Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Honors Project--Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 34).

The behavior of wood shear walls has been the focus of researchers and engineers for many years due to their availability in the North American construction landscape. A review of the established literature showed that most of the research have focused on the shear wall behavior as a whole with no investigation specifically targeting the individual components of its deflection. Also, little to no attention has been given to the investigation of the cumulative effects especially when the out-of-plane diaphragm stiffness is considered. The current study aims at investigating the effects of construction details variation on the behavior of the shear walls and evaluating whether the current deflection equation, as per wood design standard (CSA 2014) can adequately predict the overall wall stiffness. A total of 27 full-scale single-storey walls, with different construction details and aspect ratios, were tested under either static or monotonic (as both are the same) loading. The parameters that were varied in the testing were the stud size and spacing, nail diameter and spacing, sheathing panel type and thickness and hold-down anchoring system/type. For the two-storey walls, two different loading cases were considered, namely where the load was applied at the top or bottom storey only. The results showed that the strength and stiffness correlated almost directly to the inverse of the wall aspect ratio. There was no clear trend when considering the effect of the walls’ aspect ratios on ductility. Unexpectedly, walls with aspect ratios not permitted according to the wood design standard (4:1 and 6:1) followed similar strength and stiffness trends and had sufficient ductility ratios as those with smaller aspect ratios. This observation explains in part some of the discrepancies found between engineering calculations and behavior of actual building with light frame wood shear walls. Significant discrepancies were found when comparing the various deflection constituent with those estimated using the design expression. Adding more end studs and changing the size of the studs had no significant effect on the overall wall capacity and little effect on its stiffness. Reducing the stud spacing had, as expected, no effect on the wall capacity; however, the results showed that the bending stiffness was affected by the overall number of studs in the wall and not solely by the end studs. Shear walls sheathed with plywood panels exhibits slightly higher peak load and initial stiffness than those with OSB, which was mainly attributed to the greater panel thickness, and possibly density, of the plywood. Both sheathing types provided similar levels of ductility, as expected. Thicker sheathing increased the capacity and stiffness of the wall with no significant change observed in ductility ratio. The wall strength was significantly affected by the nail diameter and nail spacing, but no difference was observed when the nail edge/end distance was increased. The results also showed that discrete hold-down system behaved in a non-linear manner with a significantly greater initial stiffness than that assumed in design. The study also showed that having continuous hold-down connections has a positive effect on the capacity, stiffness and ductility of the wall when compared with discrete hold-downs. Having no hold-down adversely affects the wall capacity and stiffness, but did not affect the ductility of the wall. For the two-storey walls, the deflection estimated based on the cumulative effect assumption showed slight differences when compared with that observed in the experimental study. It was observed that the majority of the cumulative effect stems from the rigid body rotation due to deformation in the hold-down devices. A Computer shear wall model (through SAP2000) was developed using linear “frame” and “membrane” elements for the framing and sheathing members, respectively, whereas the sheathing to framing nails and hold-down were modeled using nonlinear springs. It was found that the model was capable of predicting the peak load, ultimate deflection and yield loads with reasonable accuracy, but overestimated the initial stiffness and ductility of the walls. In general, when the force-displacement curves were compared it was evident that the model was capable of predicting the wall behaviour with reasonable accuracy. When investigating the cumulative effects using the model, the results clearly showed that the assumption of cumulative effects due to rigid body rotation is valid for stacked shearwalls with no consideration for the floor diaphragm. The effect of the diaphragm on the behavior of the shear walls, in particular its out-of-plane rigidity was simulated by modeling the floors as beam. The out of plane stiffness of the shear walls was investigated for idealized (infinitely stiff or flexible) as well as “realistic”. The results showed reductions in the shearwall deflection in the magnitude of approximately 80% considering the out of plane rigidity of the diaphragm. It was also concluded that considering conservative estimates of out of plane stiffness might lead to a very significant reduction in deflection and that assuming the floor diaphragm to be infinitely rigid out of plan seems reasonable. For diaphragms supported on multiple panels further reduction in the deflection was observed. More work, particularly at the experimental level, is needed to verify the finding obtained in the numerical investigation related to the effect of out of plane diaphragm stiffness.

