• Computers and Concrete
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.11-22
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• 2017

There are two methods to model the plastification of members comprising lumped and distributed plasticity. When a reinforced concrete member experiences inelastic deformations, cracks tend to spread from the joint interface resulting in a curvature distribution; therefore, the lumped plasticity methods assuming plasticity is concentrated at a zero-length plastic hinge section at the ends of the elements, cannot model the actual behavior of reinforced concrete members. Some spread plasticity models including uniform, linear and recently power have been developed to take extended inelastic zone into account. In the aforementioned models, the extended inelastic zones in proximity of critical sections assumed close to connections are considered. Although the mentioned assumption is proper for the buildings simply imposed lateral loads, it is not appropriate for the gravity load effects. The gravity load effects can influence the inelastic zones in structural elements; therefore, the plasticity models presenting the flexibility distribution along the member merely based on lateral loads apart from the gravity load effects can bring about incorrect stiffness matrix for structure. In this study, the linear flexibility distribution model is improved to account for the distributed plasticity of members subjected to both gravity and lateral load effects. To do so, a new model in which, each member is taken as one structural element into account is proposed. Some numerical examples from previous studies are assessed and outcomes confirm the accuracy of proposed model. Also comparing the results of the proposed model with other spread plasticity models illustrates glaring error produced due to neglecting the gravity load effects.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제56권2호
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• pp.169-188
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• 2015

There are two types of nonlinear analysis methods for building frameworks depending on the method of modeling the plastification of members including lumped plasticity and distributed plasticity. The lumped plasticity method assumes that plasticity is concentrated at a zero-length plastic hinge section at the ends of the elements. The distributed plasticity method discretizes the structural members into many line segments, and further subdivides the cross-section of each segment into a number of finite elements. When a reinforced concrete member experiences inelastic deformations, cracks tend to spread form the joint interface resulting in a curvature distribution. The program IDARC includes a spread plasticity formulation to capture the variation of the section flexibility, and combine them to determine the element stiffness matrix. In this formulation, the flexibility distribution in the structural elements is assumed to be the linear. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of linear flexibility distribution assumed in the spread inelasticity model. For this purpose, nonlinear analysis of two reinforced concrete frames is carried out and the linear flexibility models used in the elements are compared with the real ones. It is shown that the linear flexibility distribution is incorrect assumption in cases of significant gravity load effects and can be lead to incorrect nonlinear responses in some situations.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제4권5호
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• pp.451-470
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• 2013

It generally accepted that most building structures shall exhibit a nonlinear response when subjected to medium-high intensity earthquakes. It is currently known, however, that this phenomenon is not properly modelled in the majority of cases, especially at the design stage, where only simple linear methods have effectively been used. Recently, as a result of the exponential progress of computational tools, nonlinear modelling and analysis have gradually been brought to a more promising level. A wide range of modelling alternatives developed over the years is hence at the designer's disposal for the seismic design and assessment of engineering structures. The objective of the study presented herein is to test some of these models in an existing structure, and observe their performance in nonlinear static and dynamic analyses. This evaluation is done by the use of two of a known range of advanced computer programs: SAP2000 and SeismoStruct. The different models will focus on the element flexural mechanism with both lumped and distributed plasticity element models. In order to appraise the reliability and feasibility of each alternative, the programs capabilities and the amount of labour and time required for modelling and performing the analyses are also discussed. The results obtained show the difficulties that may be met, not only in performing nonlinear analyses, but also on their dependency on both the chosen nonlinear structural models and the adopted computer programs. It is then suggested that these procedures should only be used by experienced designers, provided that they are aware of these difficulties and with a critical stance towards the result of the analyses.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.75-89
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• 2007

Post-earthquake reconnaissance and experimental research indicate that squat reinforced concrete (RC) columns in existing buildings or bridge piers are vulnerable to non-ductile shear failure. Recently, several experimental studies were conducted to investigate upgrading the shear resistance capacity of such columns in order to modify their failure mode to ductile one. Among these upgrading methods is the use of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) jackets. One of the preferred analytical tools to simulate the response of frame structures to earthquake loading is the lumped plasticity macromodels due to their computational efficiency and reasonable accuracy. In these models, the columns' nonlinear response is lumped at its ends. The most important input data for such type of models is the element's lateral force-displacement backbone curve. The objective of this study is to verify an analytical method to predict the lateral force-displacement ductility relationship of axially and laterally loaded rectangular RC squat columns retrofitted with FRP composites. The predicted relationship showed good accuracy when compared with tests available in the literature.