The response of submerged structures subject to loading by underwater blast waves is governed by complex interactions between the moving or deforming structure and the surrounding fluid and these phenomena need to be thoroughly understood in order to design structural components against underwater blast. This thesis has addressed the response of simple structural systems to blast loading in shallow or deep water environment. Analytical models have been developed to examine the one-dimensional response of both water-backed and air-backed submerged rigid plates, supported by linear springs and loaded by underwater shock waves. Cavitation phenomena as well as the effect of initial static fluid pressure are explicitly included in the models and their predictions were found in excellent agreement with detailed FE simulations. Then, a novel experimental apparatus has been developed, to reproduce controlled blast loading in initially pressurised liquids. It consists of a transparent water shock tube and allows observing the structural response as well as the propagation of cavitation fronts initiated by fluid-structure interaction in a blast event. This experimental technique was then employed to explore the one-dimensional response of monolithic plates, sandwich panels and double-walled structures subject to loading by underwater shock waves. The performed experiments provide great visual insight into the cavitation process and the experimental measurements were found to be in good agreement with analytical predictions and dynamic FE results. Finally, underwater blast loading of circular elastic plates has been investigated by theoretically modelling the main phenomena of dynamic plate deformation and fluid-structure interaction. In addition, underwater shock experiments have been performed on circular composite plates and the obtained measurements were found in good correlation with the corresponding analytical predictions. The validated analytical models were then used to determine the optimal designs of circular elastic plates which maximise the resistance to underwater blast.

Este trabalho descreve o comportamento da aderência do concreto armado sob ações monotônicas e repetidas através de uma revisão bibliográfica e de ensaios de arrancamento padronizados. A influência de alguns parâmetros foi analisada, como diâmetro da armadura, tipo e amplitude de carregamento. Os resultados dos ensaios monotônicos foram comparados com as recomendações do CEB-FIP MC 1990, EUROCODE 2 e NB-1/78. Também foi realizada a análise numérica da aderência monotônica por meio de elementos finitos. Considerou-se a barra lisa, elementos de contato entre o aço e concreto e comportamento elástico-linear dos materiais; pois a ruína experimental da ligação ocorreu pelo corte do concreto entre as nervuras. A resistência monotônica da ligação ficou compreendida entre condições boas e ruins de aderência. Os resultados calculados de acordo com as normas foram muito diferentes em relação aos valores experimentais, e apresentaram uma dispersão muito grande. A força repetida ocasionou a perda de aderência pelo crescimento progressivo dos deslizamentos. Os modelos numéricos não representaram o comportamento experimental, devido à resposta força-deslizamento não-linear. / This research describes the bond behaviour in reinforced concrete under monotonic and repeated loading through a state-of-art and standard pull-out tests. The influence of some parameters was analysed as deformed bar diameter, type and amplitude of loading. The monotonic test results were compared with recommendations of CEB-FIP MC 1990, EUROCODE 2 and NB-1/78. The numerical analysis of monotonic bond was realized through finite elements. It was considered smooth bar, contact elements between the steel and concrete, and materials as of linear-elastic behaviour, because the experimental degradation of bond was caused by concrete between the ribs sheared off. The monotonic bond resistance resulted between good and bad bond conditions. The results calculated according to the codes were very different from the experimental values and very disperse. The repeated loading causes bond degradation by progressive increase of slip. The numerical specimens did not represent the experimental behaviour because of the non-linear load-slip response.

