Modern volume carriers such as container vessels, cruise ships and Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTC’s) have become more vulnerable to critical roll responses as built in margins have been traded against increased transport efficiency. The research presented in this doctoral thesis aims at enhancing the predictability and control of these critical roll responses. The thesis presents a holistic framework for predicting and assessing the roll damping, which is a crucial parameter for predicting roll motions, based on a unique combination of full scale trials, model tests, semi-empirical methods and computational fluid dynamics. The framework is intended to be used from the early design stage and gradually improved until delivery of the ship and finally to provide input for decision support in the operation. The thesis also includes a demonstration of a new application for rudder control to be used for mitigation of parametric roll. This is performed by simulating real incidents that have occurred with PCTC’s in service. Simulations with rudder roll control show promising results and reveal that the approach could be very efficient for mitigation of parametric roll. Finally, an approach for monitoring of roll induced stresses, so-called racking stresses in PCTC’s, is presented. The approach involves measurement of the ship motions and scaling of pre-calculated structural responses from global finite element analysis. Based on full scale motion and stress measurements from a PCTC in-service the approach is evaluated and demonstrated to be an efficient alternative to conventional methods. / <p>QC 20170516</p>

Les projets de construction sont aujourd'hui confrontés à des défis importants pour réduire la grande quantité d'énergie employée quotidiennement pour les utilisations tels que le chauffage, l'électricité et l'eau chaude dans les bâtiments résidentiels et commerciaux, en particulier en Europe. De nombreux règlements de construction encouragent l'utilisation des matériaux biosourcés puisqu’ils semblent avoir des propriétés physiques supérieures en terme d'efficacité énergétique dans le secteur de la construction. L'utilisation de matériaux à faible teneur en carbone dans des structures telles que le béton de chanvre améliore le niveau d'isolation ainsi que l'absorption acoustique et diminue le poids de la structure du bâtiment, car ce matériau naturel fournit un agrégat à faible densité. Cette étude concerne le comportement mécanique de murs en bois, réalisés avec des planches croisées en bois CLT et des murs à panneaux d’OSB, sous l’effet de forces horizontales de cisaillement. Une approche théorique a été proposée pour prédire la performance latérale de la paroi CLT par rapport aux charges latérales ainsi qu’une comparaison entre les résultats théoriques et expérimentaux a été effectuée. Des essais expérimentaux ont été réalisés sur des murs de bois ayant deux formes différentes pour étudier et mettre en évidence les paramètres qui affectent significativement la résistance latérale du béton de chanvre en tant que matériau de remplissage. Des montants verticaux et des éléments de contreventement diagonaux de 2,5 mètres de hauteur et 1,25 mètres de largeur soumis à une compression ont été réalisés dans cette étude . Les résultats ont montré que le béton de chanvre apporte une légère contribution contre les charges latérales dans les murs verticaux de 1,25 mètres de largeur, ce qui signifie qu'une diminution de la largeur du mur de bois diminue significativement la contribution du béton de chanvre contre les charges latérales. Trois murs en bois de différentes longueurs (1,2 mètres, 1,6 mètres et 2,4 mètres) remplis de béton de chanvre ont été étudiés numériquement dans cette étude. D'après les résultats numériques, il était évident que la largeur du mur en bois joue un rôle principal dans la résistance latérale du béton de chanvre : lorsque la largeur du mur augmente, la résistance latérale du béton de chanvre s’accroît considérablement. De plus, le contact et la liaison entre le chanvre et les montants en bois affectent totalement la capacité de la résistance latérale du béton de chanvre en tant que matériau de remplissage dans les murs en bois. / Construction projects nowadays face significant challenges to reduce the large amounts of daily energy usage for utilities such as heating, electricity and hot water in residential and commercial buildings – especially in Europe. Many building regulations encourage the use of bio-based materials with superior physical properties for energy efficiency in the construction sector. The use of low-carbon material in structures such as hemp concrete, improves the insulation level and sound absorption and simultaneously decreases the weight of the building structure, as this natural material provides low-density aggregate. This study aimed to investigate the mechanical behaviour of timber frame walls against lateral loads. Cross-laminated timber walls (CLT) and Oriented Strand Board (OSB) were used in this study in order to examine the global lateral strength of timber walls. A theoretical approach has been proposed to predict the lateral performance of CLT wall against lateral loads and a comparison between the theoretical and experimental results has been conducted. Experimental testing was undertaken on a full-size example of two different designs of timber walls to investigate and highlight the parameters that significantly affect the lateral resistance of hemp concrete as infill material. Vertical studs and diagonal bracing elements under compression were used in this study, with dimensions of 2.5m height and 1.25m length. The results showed that hemp concrete makes a slight contribution against lateral loads in vertical stud timber wall of length 1.25m, which means that decreasing the length of timber wall significantly decreased the hemp concrete contribution against lateral loads. Three timber walls with different lengths (1.2m, 1.6m and 2.4m) filled with hemp concrete have been examined numerically in this study. Based on the numerical results, it was obvious that the length of the timber wall plays a major role in the lateral strength of hemp concrete, as increasing the wall length significantly increased the lateral strength of hemp concrete. Also, the contact and bonding between hemp material and timber studs significantly affected the lateral load carrying capacity of hemp concrete as infill material in timber frame walls.