This thesis has experimentally studied the strength and stiffness properties of bedding planes and discontinuities in the immediate roof layers overlying Herrin No. 6 coal seam in Illinois. Rock joints and bedding planes are typical discontinuities in bedded rock mass and they control failure initiation and propagation of failure through the rock mass. Strength as well as deformation properties of bedding planes, joints and discontinuities are influenced by their surface roughness, inclination, intact rock properties, and pre-mining stress values and their orientation. The strength and deformation properties (stiffness values) are characterized by peak and residual strength values. Since support loads in excavations are due to deformations of the rock mass, their analysis should consider their strength and stiffness values. The overall goal of this research is to determine the shear strength and associated stiffness properties of bedding planes and joints of the immediate roof strata rocks within 25-30 ft. (7.5-9 m) overlying Herrin no. 6 coal seam (within the pressure arch zone) using direct shear tests. A shear test loading device was designed and integrated into the 150 t (1,334 kN) [*]Forney compression loading machine in the department. It was used to perform direct shear tests in accordance with ASTM D5607-08 " Standard test method for performing laboratory direct shear strength tests of rock specimens under constant normal force". The equipment also allows for determination of peak and residual friction angles along with the dilation angle. A total of 49 bedding plane samples were tested, out of which 46 (36 intact and 10 relatively weak and loose) samples passed QA/QC procedures in accordance to ASTM D5607. Samples from eight (8) different bedding planes- shale/limestone (SL), shale/sandstone (SSs), shale/bone (SB), laminated sandstone (LS), shale/shale (SS), bone/bone (BB), bone/limestone (BL), and limestone/limestone (LL) were tested. The number of samples tested for each bedding plane were: SL- 11, SSs- 8, SB- 5, BB- 4, LS- 6, SS- 9, BL- 1, and LL- 2. Moisture content and as-received unit weight values of samples range 0.9% to 5% and 111 pcf (17.5 kN/m3) to 165 pcf (25 kN/m3), respectively. Shear strength values were developed at 400 psi (2.75 MPa) normal stress. Upon failure, residual shear strengths were determined at 600 psi (4.13 MPa) and 800 psi (5.5 MPa) normal stresses to calculate the angle of sliding friction and to develop the failure criterion for each rock type. Peak and residual shear strength values at 400 psi (2.75 MPa) normal stress range 153 - 907 psi (1.06 - 6.26 MPa) and 119 - 600 psi (0.82 -4.14 MPa), respectively. The average normal and shear stiffness values are 44,000 psi/in (11.98 GPa/m) and 11450 psi/in (3.11 GPa/m). Dilation angles are typically very low (<10◦) and negative in some cases. Joint roughness values with JRC index were typically below 10. Angle of sliding friction values range from 9◦ to 42◦. Failure criterion for different bedding planes and a composite failure criterion representing the behavior of all bedding planes were developed using linear regression. A numerical modeling case study of remnant pillar stability in a southern Illinois mine was performed that used the shear strength and stiffness parameters developed above. FLAC3D, Phase2D, and LaModel were also used to assess the stability of remnant pillars. This study would significantly aid in the design and stability analysis of both surface and underground mines. Data developed can be successfully implemented in safe geotechnical design of any surface and underground structure (both civil and mining) viz. slope stability of open pit mining, subsidence prediction during longwall and room and pillar mining. Results from this thesis would significantly improve in the safe and accurate design of mine excavations. * Equipment mentioned is not for endorsement

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Saurav Shrestha, for the Masters of Science degree in CIVIL ENGINEERING, presented on November 22, 2016, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: VERIFICATION OF SHEAR LAG IN LONGITUDINALLY WELDED TENSION MEMBERS. MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. J. Kent Hsiao, Ph.D., P.E. (CA), S.E. (UT) Tension members are used broadly as bracing members in buildings and truss. When double channels or double tees are welded to a gusset plate, stresses are distributed non-uniformly in connected members since only a part of its cross-section is connected. Shear lag factor describes this phenomenon. The main objective of this study is to verify shear lag factor of tension steel members with welded connections using the finite element computer analysis and the current design Specification for Structural Steel Buildings (AISC 2010). The provision for calculating shear lag factor, U, is given by AISC Specification as 1-x ̅/L for angles, tees, channels and wide flange tension members. Weld size and length of the weld are the main parameters studied here. The current AISC design provision over-estimates the design tensile strength of double channel shapes. While, for WT Shapes it under-estimates one. The increase in weld size and decrease in weld length shows slight change in shear lag factor. Comparison is also made with the equation proposed by Fortney and Thornton (2012). The equation under-estimates the design tensile strength of both sections.