Bracing members are considered to be effective earthquake-resistant elements as they improve the lateral strength and stiffness of the structural system and contribute to seismic energy dissipation by deforming inelastically during severe earthquake motions. However, the cyclic behavior of such bracing members is quite complex because it is influenced by both buckling and yielding. This thesis presents simple but an efficient analytical model that can be used to simulate the inelastic cyclic behavior of steel braces. This model achieves realism and efficiency by combining analytical formulations with some semi-empirical formulas developed on the basis of a study of experimental data. A brace is idealized as a pin-pin ended member with a plastic hinge located at mid-length of a brace Input parameters of the model are based on only material properties such as steel yield strength and modulus of elasticity as well as geometric properties including cross-sectional area, moment of inertia, etc. The obtained results are verified by the experimental and available analytical results.

A typical buckling restrained brace (BRB) consists of a core segment and a buckling restraining mechanism. When compared to a conventional brace, BRBs provide nearly equal axial yield force in tension and compression. Buckling restraining mechanism can be grouped into two main categories. Buckling is inhibited either by using a concrete or mortar filled steel tube or by using steel sections only. While a large body of knowledge exists on buckling restrained braces the behavior of steel encased BRBs has not been studied in detail. Another area that needs further investigation is the detailing of the deboding material. For all types of BRBs a debonding material or a gap has to be utilized between the core brace and the restraining mechanism. The main function of the debonding material is to eliminate the transfer of shear force between the core brace and the restraining mechanism by preventing or reducing the friction. A two phase research study has been undertaken to address these research needs. In the first phase an experimental study was carried out to investigate the potential of using steel encased BRBs. In the second phase a numerical study was conducted to study the friction problem in BRBs. The experimental study revealed that steel encased braces provide stable hysteretic behavior and can be an alternative to mortar filled steel tubes. Material and geometric properties of the debonding layer for desired axial load behavior were identified and presented herein.

A two-phase study was undertaken to investigate the fundamental period of concentrically braced steel frames (CBFs) designed according to Eurocode 8. In the first phase, typical office buildings were studied by conducting two types of designs which are called as iterative and non-iterative. Non-iterative design is composed of obtaining final period by designing the structure with lower bound expression in Eurocode 8 while iterative design is similar to the non-iterative one but an updating of periods was considered in order to converge assumed and final periods. Different overstrength provisions are considered in the study. Lower bound expression in Eurocode 8 results in shorter periods which indicates that this expression can be safely utilized. The lower bound represented by Tremblay (2005) is also admissible except for some cases including shorter periods. In the second phase, a simple expression is derived for estimating the design base acceleration for braced frames proportioned according to Eurocode 8. This method requires inelastic top story drift values which were obtained from structures designed in the first phase using iterative method. These drifts were represented by simple expressions utilizing data fitting techniques. The method gives suitable first order estimate for the design base acceleration.

The use of knee braces prophylactically is still considered as an approach for injury mitigation for those in high-risk sporting activities, though their use is not fully supported. The purpose of this thesis was to examine biomechanical and neuromuscular effects of prophylactic brace wear following standardized repetitive exercise. Twelve participants participated and acted as their own control. The participants were required to participate in two sessions, one control session with no brace and one intervention session with the application of a off-the-shelf prophylactic knee brace. Pre-and post-exercise intervention single leg drop landings were recorded to examine the effects of an acute exercise stimulus on the neuromuscular and biomechanical effects of brace wear. Additionally, trials were collected at 30-minutes post-exercise to examine residual effects of the brace wear on landing kinematics and kinetics. Difference tests using analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that there was a minimal effect of the prophylactic knee brace on biomechanical and neuromuscular variables following exercise as well as 30-minutes following knee brace removal. Further research may be required to identify if braces can be worn prophylactically to reduce the risk of injury during activity.

