No description available.

Precast concrete multistory buildings are used in an attempt to optimize the available construction space and reduce costs. However, little is known about predicting their capacity in a brittle response mode due to the sudden loss of a critical element that could induce a Progressive Collapse Scenario. Therefore, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) developed an explicit approach in the design of precast concrete systems that is intended to mitigate a progressive collapse by enhancing the rotational capacity of joints and the robustness of the structural system. A full-scale experiment was conducted to investigate the structural performance of a prototype design under a column-removal scenario. The test assembly frame, consisting of three columns and two beams, was subjected to a displacement controlled vertical force acting at the center to characterize the failure modes and collapse mechanisms. Brittleailures of critical structural elements were observed and significantly impacted the performance.

In the modern building industry wood as a building material has been looked on as one of the solutions to lower the environmentally impact of the building industry. Building types that normally have been reserved for concrete and steel are today being built with wood as main load bearing component. However, the structural robustness of high-rise wood building has been questioned. The concern relates to wood’s brittle failure-mode and therefore the capacity of wood buildings to withstand catastrophic events where a loadbearing structural part its removed from the construction. To counteract a brittle failure mode in wood and create a ductile failure mode that allows alternative load paths, ductile steel connectors are seen as a solution. With inspiration from the concrete and steel industry, catenary action is brought forward as the most efficient method to create an alternative load path in high-rise wood buildings. To create catenary action, a tube connector that allows excessive deformation with increasing strength was believed to have sufficient capacity. A test method for testing tube connector capacity in a catenary event was developed with a main focus on tube capacity and forces created on the surrounding structure in a catastrophic event. To achieve this, a long stroke reversed 4-point bending test was formed and testing of traditional fasteners and the tube connector was conducted. Test result from catenary capacity testing showed low to no capacity for traditional fastening methods, however, traditional fastening method created arcing action in the beginning of the test cycles. The traditional fasteners showed a consistency in failure mode with arching and wood crushing before connection failure in form of screw withdrawal. Tube connectors had low to no consistency in failure modes, but higher consistency in capacity. Failure mode regarding tubes consisted of steel failure in tube and wood failure in the test specimen. In general, the tubes connector showed promising capacity and ductility to create alternative load paths with the help of catenary action. The project has shown that some design development for the tube connector and lager scale testing are needed to completely understand tube connector capacity and failure mode.

No description available.

Yes / Over the last few decades, progressive collapse disasters have drawn the attention of codified bodies around the globe; as a consequence, there has been a renewed research interest. Structural engineering systems are prone to progressive collapse when subjected to abnormal loads beyond the ultimate capacity of critical structural members. Sudden loss of critical structural member(s) triggers failure mechanisms which may result in a total or partial collapse of the structure proportionate or disproportionate to the triggering event. Currently, researchers adopt different modelling techniques to simulate the loss of critical load bearing members for progressive collapse assessment. GSA guidelines recommend a column removal time less than a tenth of the period of the structure in the vertical vibration mode. Consequently, this recommendation allows a wide range of column removal time which produces inconsistent results satisfying GSA recommendation. A choice of a load time history function assumed for gravity and the internal column force interaction affects the response of the structure. This paper compares different alternative numerical approaches to simulate the sudden column removal in frame buildings and to investigate the effect of rising time on the structural response.