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Civil Engineering / Stacey E. Tucker-Kulesza / Surface soil erosion is a widespread problem that impacts the natural and built environment. Many disciplines, such as hydrology, soil science, agriculture, and geotechnical engineering, have investigated soil erosion. Although empirical equations to predict soil erosion exist, they are typically inaccurate, so several devices have been developed to quantify the erodibility of soil. The erosion function apparatus (EFA) was developed to predict the erosion potential of soil for evaluating bridge scour; however, it has been used for several other geotechnical applications. The main disadvantages of the EFA are that it is unable to directly measure the shear stress, it remains operator dependent, and it is time consuming as a standard test requires at least eight hours. Moreover, as erosion occurs, it affects the water quality and makes it difficult to observe the soil sample surface during the test, affecting the operator judgement. The research objective of this project is to instrument the EFA to address the limitations of the device. A stereo-photogrammetry system was developed to measure the soil surface roughness following an EFA test and reduce operator dependency. Turbidity sensors were added to provide a secondary measurement of erosion. The newly instrumented EFA was used to develop a new methodology for interpreting erosion results. Lastly, the new methodology and instrumentation were used to explore the influence of natural and engineered soil properties on soil erosion.

A suspension is a fully saturated mixture of discrete solid particles and interstitial liquid. Examples of suspensions include pastes, slurries, cement, food-spreads, drilling fluids and some geophysical flows. The present work focusses on granular (as opposed to colloidal) suspensions, which we define as those for which the thermal motion of the solid particles is negligible. Despite such ubiquity in industry and nature, our understanding of the mechanical properties of suspensions lags behind that of their constituent solid and liquids. In this thesis, the discrete element method is used to simulate suspension flow in shear, capillary and constriction geometries, mapping and characterising the fundamental flow, or rheological, regimes. As a starting point (Chapter 2), we consider an established regime map for dry granular materials, appropriate for flows of sand, grains and dry debris. Taking guidance from shear flow simulations that consider the lubricating effect of an interstitial liquid, we recast the regime map for a general suspension, elucidating flows comparable to the dry material or to a viscous liquid, dependent on the shear rate, liquid viscosity and particle stiffness. We give an account of the microstructural traits associated with each regime. Motivated by recent groundbreaking theoretical, computational and experimental work, we incorporate the emerging picture of frictional shear thickening into our regime map (Chapter 3). Our shear flow simulations capture the shear thickening behaviour and demonstrate that it may, in principle, occur in any of the identified flow regimes. Our simulations of time-dependent shear flows (Chapter 4), specifically flow reversal, provide a detailed micro-mechanical explanation of a longstanding and previously unexplained experimental finding, guiding future experimentalists in decomposing the particle and liquid contributions to the viscosity of any suspension. Indeed, the findings have already been exploited in the devising of an experimental protocol that has successfully proven the dominance of particle contacts in driving shear thickening. We next consider suspension flow in a microchannel (Chapter 5), finding that the identified shear flow regimes are locally applicable to flows in complex geometries under inhomogeneous stress conditions only when the local mean shear rate exceeds temporal velocity fluctuations. A more comprehensive description is therefore required to fully characterise the flow behaviour in this geometry. Finally (Chapter 6), we simulate pressure driven suspension flow through a constriction geometry, observing highly inhomogeneous stress distributions and velocity profiles. The roles of particle and fluid properties are considered in the context of an industrial paste extrusion process.

