Steel is a material commonly used in various constructions such as high-rise buildings, sport arenas, ships etc. Steel is a versatile building material due to its isotropic characteristics, e.g. both high tensile- and compressive strength. This allows steel to be formed into open section profiles which reduces material usage but simultaneously allows the tensile- and compressive stress resistance to be high in directions were loads are applied. Although steel has a high stress resistance its sensitivity to fire is larger than other building materials due to its high thermal conductivity. The strength of the material is reduced at higher temperatures and thereby makes the dimensioning of beams in fire cases vital in fire safety design of structural elements. An aspect to consider when dimensioning open section building elements in steel is the shadow effect. The shadow effect is the result of the open cross-section geometrical shape of beams and columns, e.g. H-profiles. The interior of the profile is screened from thermal radiation caused by fire which makes the characteristics of the thermal exposure different from closed cross-section profiles. A common way to estimate the temperatures of steel after a certain time of fire exposure is to use numerical calculations described in Eurocode. In these calculations the shadow effect is applied as a reduction of the total heat exchange, i.e. both convection and thermal radiation, from the fire exposure. A more realistic approach is to separate these boundary conditions and treat them as independent quantities. Wickström (2001) argues that a void is created within the flanges and that reduction factor thereby only should be applied to the radiative part of the total heat exchange, acting as a reduction of surface emissivity within the profile. This, since the convection is not affected by the shadow effect. Wickströms (2001) suggestion of application has been investigated in this thesis and has showed a better correlation than the approach suggested in Eurocode when compared to experimental tests. Shadow effects calculated on the premises of separated boundary conditions for the total heat exchange has of yet only been investigated in detail with TASEF+-simulations, but these simulations predicts steel temperatures with satisfactory results. It is possible to reproduce a similar setup in the program COMSOL Multiphysics in two-dimensional simulations, and further three-dimensional simulations. This possibility has been investigated in this thesis. COMSOL Multiphysics has proven to be an adequate tool when it comes to simulate fire exposure on slender steel beam with shadow effects considered. Both three- and two-dimensional models produced simulation results correlating well to simulations conducted in TASEF. Additionally, adequate correlations with experimental tests were obtained for COMSOL Multiphysics as well. Further work regarding fire simulations with the utilisation of COMSOL Multiphysics is thereby suggested.

På en byggarbetsplats kan man ibland behöva sammansätta två eller flera träkomponenter till en träkomponent med rätt dimension. Det sker oftast genom spikning men det finns också möjlighet att limma ihop träkomponenter ute på en byggarbetsplats. Limning är inte alls lika förekommande på grund av de krav som ställs på limning av bärande konstruktioner och kringliggande miljö varför limning i princip endast sker i fabriksmiljö. I denna studie utförs en jämförelse mellan sammansättning av träreglar till en träpelare med avseende på hållfasthet och ekonomi. Detta jämförs dessutom med att köpa in pelare av trä med rätt dimension. I studien behandlas dessutom möjligheten att limma ute på en byggarbetsplats och hur limningen ska utföras på ett korrekt sätt. Studien har genomförts med hjälp av de standarder som finns för beräkningsregler för dimensionering av bärverk, eurokoder. Kostnadsberäkningar har genomförts för material och utförandearbete med hjälp av marknadspriser för material och enkla beräkningar för utförandearbete. En intervju har genomförts för att besvara möjligheten att limma ute på en byggarbetsplats med lim för bärande konstruktioner. I studien har beräkningar utförts för två samt tre sammansatta träreglar och jämförts med enkla pelare i liknande dimensioner. Spikad pelare har en avsevärt lägre bärförmåga än limmad pelare som är utförd korrekt. Spikad pelare har beräknats med olika avstånd mellan spikar och limmad pelare är beräknad med två olika lim. Kostnaderna för material och utförandearbete är ganska generella men är bara en liten del av de totala kostnaderna. Vart byggarbetsplatsen är placerad, vilka verktyg och material som finns på plats och vilka förutsättningar för att utföra limningen korrekt är faktorer som är avgörande för den totala kostnaden. Ett limförband är känslig och viktigast är att applicera rätt mängd och jämnt utbrett över träytorna. Vad som dessutom ska tas till hänsyn är kringliggande miljö såsom smuts, damm, temperatur och fuktighet. För att uppfylla dessa krav ute på en byggarbetsplats måste en fabriksmiljö skapas i form av väderskydd, tält, arbetsbod eller liknande.