Esta pesquisa consistiu na verificação do comportamento do reator UASB de bancada (volume igual a 10,5 litros), quando submetido a variações senoidais de vazão afluente, comparando-se com a eficiência no seu funcionamento com vazão constante, através de análises de amostras de afluentes e efluentes. O reator UASB utilizado foi montado no Laboratório de Processos Biológicos da EESC-USP dentro de uma câmara com temperatura constante de 30 ± 3°C, e alimentado com esgoto sintético, com DQO de 500 mg/l, 750 mg/l e 1000 mg/l. O reator foi inoculado em abril de 1999, com 3,5 litros de lodo anaeróbio proveniente de um reator compartimentado, também situado na EESC-USP. Devido à dificuldade de atingir um valor esperado para a eficiência de remoção de Matéria orgânica, foi dada nova partida no reator, em julho de 1999, desta vez com lodo proveniente de outro UASB. Após a segunda partida, o reator operou com vazão constante e DQO afluente em torno de 500 mg/l até setembro de 1999, com média de remoção de DQO bruta de 75% no período, passando-se, então, à fase de variação senoidal de vazão de forma que o máximo e o mínimo fossem de ±30%, ±45% e ±60% da vazão média. Para este regime, obteve-se 80% de eficiência média de remoção de DQO bruta. Os valores de pH, alcalinidade e ácidos voláteis foram praticamente constantes durante a operação. Os perfis de remoção de DQO ao longo do dia mostraram uma pequena queda na eficiência do reator, aproximadamente 1,5 vezes o tempo de detenção hidráulica médio (8 horas), após os máximos de vazão para o regime de variação de vazão de ±30% e ±45% e 2,5 vezes o tempo de detenção hidráulica médio, para variação e ±60%. O mesmo experimento foi repetido para DQO afluente de 1000 mg/l e obteve-se, em média, eficiências de 65% de remoção de DQO. / This research consisted in the UASB reactor performance verification when it was submitted to sine-based variations of loading rate, in comparison to its normal operation. The UASB reactor used was set up at the Biological Process Laboratory of EESC-USP, inside a camera with temperature of 30°C ± 3°C. It was fed with synthetic sewage (COD = 500, 750 and 1000 mg/l). After start-up, the reactor was operated with constant loading rate (COD = 500 mg/l) until September 1999. The organic matter removal average in this period was 75%. Then, it was initiated the phase of sine-based variation loading rate (±30%, ±45% and ±60%). In this regime, it was obtained a medium gross COD removal efficiency of 80%. The pH values, alkalinity and volatile acids were practically constant during the operation. The COD removal profiles during the day showed a subtle fall in the reactor efficiency after 1.5 times the medium hydraulic detection time, for the loading rate variation of ±30% and ±45%. For ±60% variation, the answer time was approximately 2.5 times the medium hydraulic detection time. The efficiency of gross COD removal stay however over 78,53% until the experiment 9, witch showed that the reactor can stand the loading rate variations. The efficiency of filtered COD removal decreased on the second experiment, came back to the initial values and decreased again. The values of variation didn\'t surpass 6,6% for gross COD and 8,43% for filtered COD.

<div>Underground structures must be able to support static overburden loads, as well as to accommodate additional deformations imposed by seismic motions. Progress has been made in the last few years in understanding the soil-structure interaction mechanisms and the stress and displacement transfer from the ground to the structure during a seismic event. It seems well established that, for most tunnels, the most critical demand to the structure is caused by shear waves traveling perpendicular to the tunnel axis. Those waves cause distortions of the cross section (ovaling for a circular tunnel, and racking for a rectangular tunnel) that result in axial forces (thrusts) and bending moments. While all this has been well-studied for structures placed in linear-elastic ground, there is little information regarding the behavior of buried structures placed in nonlinear ground, especially under undrained conditions, i.e., when excess pore pressures generate and accumulate during the earthquake.