This article reviews the design and behaviour of composite beams with precast hollow core slabs in multi-storey buildings for gravity loading. A brief history of composite construction and introduction to precast¿composite construction is given, followed by an overview of recent research work on various factors affecting the design. This includes the push-off test procedure, the load¿slip characteristic of the headed shear studs and the design procedures for this type of construction. Finite element modelling of the headed stud shear connectors and the composite beams with precast hollow core slabs are presented. Finally, recommendations and future research work is also suggested.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:09:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 6039.pdf: 10273984 bytes, checksum: a13219d69346c1e1414f1a71e89cec17 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-04-28 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The use of precast elements has become crescent in Brazil, due to the need of haste during production as well as while assembling the structures. Bearing in mind a quick assembly and the competitive price for this kind of frame, precast elements have been growing and spreading in this field throughout the country. There is something special about demanding hollow core slabs, in virtue of their own low weight, in face of the empty spaces generated by the hollows and a better use of materials because of pretension technique, making it economically feasible. The National Technical Code ABNT NBR 9062, which deals with precast concrete structures, shows no more specific criteria as far as hollow core slabs are concerned, but on the other hand the 2011 review in force to ABNT NBR 14861 which covers precast hollow core slabs brings about relevant aspects such as the method used to check the capacity of shear strength on precast hollow core slabs, both with and without concrete structural cover, and furthermore with and without hollow fillings. Considering the reduced amount of national research on this topic, this study aims to develop and perform techniques in different ways of filling the hollows and the slabs and how they behave when exposed to shear strength tests. As a consequence to the manufacturing process of such type of slab and the hollow- filling method, failure in the idealized filling, in virtue of each material own behavior and inappropriate technique are commonly found. / O emprego de elementos pré-fabricados tem se tornado crescente no Brasil, dado a necessidade de velocidade de produção e montagem de estruturas. Tendo em vista a rápida montagem e o preço competitivo deste tipo de estrutura, elementos prémoldados tem ganhado campo no mercado nacional. Há um destaque pela procura de lajes alveolares, devido ao seu baixo peso próprio, decorrente de vazios proporcionados pelos alvéolos e maior otimização dos materiais em virtude da aplicação da técnica de pré-tração, tornando-a economicamente viável. A Norma Técnica Nacional ABNT NBR 9062 que trata de estruturas pré-moldadas de concreto não apresenta critérios mais específicos para lajes alveolares, por outro lado a revisão em vigor de 2011 da ABNT NBR 14861 que aborda lajes alveolares préfabricadas traz aspectos relevantes tais como o método de verificação da resistência à força cortante de lajes alveolares com ou sem capeamento estrutural e com ou sem preenchimento de alvéolos. Tendo em vista o reduzido volume de pesquisas nacionais sobre o tema, esta pesquisa tem como objetivo fazer um estudo teórico-experimental das diferentes técnicas de preenchimento de alvéolos de lajes alveolares e o seu comportamento quando submetidas a ensaios de força cortante. Como consequência do processo de fabricação deste tipo de laje e do método de preenchimento dos alvéolos, falhas no preenchimento idealizado devido ao comportamento distinto dos materiais e técnicas inadequadas são comumente constatadas.

Master of Science / Department of Physics / Brian Washburn / This research sought to characterize the length dependent loss of hollow core photonic crystal fibers (HC-PCF) in the mid-infrared. These fibers are used in gas-filled fiber lasers that operate in the mid-infrared range. A black body source which provided a broad mid-infrared spectrum was coupled into a HC-PCF and a fiber cut-back method was implemented to make the length dependent loss measurement. A monochromator was used to observe narrow bands of the broad spectrum provided by the black body source and the loss as a function of wavelength was constructed. The loss for four unique HC-PCF fibers was characterized across the wavelength range [lambda] =1754 nm to [lambda] =3220 nm. The best fibers demonstrated a loss of less than 2 dB/m across this range, with some fibers even exhibiting loss below 1 dB/m.

