This thesis describes the development of the computer program UT Fire, which serves as a preprocessor for the computer program SAFIR2007. SAFIR2007, developed at the University of Liege in Belgium, conducts heat transfer analysis and structural response analysis for structures subjected to fire. The preprocessor UT Fire was developed to allow a simplified graphical interface for input to the heat transfer portion of SAFIR 2007. This thesis provides step by step instructions on the use of UT Fire and illustrates its use through a series of detailed examples. / text

Multi-storey buildings with precast hollowcore concrete floor systems are very common in New Zealand and in many other countries, but the structural behaviour of such systems under fire exposure is not easy to predict because of the complex geometry, composite construction, and a wide range of possible support conditions. The 2006 version of the New Zealand Concrete Standard NZS3101 introduces new details for connection of hollowcore floor units to reinforced concrete supporting beams to improve seismic performance, but the fire performance of the new connection systems is unknown. Currently available methods for simulating fire performance of hollowcore slabs are not suitable for design purposes. Therefore, a simple yet sufficiently accurate simulation method needs to be developed. This study was carried out using a proposed simulation method to investigate the fire performance of hollowcore floor slabs with different connection details between the hollowcore units and their reinforced concrete supporting beams conforming to NZS3101. The proposed simulation method is examined on the platform of SAFIR, a non-linear finite element program that includes both thermal and structural analysis. The proposed simulation method was validated using available experimental results from a limited number of tests. It does not take account of shear and anchorage failures or spalling effects, so designers should consult other studies for this behaviour of hollowcore concrete flooring systems. By using the proposed simulation scheme in SAFIR, it is investigated whether the tensile membrane action established through beams parallel to the hollowcore units and different floor aspect ratios will enhance the fire resistance of hollowcore concrete flooring systems. From the simulation results it is concluded that rigid connections at both the ends and the sides of the hollowcore flooring systems to the supporting beams provide better fire resistance than rotationally flexible connections, and the fire resistance of hollowcore flooring systems can be increased by using stiffer supporting beams at the end of the slabs and also by decreasing the spacing between the beams parallel to the hollowcore units.

One of the biggest challenges of our time is the climate change. With a rapid change infocus for a more substantiality in structural design. This means that we need to reducethis sector emissions and we have with this paper shown how one way of this ispossible. And that is to reduce the amount of concrete in the structure withoutcompromising security or the structural integrity.This report shows that if constructors wants, there is ways to make this happen alreadytoday without making changes in the law or regulations. If building constructers use thezone method, they can reduce the use of concrete with more than 36% concrete pillarshowed by this report.We have trough this paper discovered the main obstacle with calculations and use of thezone method is the temperature and unclarity with the method in the Eurocodes. Wewant to highlight the opportunity’s this method gives constructors to make moreenvironmental choices.