</div><div><br></div><div><div>Two-dimensional dynamic numerical analyses are conducted to assess the seismic response of deep circular tunnels located far from the seismic source, under drained or undrained loading conditions. It is assumed that the liner remains elastic and that plane strain conditions apply. </div><div> A new cyclic nonlinear elastoplastic constitutive model is developed and verified, to simulate the nonlinear behavior and excess pore pressures accumulation with cycles of loading in the ground. The results of the numerical analyses show negligible effect of input frequencies on the normalized distortions of a tunnel for input frequencies smaller than 5 Hz (the distortions of the tunnel are normalized with respect to those of the free field); that is, for ratios between the wavelength of the seismic input and the tunnel opening larger than about eight to ten. The results also show that undrained conditions, compared with drained conditions, tend to reduce deformations for flexible liners and increase them for stiffer tunnels, when no accumulation of pore pressures with cycles of loading is assumed. However, when pore pressures increase with the number of cycles, the differences in distortions between drained and undrained loading are reduced, i.e., the normalized distortions increase for flexible and decrease for stiff tunnels, compared to those with drained conditions. </div></div><div><br></div><div><div>Undrained loading produces larger thrust in the liner than drained loading for stiff tunnels with flexibility ratio F ≤ 2.0.</div><div>For more flexible tunnels with F > 2.0, the behavior is the opposite, i.e., smaller axial forces are obtained for undrained loading than for drained loading. Including excess pore pressure accumulation does not introduce significant changes in the axial forces of the liner, irrespective of the flexibility of the tunnel, compared to those obtained from undrained loading without pore pressure accumulation.</div><div>The drainage loading condition (drained or undrained) or the magnitude of the free-field excess pore pressures during undrained loading do not affect the normalized bending moments for flexible tunnels, with F ≥ 2. For stiffer tunnels, with F < 2, the normalized bending moments increase from drained to undrained loading, and with the free field excess pore pressures.</div></div><div><br></div><div><div>It is found that the tunnel’s response is determined by the load on the liner, or by the distortions of the cross section, depending on the flexibility ratio. For stiff structures, with F ≤ 2.0, important axial forces and bending moments are produced in the structure, with larger magnitudes for the undrained case; while the distortions of the cross section are very small. When the tunnel becomes more flexible, the loading on the liner decreases, but the distortions of the cross section start to be important. For flexible structures with initial F ≥ 10 (for the cases investigated), the performance is largely determined by the distortions of the cross section, while the axial forces and bending moments are almost negligible. Such distortions are drastically affected by the drainage loading condition and by the magnitude of pore pressures in the free field. </div></div><div><br></div>

Le but de cette étude est d'étudier le renforcement des sols par inclusions rigides sous chargement complexe et cyclique. L'effet de certains paramètres liés à la définition d’un chargement complexe et cyclique sur le comportement du système est mis en évidence.Du point de vue des chargements statiques complexes, des semelles de fondation posées sur un sol compressible renforcé par inclusions rigides sans matelas soumis à des charges centrées, excentrées verticales et horizontales et à quelques cycles de charge ont été étudiées. Des approches numériques et expérimentales sont présentées. Les résultats des mesures expérimentales et numériques permettent de mettre en évidence le comportement de ces systèmes en termes de contrainte sur la tête d'inclusion et sur le sol compressible, de déplacements verticaux et latéraux de la semelle et du déplacement latéral de l'inclusion. L'efficacité de la semelle renforcée est comparée à celle d’une semelle non renforcée.Une modélisation 3D de solutions de fondations pour les éoliennes est étudiée. La combinaison d’un chargement vertical et de différents moments appliqués à la fondation est prise en compte. Le sol compressible renforcé par inclusions rigides est considéré comme une option qui est comparée à d’autres solutions plus classiques (fondation superficielle et radier sur pieux). Les résultats obtenus permettent de présenter l’impact sur le tassement du sol, la rotation de la fondation, les efforts axiaux et les moments fléchissants dans les inclusions rigides. Les résultats numériques indiquent enfin que la technique d'amélioration du sol par inclusions rigides peut être une solution appropriée pour les fondations d'éoliennes.En ce qui concerne les aspects cycliques, trois points principaux sont abordés. Dans un premier temps, la modélisation numérique d’essais en laboratoire d’un renforcement de sol par inclusions rigides soumis à des chargements monotones et des cycles limités de chargement mise en œuvre. Le modèle hypoplastique (HYP) est utilisé pour modéliser le comportement de la