Håldäcksbjälklag är ett fördelaktigt bjälklagsalternativ på grund av dess många fördelar så som reducerad vikt och snabbt montage. Däremot har bland annat korta byggtider medfört att betongblandningar med lågt vct och hög andel cement efterfrågats av Strängbetongs kunder för att reducera risken för fuktproblematik, då en snabb uttorkning eftersträvas. Med en allt strängare och ambitiösare miljömålsättning har ett behov för att reducera andelen cement uppkommit. Vid en minskad cementmängd ökar således betongens vct vilket leder till en miljövänligare framställning samtidigt som en ekonomisk vinning erhålls. Syftet med undersökningen är därför att undersöka om olika betongblandningar med ett högre vct kan ersätta den nuvarande betongblandningen och samtidigt uppfylla förekommande uttorkningskrav. Detta skulle innebära fördelar för såväl producenterna som för beställarna. Betongen som undersökts i utredningen är av jordfuktig karaktär och är enbart avsedd för håldäckstillverkning. Uttorkningsprocessen som studeras motsvarar uttorkningen från tillverkning fram till montage. Fyra olika betongblandningar fördelade på tolv kuber kommer att undersökas i tre olika klimat och enbart uttorkningsmässiga skillnader mellan kuberna kommer att jämföras. Undersökningen baseras på mätdata som grundar på mätningar utförda av en auktoriserad fuktkonsult via Rådet för byggkompetens, RBK. Betongrecepten i utredningen har framtagits av Cementa. Litteraturstudier används även för att styrka påståenden och underlag som framkommer i rapporten. Resultatet från studien visar att de kuber som förvarats i inomhusklimatet och i klimatrummet har en linjär uttorkningsutveckling, till skillnad från kuberna som är placerade i utomhusklimatet som har en olinjär uttorkningsutveckling. I inomhusklimatet och i klimatrummet har kuberna med högre vct torkat ut mer än betongblandningarna med lägre vct (0,40 och 0,45), däremot är skillnaden i uttorkning minimal i kuberna som har förvarats utomhus. Den fastställda slutsatsen i undersökningen är att mer djupgående och längre mätstudier behövs för att säkerställa hur betonguttorkningen förändras i ett senare skede av uttorkningsprocessen. / Hollow-deck joists are an advantageous flooring alternative because of its many advantages such as reduced weight and rapid assembly. However, among other things, short construction times have meant that concrete mixes with low w/c ratio and high proportion of cement have been requested by Strängbetongs customers in order to reduce the risk of moisture problems, when a rapid drying out pursued. With an increasingly stringent and ambitious environmental goal, a need to reduce the proportion of cement has arisen. With a reduced amount of cement, the w/c ratio of the concrete increases, which leads to a more environmentally friendly production, while at the same time an economic gain is obtained. The purpose of the study is therefore to investigate whether different concrete mixes with a higher w/c ratio can replace the current concrete mix and at the same time meet existing drying requirements. This would mean benefits for both the producers and orderers. The concrete that has been investigated in the investigation is of a soil-moist nature and is only intended for hole-deck production. The drying process that is studied corresponds to the dehydration from production to assembly. Four different concrete mixes divided into twelve cubes will be investigated in three different climates and only dehydration differences between the cubes will be compared. The survey is based on measurement data that are based on measurements performed by an authorized moisture consultant at Rådet för byggkompetens, RBK. The concrete recipes in the investigation have been developed by Cementa. Literature studies are also used to substantiate claims and supporting documents that appear in the report. The results from the study show that the cubes stored in the indoor climate and in the climate room have a linear dehydration development, unlike the cubes located in the outdoor climate that has a nonlinear dehydration development. In the indoor climate and in the climate room, the cubes with higher w/c ratio have dried out more than the concrete mixtures with lower w/c ratio (0,40 and 0,45), however, the difference in dehydration is minimal in the cubes that have been stored outdoors. The established conclusion in the study is that more in-depth and longer measurement studies are needed to ensure how concrete dehydration changes at a later stage of the drying process.

Use of composite steel construction with precast hollow core slabs is now popular in the UK,but the present knowledge in shear capacity of the headed shear studs for this type of composite construction is very limited. Currently, all the information is based on the results obtained from experimental push-off tests. A finite element model to simulate the behaviour of headed stud shear connection in composite beam with precast hollow core slabs is described. The model is based on finite element method and takes into account the linear and non-linear behaviour of all the materials. The model has been validated against the test results, for which the accuracy of the model used is demonstrated. Parametric studies showing the effect of the change in transverse gap size, transverse reinforcement diameter and in-situ concrete strength on the shear connection capacity are presented.