En samverkanspelare drar nytta av interaktionen mellan det omslutande stålröret och profilens betongkärna för att därav erhålla en ökad lastkapacitet. För att förstå beteendet och effekterna av interaktionen mellan stål och betong är det viktigt att förstå de enskilda materialens beteende. Betongens huvudsakliga uppgift i en samverkanspelare är att ta upp tryckkrafter medan stålets främsta uppgift är att motverka momentpåkänning och uppta dragkrafter. I normal rumstemperatur samverkar stål och betong för att bära den aktuella lasten. Samverkanspelaren har stor potential med avseende på lastkapacitet. Nedan tas några av de förväntade positiva effekterna av interaktionen mellan stål och betong upp: Förekomsten av buckling för stålet försenas samtidigt som den försämrade bärförmågan efter lokal buckling uppstått dämpas, beroende på betongkärnans återhållande effekt. Förhindrar spjälkning och hållfasthetsnedsättningen för betongen blir inte lika drastisk. Ökad tryckhållfasthet och deformations kapacitet, speciellt för grövre tvärsnitt. Vid ett brandscenario utsätts pelaren för en temperaturhöjning. Värmeöverföringen från brandgaserna till pelaren sker främst genom strålnings- och konvektionsvärme. Lastkapaciteten för pelarens ingående material kommer att reduceras till följd av denna värmeökning. Storleken för reduceringen beror på hur hög temperatur materialen utsätts för, där en högre temperatur medför en kraftigare reducering. För den betongfyllda stålprofilen kommer således det omkringliggande stålet att fort bli mycket varmt medan betongkärnan erhåller en trögare temperaturökning. I brandfallets initialskede expanderar stålet hastigare än betongen, vilket medför att stålet då i princip bär hela den aktuella lasten. Efter en tid förmår inte stålet längre att vara lastbärare och betongkärnan bär då istället lasten. Pelarens slutliga kollaps sker först då betongkärnan slutligen inte förmår belastningen. En jämförande teoretisk undersökning av samverkans-, betong- och stålpelare under termisk påverkan genomfördes i detta arbete. Beräkningsgången följer de dimensioneringsregler som finns för respektive material i Eurocodes. Kapacitetsberäkningar är gjorda för både normal rumstemperatur likväl som för brandutsatthet. För analys och bestämning av pelartvärsnittens temperaturprofil vid de olika tidsstegen 30, 60 och 90 minuter användes ett nominellt brandförlopp. Tvärsnittens temperaturhistoria användes sedan för att reducera de mekaniska egenskaperna som funktion av temperaturen.Undersökningen konstaterade att samverkans- och betongpelarens kapacitet vid 60 minuters brandpåverkan var tillräcklig. Hand- och datorberäkningar påvisade nästintill likvärdig lastkapacitet vid termisk påverkan och normaltemperatur. / A concrete-filled steel column is taking advantage of the interaction between the enclosing steel profile and the concrete core to obtain an increased load capacity. In order to understand the behavior and effects of the interaction between steel and concrete, it is important to first understand the individual material behavior. The main task of the concrete in a composite column is to absorb pressure forces while the steel's main task is to counteract stress and the tensile forces. At normal room temperature both steel and concrete interact to carry the current load. Concrete-filled steel column has a great potential according to load capacity. Some of the expected positive effects of the interaction between steel and concrete are: The occurrence of buckling for the steel is delayed and the strength deterioration after the local buckling is moderate, both due to the restraining effect of concrete. Prevents the concrete spalling and strength reduction of concrete core will not be as drastic. Increased compressive strength and deformation capacity, especially for large-diameter cross-section. In a fire scenario the column is exposed to a temperature increase. Heat transfer from the combustion gases to the column occurs mainly through radiation and convection heat. The load carrying capacity of the included materials will be reduced as a result of this heat transfer. The size of the reduction depends on how high temperature the materials are exposed to, where a higher temperature leads to a greater reduction. For the concrete-filled steel column, the surrounding steel profile will quickly become very hot while the concrete core obtains a slower rise in temperature. In the initial stage of the fire case the steel expands faster than the concrete, causing the steel to then basically carry the entire load of the column. After some time the steel will be incapable of carrying the load, then instead the concrete core will be the main load carrier. The final collapse of the column occurs only when the concrete core finally will be incapable to carry the load. A comparative theoretical study of concrete-filled steel column, concrete- and steel columns under thermal effects was carried out in this work. The calculation method followed the design rules that exist for each material in the Eurocode. Column capacity calculations are made for both normal room temperatures as well as for fire exposure. The ISO-standard fire curve was used for analysis and determination of each column cross-section temperature profile at the different time stages 30, 60 and 90 minutes. The mechanical properties were then reduced as a function of the temperature. The survey found that the composite and concrete column load capacity exposed to 60 minutes of the ISO-standard fire curve was adequate. Calculations made by hand and with computer showed almost equivalent load capacity by thermal effects and normal temperature.

