This thesis is concerned with the effects of lateral confining reinforcement on the ductile behaviour of reinforced concrete columns. The contents of the chapters are summarized as follows. In Chapter one, the general problems in seismic design are discussed and earthquake design methods based on the ductile design approach are described. Japanese, New Zealand and United States design codes are compared. Finally, the scope of this research project is outlined. In Chapter two, after reviewing previous research on confined concrete, the factors which affect the effectiveness of lateral confinement are discussed. Especially the effects of the yield strength of transverse reinforcement, the compressive strength of plain concrete and the strain gradient in the column section due to bending are discussed based on tests which were conducted by the author et al at Kyoto University and Akashi Technological College, Japan. In the axial compression tests on spirally reinforced concrete cylinders (150 mm in diameter by 300 mm in height), the yield strength of transverse reinforcement and the compressive strength of plain concrete were varied from 161 MPa to 1352 MPa and from 17 MPa to 60 MPa, respectively, as experimental parameters. It is found that, when high strength spirals are used as confining reinforcement, the strength and ductility of the confined core concrete are remarkably enhanced but need to be estimated assuming several failure modes which could occur. These are based on the observations that concrete cylinders with high strength spirals suddenly failed at a concrete compressive strain of 2 to 3.5 % due to explosive crushing of the core concrete between the spiral bars or due to bearing failure of the core concrete immediately beneath the spiral bars, while the concrete cylinders with ordinary strength spirals failed in a gentle manner normally observed. In addition, eccentric loading tests were conducted on concrete columns with 200 mm square section confined by square spirals. It is found that the effectiveness of confining reinforcement is reduced by the presence of the strain gradient along the transverse section of column. In Chapter three, the effectiveness of transverse reinforcement with various types of anchorage details which simplify the fabrication of reinforcing cages are investigated. Eight reinforced concrete columns, with either 400 mm or 550 mm square cross sections, were tested subjected to axial compression loading and cyclic lateral loading which simulated a severe earthquake. The transverse reinforcement consisted of arrangements of square perimeter hoops with 135° end hooks, cross ties with 90° and 135° or 180° end hooks, and 'U' and 'J' shaped cross ties and perimeter hoops with tension splices. Conclusions are reached with regard to the effectiveness of the tested anchorage details in the plastic hinge regions of columns designed for earthquake resistance. In Chapter four, the effectiveness of interlocking spirals as transverse reinforcement is studied. Firstly, the general aspects and the related problems of interlocking spirals to provide adequate ductility in the potential plastic hinge region of columns are discussed, referring to the provisions in the New Zealand code,the CALTRANS (California Transportation Authority) code and other related codes. Secondly, based on those discussions, a design method to securely interlock the spirals is proposed. Thirdly, the effectiveness of interlocking spirals is assessed based on column tests conducted as part of this study. Three columns with interlocking spirals and, for comparison, one rectangular column with rectangular hoopsandcross ties, were tested under cyclic horizontal loading which simulated a severe earthquake. The sections of those columns were 400 mm by 600 mm. In Chapter five, analytical models to investigate the buckling behaviour of longitudinal reinforcement restrained by cross ties with 90° and 135° end hooks and by peripheral hoops are proposed. The analyzed results using the proposed models compare well with the experimental observations described in Chapter three. Using those proposed models, a method to check the effectiveness of cross ties with 90° and 135° end hooks is proposed for practical design purposes. In Chapter six, a theory for the prediction of the ultimate longitudinal compressive concrete strain at the stage of first hoop fracture referred to as the "Energy Balance Theory", which has been developed by Mander, Priestley and Park at University of Canterbury, is introduced. After discussing the problems in the "Energy Balance Theory", a modified theory for the prediction of the ultimate longitudinal compressive concrete strain at the stage of first hoop fracture is proposed. The predictions from the modified theory are found to compare well with previous experimental results.