plate-forme de transfert de charge. Les résultats numériques sont validés à la fois par rapport aux données expérimentales et numériques de Houda (2016). L'influence des conditions aux limites et de l'état du sol compressible est mise en évidence. Les résultats numériques indiquent qu'il est possible de considérer le comportement cyclique du sol renforcé par inclusions rigides en utilisant le modèle HYP.Dans un second temps, un remblai renforcé par des inclusions rigides sous un nombre élevé de chargement cyclique est étudié. Deux niveaux de complexité différents pour le modèle constitutif (HYP et le modèle élastique linéaire parfaitement plastique avec un critère de rupture de type Mohr-Coulomb) ont été pris en compte pour étudier le comportement de la LTP et analyser le comportement cyclique du système. Le modèle HYP est proposé pour la suite des études car il permet de bien capturer la décroissance et l’accumulation des tassements avec le nombre de cycles de charge. L'effet des paramètres qui sont le nombre de cycles de charge, l'amplitude et la fréquence (induite par la vitesse du trafic) et la hauteur du remblai est également présentée.Finalement, une étude sur la réponse cyclique d'un remblai de GRPS est menée. En comparant le remblai renforcé par des géosynthétiques (GRPS) avec le remblai renforcé par inclusions (PE), le rôle du géosynthétique est mis en évidence sous des chargements statiques et cycliques. L'influence du nombre de cycles de chargement et du nombre de géosynthétiques sur l'effet de voute et les tassements cumulés est également discutée. / The aim of the study is to investigate the soil improvement by rigid inclusions under complex and cyclic loadings, and to highlight the effect of some parameters related to complex and cyclic loading on the system behavior.Concerning the static complex loading, footings over rigid inclusion-reinforced soil without mattress subjected to centered, eccentrically vertical and horizontal loads, and load cycles are first studied. Numerical and experimental approaches are presented. Monitored and numerical results permit to show the behavior of these reinforced systems in terms of stresses on the inclusion head and soft soil, vertical and lateral displacements of the footings and lateral displacement of the inclusions. The efficiency of the reinforced footing is also presented and compared to the unreinforced one.A 3D modeling of the foundation solutions for wind turbines is presented. The combination of vertical loading and different moments applied to the foundation is taken into account. The inclusion-improved soft soil under footing is considered as a foundation option and, compared to classical ones (shallow foundation and piled raft). The obtained results are illustrated concerning the ground surface settlements, the foundation rotations, the axial forces and bending moments of the reinforcements. The numerical results indicate that the soil improvement technique by rigid inclusions can be an appropriate solution for the wind turbine foundations.With regard to the cyclic aspects, three main concerns are studied. Firstly, the numerical modeling of laboratory tests on a soil improvement by rigid inclusions subjected to monotonic loading and a limited load cycles is carried out, in which the hypoplasticity (HYP) model is used to model the load transfer platform (LTP). The numerical results are validated against both the experimental data and numerical ones of Houda (2016). The influence of the boundary condition and soft soil state are figured out. The numerical results indicate that it is possible to address the cyclic behavior of the rigid inclusion-reinforced soil by using the HYP model.Secondly, a piled embankment under a high number of cyclic loadings is studied. Two different levels of complexity for the constitutive models are used (HYP and a simpler one the linear elastic perfectly plastic constitutive model with a shear criteria of Mohr-Coulomb). These models were considered to model the behavior of the LTP and analyze the cyclic behavior of the system. The HYP model is then suggested for the following studies since it can capture well the arching decrease and the cumulated settlements under the load cycles number. The effect of the parameters that are load cycles number, amplitude and frequency (induced by traffic speed), and embankment height is illustrated as well.Finally, a study on the cyclic response of a GRPS embankment is conducted. By comparing the geosynthetic-reinforced pile-supported (GRPS) embankment with the piled embankment (PE), the role of the geosynthetic is verified under static and cyclic loading aspects. The influence of the load cycles number and the geosynthetic layers number on the arching effect and cumulative settlements is shown as well.