O principal objetivo deste trabalho é realizar a análise estrutural de edifícios de andares múltiplos que apresentam núcleos resistentes, considerando a deformação pelo esforço cortante nos mesmos, bem como nos pilares. Para atingir esse objetivo, será preciso que o comportamento à flexão dos elementos verticais de contraventamento passe a ser regido pela teoria de barras de Timoshenko e não mais pela de Euler-Bernoulli. Foram então desenvolvidos algoritmos que, utilizando o Método dos Elementos Finitos (MEF), permitem calcular os fatores de forma de quaisquer seções transversais abertas de paredes delgadas pertencentes a núcleos estruturais, bem como a distribuição da tensão de cisalhamento na seção transversa em função do esforço cortante atuante. As alterações acima descritas foram feitas em um programa de análise de edifícios denominado CEASO 01, de autoria de MATIAS JR (1997). Embora esse programa realize análise não-linear geométrica, a consideração da deformação por cortante só foi implementada na análise linear. Apresentam-se, ao final, exemplos numéricos que permitem avaliar a influência da deformação pelo esforço cortante sobre os deslocamentos e esforços de núcleos resistentes e pilares. / The main aim of this work is to perform structural analysis of multistory buildings with resistant cores, taking into account shear deformation in those elements, as well as in columns. To achieve this objective, the flexural behaviour of vertical elements must be governed by Timoshenko beam theory, rather than the Euler-Bernoulli theory. Procedures using the finite element method (FEM) were developped, which enable to evaluate shear correction factors of generic thin-walled open sections and shear stress distribution as a function of the shear resultant. Changes described above were made in a structural analysis program named CEASO 01, whose author is MATIAS JR (1997). Even though this program is able to perform nonlinear analysis, only in linear analysis the effect of shear deformation is taken into account. Numerical examples are provided, which enable to evaluate the influence of taking into account shear deformation on displacements and stress resultants of resistant cores and columns.

O amido de milho é uma importante fonte de energia para os seres humanos e é muito utilizado em preparos de diversos pratos. Os grânulos de amido possuem estrutura semicristalina que sofre degradação em elevadas temperaturas e com presença de água. Com o objetivo de alterar a microestrutura dos grânulos de amido de milho, principalmente quanto à sua temperatura de gelatinização, foram realizados processos de aglomeração de três diferentes métodos e avaliadas as modificações ocorridas. Todas as partículas produzidas passaram por análises de DSC, FT-IR, DRX e MEV. O trabalho foi divido em três diferentes estudos. No Estudo I, foi realizada a aglomeração do amido de milho com solução de alginato de sódio por \"high shear\" com posterior secagem em leito fluidizado. A partícula depois de seca teve 99,5% de amido em sua composição. Os resultados mostraram que houve aglomeração nos grânulos de amido de milho; porém, devido à baixa fração de alginato de sódio nas partículas, elas não apresentaram diferenças significativas quanto à sua temperatura de gelatinização, sua estrutura e suas ligações, quando comparadas ao amido nativo. No Estudo II, em que foi realizada a aglomeração dos grânulos de amido de milho com solução de alginato de sódio e cloreto de cálcio, por \"dripping\", foram obtidas partículas com frações de (0, 50, 60, 70, 80 e 90)% de amido. As modificações aconteceram à medida em que se aumentou a quantidade de alginato de sódio da partícula. As partículas com maiores frações de amido não apresentaram alterações significativas em sua microestrutura e temperatura de gelatinização, quando comparadas ao amido de milho nativo. As partículas com menores frações de amido, ou seja, maiores teores de alginato de sódio, apresentaram alterações em sua microestrutura e cristalinidade, além de maiores temperaturas de gelatinização. No Estudo III, foi realizada a aglomeração do amido de milho com quitosana por \"dripping\" em soluções de diferentes molaridades de de hidróxido de sódio (NaOH). Dentre as principais modificações observadas, destaca-se o aumento da temperatura de gelatinização, em partículas que foram precipitadas em soluções alcalinas de NaOH com molaridade de (0,10 e 0,12) M. Para as concentrações molares de (0,14, 0,16, 0,18 e 0,20) M, de NaOH, observou-se que parte dos grânulos de amido de milho foram