Three iron oxide materials have been studied for uptake of three anions (arsenate, phosphate and fluoride) and a cation (cadmium) from aqueous solutions. Two of the materials were produced using original procedures developed at Loughborough University. The former material was conditioned by a controlled freeze-thaw procedure to enhance granularity and the latter was air-dried at room temperature. Their capacities were compared with a commercially available material supplied by GEH Wasserchemle, Germany. Pore size distributions and specific surface area values were determined by N2 analysis at 77 K. All samples possessed a reasonable specific surface area, in the range 200-300 m2/g and were mesoporous. Samples produced at Loughborough University also contained some macropores, evidence of a more amorphous structure or lack of pH control during production. X-ray diffraction indicated that all samples had some b-FeOOH present and that the chloride content and production pH affected the material crystallinity. Crystallinity increased with increasing chloride content and a higher production pH resulted in the presence of more than one phase. Chemical characterisation was also completed on all three samples. The point of zero net proton charge and isoelectric point for each material was obtained by potentiometric batch titrations and zeta potential measurements respectively. The difference in these values increased with a higher chloride content and all samples studied possessed a positive surface at low pH and negative surface at high pH. These parameters were not greatly affected by the background electrolyte concentration, implying that the background electrolyte is not specifically adsorbed. However, arsenate and phosphate appeared to be specifically adsorbed as the isoelectric point decreased. The uptake capacities for arsenate, phosphate. fluoride and cadmium of all three samples were obtained by measuring batch isotherms at 25 degrees C. The pH range was 4-9, using various initial concentrations up to a maximum of approximately 30 uM. For all anionic species studied, the capacity decreased with increasing pH, and the reverse trend was noted for cadmium. The Langmuir model provided a good fit for the anionic isotherms and the Freundlich model for the cationic isotherms. The materials studied possessed a markedly higher capacity for fluoride than arsenate and phosphate, with an intermediate capacity for cadmium. This indicates that fluoride is attached to the surface via monodentate (single) bonds, whilst both arsenate and phosphate are primarily attached to the surface via bidentate (two) bonds. Cadmium is probably bound by both these mechanisms. The effect of competing anions on arsenic uptake capacity was determined using mini-column experiments of binary (arsenate-fluoride, arsenate-Phosphate and phosphate-fluoride) and ternary (arsenate-fluoride-phosphate) mixtures. Arsenate removal was strongly affected by the presence of phosphate, but was only slightly lower in the presence of fluoride. (Continues...).

No description available.

PhD / Abstract: The objective of this research is to investigate the interaction of local and overall flexural buckling in cold-formed stainless steel columns. Literature study exposes a lack of understanding of this subject and a need for experimental data, particularly on the local-overall interaction buckling of stainless steel open sections. Two separate experimental programs were therefore carried out. The first program included 36 tests on pin-ended lipped channel columns. Three alloys were considered: AISI 304, AISI 430 and 3Cr12. The specimens were designed to fail by local-overall interaction buckling in the inelastic stress range, thus highlighting the non-linear behaviour of stainless steel. Half of the specimens were tested under a concentric load. The other half had the load applied with a nominal eccentricity of Le/1500. The test results demonstrate the imperfection sensitivity of local-overall interaction buckling and illustrate the shift in effective centroid in pin-ended columns with singly symmetric cross-section. The second experimental program studied local-overall interaction buckling in 24 pin-ended stainless steel I-section columns. The specimens consisted of plain channels connected back-to-back using sheet metal screws. Two alloys were considered: AISI 304 and AISI 404. Local and overall imperfections were carefully measured in both experimental programs. Extensive material testing was carried out on the alloys employed in the experimental program, in order to determine tensile and compressive material properties, anisotropic parameters and enhanced corner properties. A detailed finite element model is presented, which includes non-linear material behaviour, anisotropy, increased material properties of the corner areas and local and overall imperfections. The model was verified against the two aforementioned experimental programs and against additional data available in literature on stainless steel SHS columns. The model yielded excellent predictions of the specimen failure mode, ultimate strength and load-deformation behaviour. The finite element model was used to generate additional data for stainless steel columns with lipped channel, plain channel, SHS and I-shaped cross-section, failing by local-overall interaction buckling. The parametric studies covered the practical ranges of overall and cross-sectional slenderness values. The Australian/New Zealand, European and North American standards for stainless steel were evaluated using the available data. The comparison reveals an inability of the design codes to properly account for the interaction effect as the cross-sectional slenderness increases. Predictions are unsafe for I-section columns with intermediate or high cross-sectional slenderness. A direct strength method is proposed for stainless steel columns, accounting for the local-overall interaction effect. The method offers a simple design solution which fits within the framework of the current Australian and North-American standards.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri--Rolla, 2007. / Vita. The entire thesis text is included in file. Title from title screen of thesis/dissertation PDF file (viewed February 12, 2008) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2006. / "December, 2006." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-91). Online version available on the World Wide Web. Library also has microfilm. Ann Arbor, Mich. : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [2006]. 1 microfilm reel ; 35 mm.

Thesis (M.S. in civil engineering)--Washington State University, May 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-70).

Thesis (M.E.) -- University of Adelaide, Department of Civil Engineering, 1978.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2002. / "June 2002" Includes bibliographical references (leaves 349-374).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1966. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.