• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.1-9
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• 2021

This article discusses the issue of optimizing controller design issues, in which the artificial intelligence (AI) evolutionary bat (EB) optimization algorithm is combined with the fuzzy controller in the practical application of the building. The controller of the system design includes different sub-parts such as system initial condition parameters, EB optimal algorithm, fuzzy controller, stability analysis and sensor actuator. The advantage of the design is that for continuous systems with polytypic uncertainties, the integrated H2/H∞ robust output strategy with modified criterion is derived by asymptotically adjusting design parameters. Numerical verification of the time domain and the frequency domain shows that the novel system design provides precise prediction and control of the structural displacement response, which is necessary for the active control structure in the fuzzy model. Due to genetic algorithm (GA), we use a hierarchical conditions of the Hurwitz matrix test technique and the limits of average performance, Hierarchical Fitness Function Structure (HFFS). The dynamic fuzzy controller proposed in this paper is used to find the optimal control force required for active nonlinear control of building structures. This method has achieved successful results in closed system design from the example.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.201-213
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• 2021

Contrast to the conventional jointed bridge design, integral abutment bridges (IABs) offer some marked advantages like reduced maintenance and enhanced service life of the structure due to elimination of joints in the deck and monolithic construction practices. However, the force transfer mechanism during seismic and thermal movements is a topic of interest owing to rigid connection between superstructure and substructure (piers and abutments). This study attempts to model an existing IAB by including the abutment backfill interaction and soil-foundation interaction effects using Winkler foundation assumption to determine its seismic response. Keeping in view the significance of abutment behavior in an IAB, the probability of damage to the abutment is evaluated using fragility function. Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) approach is used in this regard, wherein, nonlinear time history analyses are conducted on the numerical model using a selected suite of ground motions with increasing intensities until damage to abutment. It is concluded from the fragility analysis results that for a MCE level earthquake in the location of integral bridge, the probability of complete damage to the abutment is minimal.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제77권4호
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• pp.463-472
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• 2021

Fully rigid floor diaphragm is one of the main assumptions that are widely used in common practices due to its simple application. However, determining the exact degree of diaphragms flexibility cannot be easily accomplished without finite element modeling, which is an expensive and time-consuming procedure. Therefore, it is always possible that apparently rigid diaphragms, based on prescriptive limitations of seismic codes, experience some degrees of flexibility during the earthquakes. Since diaphragm flexibility has more uncertainties in asymmetric-plan structures, this study focuses on errors resulting from probable floor diaphragm flexibility of torsionally restrained structures. The analytical models used in this study were single-story buildings with asymmetric plan and RC shear walls. Although floor system is not considered explicitly, a wide range of considered diaphragm flexibility, from fully rigid to quite flexible, allows the results to be generalizable to a lot of lateral load resisting systems as well as floor systems. It has been shown that in addition to previously known effects of diaphragm flexibility, presence of orthogonal side elements during design procedure with rigid diaphragm assumption and rapid reduction in their absorbed forces can also be an important source to increase errors due to flexibility. Accordingly, from the obtained results the authors suggest designers to consider the possibility of diaphragm flexibility and its adverse effects, especially in torsionally restrained systems in their common designs.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제43권3호
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• pp.375-388
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• 2022

Nibellen structural system is a novel resilient bracing system based on the application of Bellville disks and Nitinol rods. The cyclic behavior of Nibellen assembly was obtained, and the design equations were developed based on the available literature. Seismic performance of the system was then studied analytically. Two groups of buildings with different lateral force resisting systems were designed and studied: one group with the Nibellen system, and the other with the special concentrically braced frame system. Each building group consisted of 5-, 10-, and 15-story buildings. The Design-Base-Event (DBE) and Maximum Considered Event (MCE) were considered as the seismic hazard, and a suite of seven ground motions were scaled accordingly for response history analyses. Finally, the resiliency of the buildings was studied by obtaining the functionality curve of the buildings before and after the seismic event. The construction cost of the 5-story building with Nibellen bracing system increased but the post-earthquake cost decreased significantly. The application of Nibellen system in the 10- and 15-story buildings reduced both the construction and repair costs, considerably. Resiliency of all the buildings was improved when Nibellen system was used as the lateral force resisting system.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제81권5호
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• pp.633-645
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• 2022

The active tuned mass damper (ATMD) is an efficient and reliable structural control system for mitigating the dynamic response of structures. The inertial force that an ATMD exerts on a structure to attenuate its otherwise large kinetic energy and undesirable vibrations and displacements is proportional to its excursion. Achieving a balance between the inertial force and excursion requires a control law or feedback mechanism. This study presents a technique for the optimum design of a sliding mode controller (SMC) as the control law for ATMD-equipped structures subjected to earthquakes. The technique includes optimizing an SMC under an artificial earthquake followed by testing its performance under real earthquakes. The SMC of a real 11-story shear building is optimized to demonstrate the technique, and its performance in mitigating the displacements of the building under benchmark near- and far-fault earthquakes is compared against that of a few other techniques (proportional-integral-derivative [PID], linear-quadratic regulator [LQR], and fuzzy logic control [FLC]). Results indicate that the optimum SMC outperforms PID and LQR and exhibits performance comparable to that of FLC in reducing displacements.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.231-243
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• 2022