Salvinorin A is a non-nitrogenous, selective kappa opioid receptor agonist with potent hallucinogenic properties. Because Salvinorin A has no basic nitrogen, it does not readily adhere to the “message-address” concept of selectivity for the opioid receptors. Therefore, a better understanding of how salvinorin A and its analogs interact with the kappa opioid receptor may shed some light on how salvinorin A obtains its potency and selectivity. The structure-affinity relationships (SAFIR) of salvinorin A and its analogs along with a discussion of the selectivity of the opioid receptors, is presented. A fragment of salvinorin A, methyl-3-acetoxy-4-oxocyclohexanecarboxylate, was synthesized to determine if the B, C and D rings are or are not necessary for binding to the opioid receptors. The fragment was found not to bind to the kappa, delta or mu receptor which reinforces the importance of the B, C and D rings in the binding of salvinorin A to the kappa opioid receptor. Homology models of the kappa, delta and mu opioid receptors were constructed based on inactive bovine rhodopsin, light-activated bovine rhodopsin and the human beta-2 adrenergic receptors. The program MODELLER was also used to construct the kappa opioid receptor. Two comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) studies are then presented which compared three different types of alignment methods. The alignment methods employed included a receptor-docked alignment in which the salvinorin A analogs were docked into a model of the kappa opioid receptor using the program GOLD. The docked poses for this alignment were chosen based on their similarity to our postulated model of salvinorin A in the kappa opioid receptor. In our model the furan oxygen forms hydrogen bonds with Q115(2.60) and Y320(7.43), the methoxy oxygen of the C-4 position ester group may form a hydrogen bond with Y312(7.35) and the methyl group of the C-2 position acetoxy moiety forms a hydrophobic interaction with Y313(7.36). These interactions are consistent with mutagenesis studies. The other alignment methods employed were a FlexS alignment and a realignment of the receptor-docked poses using the Fit Atoms function within SYBYL. Only the receptor-docked alignment method resulted in robust and predictive CoMFA models which indicates that the analogs may bind to the kappa opioid receptor in a similar but non-identical way. In addition, information from the CoMFA models based on the receptor-docked alignment led to a postulated binding mode for a set of amine analogs of salvinorin A which were not part of the original data set. Docking studies have the positively charged C-2 position amine group interacting with E209(XL2.49) while the furan oxygen and C-4 position ester group interacts with the same residues as in our model of salvinorin A in the kappa opioid receptor. The studies presented here not only support our postulated model of salvinorin A binding to the kappa opioid receptor but may also explain the trend of the beta epimers of the amine analogs to have a higher affinity than the corresponding alpha epimers. Site-directed mutagenesis studies could provide data to support or refute the postulated models of the amines docked in the kappa opioid receptor presented here.

Fires following earthquake (FFE) have historically produced enormous post-earthquake damage and losses in terms of lives, buildings and economic costs, like the San Francisco earthquake (1906), the Kobe earthquake (1995), the Turkey earthquake (2011), the Tohoku earthquake (2011) and the Christchurch earthquakes (2011). The structural fire performance can worsen significantly because the fire acts on a structure damaged by the seismic event. On these premises, the purpose of this work is the investigation of the experimental and numerical response of structural and non-structural components of steel structures subjected to fire following earthquake (FFE) to increase the knowledge and provide a robust framework for hybrid fire testing and hybrid fire following earthquake testing. A partitioned algorithm to test a real case study with substructuring techniques was developed. The framework is developed in MATLAB and it is also based on the implementation of nonlinear finite elements to model the effects of earthquake forces and post-earthquake effects such as fire and thermal loads on structures. These elements should be able to capture geometrical and mechanical non-linearities to deal with large displacements. Two numerical validation procedures of the partitioned algorithm simulating two virtual hybrid fire testing and one virtual hybrid seismic testing were carried out. Two sets of experimental tests in two different laboratories were performed to provide valuable data for the calibration and comparison of numerical finite element case studies reproducing the conditions used in the tests. Another goal of this thesis is to develop a fire following earthquake numerical framework based on a modified version of the OpenSees software and several scripts developed in MATLAB to perform probabilistic analyses of structures subjected to FFE. A new material class, namely SteelFFEThermal, was implemented to simulate the steel behaviour subjected to FFE events.