The subject of this work is a proposal of foundation, followed by an assessment for a production hall. Options will be discussed and compared against each other. The premises are situated in an area where great layers of gravel are found. A project of foundations founding will be performed according to Eurocode 7. Designing of geotechnical constructions which are based on given characteristic of presented soils. As a part of this work also is an appropriate drawing documentation.

The diploma thesis describes the design of curved, pre-stressed concrete bridge over the highway D1. A variant, that is chosen for detail analysis, is a spine girder construction as a continuous beam with 3 spans. The thesis solves the construction to limit states according to applicable European standards (Eurocodes). There are developed clear and detailed drawings and visualization of the bridge.

Welding is a widely used method of connecting components because of its efficiency, great value and almost endless possibilities of join types. A great variability of geometrical configurations of welds is problematic due to the assessment of the weld joint. Depending on this topic this thesis was focused on the assessment of weld joints statically and cyclically. Work in the first part deals with the search of methods for evaluation of welds and depending on identified options is subsequently selected American standard AISC assessment of welded joints. The method is applied into FEA analysis and simple welded joints are evaluated. Using FEM are computed three examples on which a comparative analysis was performed. Comparisons were made with the analytical solution based on changes in the parameters of the computational model. The change is primarily related to material properties, mesh size and division of the weld on segments. On the basis of knowledge from analysis of simple joints, method was extended to more general welded joints with the possibility of determining the maximum loading force.

A footbridge in Slussen is planned to be built and will connect the area of Gamla Stan with Sodermalm. As an increasing number of footbridges with large span tend to become more flexible and light these days, the corresponding dynamic problems due to decreased stiffness and mass draw much more attention. Specifically speaking, reduced stiffness and mass lead to smaller natural frequencies, which make the structure more sensitive to pedestrian-induced loading, especially in lateral direction. Fortunately, in this master thesis, only the vibration in vertical direction is focused due to that the footbridge in Slussen project uses enough lateral bracings to make sure that the safety of lateral vibration is kept at an acceptable level. In order to analyze dynamic response of the footbridge, the real footbridge structure is converted into a FE model by the commercial software LUSAS. In this thesis, four different kinds of critical standards are introduced, which are Sétra [8], Swedish standard Bro 2004 [9], ISO 10137 [5] and Eurocode respectively. By comparing these four criteria, Sétra and Eurocode are finally chosen to be the standard and guidelines for this project. They give the basic theories about how to model the pedestrian loading and provide critical values to check the accelerations in both vertical and lateral direction. By using FE software LUSAS, natural frequencies of the footbridge and the corresponding mode shapes can be calculated directly. Then, according to these results and relevant theories introduced by Sétra, the pedestrian loading can be modeled and the acceleration response of any specific mode can be obtained as well. Finally, based on the worst case with excessive acceleration, the methods to reduce dynamic response will be presented. Commonly, there are two ways to reduce acceleration response. One method is to increase the stiffness of the structure. However, the increased stiffness is always accompanied with increased mass of the structure. Because of this reason, the other way that installing dampers is widely used in recent years. In this thesis, the tuned mass dampers (TMDs) are introduced in detail as well as the information about the design principles of it. With important parameters known, TMDs can be added to the model to check how the accelerations can be reduced.