Engineered structures are designed to resist all expected loadings without failure. However, structural failures do occasionally occur due to inadequate design and construction, especially for extreme and abnormal loads. This thesis concerns the progressive collapse of structures due to abnormal loading events, and develops a method of advanced analysis for predicting the progressive collapse behaviour of building structures in the plastic limit state. Combined-stress failure states and stiffness degradation models are proposed to simulate plastic deformation of structural members. Elliptic force-deformation relationships are employed to model the nonlinear material behaviour of members. The stiffness degradation of semirigid connections is modeled by a moment-rotation relationship with four parameters. Having the proposed nonlinear model, a generic member stiffness matrix is derived taking into account elastic-plastic bending, shearing and axial deformations. A computer-based incremental-load nonlinear analysis procedure is developed that progressively updates member stiffness using reduction factors that simulate degraded stiffness behaviour. Three types of localized damage modes are investigated to identify different connection damage scenarios. Account is taken of any debris loading that occurs when disengaged structural components fall onto lower parts of the structure. The associated dynamic effect is taken into account for the quasi-static analysis by utilizing an impact amplification factor. Any progressive collapse occurring thereafter involves a series of failure events associated with topological changes. The progressive-failure analysis procedure is based on the alternate-load-path method suggested in the design and analysis guidelines of the General Services of Administration (GSA, 2003) and the Department of Defense (DoD, 2005). The residual load carrying capacity of the damaged framework is analyzed by incrementally applying prevailing long-term loads and impact debris loads. The deterioration of structural strength is progressively traced to the state at which either global stability is reached or progressive collapse to ground level occurs for part or all of the structure. The analysis procedure is extensively illustrated for several planar steel moment frames, including account for the influence of damaged connections and semi-rigid connection behaviour. The results obtained demonstrate that the proposed method is potentially a powerful tool for the analysis of steel building structures under normal and abnormal loads.

Engineered structures are designed to resist all expected loadings without failure. However, structural failures do occasionally occur due to inadequate design and construction, especially for extreme and abnormal loads. This thesis concerns the progressive collapse of structures due to abnormal loading events, and develops a method of advanced analysis for predicting the progressive collapse behaviour of building structures in the plastic limit state. Combined-stress failure states and stiffness degradation models are proposed to simulate plastic deformation of structural members. Elliptic force-deformation relationships are employed to model the nonlinear material behaviour of members. The stiffness degradation of semirigid connections is modeled by a moment-rotation relationship with four parameters. Having the proposed nonlinear model, a generic member stiffness matrix is derived taking into account elastic-plastic bending, shearing and axial deformations. A computer-based incremental-load nonlinear analysis procedure is developed that progressively updates member stiffness using reduction factors that simulate degraded stiffness behaviour. Three types of localized damage modes are investigated to identify different connection damage scenarios. Account is taken of any debris loading that occurs when disengaged structural components fall onto lower parts of the structure. The associated dynamic effect is taken into account for the quasi-static analysis by utilizing an impact amplification factor. Any progressive collapse occurring thereafter involves a series of failure events associated with topological changes. The progressive-failure analysis procedure is based on the alternate-load-path method suggested in the design and analysis guidelines of the General Services of Administration (GSA, 2003) and the Department of Defense (DoD, 2005). The residual load carrying capacity of the damaged framework is analyzed by incrementally applying prevailing long-term loads and impact debris loads. The deterioration of structural strength is progressively traced to the state at which either global stability is reached or progressive collapse to ground level occurs for part or all of the structure. The analysis procedure is extensively illustrated for several planar steel moment frames, including account for the influence of damaged connections and semi-rigid connection behaviour. The results obtained demonstrate that the proposed method is potentially a powerful tool for the analysis of steel building structures under normal and abnormal loads.