solubilizados pela solução alcalina, e que as frações sólidas remanescentes apresentaram-se na forma de partículas precipitadas de amido-quitosana, com aparência transparente e amarelada. Os processos de aglomeração do amido de milho nativo pelos métodos \"high shear\" e \"dripping\", utilizando-se soluções de alginato de sódio e quitosana, podem resultar em partículas resistentes à gelatinização, devido à atribuição de uma barreira física por estes ligantes, após as etapas de secagem. O aumento da concentração de alginato resultou em um aumento da temperatura de gelatinização, produzindo partículas de amido resistentes à degradação térmica. Adicionalmente, observou-se que o uso de soluções alcalinas diluídas de NaOH, também permitiu a produção de partículas resistentes à degradação térmica, por meio da precipitação da quitosana. O método \"dripping\" permitiu a produção de partículas com elevadas concentração de alginato ou quitosana, e foi o método mais indicado para a produção de partículas de amido resistentes à degradação térmica. As partículas aglomeradas pelo método \"high shear\" tiveram concentração de ligante (alginato de sódio) limitada a 0,5%, e não resultaram em partículas resistentes à degradação térmica. / Corn Starch is an important source of energy for humans and is widely used in food preparations. Starch granules exhibit a semicrystalline structure which undergoes degradation at high temperatures and the presence of water. In order to change the microstructure in corn starch granules, especially regarding its gelatinization temperature, three diferente methods of agglomeration processes were performed and changes of starch particles were studied. Every produced particle were analysed by DSC, FT-IR, XRD and SEM. The work was divided into three different studies. In Study I, agglomeration of corn starch was carried out with sodium alginate solution by \"high shear\" with subsequent fluidized bed drying. The dry contained was 99,5% starch in its composition. The results showed that the cornstarch granules agglomerated; however, due to the low fraction of sodium alginate in the particles, they showed no significant differences in gelatinization temperature, its structure and interactions when compared to native starch. In Study II, was performed the agglomeration of corn starch granules with sodium alginate solution and calcium chloride by dripping method and particles obtained contained (0, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90)% (w/w) of starch. Modifications occurred with increasing the amount of sodium alginate in the particle. Particles with higher starch fractions showed no significant changes in its microstructure and gelatinization temperature, compared to the native corn starch. Particles with lower starch fraction, and higher concentrations of sodium alginate, showed changes in their microstructure and crystallinity, and higher gelatinization temperatures. In Study III, the agglomeration of cornstarch with chitosan by dripping in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions of different molarities was evaluated. Among the main changes increases on the gelatinization temperature of particles precipitated in alkaline NaOH solutions with molarity (0,10 and 0,12) M was observed. For the molar concentrations (0,14, 0,16, 0,18 and 0,20) M NaOH, it was observed that some of granules corn starch were solubilised by the alkaline solution and the remaining solid fraction presented the form of precipitated particles of starch-chitosan with transparent and yellowish appearance. The native corn starch agglomeration processes by the methods \"high shear\" and \"dripping\", using solutions of sodium alginate and chitosan, can result in particles resistant to gelatinization due to the formation of a physical barrier of these ligands, after drying steps. Increasing the alginate concentration resulted in increase in the gelatinization temperature of starch, resulting in particles resistant to thermal degradation. Additionally, it was observed that the use of dilute alkaline solutions of NaOH allowed the production of thermal degradation resistant particles through precipitation of chitosan. The \"dripping\" method enabled the production of particles with higher concentrations of alginate or chitosan, and was the most suitable method for the production of starch particles resistant to thermal degradation. The particles agglomerated by \"high shear\" had binder concentration (sodium alginate) limited to 0,5%, and didi not result in particles resistant to thermal degradation.