Le projet se situe dans le contexte de la gonarthrose fémoro-tibiale, et plus spécifiquement de son traitement par orthèse de décharge. Du fait de la cinématique particulière de l’orthèse testée, un protocole spécifique a été mis en place dans le but d’approfondir les mécanismes d’actions de cette orthèse. Ce protocole s’est appuyé sur des outils d’investigation utilisés dans la routine clinique (système EOS® et Vicon®). Seize sujets symptomatiques ont participé à l’étude. Les objectifs principaux étaient de valider et d’utiliser des méthodes de personnalisation des modèles, support de la biomécanique, dans ce contexte spécifique, afin d’améliorer la précision de la quantification des paramètres cinématiques et dynamiques. En effet, l’état de l’art démontre que l’indicateur dynamique couramment utilisé dans l’étude de la gonarthrose, le moment articulaire externe d’adduction, souffre de résultats controversés. Les objectifs secondaires étaient de caractériser la pathologie à l’aide des indicateurs calculés ainsi que d’approfondir le mécanisme d’action de l’orthèse de décharge. Ainsi, deux méthodes principales ont été investiguées. La première porte sur l’analyse séquentielle cinématique de l’articulation fémoro-tibiale en utilisant le système EOS®. Cette analyse nécessite une étape de recalage d’objet 3D sur des vues 2D biplanaires. La fiabilité de ce recalage manuel a été quantifiée en évaluant, d’une part, la précision de la méthode grâce à des données in vitro et, d’autre part, la répétabilité de la méthode grâce à la participation de 3 opérateurs et de 6 sujets asymptomatiques dont les acquisitions ont permis d’obtenir des vues du genou dans plusieurs positions (extension et flexion 20°, 40°et 90°). La seconde méthode consiste en la fusion de données issues de deux environnements (EOS® et Vicon®) de façon à quantifier les moments articulaires externes dans le genou en définissant le point auquel sont calculés ces moments à partir du modèle 3D du fémur. Ce modèle étant recalé dans l’environnement Vicon® par l’intermédiaire des marqueurs externes détectables dans les acquisitions EOS® et Vicon®. Les résultats principaux concernent :1/ la fiabilité du recalage des modèles 3D des os sur des vues 2D de l’ordre de 0,3° et 1,6 mm dans le plan sagittal de 2,1° et 1,8mm dans le plan transversal ; 2/ la quantification d’angles positionnels 3D du fémur et du tibia des membres inférieurs symptomatiques montrant que la surface articulaire tibiale (plateaux tibiaux) tend à demeurer horizontale contrairement à l’inclinaison plus marquée du fémur ; 3/ une variation des moments articulaires externes en fonction de l’intégration ou non d’un modèle interne pour le calcul de ce paramètre ; 4/ la quantification de la cinématique séquentielle de l’orthèse et du genou. La fiabilité des méthodes développées dans ce travail a été estimée ouvrant la voie à leurs applications et à leurs développements en clinique.Mots clés : gonarthrose fémoro-tibiale ; orthèse ; analyse séquentielle ; recalage. / The context is the knee osteoarthritis and its treatment via an unloading brace. As the evaluated brace has specific kinematics, a dedicated protocol was set up using clinical routine tools (EOS® and Vicon®). Sixteen symptomatic subjects participated to this study. The main objective was to validate and to use personalization methods of the biomechanical models to improve the accuracy kinematics and kinetics parameter computation in this specific context. Indeed, the state of the art highlights that the dynamic indicator, currently used in knee osteoarthritis studies, the external adduction joint moment is controversial. The secondary objectives were both the characterization of the pathology using indicators obtained on the acquired data and the in-depth study of the mechanical action of the unloading brace evaluated in this study. Thus, two main methods were investigated. The first one is the sequential analysis of the knee kinematics using EOS® system. This analysis required a registration step of a 3D object on 2D biplanar views. The manual registration reliability was quantified by evaluating both the method accuracy with in-vitro data and the method repeatability thanks to the participation of 3 operators and 6 asymptomatic subjects allowing the acquisition of knee images in several positions (extension and 20°, 40°, and 90° flexion). The second method consists in the fusion of data obtained in the two acquisitions environments (EOS® and Vicon®), to obtain the external knee joint moment in order to define the point where the moment is computed from the femur 3D model. This model is registered in the Vicon® environment through external markers visible in both the EOS® and Vicon® acquisitions. The main results relate to: 1/the reliability of the registration of the bone 3D model on 2D views estimated at about 0,3° and 1,6 mm in the sagittal plane and about 2,1° and 1,8 mm in the transverse plane ; 2/ the quantification of the angular relative position of the shank and tibia of the symptomatic lower limbs, showing the tibial plateau horizontality opposed to the femur emphasized inclination ; 3/ external joint moment variation according to the computation method (with or without internal model included) ; 4/ brace and knee sequential kinematic quantification. As the reliability of the methods developed in this study was estimated, further developments and clinical applications and development could now be explored using these methods.Keywords : knee osteoarthritis; brace, sequential analysis; registration.

