Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Kiel, 1909. / Includes bibliographical references (p. ix-xii).

Master of Science / Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science / Kimberly W. Kramer / Dual Lateral Force Resisting Systems are currently required by code to include a Moment Resisting Frame capable of resisting at least 25% of the lateral loads. This thesis evaluates the seismic performance of a specific type of dual system: a Special Moment Resisting Frame-Special Concentric Brace Frame System (SMRF-SCBF) under three different force distributions. The three distributions were 80% - 20%, 75% - 25%, and 70% - 30% with the lesser force being allotted to the Special Moment Resisting Frame (SMRF) portion of the system. In order to evaluate the system, a parametric study was performed. The parametric study consisted of three SMRF-SCBF systems designed with different seismic force distributions. The aim of this study was to determine accuracy of the three different seismic force distributions. The accuracy was measured by comparing individual system models’ data and combined system models’ data. The data used for comparison included joint deflections (both horizontal and vertical), induced moments at moment connections, brace axial loads, column shears, and column base reactions. Two-dimensional models using the structural software RISA 3D were used to assist in designing the independent Seismic Force Resisting Systems. The designs of the frames were not finely tuned (smallest member size for strength), but were designed for drift (horizontal deflection) requirements and constructability issues. Connection designs were outside the scope of the study, except for constructability considerations – the SMRF and the SCBF did not have a common column; the frames were a bay apart connected with a link beam. The results indicated that a seismic force distribution of 75% to the SCBF and 25% to the SMRF most accurately predicts that frame’s behavior. A force distribution of 80% to the SCBF and 20% to the SMRF resulted in moderately accurate results as well. A vast opportunity for further research into this area of study exists. Alterations to the design process, consideration of wind loads, or additional force distributions are all recommended changes for further research into this topic.

Thesis (M. P. A.)--Texas State University-San Marcos, 2005. / "Spring 2005." "2006"--Spine. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-55).

The effect of panel zone (PZ) flexibility and yielding on the stiffness and strength of steel moment resisting frames (SMRF) has been the topic of numerous papers over the past thirty years. When properly detailed, the PZ is an excellent source of energy dissipation, even under large inelastic deformations. Due to these large inelastic deformations, the PZ region may also be a weak link in steel moment frame behavior. Because of the importance of PZ deformation in the behavior of steel frames, accurate modeling of this region is critical. Two of the most commonly used mathematical models for representing PZ behavior are investigated. They are referred to herein as the Krawinkler model and the Scissors model. From the literature review conducted at the beginning of this study, it was determined that there were no PZ models available that accounted for the elastic drift associated with PZ flexure which could be used in computer representations using commercial software that is currently available. This thesis details the analytical work used to establish the estimated elastic drift associated with PZ flexure and a method to include this estimated drift and the contribution of continuity plates in the Krawinkler and Scissors models. This study is initially focused on elastic deformations of individual structural subassemblages. First, formulas are derived to account for each major elastic component of drift in an individual subassemblage. The results from these derivations were implemented into a computer program named PANELS to allow for rapid calculation of the estimated drifts. Then, the properties (elastic and inelastic) for the Krawinkler and Scissors models are derived in their entirety. The Krawinkler model's results are compared to the results from PANELS, neglecting the PZ flexural component in PANELS and any inelastic contributions in the Krawinkler model. Since the Krawinkler model does not include PZ flexure, this established that the derived formulas accounted for all the remaining sources of elastic strain energy, assuming that the Krawinkler model is accurate. The results from PANELS are compared to those from finite element models developed using ABAQUS. Using the ABAQUS results, a method for determining the elastic drift associated with PZ flexure in PANELS is presented. A detailed inelastic study of the Krawinkler and Scissors models is then conducted both on the subassemblage level and on full structural frames to determine any differences associated with them. First, the two models are compared to each other on a subassemblage level to ensure that they both give the same results. Then, both PZ models are included in multiple full structural frames using various design configurations and loading conditions to ascertain their differences. Initially it was believed that there would be a large disparity between the two models. This study shows that there is actually little difference between the two models, although the kinematics of the Scissors model is still questionable. Elastic and inelastic comparisons between the PANELS formulas (elastic) and the ABAQUS models (elastic and inelastic) and data collected from tests performed at Lehigh University by Dr. James Ricles are then presented. This was done to show that the ABAQUS models and the PANELS formulas (including the PZ flexural component) give an accurate estimation of the drift of a subassemblage. The results from these comparisons show that the modeling techniques used are accurate and not including PZ flexural component of drift will cause the overall drift estimate to be unconservative. Finally, a method of including the elastic component of drift attributed to PZ flexure and continuity plates in both models is presented. The Ricles' Lehigh test data is again used in an inelastic comparison between the original Krawinkler and Scissors models and their updated counterparts. These comparisons show that including this component enables both the Krawinkler and Scissors models to more accurately estimate the total drift of an individual subassemblage. / Master of Science