Bifacial photovoltaic (PV) modules have greater energy yield than traditional monofacial modules because they convert front and rear incident irradiance to electrical energy. Single-axis tracking systems can further increase energy yield and reduce the levelized cost of energy by rotating the modules throughout the day. However, racking elements in tracking systems introduce both shade and reflections on the rear face, increasing irradiance nonuniformity and fostering further electrical mismatch that reduces module power. The impact of racking, particularly that of the torque tube which spans the middle of the rear collector surface, must be accurately quantified in energy yield predictions to increase stakeholder confidence, and hasten the adoption of tracked bifacial modules. Isolating the torque-tube-reflected irradiance incident on the modules is crucial for this work. This is achieved by implementing arbitrary two-dimensional (2D) irradiance sampling on a module under test in bifacial_radiance, a ray tracing bifacial PV model, and taking the difference in rear irradiance profiles for simulations with a reflective and an absorptive torque tube at each timestamp. We calculate the TT reflection for the central one-in-portrait (1P) and two-in-portrait (2P) modules on horizontal single-axis trackers over hourly timestamps in a typical meteorological year in Livermore, California, USA. We introduce the TT reflection 2D irradiance profiles as additional light sources in DUET to quantify the TT reflection's impact on irradiance, electrical mismatch, and energy yield, as well as an incidence angle modifier's impact on TT reflection. We analyze the TT reflection based on sun zenith and diffuse fraction to group consistent illumination conditions across the year. We identify that TT reflection reduces electrical mismatch by partially offsetting TT shading, and increases annual energy yield by 0.11% and 0.18% in our particular 1P and 2P systems. While the overall impact of TT reflection is greater in the 2P system due to direct beam light incident on the TT, the TT reflection's greatest instantaneous relative contribution to total energy yield is larger for the 1P system, at high diffuse fractions and sun zeniths. For future work, we recommend validating simulation results with and without TT reflection against experimental data. The simulation method used for isolating the TT reflection may also be repurposed to help inform new TT designs that minimize electrical mismatch. Finally, instead of relying on bifacial_radiance to isolate the TT reflection, we recommend incorporating the TT as a Lambertian reflective surface in 3D view factor models with detailed shading for further TT reflection simulations.

ABSTRACT EFFECT OF INITIAL SUPPORT OF EXCAVATION ON SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF CUT AND COVER STRUCTURES Rezaei, Hamidreza M.Sc., Department of Civil Engineering Supervisor: Asst. Prof. Dr. Alp Caner MAY 2011, 66 pages The effect of the initial support and its embedment depth, on the seismic performance of cut and cover tunnels is investigated. Cut and cover construction is one of the fastest and cheapest methods for constructing rectangular shallow tunnels. Construction of cut and cover structure in soil usually starts with installation of the initial support of excavation system, which may consists of rigid type of initial supports such as tangent piles or secant piles. These systems usually remain in place after completion of the final structure. However, to simplify the design, it is a common practice to ignore the contribution of initial support. In this study the effect of initial support of excavation on the seismic performance of cut and cover tunnels is investigated by means of a detailed dynamic finite element analysis. Three different tunnel geometries, three soil types and three acceleration histories were considered Results of the study show that depending on the soil stiffness (soft, medium, or stiff soil), the dynamic response of the tunnel deformations are affected significantly by the initial support of excavation. The effect of the initial support diminishes as the quality of the soil improves. Therefore, dynamic analyses are recommended for the final design of this type of structures especially in soft soils.

The prediction of shear capacity of light timber frame walls in a multi-storey arrangement is the main focus of this dissertation. The available theories neglect to account for the fact that the shear resistance of the walls may depend on the actual vertical position of the applied horizontal force. However, the actual arrangement of the structures in practice introduces a vertical offset between the wall head height and the position of the resultant of the external horizontal forces. Thus, the horizontal shear force is accompanied by dependent overturning moment. Solving such a problem for partially anchored walls inevitably leads to an iterative calculation. The aim is to provide a comprehensible and less calculation-intensive procedure for multi-storey buildings that would be competitive with existing simplified methods. A model derived from lower bound plastic method was successfully put to the test in a parametric study and compared with limited test results. The results show that the capacities predicted using the novel method compare favourably with the results obtained from traditional theories using a more complicated iterative process. Therefore, the presented single-step approach may be appealing to the industry. A test program was formulated to understand better the implications of the recommended best practice of introducing gaps between sheathing panels. It was set to experimentally verify the difference in the shear capacity for setups with and without gaps between the sheathing panels. The significance of this study is that it informs the industry that the manufacturers’ recommendation to incorporate a gap between sheathing panels would not compromise the structural integrity. Considering the model uncertainty and the safety margins, the introduction of gaps does not alter the strength or stiffness of the wall.

The Vertically Oriented Interlocking Timber (VOIT) panel is a new solid wood panel similar to Interlocking Cross Laminated Timber (ICLT) and the more commonly known Cross Laminated Timber (CLT). Like ICLT, VOIT panels use timber connections instead of the adhesives or metal fasteners common to CLT. The difference of VOIT is the orientation of the layers. Where CLT and ICLT panels alternate the orientation of each layer, VOIT panels orient all the layers in the same direction. The vertically oriented layers are then attached to one another by smaller horizontal dovetail members.Two types of VOIT panels were provided to be tested for in-plane lateral loading. Type I had three rows of horizontal dovetail members connecting the layers and Type II had four rows of dovetail members as well as two diagonal members to provide stiffness. Two panels of each type were provided, measuring 8 ft. wide, 8 ft. tall, and 13.75 in. thick. Each panel was disassembled after monotonic lateral in-plane loading to determine possible failure modes. Testing results suggest the VOIT panels to be comparable in shear strength to other wood shear walls, including light frame, CLT, and ICLT walls. A two-part analytical model was created to determine the deflection of the wall when loaded as well as the shear strength of the wall. The model predicted deflection and wall strength reasonably well. Due to the small sample size, additional testing is necessary to confirm the results of the Type I and Type II VOIT panels. Additional testing with more variations of the panel and member geometries is also needed to validate the scope of the model.