Esta Dissertação, submetida à Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, tem como objetivo a caracterização de fratura por fadiga em componentes mecânicos. Esse estudo foi motivado por dois casos de falha: barras estabilizadoras de truques de trem para transporte de minério, e engrenagens de redutores de grande porte, aplicados em turbogeradores em usinas de cogeração. Foi apresentada uma revisão da literatura sobre nucleação e propagação de trincas de fadiga, sobre fadiga de contato e por flexão de dentes, os dois principais modos de falha de engrenagens, e sobre a dinâmica do truque de trem. As amostras coletadas de barras falhadas foram caracterizadas e suas superfícies de fratura foram examinadas. A trinca de fadiga iniciou-se em uma das dobras do rebaixo, em local com dano por corrosão, que favoreceram sua nucleação. Uma análise por elementos finitos foi realizada para analisar as tensões residuais devido ao processo de dobra da barra e conformação do rebaixo e as tensões devido à operação, num caso crítico de warp tracionando a barra. Os resultados mostraram que localmente a tensão de escoamento do material foi superada, especialmente nas regiões de pequeno raio de curvatura devido ao rebaixo. Para o caso das engrenagens, foi feita uma análise de confiabilidade por distribuição de Weibull com base nos tempos de vida dos componentes falhados e do restante fabricado. Do resultado inferiu-se que as falhas consistiram na \"mortalidade infantil\" dos componentes. Havia apenas uma amostra de engrenagem falhada disponível para análise, a qual foi detalhadamente caracterizada e cuja superfície de fratura foi minuciosamente estudada, a fim de determinar o modo e o mecanismo de falha, o início da trinca e, com isso, a causa da falha. Pôde-se concluir que a engrenagem falhou devido a fadiga por flexão de dente devido a um desalinhamento na montagem. Determinadas as causas das falhas, podem-se sugerir soluções, aumentando assim a confiabilidade dos componentes. As sugestões podem dizer respeito ao próprio projeto, à seleção de materiais, aos processos de fabricação, ao tratamento térmico, à montagem, ou ao sistema de lubrificação. / This Dissertation, submitted to the Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, aims to characterize fatigue fracture in mechanical components. This study was motivated by two cases of failure: frame brace of train bogies for ore transportation, and gears of large transmission systems, applied to turbogenerators in cogeneration power plants. A literature review was presented on nucleation and propagation of fatigue cracks, contact and tooth bending fatigue, which are the two main modes of failure of gears, and train bogie dynamics. Samples collected of failed bars were characterized and their fracture surfaces were examined. The fatigue crack initiated at one of the bends of the \"fillister\", where corrosion damage took place - both of which favoured the nucleation. A finite element analysis was performed to analyze the residual stresses due to the bending process of the bar and the forming of the \"fillister\" and the stresses due to operation, in a critical case of warp tensioning the bar. The results showed that locally the yield stress of the material was exceeded, especially in the regions of small radius of curvature due to the \"fillister\". For the case of the gears, a reliability analysis was performed by Weibull distribution based on the lifetimes of the failed components and the remainder manufactured. From the result it was inferred that the failures consisted of the \"infant mortality\" of the components. Only one failed gear sample was available for the analysis, which was thoroughly characterised and whose fracture surface was minutely studied, in order to determine the mode and mechanism of failure, crack initiation and, hence, cause of failure. It was concluded that the gear failed due to tooth bending fatigue due to misalignment in the assembly. Having determined the causes of failures, solutions can be suggested, thus increasing the reliability of the components. Suggestions may concern the design itself, materials selection, manufacturing processes, heat treatment, assembly, or lubrication system.