Timber moment resisting connections have gained considerable interest in structural design due to the numerous advantages offered by timber as a lightweight, renewable, sustainable, and aesthetically pleasing material. This research focuses on investigating the feasibility and potential benefits of hybrid timber-steel moment connections in enhancing the seismic performance and ductility of timber structures. The objective is to evaluate the response modification factors of the hybrid timbersteel moment-resisting frames to see if this type of moment connection has the ability to perform like steel moment-resisting frames in lateral loadings. The process by which the studied frames were designed was focused on preventing damage to timber elements by inducing inelastic deformations exclusively in the steel beams, while the remaining parts of the frame retain their elasticity. Nonlinear static analysis is employed to evaluate the force modification factors and nonlinear behavior of the selected structures. In this study, a total of 18 frames with different span lengths, numbers of stories, and seismicity levels were analyzed to comprehensively investigate their seismic performance. The frames were designed to represent a range of practical configurations commonly found in timber structures. The span lengths of 4, 6, and 8 meters were considered. The number of stories were 2, 4, and 6, and the frames were located in Montreal, QC, and Vancouver, BC, which are known for having varying seismic conditions. By considering a diverse set of frames, this study tried to provide a comprehensive understanding of the behavior and performance of different timber frame structures under seismic loading, taking into account the effects of span length, number of stories, and regional seismic conditions. The results of the analysis offer a preliminary understanding of the seismic performance and potential advantages of steel-timber moment connection frames. However, it should be noted that further research is needed to conduct full-scale experimental tests to validate the proposed connections and gather more accurate data. The findings from this study have the potential to contribute to the development of new seismic provisions for moment connection timber frame systems, advancing the field of timber structural design and offering potential design schemes that increase ductility and performance in timber moment resisting connections.

This paper investigates the development, design and modeling of a human spine-inspired seismic lateral force resisting system. The overall goal is to create a design for a lateral force resisting system that reflects human spine behavior that is both practical and effective. The first phase of this project involved a literature review of the human spine and rocking structural systems. The goal of this phase was to identify concepts from the spine that could be transferred to a lateral force resisting system. The second phase involved creating a 3-dimensional model of the lumbar region of the spine in SAP2000 and using it to examine concepts that could be transferred to a lateral force resisting system. The third phase consisted of creating possible system designs using concepts and principles identified through phases one and two and identifying a final system design. The last phase involved modeling the final lateral force resisting system design in SAP2000, validating the model and testing the design's effectiveness. This paper shows that this system is a viable option to prevent permanent structural damage in buildings during a seismic event. / Master of Science

With over 2.3 million individuals in a states, federal prison and/or local jail, the United States has the largest prison population in the world. Ninety-five percent of all offenders incarcerated will return to society at some point in their lives; nevertheless, at least two-third recidivate within three years of their parole/post-release and return to prison. The high volume of offenders contributing to the crime rates, enormous prison growth and the budget needed for correctional operation, has led scholars, policymakers, and correctional officials, in addition to society as a whole, to give great attention in discovering and determining ways to break the repetitive cycle of incarceration and recidivism. Once an offender returns to society after incarceration, they face perplexing challenging barriers, and obstacles that impedes upon their ability to resist crime and complete parole supervision. For African American men, these challenging barriers and obstacles are exacerbated, because of their race and gender. Research shows that African American men are disproportionally represented, among the incarceration rates, prison population and are highly susceptible to factors that lead to recidivism. The purpose of this study sought to gain more in-depth understanding of former African American male offenders’ experiences and perceptions of resisting crime and completing parole/post-release supervision. In particular, this study used qualitative methods to interview six African American men, in order to determine the significant impact which social and personal factors led them to successful parole/post-release supervision completion. The results of this study indicated that African American male offenders have the ability to complete parole/post-release supervision, when provided the opportunity to gain employment, higher levels of education and vocational training, strong support from their family and friend, establish positive social networks, participate in rehabilitative programs. The research further revealed other contributing factors aids in their success as well.