The population in Sweden and around the world is increasing. When population increases, cities become more densely populated and a demand for investments in housing and infrastructure is created. The investments needed are usually large in size and the projects resulting from the investments are often of a complex nature. A major factor responsible for creating the complexity of the projects is the lack of space due to the dense population. The lack of space creates a situation where a very common feature of these types of projects is the use of earth retaining systems. The design of retaining systems in Europe is performed today based on Eurocode. Eurocode is a newly introduced standard for the design of structures and is developed in order to make it easier to work cross borders by using the same principle of design in all countries. For the design of retaining walls in Sweden, Eurocode uses the old standard as the basis of the design procedure consisting of two separate calculations, ultimate limit state and serviceability limit state. Since soil does not consist of two separate mechanisms consisting of failure and serviceability, this approach to solving engineering problems fails to address the real behavior of soils. To handle this problem Bolton et. al. (1990a, 1990b, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010) developed the theory of “mobilized strength design” where a single calculation procedure incorporates both the calculation of deformations and the safety against failure. The calculation uses conservation of energy and the degree of mobilized shear strength to study deformations in and around the retaining system and the safety against failure in mobilizing the maximum shear strength of the soil. The aim of this thesis was to introduce the theory of mobilized strength design to geotechnical engineers in Sweden working both in academia and in industry. Another aim of the thesis was to develop a tool that could be used to perform calculations of earth retaining systems based on this theory. The development of a working tool has resulted in a Matlab code which can in a simple way be used to calculate both deformations in the retaining system and the safety against failure by using the degree of mobilized shear strength presented in the theory. The Matlab code can handle ground layering with different shear strengths and weights of the soil. A comparison instrument in a Mathcad calculation sheet have been developed to produce results based on the original theory where the feature of soil layering is not incorporated into the calculation procedure. The thesis shows that the Matlab code developed performs well but is not yet sensitive enough to produce the same results as the Mathcad calculation sheet and needs to be further developed to make it more robust in order to handle all different excavation scenarios. v The theory of mobilized strength design has been introduced to geotechnical engineers in Sweden and the thesis studies the theory and shows the calculation procedure and how the different input values and calculations affect the analysis. The thesis also shows some areas in which the theory and the code can be modified and where further research can be performed in order to make them fully applicable to Swedish conditions. As an example the use of rock dowels drilled into the bedrock and attached to the retaining structure is a common feature for deep excavations in Sweden. Further research can be pursued on how to incorporate the energy stored in the rock dowels into the calculation procedure.

Building a sustainable structure in soil or rock that satisfies all predefined technical requirements implies choosing a rational and effective construction method. An important aspect is how the performance of the structure is verified. For cases when the geotechnical behaviour is hard to predict, the existing design code for geotechnical structures, Eurocode 7, suggests the so-called “observational method” to verify that the performance is acceptable. The basic principle of the method is to accept predefined changes in the design during construction, in order to accommodate the actual ground conditions, if the current design is found unsuitable. Even though this in theory should ensure an effective design solution, formal application of the observational method is rare. It is therefore not clear which prerequisites and circumstances that must be present for the observational method to be applicable and be the more suitable method. This licentiate thesis gives a critical review of the observational method, based on, and therefore limited by, the outcome of the performed case studies. The aim is to identify and highlight the crucial aspects that make the observational method difficult to apply, thereby providing a basis for research towards a more applicable definition of the method. The main topics of discussion are (1) the apparent contradiction between the preference for advanced probabilistic calculation methods to solve complex design problems and sound, qualitative engineering judgement, (2) the limitations of measurement data in assessing the safety of a structure, (3) the fact that currently, no safety margin is required for the completed structure when the observational method is applied, and (4) the rigidity of the current definition of the observational method and the implications of deviations from its principles. Based on the review, it is argued that the observational method can be improved by linking it to a probabilistic framework. To be applicable, the method should be supported by guidelines that explain and exemplify how to make the best use of it. The engineering judgement is however not lost; no matter how elaborate probabilistic methods are used, sound judgement is still needed to define the problem correctly. How to define such a probabilistic framework is an urgent topic for future research, because this also addresses the concerns regarding safety that is raised in the other topics of discussion. / För att i berg eller jord kunna konstruera en anläggning, som uppfyller satta tekniska krav, krävs det att man väljer en rationell och effektiv konstruktionsmetod. En viktig aspekt i detta val är hur man verifierar konstruktionens funktion avseende exempelvis bärförmåga eller stadga. För fall när konstruktionens beteende svårt att förutsäga, erbjuder gällande standard (Eurokod 7) den så kallade observationsmetoden. Denna metod tillåter i förväg förberedda förändringar i designen under konstruktionstiden, om observationer av konstruktionens beteende indikerar att så behövs. På så vis anpassas konstruktionen till de faktiska förhållandena i marken. Trots att detta tillvägagångssätt i teorin borde ge en rationell design, används metoden sällan. Det råder därför oklarheter om vilka förutsättningar och omständigheter som krävs för att observationsmetoden ska kunna användas och dessutom utgöra den bästa lösningen. I denna licentiatuppsats granskas observationsmetoden och dess användbarhet. Målet med licentiatuppsatsen är att belysa de aspekter som kan utgöra svårigheter när observationsmetoden används. Dessa identifierades under arbetet med några fallstudier. Licentiatuppsatsen ger därmed en utgångspunkt för fortsatt forskning för att ta fram en mer användbar definition av observationsmetoden. De viktigaste aspekterna som diskuteras i uppsatsen är (1) den skenbara motsatsen mellan användandet av sannolikhetsbaserade beräkningsmetoder för att lösa komplexa dimensioneringsfrågor och kvalitativa ingenjörsmässiga bedömningar, (2) de begränsningar som finns när man använder mätdata för att utvärdera konstruktioners säkerhet, (3) att det för tillfället saknas krav på säkerhetsmarginal mot brott för konstruktioner som byggts med observationsmetoden, och (4) vad svårigheten att uppfylla Eurokodens strikta definition innebär för metodens användbarhet. Utifrån resultatet av granskningen dras slutsatsen att observationsmetoden kan förbättras genom att ge den ett sannolikhetsbaserat ramverk. För att förenkla användningen bör riktlinjer och anvisningar utformas. Även om metoden utvecklas mot en högre grad av beräkningskomplexitet, kommer ingenjörsmässiga bedömningar också framgent att vara viktiga, eftersom en avgörande aspekt är hur problemställningen formuleras. Med ett sannolikhetsbaserat ramverk ökar möjligheten att lösa de frågeställningar kring säkerhet som också diskuteras i uppsatsen. / <p>QC 20140415</p>