Reinforced concrete frame buildings designed and built prior to the enactment of modern seismic codes of the pre-1970’s era are considered seismically vulnerable, particularly when they are subjected to strong ground motions. It is the objective of this research to develop a new and innovative seismic retrofit technology for seismic upgrading of nonductile or limited ductility reinforced concrete frame buildings involving the implementation of buckling restrained braces. To achieve this objective, combined experimental and analytical research was conducted. The experimental research involved tests of large-scales reinforced concrete frames under slowly applied lateral deformation reversals, and the analytical research involved design and nonlinear analysis of laboratory specimens, as well as design and dynamic inelastic response history analysis of selected prototype buildings in eastern and western Canada. The research project started with a comprehensive review of the building code development in Canada to assess the progression of seismic design requirements over the years, and to select a representative period within which a significant number of engineered buildings were designed and constructed with seismic deficiencies. A similar review of seismic design and detailing provisions of the Canadian Standard Association (CSA) Standard A23.3 on Design of Concrete Structures was also conducted for the same purpose. Six-storey and ten-storey prototype buildings were designed for Ottawa and Vancouver, using the seismic provisions of the 1965 National Building Code of Canada, representative of buildings in eastern and western Canadian. Preliminary static and dynamic linear elastic analyses were performed to assess the effectiveness of upgrading the ten-storey reinforced concrete building designed for Ottawa. The retrofit methods studied consisted of lateral bracing by adding reinforced concrete shear walls, diagonal steel braces, or diagonal steel cable strands. The results indicated that the retrofit techniques are effective in limiting deformations in non-ductile frame elements to the elastic range. The numerical analyses were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of Buckling Restrained Braces (BRBs) as a retrofit method for seismically deficient reinforced concrete frame buildings. The experimental phase of research consisted of two, 2/3rd scale, single bay and single storey reinforced concrete frames, designed and constructed based on a prototype sixstorey moment resisting frame building located in Ottawa and Vancouver, following the requirements of the 1965 edition of the NBCC. One test specimen served as a bare control frame (BCF) that was first tested, repaired and retrofitted (RRF) to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed retrofit methodology for buildings subjected to earthquakes in the City of Ottawa. The control frame was assessed to be seismically deficient. The second frame served as a companion non-damaged frame (RF) that was retrofitted with a similar retrofit concept but for buildings subjected to earthquakes in the City of Vancouver. A new buckling restrained brace (BRB) was conceived and developed to retrofit existing sub-standard reinforced concrete frames against seismic actions. The new BRB consists of a ductile inner steel core and an outer circular sleeve that encompasses two circular steel sections of different diameters to provide lateral restraint against buckling in compression of inner steel core. Mortar is placed between the two circular sections to provide additional buckling resistance. The inner core is connected to novel end units that allow extension and contraction during tension-compression cycles under seismic loading while providing lateral restraint against buckling within the end zones. The end units constitute an original contribution to the design of Buckling Restrained Braces (BRBs), providing continuous lateral restraint along the core bar. The new technique has been verified experimentally by testing four BRBs on the two test structures under simulated seismic loading. The test results of the BRB retrofitted frames indicate promising seismic performance, with substantial increases in the lateral load and displacement ductility capacities by factors of up to 3.9 and 2.6, respectively. In addition, the test results demonstrate that the BRB technology can provide excellent drift control, increased stiffness, and significant energy dissipation, while the reinforced concrete frames continue fulfilling their function as gravity load carrying frames. The above development was further verified by an exhaustive analytical study using SAP2000. At the onset, analyses were conducted to calibrate and verify the analytical models. Two-dimensional, one-bay, one-storey models, simulating the BCF and RRF test frames, were created. The models were subjected to incrementally increasing lateral displacement reversals in nonlinear static pushover analyses, and the results were compared with those obtained in the test program. Material nonlinearity was modeled using “Links” to incorporate all lumped linear and nonlinear properties that were defined with moment-rotation properties for flexural frame members and with force-displacement properties for the diagonal buckling restrained braces. Comparison with test data demonstrated good agreement of the frame behaviour in the elastic and post-elastic ranges, and the loading and unloading stiffness. The research program was further augmented with nonlinear dynamic time history analyses to verify the feasibility of the new retrofit technique in multi-storey reinforced concrete frame buildings located in Canada and their performances relative to the performance-based design objectives stated in current codes. Prior to conducting the analyses, 450 artificial earthquake records were studied to select the best matches to the Uniform Hazard Spectra (UHS) according to the 2010 edition of the NBCC for Ottawa and Vancouver. Furthermore, additional analyses were conducted on buildings for the City of Ottawa based on amplified Uniform Hazard Spectrum compatible earthquake records. The nonlinear time-history response analyses were conducted using a model that permits inelasticity in both the frame elements and the BRBs.The results indicated that reinforced concrete buildings built before the 1970’s in the City of Ottawa do not require seismic retrofitting; they remain within the elastic range under current code-compatible earthquake records. The structural building performance is within the Immediate Occupancy level, and all structural elements have capacities greater than the force demands. In the City of Vancouver, buildings in their virgin state experienced maximum interstorey drifts of 2.3%, which is within the Collapse Prevention structural performance level. Improved building performance was realized by retrofitting the exterior frames with multiple uses of the BRB developed in this research project. The seismic shear demands were reduced in the columns, while limiting the deformations in the non-ductile frame elements to the elastic range. The lateral interstorey drift was limited to 0.92%, which lies within the Life Safety structural performance level.

