• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.891-907
• /
• 2020

Many studies reveal that during destructive earthquakes, most of the structures enter the inelastic phase. The amount of hysteretic energy in a structure is considered as an important criterion in structure design and an important indicator for the degree of its damage or vulnerability. The hysteretic energy value wasted after the structure yields is the most important component of the energy equation that affects the structures system damage thereof. Controlling this value of energy leads to controlling the structure behavior. Here, for the first time, the hysteretic behavior and energy dissipation capacity are assessed at presence of elliptical braced resisting frames (ELBRFs), through an experimental study and numerical analysis of FEM. The ELBRFs are of lateral load systems, when located in the middle bay of the frame and connected properly to the beams and columns, in addition to improving the structural behavior, do not have the problem of architectural space in the bracing systems. The energy dissipation capacity is assessed in four frames of small single-story single-bay ELBRFs at ½ scale with different accessories, and compared with SMRF and X-bracing systems. The frames are analyzed through a nonlinear FEM and a quasi-static cyclic loading. The performance features here consist of hysteresis behavior, plasticity factor, energy dissipation, resistance and stiffness variation, shear strength and Von-Mises stress distribution. The test results indicate that the good behavior of the elliptical bracing resisting frame improves strength, stiffness, ductility and dissipated energy capacity in a significant manner.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.515-530
• /
• 2021

In a tall reinforced concrete (RC) core wall system subjected to strong ground motions, inelastic behavior near the base as well as mid-height of the wall is possible. Generally, the formation of plastic hinge in a core wall system may lead to extensive damage and significant repairing cost. A new configuration of core structures consisting of buckling restrained braced frames (BRBFs) and RC walls is an interesting idea in tall building seismic design. This concept can be used in the plan configuration of tall core wall systems. In this study, tall buildings with different configurations of combined core systems were designed and analyzed. Nonlinear time history analysis at severe earthquake level was performed and the results were compared for different configurations. The results demonstrate that using enough BRBFs can reduce the large curvature ductility demand at the base and mid-height of RC core wall systems and also can reduce the maximum inter-story drift ratio. For a better investigation of the structural behavior, the probabilistic approach can lead to in-depth insight. Therefore, incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) curves were calculated to assess the performance. Fragility curves at different limit states were then extracted and compared. Mean IDA curves demonstrate better behavior for a combined system, compared with conventional RC core wall systems. Collapse margin ratio for a RC core wall only system and RC core with enough BRBFs were almost 1.05 and 1.92 respectively. Therefore, it appears that using one RC core wall combined with enough BRBF core is an effective idea to achieve more confidence against tall building collapse and the results demonstrated the potential of the proposed system.

• International Journal of Railway
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.72-81
• /
• 2008

This paper introduces a new steel jacketing method for reinforced concrete columns with lap splice and evaluates its performance by a series of axial tests of concrete cylinders. At first, 45 concrete cylinders were fabricated with varying the design compressive strengths of 21, 27 and 35 MPa and, then, the part of them was jacketed with two-split-steel jackets under lateral confining pressure. The parameters in the first test were the steel jacket's thickness and the existence of adhesive between steel and concrete surface. In the second test, whole steel jackets were used to wrap cylinders with lateral pressure. Also, a double-layer jacket consisted of two steel plates was introduced; a cylinder was jacketed by two steel plates one after another. The effect of the new method was verified through comparing the results of the compressive tests for plain and jacketed cylinders. The steel jacket built following the new method showed good results of increasing the compressive strength and ductility of the jacketed cylinders with respect to the plain cylinders. The thicker steel jackets showed the more increased compressive strength, and the ductility at failure depended on the welding quality on steel jackets. The adhesive between steel and concrete surface reduced the confining effect of the steel jackets. The whole jacket showed more ductile behavior than the two-split jackets. The double-layered jackets were estimated to possess an equal performance to that of a single steel jacket having the same thickness of the double-layered jacket. Finally, the experimental results were compared with the constitutive model of steel-jacketed concrete; which showed a good agreement between the experimental results and the models.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.4
• /
• pp.375-382
• /
• 2024

The study focuses on evaluating the bending creep performance of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) formwork in timber concrete composite (TCC) structures. Timber-framed construction is highlighted for its environmental benefits and seismic resistance, but limitations such as poor tensile strength and brittle failure in bending hinder its use in high-rise buildings. Wood-concrete hybrid structures, particularly those using reinforced concrete slabs with TCC floors, emerge as a potential solution. The research aims to understand the time-dependent behavior of TCC components, considering factors like wood and concrete shrinkage and connection creep. The experiment was conducted in western Japan on the TCC floor designed for use in the Kama-city Inatsuki-higashi compulsory education school. The LVL formwork, measuring 9,000 mm by 900 mm, and concrete is loaded onto it for testing. The creep test periods are examined using concrete loading. It employs a comprehensive creep analysis, adhering to Japanese standards, involving deflection measurements and regression analysis to estimate the creep coefficient. Results indicate substantial deformation after shoring removal, suggesting potential reinforcement needs. The study recommends extending test periods for improved accuracy and recognizing regional climate impacts. Overall, the research provides valuable insights into the potential of LVL formwork in TCC structures, emphasizing safety considerations and paving the way for further experimentation under varied conditions to validate structural integrity.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.539-552
• /
• 2022