This study investigates seismic response of the Moment-Resisting-Steel Frames (MRSF) with the architectural setbacks. The main objective of the study is to understand the variation of the elastic and inelastic, static and dynamic behavior with changes in the geometric dimensions of the tower portion. A second objective of the study is to determine the adequacy of the analysis procedures of various rigors, specified in current seismic design provision, in predicting those behaviors for MRSF with various size of setback. The analytical study is conducted using a regular and 16 irregular models to capture all possible combinations of configuration of setback in five-story, five-bay MRSFs. An irregular model is developed by gradually changing the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the tower portion of the regular base 2D frame-model. All models were designed for (a) equal global displacement and uniform distribution of inter-story drift under First-Mode (FM) lateral force distribution pattern at first significant yield, and (b) equal period of vibration at the first mode, using Nonlinear Static Seismic analysis procedure. Among the conclusions derived from the research is that the variation of (a) the elastic and inelastic inter-story drift, the ductility demand for the top three stories, and (b) the elastic and inelastic global displacement exhibited a pattern similar to the variation of the FM participation factor at the roof, PF1Φr,1. The square-root-of-sum-of-square (SRSS) distribution provided accurate estimates of elastic story shear and inter-story drift demand as well as the story yield strength and drift.

A new seismic isolation system for steel building structures based on the principle of mass isolation is introduced. In this system, isolating interfaces are placed between the lateral-load-resisting sub-system and the gravity-load-resisting sub-system. Because of the virtual decoupling existing between the two structural sub-systems, the gravity-load resisting one is susceptible to instability. Due to the fact that the provided level of isolation from the ground is constrained by the stability requirements of the gravity-load resisting structure, the system is named stability-dependent mass isolation (SDMI). Lyapunov stability and its association with energy principles are used to assess the stable limits of the SDMI system, its equilibrium positions, the stability of the equi-librium positions, and to propose a series of design guidelines and equations that allow the optimal seismic performance of the system while guaranteeing the restoration of its undistorted position. It is mathematically shown that the use of soft elastic interfaces, between the lateral- and gravity-load-resisting sub-systems, can serve the dual role of stability braces and isolators well. The second part of the document is concerned with the analytical evaluation of the seismic performance of the SDMI method. First, a genetic algorithm is used to find optimized SDMI building prototypes and, later, these prototypes are subjected to a series of earthquake records having different hazard levels. This analytical testing program shows that, with the use of SDMI, not only can structural failure be avoided, but a dam-age-free structural performance can also be achieved, accompanied by average reductions in the floor accelerations of ca. 70% when compared to those developed by typical braced-frame structures. Since the SDMI system is to be used in conjunction with viscous energy dissi-paters, the analytical testing program is also used to determine the best places to place the dampers so that they are most effective in minimizing the floor accelerations and controlling the floors’ drift-ratios. Finally, recommendations on continuing research are made.

In the seismic design of reinforced concrete frames, plastic hinges are allocated to beams such that a ductile beam-sway mechanism will form in preference to other less ductile mechanisms in the event of a major earthquake. This is achieved by ensuring that the flexural strength of columns is greater than that corresponding to the maximum likely flexural strength of beam plastic hinges. Recent experimental studies in New Zealand have shown that elongation of ductile beam plastic hinges, and its interaction with nearby floor slab containing precast-prestressed floor units, increases the strength of beams much more than that specified in New Zealand and American Concrete standards. This level of strength enhancement has raised concern on the adequacy of the current design provisions. To further investigate this problem, a research project was initiated to examine the strength of beam plastic hinges in reinforced concrete frames containing precast-prestressed floor units. In this research, the strength of beam plastic hinges was assessed through experimental and analytical studies. A three-dimensional, one-storey, two-bay reinforced concrete moment resisting frame with prestressed floor units and cast-in-situ concrete topping was tested under quasi-static displacement-controlled cyclic loading. The experimental results provided insight into the mechanics associated with frame-floor interaction. Subsequently, improved design specifications were proposed based on the observed behaviour. To analytically predict the beam-floor interaction, a ductile reinforced concrete plastic hinge multi-spring element was developed and validated with experimental results from cantilever beam and frame sub-assembly tests reported in the literature. The comparisons have demonstrated the ability of the proposed plastic hinge element to predict the flexural, shear, axial, and most importantly, elongation response of ductile plastic hinges. The proposed plastic hinge element was implemented into an analytical model to simulate the behaviour of the frame-floor sub-assembly tested in this research. Specially arranged truss-like elements were used to model the linking slab (the region connecting the main beam to the first prestressed floor unit), where significant inelastic behaviour was expected to occur. The analytical model was found to be capable of predicting the non-linear hysteretic response and the main deformation mechanisms in the frame-floor sub-assembly test. The analytical frame-floor model developed in this study was used to examine the effect of different structural arrangements on the cyclic behaviour of frames containing prestressed floor units. These analyses indicated that slab reinforcement content, the number of bays in a frame and the position of frame in a building (i.e., perimeter or internal frame) can have a significant influence on the strength and elongation response of plastic hinges.