Since the main ambition of the European community is to create a Single Market among the European countries, a unified set of structural design codes recently became mandatory to use. These standards, the Eurocodes, contain Nationally Determined Parameters (NDPs) that have to be fixed by the National Standard Bodies in the various countries. The investigation of the adopted values for Eurocode 2 in seven European States has been carried out i  this thesis for quantifying the differences that arise from the selected values of these parameters. The aim of this investigation was to find out which countries are advantaged or disadvantaged by the choice of the value of these parameters. The analysis has been limited to the Part 1-1 of Eurocode 2 that concerns “General Rules for Buildings” and the most important parts of Eurocode 0 and 1. The investigated countries were Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Even if these countries represent only seven out of 27 EU States, this comparison gives a good view of the European situations since they cover nearly half of the continental concrete consumption. The analysis includes a theoretical comparison of the national choices of all the 170 national parameters as well as their influence on the more important formulas contained in the Code. Five practical case studies concerning the design and the verification of some structural elements have been carried out in order to study the differences in real and common design situations. Through all the work, the different choices have been compared to the recommended values proposed by the Eurocode that have been used as a mean of comparison. Due to the large number of parameters and the complexity of the problem it has not been possible to estimate and quantify general trends of differences for the countries although Finland, France, Italy and the United Kingdom have been found to have, in general, more disadvantageous choices than the other States. Moreover, Denmark and Germany show variable trends (both above and below the recommended values) while Sweden is always close to the recommended values. The results that have been found show that still a lot of work and research has to be done in order to achieve an even set of structural standards for the design of concrete structures. A list of more important national parameters has been presented as well as a proposal to convert some national parameters to fixed ones. The analysis and the results that have been obtained give details and indications about the future works that need to be done for decreasing the differences among the European countries.

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the effect of clearance and tolerance in bolted joints when there is a mismatch between the bolt holes. A parametric study with seven different cases was analyzed in this project; four double bolt configuration and three triple bolt configuration, with variation of the size of the bolt hole misalignment, the diameter of the bolt and the thickness of the plates. All analyses were performed with the aid of the FEM commercial software Abaqus, all the models were modelled with 3D brick elements. Despite bolted connections being subject of several investigations, no study about this matter for structural engineering purposes had been performed before. The results indicate that for connections with a low number of bolts a misalignment of the bolt clearance can cause a serious reduction in the ultimate bearing capacity of a joint and it indicates that the Eurocode 1993 1-8 might be overestimating the ultimate bearing capacity for some cases.