In the period between September 2010 and December 2011, Christchurch was shaken by a series of strong earthquakes including the MW7.1 4 September 2010, Mw 6.2 22 February 2011, MW6.2 13 June 2011 and MW6.0 23 December 2011 earthquakes. These earthquakes produced very strong ground motions throughout the city and surrounding areas that resulted in soil liquefaction and lateral spreading causing substantial damage to buildings, infrastructure and the community. The stopbank network along the Kaiapoi and Avon River suffered extensive damage with repairs projected to take several years to complete. This presented an opportunity to undertake a case-study on a regional scale of the effects of liquefaction on a stopbank system. Ultimately, this information can be used to determine simple performance-based concepts that can be applied in practice to improve the resilience of river protection works. The research presented in this thesis draws from data collected following the 4th September 2010 and 22nd February 2011 earthquakes. The stopbank damage is categorised into seven key deformation modes that were interpreted from aerial photographs, consultant reports, damage photographs and site visits. Each deformation mode provides an assessment of the observed mechanism of failure behind liquefaction-induced stopbank damage and the factors that influence a particular style of deformation. The deformation modes have been used to create a severity classification for the whole stopbank system, being ‘no or low damage’ and ‘major or severe damage’, in order to discriminate the indicators and factors that contribute to ‘major to severe damage’ from the factors that contribute to all levels of damage a number of calculated, land damage, stopbank damage and geomorphological parameters were analysed and compared at 178 locations along the Kaiapoi and Avon River stopbank systems. A critical liquefiable layer was present at every location with relatively consistent geotechnical parameters (cone resistance (qc), soil behaviour type (Ic) and Factor of Safety (FoS)) across the study site. In 95% of the cases the critical layer occurred within two times the Height of the Free Face (HFF,). A statistical analysis of the geotechnical factors relating to the critical layer was undertaken in order to find correlations between specific deformation modes and geotechnical factors. It was found that each individual deformation mode involves a complex interplay of factors that are difficult to represent through correlative analysis. There was, however, sufficient data to derive the key factors that have affected the severity of deformation. It was concluded that stopbank damage is directly related to the presence of liquefaction in the ground materials beneath the stopbanks, but is not critical in determining the type or severity of damage, instead it is merely the triggering mechanism. Once liquefaction is triggered it is the gravity-induced deformation that causes the damage rather than the shaking duration. Lateral spreading and specifically the depositional setting was found to be the key aspect in determining the severity and type of deformation along the stopbank system. The presence or absence of abandoned or old river channels and point bar deposits was found to significantly influence the severity and type of deformation. A review of digital elevation models and old maps along the Kaiapoi River found that all of the ‘major to severe’ damage observed occurred within or directly adjacent to an abandoned river channel. Whilst a review of the geomorphology along the Avon River showed that every location within a point bar deposit suffered some form of damage, due to the depositional environment creating a deposit highly susceptible to liquefaction.

<p>Lateral loads on buildings, either caused by wind or seismic events, are resisted primarily by the in-plane strength and stiffness of the walls oriented parallel to the direction of the applied load. The concern associated with relying on unreinforced masonry (URM) shear walls to transfer the load to the foundation is that the typical modes of failure are characterized by brittle behaviour, with rapid decreases in capacity and very limited deformations once the ultimate load is reached.</p> <p>Traditional strengthening techniques have several undesirable properties, including being labour intensive and adding weight to the structure. Past research has shown that fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcement is an effective method of increasing both the strength and ductility of URM. One of the most desirable properties of FRP is that it has a high strength to weight ratio.</p> <p>An experimental investigation was conducted to study the influence of surfacebonded fibreglass laminates on the sliding shear resistance of URM. The investigation was conducted in three phases:</p> <p>1 Phase One: Analyzing the performance of five different test specimen shapes retrofitted with GFRP to determine the most adequate configuration for further shear slip tests. The data was also of direct use as an evaluation of strength and behaviour of FRP reinforced masonry subjected to shear-slip failure. Thirty-seven shear slip specimens were tested to failure. The average increase in shear strength ranged from 3 .1 to 7. 7 times that of the unretrofitted counterparts.</p> <p>2 Phase Two: Assessing the feasibility of obtaining two sets to data from each test specimen.</p> <p>3 Phase Three: Assessing the shear-slip strength and behaviour of URM reinforced with fibreglass mesh, of different weights, adhered at two different orientations to the bed joint slip planes (0°190°, ±45°) using a modified mortar parging. Twenty-one shear slip specimens were tested to failure. Typically, for any given mesh weight, orienting the fibres at ±45° resulted in failure characterized by higher strength and less ductility compared to tests with fibres oriented at 0°190° to the bed joints. At ±45° orientation, the fibres ruptured at failure. When the mesh was oriented at 0°190°, the fibres pulled out of the cement parging, which limited the strength, but enabled specimens to undergo large deformations while maintaining fairly constant residual capacity.</p> / Master of Engineering (ME)

No / In composite beam design, headed stud shear connectors are commonly used to transfer longitudinal shear forces across the steel¿concrete interface. Present knowledge of the load¿slip behavior and the shear capacity of the shear stud in composite beam are limited to data obtained from the experimental push-off tests. For this purpose, an effective numerical model using the finite element method to simulate the push-off test was proposed. The model has been validated against test results and compared with data given in the current Code of Practices, i.e., BS5950, EC4, and AISC. Parametric studies using this model were preformed to investigate variations in concrete strength and shear stud diameter. The finite element model provided a better understanding to the different modes of failure observed during experimental testing and hence shear capacity of headed shear studs in solid concrete slabs