Concentrically braced frames (CBFs) possess high stiffness and strength against lateral loads; however, they suffer from low energy absorption capacity against seismic loads due to the susceptibility of CBF diagonal elements to bucking under compression loading. To address this problem, in this study, an innovative damper was proposed and investigated experimentally and numerically. The proposed damper comprises main plates and includes a flange plate angled at θ and a trapezius-shaped web plate surrounded by the plate at the top and bottom sections. To investigate the damper behaviour, dampers with θ = 0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90° were evaluated with different flange plate thicknesses of 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 mm. Dampers with θ = 0° and 90° create rectangular-shaped and I-shaped shear links, respectively. The results indicate that the damper with θ = 30° exhibits better performance in terms of ultimate strength, stiffness, overstrength, and distribution stress over the damper as compared to dampers with other angles. The hysteresis curves of the dampers confirm that the proposed damper acts as a ductile fuse. Furthermore, the web and flange plates contribute to the shear resistance, with the flange carrying approximately 80% and 10% of the shear force for dampers with θ = 30° and 90°, respectively. Moreover, dampers that have a larger flange-plate shear strength than the shear strength of the web exhibit behaviours in linear and nonlinear zones. In addition, the over-strength obtained for the damper was greater than 1.5 (proposed by AISC for shear links). Relevant relationships are determined to predict and design the damper and the elements outside it.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.215-236
• /
• 2014

The flexural behaviour of steel beams significantly affects the structural performance of the steel frame structures. In particular, the flexural overstrength (namely the ratio between the maximum bending moment and the plastic bending strength) that steel beams may experience is the key parameter affecting the seismic design of non-dissipative members in moment resisting frames. The aim of this study is to present a new formulation of flexural overstrength factor for steel beams by means of artificial neural network (NN). To achieve this purpose, a total of 141 experimental data samples from available literature have been collected in order to cover different cross-sectional typologies, namely I-H sections, rectangular and square hollow sections (RHS-SHS). Thus, two different data sets for I-H and RHS-SHS steel beams were formed. Nine critical prediction parameters were selected for the former while eight parameters were considered for the latter. These input variables used for the development of the prediction models are representative of the geometric properties of the sections, the mechanical properties of the material and the shear length of the steel beams. The prediction performance of the proposed NN model was also compared with the results obtained using an existing formulation derived from the gene expression modeling. The analysis of the results indicated that the proposed formulation provided a more reliable and accurate prediction capability of beam overstrength.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.76 no.1
• /
• pp.83-99
• /
• 2020

Shear walls are structural members in buildings that are used extensively in reinforced concrete frame buildings, and almost exclusively in the UK, regardless of whether or not they are actually required. In recent years, the UK construction industry, led by the Concrete Centre, has questioned the need for such structural elements in low to mid-rise reinforced concrete frame buildings. In this context, a typical modern, 5-storey residential building is studied, and its existing shear walls are replaced with columns as used elsewhere in the building. The aim is to investigate the impact of several design variables, including concrete grade, column size, column shape and slab thickness, on the building's structural performance, considering two punching shear limits (V_Ed/V_Rd,c), lateral drift and accelerations, to evaluate its maximum possible height under wind actions without the inclusion of shear walls. To facilitate this study, a numerical model has been developed using the ETABS software. The results demonstrate that the building examined does not require shear walls in the design and has no lateral displacement or acceleration issues. In fact, with further analysis, it is shown that a similar building could be constructed up to 13 and 16 storeys high for 2 and 2.5 punching shear ratios (V_Ed/V_Rd,c), respectively, with adequate serviceability and strength, without the need for shear walls, albeit with thicker columns.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.493-502
• /
• 2022

In recent decades, infrastructural development has exploded, particularly in the coastal region of Saudi Arabia. The rising demand of most consumed aggregate in construction can be effectively compensated by the alternative material like scoria which lavishly exists in the western region. Scoria is characterized as lightweight aggregate beneficially used to develop lightweight concrete (LWC) - a potential alternative of normal weight concrete (NWC) ensuring reduction in the structural element's size, increase in building height, comparatively lighter foundation, etc. Hence, the goal of this study is to incorporate scoria-based structural lightweight concrete and evaluate its impact on superstructure and foundation design beside contributing to the economy of construction. Fresh, mechanical, and rheological properties of the novel LWC have been investigated. The structural analyses employ the NWC as well as LWC based structures under seismic and wind loadings. The commercial finite element package - ETABS was employed to find out the change in structural responses and foundations. The cost estimation and SWOT analysis for superstructure and foundation have also been carried out. It was revealed that the developed LWC enabled a more flexible structural design. Notable reduction in the steel and concrete prices of LWC might be possible in the low-rise building. It is postulated that the cost-effective and eco-friendly LWC will promote the usage of scoria as an effective alternative in Saudi Arabia and GCC countries for structurally viable LWC construction.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.199-206
• /
• 2017

This paper analyzed structural behaviors of the staggered truss system, typically used in low seismicity regions, resisting the lateral loads such as wind and seismic load. A comparative study of cost and efficiency was carried out by analysing and designing the 10- and 20-story buildings with various types of truss, including pratt, howe, warren, K-, and vierendeel, which may typically be used in staggered truss system. In design, column and truss members are selected in group, and the efficiency of the member design was judged by average demand capacity ratio of the all members in same group. And economic analysis of the system was investigated by the quantity of the structural members. As a result, staggered truss system with the pratt truss and warren truss showed the most economical and efficient performance for 10-story building, and 20-story building, respectively.

• The Journal of Sustainable Design and Educational Environment Research
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.35-45
• /
• 2018

The purpose of this study is to analyze the types of present situation data related to school facilities through existing literature and related systems and to develop indicators related to improvement of educational environment that can have an important influence on students' education and life in general. In this study, we conducted a second Delphy Survey to establish the educational environment improvement index. As a result, a total of 88 education environment improvement indicators were set, including 43 indicators on the quantitative aspects of the area, adequacy of general classrooms, and appropriateness of multi-purpose steel sugar, 34 indicators on the qualitative aspects such as the level of seismic performance, age of fire facilities, aging of toilets, and aging of finishing materials, and 11 indicators on operational aspects such as energy usage and user satisfaction.