Use of composite steel construction with precast hollow core slabs is now popular in the UK, but the present knowledge in shear capacity of the headed shear studs for this type of composite construction is very limited. Currently, all the information is based on the results obtained from experimental push-off tests. A finite element model to simulate the behaviour of headed stud shear connection in composite beam with precast hollow core slabs is described. The model is based on finite element method and takes into account the linear and non-linear behaviour of all the materials. The model has been validated against the test results, for which the accuracy of the model used is demonstrated. Parametric studies showing the effect of the change in transverse gap size, transverse reinforcement diameter and in-situ concrete strength on the shear connection capacity are presented.

This paper is concerned with the behaviour of beam ¿ column connections of steel ¿ concrete composite beams with precast hollow core slabs. Experiments were carried out to investigate the joint rotation characteristics and ultimate moment capacity of these connections. Details of the test specimens, instrumentation, test set-up and test procedures are described. Results obtained for the connection moment capacity, rotation capacity and failure modes are presented. It is found that through proper design and detailing, these simple steel connections display the characteristics of a semi-rigid connection with very little extra cost.

No

High-power fiber lasers have emerged as a cornerstone in the realm of laser technology. Characterized by their exceptional efficiency, ruggedness, and versatility, fiber lasers are experiencing widespread use in manufacturing, medical, defense, science, and in long range sensing. Unfortunately, high-power applications require strict spatial and spectral performance characteristics to be maintained, which has yet to be perfected. This dissertation discusses the power scaling of ytterbium-doped fiber laser amplifiers, presenting three significant advancements. First, a novel photonic lantern-based method is introduced for real-time monitoring of laser beam modal content and beam quality. Initial tests highlight the photonic lantern's efficiency in predicting the onset of modal instability while simultaneously measuring the laser's output beam quality, M2. Second, this work achieved 2.2 kW single-mode narrow-linewidth laser delivery through a 5-tube nested antiresonant hollow core fiber, maintaining over 95% transmission efficiency and near diffraction-limited beam quality. Lastly, this research explores active-gain fiber designs to mitigate nonlinear effects for further power scaling. One design employing confined-doping strategies, achieving a 2.4x increase in the maximum output power before the onset of stimulated Brillouin scattering. Additionally, a second experiment employing a bend-insensitive fiber design demonstrated a transverse modal instability threshold nearly 3x that of its step-index counterpart. Collectively, this work presents a novel approach to power scale, deliver, and monitor multi-kW Yb-doped fiber laser amplifiers enabling the next-generation of applications requiring the strictest spatial and spectral performance.

Conventional fixed base walls are typically characterized by yielding that results in permanent damage, residual drifts and costly losses due to the service shutdown for structural repairs. Controlled rocking masonry walls have been developed as a solution to prevent structural damage when seismic events take place. These systems purposely allow the wall to rock from its foundation and have an uplift at the base, thus replacing the typical yielding at the base of conventional fixed-base walls. Controlled rocking masonry walls have traditionally been controlled by using unbonded post-tensioning strands to provide the self-centering behaviour. Although post-tensioning has shown favourable results, its implementation is difficult in practical applications, and post-tensioning losses due to yielding of the strands at large deformations can reduce their self-centering ability. In order to overcome such issues, an alternative controlled rocking system for masonry walls was developed recently, which is designed to self-center through vertical gravity loads only, instead of the post-tensioning tendons. The rocking response of this alternative system is controlled by using energy dissipation devices, so the system is referred to as Energy Dissipation-Controlled Rocking Masonry Walls (ED-CRMWs). The vertical gravity loads are primarily transferred to the ED-CRMWs from the floor slab at each level. Therefore, the wall-slab interaction should be investigated in order to ensure a fully resilient system. In this regard, the current study identifies and categorizes the potential issues that are expected to occur due to the interaction between the wall rocking mechanism and the floor slab, and then investigates the most common of these issues using a parametric study. The parametric study focuses on the vertical incompatibility of displacements that a hollow- core slab suffers when its supporting walls uplift by different displacements during seismic events. Three different spans, four different cross-sections and two different alternatives of prestress configurations are considered in this study. The models were developed using ABAQUS 6.18 commercial software. The results show the cracking/yielding behaviour of the slabs and their displacement capacities at five different stages. The obtained results are promising for the usage of hollow-core slabs on ED-CRMWs or similar systems that require this interaction, as the range of displacement capacities can accommodate many of the vertical displacement incompatibilities expected in many potential situations. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)