equations for ACI and SNiP are provided based on nonlinear regression analysis. The proposed equations'results match the experimental data quite well.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.411-425
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• 2024

To investigate the optimal aerodynamic parameters of wind barriers for the T-beam of high-speed railway (HSR) bridge and the wind field of the wind barrier-train-bridge system, the three-component forces of the system and the wind pressure on the vehicle surface were tested and analyzed through the sectional model wind test. The effects of wind velocity, with/without wind barrier, the height of wind barrier, and the air permeability of the wind barrier on the aerodynamic characteristics of the train-bridge system are discussed. Additionally, a CFD numerical model is constructed to evaluate the wind environment of the bridge surface with/without the wind barrier, and the impact of wind barrier on the running safety of vehicles are analyzed. Comprehensively considering the running safety of the train and the wind-resistant stability of the bridge, it is more appropriate to set the wind barrier height H as 3.5 m and the porosity 𝛽 as 30% respectively.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.195-213
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• 2024

This article deals with the changes in flow air properties across an oblique shock wave for a real gas. The flow through is investigated to find a general form for oblique shock waves. The main objective of this work will result in the development of a new numerical algorithm to determine the effect of the stagnation pressure on supersonic flow for thermally and calorically imperfect gases with a molecular dissociation threshold, thus giving a better affinity to the physical behavior of the waves. So, the effects of molecular size and intermolecular attraction forces are used to correct a state equation, emphasizing the determination of the impact of upstream stagnation parameters on oblique shock waves. As results, the specific heat pressure does not remain constant and varies with the temperature and density. At Mach numbers greater than 2.0, the temperature rise considerably, and the density rise is well above, that predicted assuming ideal gas behavior. It is shown that caloric imperfections in air have an appreciable effect on the parameters developed in the processes is considered. Computation of errors between the present model based on real gas theory and a perfect gas model shows that the influence of the thermal and caloric imperfections associated with a real gas is important and can rise up to 16%.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.431-435
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• 2024

This study aims to analyze cases of drone psychological warfare in modern conflicts and examine their effects and limitations. Focusing on the cases of the United States, Israel, and Ukraine, the study investigates the impact of drone-based surveillance, attacks, and propaganda activities on the morale and combat will of enemy forces. The findings indicate that drone psychological warfare has a significant effect in pressuring the enemy psychologically and weakening their will to fight. However, it also entails serious side effects, such as civilian casualties and controversies over violations of international law, which calls for an ethical review. This study is significant in providing a foundation for in-depth discussions on the effectiveness and ethics of drone psychological warfare.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.397-408
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• 2024

Buried box culverts are crucial elements of transportation infrastructure. However, their behavior under foundation loads is not well understood, indicating a significant gap in existing research. This study aims to bridge this gap by conducting a detailed numerical analysis using the Finite Element Method and Abaqus software. The research evaluates the behavior of buried box culverts by examining their interaction with surrounding soil and the pressures from surface foundation loads. Key variables such as embedment depth, culvert wall thickness, concrete material properties, foundation pressure, foundation width, soil elastic modulus, and friction angle are altered to understand their combined effects on structural response. The methodology employs a validated 2D numerical model under plane strain conditions. Parametric studies highlight the critical role of culvert depth (H) in influencing earth pressure and bending moments. Foundation pressure and width demonstrate complex interdependencies affecting culvert behavior. Variations in culvert materials' elastic modulus show minimal impact. It was found that the lower wall of the buried culvert experiences higher average pressure compared to the other two walls, due to the combined effects of the culvert's weight and down drag forces on the side walls. Furthermore, while the pressure distribution on the top and bottom walls is parabolic, the pressure on the side walls follows a different pattern, differing from that of the other two walls.