Esta dissertação apresenta o método de análise espectral de ondas superficiais (SASW) para a obtenção das variações do módulo cisalhante (Gmáx) com a profundidade, no domínio das deformações muito pequenas (abaixo de 0,001%). O SASW é um método sísmico in situ, não destrutivo, baseado na geração e detecção de ondas Rayleigh e na natureza dispersiva desta onda. Pela aplicação de um impacto na superfície do solo e detecção da onda em vários pontos, através de dois receptores, é construída uma curva de dispersão (velocidade de fase versus comprimento de onda). Esta curva de dispersão é, então, invertida. A inversão é um processo analítico para a reconstrução do perfil de velocidade de onda de cisalhamento (VS), partindo-se da curva de dispersão experimental de campo. O módulo de cisalhamento máximo de cada camada é facilmente obtido a partir do perfil de VS. No conteúdo teórico da dissertação discutem-se propriedades dinâmicas dos solos e descrevem-se as equações que dominam a propagação das ondas elásticas, tanto em meios homogêneos como em meios estratificados. A metodologia desenvolvida para a obtenção das curvas de dispersão, através da realização de ensaios SASW, apresenta os resultados obtidos em ensaios realizados na Cidade Universitária em São Paulo, sendo esses resultados comparados com estimativas feitas a partir de correlações baseadas em ensaios SPT existentes. Essas comparações permitem concluir que a metodologia SASW é uma boa alternativa para a determinação do perfil de rigidez (Gmáx) do solo, concordando com o nível de deformação envolvido nos ensaios. São desenvolvidos estudos de sensibilidade do método para verificar a influência na mudança dos parâmetros assumidos (peso específico, coeficiente de Poisson e espessuras das camadas) no processo de redução de dados (inversão) sobre o perfil final de VS, concluindo-se que o parâmetro que apresenta maior influência é o coeficiente de Poisson. / This dissertation presents the spectral-analysis-of-surface-waves (SASW) method as a tool for obtaining the variations in the modulus shear (Gmax) with depth in the field of very small strains (below 0,001%). The SASW method is a nondestructive in situ seismic method, based on the generation and measurement of Rayleigh wave and on its dispersive characteristic nature. Throughout the implementation of an impact on the soil surface and the detection of the wave at various points by two receptors a dispersion curve is constructed (phase velocity versus wave-length). This dispersion curve is then inverted. Inversion is an analytical process for reconstructing the shear wave velocity profile from the experimental field. The shear modulus of each layer is readily obtained from the shear wave velocity profile. The theoretical content of the dissertation presents dynamic properties of the soils and is described in the equations that dominate the propagation of elastic waves, both in homogeneous media and in stratified media. The methodology developed to obtain the dispersion curves through the implementation of SASW test is defined, and results from tests carried out at the University Campus in São Paulo are presented and compared with values obtained from correlations based on SPT tests. These comparisons indicate that the SASW method is a good alternative to determine the profile of stiffness (Gmax) of the soil, agreeing with the level of deformation involved in the tests. Studies on the methods sensitivity are developed to verify the influence on the changing of the parameters given (natural unit weight, Poisson coefficient and thickness of layers) in reduction of data (inversion) on the final profile of VS. The conclusion is that the Poisson coefficient is the parameter with greater influence.