Bakgrund: Patellar tendinopati (PT) är framförallt en vanlig diagnos bland aktiva inom idrotter där hopprörelser ofta förekommer. Diagnosen innebär ofta överbelastning av knäskålsenan, vilket leder till smärta och nedsatt funktionsförmåga. Fysioterapeutisk behandling syftar till att minska smärtan och återställa funktionsförmågan. Infrapatellara remmar (IPR) har använts sedan många år för symptomlindring vid idrottsaktiviteter men det saknas forskning som har sammanställt effekter av användning, vilket föranleder behovet av en systematisk litteraturöversikt. Syftet var att genom en systematisk litteraturstudie beskriva hur IPR används och utvärderas i studier vid PT, rapporterade effekter samt studiekvalitet och preliminär evidensstyrka. Metod: Artikelsökning genomfördes i databaserna PubMed och PEDro. Fem studier analyserades utifrån litteraturstudiens syfte och frågeställningar samt kvalitetsgranskades enligt SBU:s granskningsmallar. Resultat: Av studierna undersökte tre IPR:s effekt på smärtintensitet, två proprioception och två indirekt uppmätt senbelastning. Endast kortsiktiga utfall mättes och när dessa var statistiskt signifikanta var kliniska relevansen ofta oklar. Sammantagen preliminär evidensstyrka bedömdes som måttligt stark. Slutsatser: Studierna visade på varierande effekt av att använda IPR avseende förbättring av proprioception, smärtintensitet och indirekt uppmätt senbelastning. Fler högkvalitativa randomiserade studier behövs och framtida forskning bör undersöka långsiktiga effekter vid användning av IPR. / Background: Patellar tendinopathy (PT) is common in jumping athletes. It’s mostly related to excessive loading of the patellar tendon, which leads to pain and decreased functional capacity. Physiotherapy treatment aims to reduce pain and restore functional capacity. Infrapatellar straps (IPS) have been utilized for many years to alleviate symptoms during sports activities but there is a lack of research that has compiled reports on effects of usage, which leads to the need of a systematic review. Objective: To describe use and evaluation of IPS in studies on patients with PT and describe reported effects, study quality and preliminary strength of evidence. Method: The PubMed and PEDro databases were searched for articles. Five studies were analyzed considering the review’s objective. Study quality was assessed according to SBU’s checklists. Results: Among the studies three investigated the effect of IPS on pain intensity, two on proprioception and two on indirectly measured tendon load. Short-term outcomes were investigated and the clinical relevance was often unclear when outcomes were statistically significant. Total preliminary strength of evidence was assessed as moderate. Conclusion: Variable effects are shown from IPS usage regarding pain intensity, proprioception and indirectly measured tendon load. More high-quality randomized trials and investigations of long-term effects are needed.

The investigator undertook a study to determine the validity of the Brace Football Achievement Tests as a measure of real playing ability of individual members of the 1948 football squads of the high schools of Quanah and Childress, Texas.

Background: Osteoarthritis of the knee is a condition that can emerge without any known reason, though most commonly it is caused by previous damage to the anatomical structures inside the joint. The most common symptom is pain during rest and activity. Individuals diagnosed with osteoarthritis often experience difficulties with performing certain types of movements and activities due to pain. Aim: Based upon a qualitative inductive content analysis, the aim is to investigate on a subjective level how individuals diagnosed with medial osteoarthritis experience pain and function, in relation to brace usage. Method: This study is based on recorded semi structured open-ended interviews with three individuals diagnosed with medial osteoarthritis whom uses a knee brace or knee orthosis. Results: The study generated six sub-categories which created two main categories describing the experience of medial osteoarthritis by the individuals. The results showed experience of affected physical ability and adaptation to pain. Conclusion: Individuals diagnosed with medial osteoarthritis experience limitation in activity and ADL mostly due to pain, though decreased function of the knee joint seems to be a contributing factor to limitation as well. Using a knee brace eases pain to some degree and enable individuals to perform some activities in comparison to when not using a knee brace. These conclusions should be considered with caution since the number of individuals interviewed in this study is small and may not provide the same information as of a larger number of individuals with medial osteoarthritis.