There has always been a challenge for designing structures against extreme dynamic loads. Blast loading falls under these loads category and blast resistant design has been gaining more interest during the past decade. Among different types of structures, Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures are usually recommended to be used for blast resistant design. However, the nonlinearities associated with these structures make their accurate analysis complicated. Therefore, simplified techniques have been introduced for nonlinear dynamic analysis of these structures. This study focuses on developing simplified computational strategies for the dynamic analysis of blast loaded RC elements including beams, panels/slabs and columns. For RC beams, the basis for commonly used Single-Degree-of-Freedom (SDOF) models has been outlined. A Multi-Degrees-of-Freedom (MDOF) model which takes into account the concrete nonlinear properties has been developed and the effect of varying the number of degrees-of-freedom (DOF) on response has been studied. Results showed that increasing the number of DOF affects the pressure-impulse (P-I) diagrams, especially in the impulsive regime, as the extent of damage increased. In addition, the model was compared with the experimental data and showed good agreement. For RC panels, a SDOF technique, based on the US Army Technical Manual TMS-1300 instructions, was constructed and results were compared with the ones obtained from explicit Finite Element (FE) analysis. Compared to the FE results, SDOF model yielded conservative predictions for deflection but it usually underestimated the dynamic reactions. A modification for reaction calculation was proposed which resulted in significantly better prediction of the reaction for the impulsive range of loading. Finally, considering the important role of columns in providing the overall stability of the structure, a MDOF model was developed for RC columns and the load carrying capacity of the columns was investigated for different levels of axial load, strain rate and damage. Increasing the strain rate enhanced the column's cross section properties whereas increasing the levels of axial load reduced the cross section curvature and the column deflection capacities. Results also showed that good detailing at the supports can significantly improve the load carrying capacity of RC columns. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Dans ma thèse, j’étudie les représentations mentales et les processus cognitifs qui sous-tendent le calcul mental sur le marché. Cette thèse contribue à la recherche de prix psychologique en décrivant de nouveaux facteurs qui influencent les jugements de prix des consommateurs. En particulier, je découvre facteurs qui rendent les consommateurs plus ou moins susceptibles d’arrondir les prix vers le bas (Essai 1) et les facteurs qui déterminent leur tendance à se fixer sur les différences de pourcentage (Essai 3). En outre, cette recherche fournit de nouvelles perspectives à la littérature de budgétisation mentale en identifiant des stratégies de calcul mental qui conduisent à des estimations panier de prix plus précis (Essay 2). Dans l'ensemble, ma recherche va contribuer à notre compréhension des jugements de prix des consommateurs et proposer des contextes et des stratégies conduisant à des évaluations de prix plus précis. / In my dissertation I look at mental representations and cognitive processes that underlie mental arithmetic in the marketplace. This research contributes to behavioral pricing literature by outlining novel factors that influence consumers’ price difference judgments. Particularly, I uncover factors that make consumers more or less likely to fall prey to the left-digit anchoring bias (Essay 1) and factors that determine their tendency to rely on relative thinking in price difference evaluations (Essay 3). Further, this research provides new insights to the mental budgeting literature by identifying mental computation strategies that lead to more accurate basket price estimates (Essay 2). Overall, I expect my research to contribute to our understanding of consumers’ price judgments and suggest contexts and strategies leading to more accurate price evaluations.