As lajes formadas por vigotas pré-moldadas são utilizadas em larga escala no Brasil, em especial as formadas por vigotas treliçadas. As facilidades no manuseio e economia de fôrmas são algumas das vantagens do sistema. Apesar de serem muito utilizadas, ainda existe necessidade de estudo das recomendações no sentido de basear o projeto destas lajes. Os objetivos deste trabalho são: (a) contribuir no projeto de lajes formadas por vigotas com armação treliçadas através de uma análise crítica da bibliografia pesquisada; (b) tratar de temas pouco disseminados no que se refere ao cálculo de lajes pré-moldadas; (c) fornecer recomendações de projeto através de exemplo resolvido que aborda as principais dúvidas de projetistas da área. Neste exemplo avaliam-se as lajes, entre outros aspectos, quanto às flechas iniciais e ao longo do tempo, vibrações e momento negativo nos apoios. Os resultados são analisados e confrontados com as indicações da bibliografia. Comprova-se o fato destas lajes serem mais susceptíveis quanto às vibrações causadas por caminhada e mostra a dificuldade em atender à ABNT NBR 6118:2003. O vão máximo admissível para uma laje do exemplo de aplicação é 28% inferior quando comparado à laje maciça de mesma espessura na análise da vibração excessiva. Enfatiza a importância em prever armadura contra o colapso progressivo e demonstra que o aumento de consumo de aço em 5% é pequeno quando comparado ao total, para uma laje do exemplo de aplicação. / Precast slabs are used in large scale in Brazil, special those formed by lattice reinforcement. Facilities handling and economy mold are some of the advantages of the system. The objectives of this work are: (a) improve study of the design of slabs formed by precast lattice reinforcement through a review of literature; (b) address topics a little spread regards to the calculation of precast slabs; (c) providing design recommendations through examples solved by addressing the main concerns of designers in the area. This example evaluate the slabs to initials and long-term deflections, vibrations and bending moment at the supports. The results are analyzed and compared with indications in the literature. It demonstrates the suscetibility of the slabs for vibrations caused by walking and shows the difficulty in following ABNT NBR 6118:2003. The maximum span for one slab of the aplication example is 28% slower than solid slabs with the same thickness in excessive vibration analysis. This dissertation emphasizes the importance of predicting reinforcement against progressive collapse and shows the increase in steel consumption is small compared to the total, for one slab of the example.

As lajes formadas por vigotas pré-moldadas são utilizadas em larga escala no Brasil, em especial as formadas por vigotas treliçadas. As facilidades no manuseio e economia de fôrmas são algumas das vantagens do sistema. Apesar de serem muito utilizadas, ainda existe necessidade de estudo das recomendações no sentido de basear o projeto destas lajes. Os objetivos deste trabalho são: (a) contribuir no projeto de lajes formadas por vigotas com armação treliçadas através de uma análise crítica da bibliografia pesquisada; (b) tratar de temas pouco disseminados no que se refere ao cálculo de lajes pré-moldadas; (c) fornecer recomendações de projeto através de exemplo resolvido que aborda as principais dúvidas de projetistas da área. Neste exemplo avaliam-se as lajes, entre outros aspectos, quanto às flechas iniciais e ao longo do tempo, vibrações e momento negativo nos apoios. Os resultados são analisados e confrontados com as indicações da bibliografia. Comprova-se o fato destas lajes serem mais susceptíveis quanto às vibrações causadas por caminhada e mostra a dificuldade em atender à ABNT NBR 6118:2003. O vão máximo admissível para uma laje do exemplo de aplicação é 28% inferior quando comparado à laje maciça de mesma espessura na análise da vibração excessiva. Enfatiza a importância em prever armadura contra o colapso progressivo e demonstra que o aumento de consumo de aço em 5% é pequeno quando comparado ao total, para uma laje do exemplo de aplicação. / Precast slabs are used in large scale in Brazil, special those formed by lattice reinforcement. Facilities handling and economy mold are some of the advantages of the system. The objectives of this work are: (a) improve study of the design of slabs formed by precast lattice reinforcement through a review of literature; (b) address topics a little spread regards to the calculation of precast slabs; (c) providing design recommendations through examples solved by addressing the main concerns of designers in the area. This example evaluate the slabs to initials and long-term deflections, vibrations and bending moment at the supports. The results are analyzed and compared with indications in the literature. It demonstrates the suscetibility of the slabs for vibrations caused by walking and shows the difficulty in following ABNT NBR 6118:2003. The maximum span for one slab of the aplication example is 28% slower than solid slabs with the same thickness in excessive vibration analysis. This dissertation emphasizes the importance of predicting reinforcement against progressive collapse and shows the increase in steel consumption is small compared to the total, for one slab of the example.