Prior experimental research clearly reveals that the performance of reinforced concrete frame structures under earthquake loading is closely related to the behavior of beam-to-column connection regions. In order for a reinforced concrete building to have an adequate response under high lateral deformations, beam-to-column connections should be able to preserve their integrity. However, even today beam-to-column connections are assumed to be rigid or elastic, leading to an incorrect estimation of the structural response under earthquake loading. One of the basic reasons for the assumption of rigid joints is the lack of analytical models that adequately represent the seismic behavior of the connection region. In this thesis, an analytical model that realistically represents the beam-to-column connection response is developed, in the light of prior experimental data. The experimental subassemblies used in the generation of the analytical model are later modeled in OpenSees environment in order to verify the accuracy of the model. Throughout the research, utmost attention is paid for the model to be simple enough to be used practically and also to cover a wide range of beam to column connection properties.

The aim of this study is to develop an explicit analytical formulation based on the anisotropic elasticity theory that determines the behavior of fiber reinforced composite vessel under hygrothermal loading. The loading is studied for three cases separately, which are plane strain case, free ends and pressure vessel cases. For free-end and pressure vessel cases, the vessel is free to expand, on the other hand for plane strain case, the vessel is prevented to expand. Throughout the study, constant, linear and parabolic temperature distributions are investigated and for each distribution, separate equations are developed. Then, a suitable failure theory is applied to investigate the behavior of fiber reinforced composite vessels under the thermal and moisture effects. Throughout the study, two computer programs are developed which makes possible to investigate the behavior of both symmetrically and antisymmetrically oriented layers. The first program is developed for plane strain case, where the second one is for pressure vessel and free-end cases. Finally, several thermal loading conditions have been carried out by changing the moisture concentration and temperature distributions and the results are tabulated for comparison purposes.

High-resolution three-dimensional (3D) shape reconstruction of objects has huge potential for applications in the field of design, security, entertainment, biomedicine, industrial quality control etc. Of the available techniques, optical methods have the distinctive advantage of facilitating non-contact and non-intrusive measurements. Of late, integration of optical measurement system with the computer based data processing has improved the quality of the results. Of the available techniques, structured-light illumination (Fringe Projection) is the most effective, owing its simplistic experimental architecture and analysis. Traditional Fringe Projection techniques function with the use of fringes generated using interferometric methods. With the advent of digital light projectors, digitally generated fringes have taken the place of interferometry based fringes. Despite the technological advances that this field has witnessed over last couple of decades, digital fringe projection technique still suffers from various shortcomings. This thesis presents a strategic solution to the challenges faced by the technique in its application to out-of-plane deformation measurement of objects under impact loading. First part of the thesis reports the developmental work on building an LED-Grating based optical projection system for implementation of linear-fringe projection profilometry. Successful use of the developed system in measuring out-of-plane deformation experienced by multiple targets under impact loading with a time sapling of 20,000 frames per second is re-ported. However, for performing ballistic impact measurements using the liner-fringe projection method, an order of magnitude higher time-sampling is needed. This is due to the disadvantages associated with linear fringe projection technique: (1) results in wrapped phase map (2p ambiguity) estimation, and (2) the deformation/shift of the recorded fringe pattern in the modulation direction sets a limit on unambiguously measurable whole-plane displacement. Typically, fringe pitch dictates the limit of maximum detectable displacement, and thus to be able to capture larger deformation from the earlier state, coarser fringe pitch is required to be projected; while this adversely affects the resolution of measurement system. Hence, there is a need to develop a fringe projection system which has capability for whole-plane displacement without affecting the resolution and/or necessitating higher temporal-sampling. Circular Fringe Projection (CFP) technique is proposed in the second part of the thesis as a novel solution to address the above issues. CFP technique offers additional advantage of relaxing the temporal resolution requirements of the imaging system by decoupling the maximum measurable deformation rate and the frame rate of camera. A new image analysis method is also developed to extract the underlying phase distribution of the recorded circular-fringe patterns, as the conventionally used single-frame linear-fringe analysis methods are incompetent at demodulating the circular fringes. Experimental results obtained in 3D shape measurement and whole-field out-of-plane displacement measurements of a deforming object reported in this thesis, not only confirms the ability of the proposed CFP technique in overcoming the shortcomings of the widely used linear-fringe projection technique, but also its suitability for deployment in ballistic-impact measurements.