Beam-column joints (BCJs) are recognized among the most crucial zones in reinforced concrete structures, as they are the critical elements subjected to a complex state of forces during a severe earthquake. Under such conditions, BCJs exhibit behaviors with impacts that extend to the whole structure and significantly influence its ductility and capability of dissipating energy. The focus of this paper is to investigate the effect of undamaged transverse beam (secondary beams) on the ductility of concrete BCJs reinforced with conventional steel and shape memory alloys bars using pushover analysis at tip of beam under different axial load levels at the column using a nonlinear finite element model in ABAQUS environment. A numerical model of a BCJ was constructed and the analysis outcomes were verified by comparing them to those obtained from previous experiments found in the literature. The comparison evidenced the capability of the calibrated model to predict the load capacity response of the joint. Results proved the ability of undamaged secondary beams to provide a noticeable improvement to the ductility of reinforced concrete joints, with a very negligible loss in load capacity. However, the effect of secondary beams can become less significant if the beams are damaged due to seismic effects. In addition, the axial load was found to significantly enhance the performance of BCJs, where the increase in axial load magnified the capacity of the joint. However, higher values of axial load resulted in greater initial stiffness of the BCJ.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제31권5호
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• pp.437-454
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• 2023

Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS), which has the advantages of a substructure pseudo-dynamic test, is widely used to investigate the rate-dependent mechanical response of structures under earthquake excitation. However, time delay in RTHS can cause inaccurate results and experimental instabilities. Thus, this study proposes a model-based adaptive control strategy using a Kalman filter (KF) to minimize the time delay and improve RTHS stability and accuracy. In this method, the adaptive control strategy consists of three parts-a feedforward controller based on the discrete inverse model of a servohydraulic actuator and physical specimen, a parameter estimator using the KF, and a feedback controller. The KF with the feedforward controller can significantly reduce the variable time delay due to its fast convergence and high sensitivity to the error between the desired displacement and the measured one. The feedback control can remedy the residual time delay and minimize the method's dependence on the inverse model, thereby improving the robustness of the proposed control method. The tracking performance and parametric studies are conducted using the benchmark problem in RTHS. The results reveal that better tracking performance can be obtained, and the KF's initial settings have limited influence on the proposed strategy. Virtual RTHSs are conducted with linear and nonlinear physical substructures, respectively, and the results indicate brilliant tracking performance and superb robustness of the proposed method.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.69-82
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• 2024

In the conventional seismic design approach for a bridge pier, the function of the stopper, and shear key are to serve as mechanisms for unseating prevention devices that retain and transmit the lateral load to the pier under strong earthquakes. This frequently inflicts immense shear forces and bending moments concentrated at the plastic hinge zone. In this study, a shear panel damper plus gap (SPDG) is proposed as a low-cost alternative with high energy dissipation capacity to improve the seismic performance of the pier. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the seismic performance of the pre-stressed concrete I girder (PCI-girder) bridge equipped with SPDG. The bridge structure was analyzed using nonlinear time history analysis with seven-scaled ground motion records using the guidelines of ASCE 7-10 standard. Consequently, the implementation of SPDG technology on the bridge system yielded a notable decrease in maximum displacement by 41.49% and a reduction in earthquake input energy by 51.05% in comparison to the traditional system. This indicates that the presence of SPDG was able to enhance the seismic performance of the existing conventional bridge structure, enabling an improvement from a collapse prevention (CP) level to an immediate occupancy (IO).

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.595-615
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• 2014

This study aims to investigate the relationship between structural damage and sensitivity indices using the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) method. Two damage detection indices are proposed: the ratio of bandwidth (RB), and the ratio of effective stiffness (RES). The nonlinear four bays multiple degree of freedom models with various predominant frequencies are constructed using the SAP2000 program. Adjusted PGA earthquake data (Japan 311, Chi-Chi 921) are used as the excitations. Next the damage detection indices obtained using the HHT and the fast Fourier transform (FFT) methods are evaluated based on the acceleration responses of the structures to earthquakes. Simulation results indicate that, the column of the 1 st floor is the first yielding position and the RB value is changed when the RES<90% in all cases. Moreover, the RB value of the 1 st floor changes more sensitive than those from the top floor. In addition, when the structural response is nonlinear (i.e., RES<100%), the RB and the RES curves indicate the incremental change in the HHT spectra. However, the same phenomenon can be found from FFT spectra only when the stiffness reduction is large enough. Therefore, the RB estimated from the smoothed HHT spectra is an effective and sensitive index for detecting structural damage.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제15권6호
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• pp.639-654
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• 2018

Rocking motion have been used for achieving the 'resilient buildings' against earthquakes in recent studies. Low-rise buildings, unlike the tall ones, because of their small aspect ratio tend to slide rather than move in rocking mode. However, since rocking is more effective in seismic response reduction than sliding, it is desired to create rocking motion in low-rise buildings too. One way for this purpose is making the building's structure rock on its internal bay(s) by reducing the number of bays at the lower part of the building's skeleton, giving it a mushroom form. In this study 'mushroom skeleton' has been used for creating multi-story rocking regular steel buildings with square plan to rock on its one-by-one bay central lowest story. To show if this idea is effective, a set of mushroom buildings have been considered, and their seismic responses have been compared with those of their conventional counterparts, designed based on a conventional code. Also, a set of similar buildings with skeleton stronger than code requirement, to have immediate occupancy (IO) performance level, have been considered for comparison. Seismic responses, obtained by nonlinear time history analyses, using scaled three-dimensional accelerograms of selected earthquakes, show that by using appropriate 'mushroom skeleton' the seismic performance of buildings is upgraded to mostly IO level, while all of the conventional buildings experience collapse prevention (CP) level or beyond. The strong-skeleton buildings mostly present IO performance level as well, however, their base shear and absolute acceleration responses are much higher than the mushroom buildings.