[Truncated abstract] As a consequence of the increase in terrorist incidents, many comprehensive researches, both experimental and numerical modelling of structure and blast interaction, have been conducted to examine the behaviour of civilian structures under dynamic explosion and its impact. Nevertheless most of the works in literature are limited to response of simple structures such as masonry walls, reinforced concrete beams, columns and slabs. Although these studies can provide researchers and structural engineers a good fundamental knowledge regarding blast load effect, it is more likely for blast load to act upon entire structures in actual explosion events. The interaction between blast load and structures, as well as the interaction among structural members may well affect the structural response and damage. Therefore it is necessary to analyse more realistic reinforced concrete structures in order to gain an extensive knowledge on the possible structural response under blast load effect. Among all the civilian structures, bridges are considered to be the most vulnerable to terrorist threat and hence detailed investigation in the dynamic response of these structures is essential. This thesis focuses on the study of the response of a modern cable-stayed bridge under blast loadings. ... Firstly, analysis is conducted to examine the failure of four main components namely pier, tower, concrete back span and steel composite main span under close proximity dynamic impact of a 1000 kg TNT equivalent blast load. Secondly, based on such results, the remainder of the bridge structure is then tested by utilizing the loading condition specified in the US Department of Defence (DoD) guideline with the aim to investigate the possibility of bridge collapse after the damage of these components. It is found that failure of the vertical load bearing elements (i.e. pier and tower) will lead to catastrophic collapse of the bridge. Assuming that terrorist threat cannot be avoided, hence protective measures must be implemented into the bridge structure to reduce the damage induced by explosive blast impact and to prevent bridge from collapse. As such, a safe standoff distance is determined for both the pier and tower under the blast impact of 10000 kg TNT equivalent. This information would allow the bridge designer to identify the critical location for placing blast barriers for protection purpose. For the case of bridge deck explosion, carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) is employed to examine in respect of its effectiveness in strengthening the concrete structure against blast load. In this research, appropriate contact is employed for the numerical model to account for the epoxy resin layer between the CFRP and concrete. In addition, to ensure that the CFRP can perform to its full capacity, anchors are also considered in the numerical study to minimize the chance of debonding due to the weakening of the epoxy. The results reveal that although severe damage can still be seen for locations in close proximity to the explosive charge, the use of CFRP did reduce the dynamic response of the bridge deck as compared to the unprotected case scenario. Further investigation is also carried out to examine the change in damaged zone and global response through variation in CFRP thickness.

A structure subjected to extreme load due to explosion or human error may lead to progressive collapse. One of the direct methods specified by design guidelines for assessing progressive collapse is the Alternate Load Path method which involves removal of a structural member and analysing the structure to assess its potential of bridging over the removed member without collapse. The use of this method in assessing progressive collapse therefore requires that the vertical load resistance function of the bridging beam assembly, which for a typical laterally restrained reinforced concrete (RC) beams include flexural, compressive arching action and catenary action, be accurately predicted. In this thesis, a comprehensive study on a reliable prediction of the resistance function for the bridging RC beam assemblies is conducted, with a particular focus on a) the arching effect, and b) the catenary effect considering strength degradations. A critical analysis of the effect of axial restraint, flexural reinforcement ratio and span-depth ratio on compressive arching action are evaluated in quantitative terms. A more detailed theoretical model for the prediction of load-displacement behaviour of RC beam assemblies within the compressive arching response regime is presented. The proposed model takes into account the compounding effect of bending and arching from both the deformation and force points of view. Comparisons with experimental results show good agreement. Following the compressive arching action, catenary action can develop at a much larger displacement regime, and this action could help address collapse. A complete resistance function should adequately account for the catenary action as well as the arching effect. To this end, a generic catenary model which takes into consideration the strength degradation due to local failure events (e.g. rupture of bottom rebar or fracture of a steel weld) and the eventual failure limit is proposed. The application of the model in predicting the resistance function in beam assemblies with strength degradations is discussed. The validity of the proposed model is checked against predictions from finite element model and experimental tests. The result indicate that strength degradation can be accurately captured by the model. Finally, the above developed model framework is employed in investigative studies to demonstrate the application of the resistance functions in a dynamic analysis procedure, as well as the significance of the compressive arching effect and the catenary action in the progressive collapse resistance in different designs. The importance of an accurate prediction of the arching effect and the limiting displacement for the catenary action is highlighted.

Nonlinear explicit finite element (FE) simulations are used to study the axial collapse behavior of multi-corner. single- and multi-cell crush tubes under quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions. It is shown that the higher hardening modulus and yield stress increases the crush force and its resulting energy absorption. Moreover, the multi-cell tubes are found to have complicated collapse modes because of the geometrical complexity of the corner region unlike single-cell tubes. it was also shown that the stress wave propagation has a significant effect on the formation of crush modes in the tubes without imperfections whereas this effect can be ignored in tubes with imperfection or trigger mechanism. An analytical formula for the prediction of mean crush force of multi-corner multi-cell tubes is derived based on the super folding element theory. The analytical predictions for the mean crush force are found to be in good agreement with the FE solutions. Results also show a strong correlation between the cross-sectional geometry and the crash behavior with the method of connecting the inner to the outer walls having large influence on the energy absorption.