This work focused on decay and dimensional stability of southern pine lumber and environmental issues associated with emissions released during kiln drying of southern pine. In one study decking boards were treated with a 3% resin acid solution to increase the dimensional stability. The boards were placed on a roof and weathered for two years. The increased water repellency reduced moisture gain following summer rainstorms by one-third compared to untreated matched samples, this significantly reduced splitting by half and cupping by one-third. In one study decking boards from matched samples were weathered for two years in the roof setup described above, and in a fungal ground proximity test. The ground proximity samples had slightly more decay than the roof samples. Correlation between decay ratings for the matched samples was 37%, suggesting above-ground decay susceptibility is dependent on the macro- and micro-environment. Decay in roof exposure was modeled based on moisture content factors, whereas decay in ground proximity was modeled by the resin and fatty acids. One study tested pole sections with varying amounts of sapwood, heartwood, and knots dried in a pilot-scale kiln. A sample of the kiln exhaust was measured for volatile organic compounds. Emissions from poles were similar to clear lumber. Emissions from heartwood poles were less than for heartwood lumber, perhaps due to the poles’ sapwood band. The final study was conducted with clear and knotty lumber kiln dried to below 8% moisture content using three kiln schedules. Wood dried to this lower moisture content is used in interior applications or exported. During drying, a sample of the kiln exhaust was analyzed for total VOCs, and a sample of the kiln exhaust was collected and analyzed for hazardous air pollutants via gas chromatography and spectrophotometry. For all three kiln schedules, mills would reach 10 tons of methanol and thus must comply with maximum achievable control technology standards before reaching 25 tons of methanol, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, and propionaldehyde.

Developing a rational method of design has long been the goal of structural engineering. For steel structures, through the development of plastic design and electronic computation, this now seems possible. Several methods have been proposed within the last five years, and one method has been programmed for the digital computer. Five methods are here discussed and compared and the method of Heyman and Prager is investigated in detail. The assumptions and restrictions of the Heyman-Prager method, along with the computer program developed by Kalker, are investigated and discussed. The author attempts to evaluate the usefulness of, and place the Heyman-Prager method in a proper perspective in the overall planning, design, analysis phases of the total structural evolution. It is concluded that a more efficient computer program could be developed to facilitate the structural solution and some methods by which this might be accomplished are suggested. A comprehensive bibliography is provided which traces the development of practical minimum weight, plastic design from its inception up to the present time. / Master of Science

Experiments were conducted to investigate effects of endophyte (Acremonium coenophialum Morgan-Jones and Gams) infection of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) on grazing cattle and subsequent feedlot performance, serum minerals and prolactin, intake, digestibility, bite size, and biting rate. Grazing animal performance was measured April to October, 1989 and 1990, at two locations in VA. Effects of grazing low (<5%) and high (>70%) endophyte infected tall fescue, with and without white clover (Trifolium repens L.), were studied with yearling steers. At each location, two replicates were used with a stocking rate of .3 ha/steer (116 steers/yr). At the end of grazing, all animals were finished on a high corn silage diet and slaughtered. Daily gains of steers grazing low endophyte-infected pastures were higher (P<.01) than for those grazing high endophyte-infected pastures. Cattle grazing high endophyte-infected tall fescue with clover at Glade Spring gained at the same rate as those grazing the low endophyte-infected tall fescue without clover during Summer, 1989. During 1990, cattle at Glade Spring had higher (P<.05) daily gains than did those at Blackstone. Rectal temperatures were .5 to 1 °C higher (P<.05) for steers grazing infected pastures by June of each year at both locations. Prolactin concentrations were lower (P<.01) in cattle grazing endophyte-infected fescue within 28 d of initiation of grazing at both locations. Visual evaluation indicated that steers grazing high-endophyte pastures had rough hair coats compared to those grazing low endophyte pastures (P<.01), showing evidence of tall fescue toxicosis. Serum mineral analyses indicated no consistent influence of the endophyte. During feedlot finishing, there were no detrimental effects from previously grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue on animal performance. Forage DM yield, and CP in 1990, and IVDMD in 1989 and 1990 from Glade Spring were higher (P<.05) compared to Blackstone. Forage from Blackstone was typically higher in NDF, ADF, and lignin compared to Glade Spring. Forage from Glade Spring was higher in Ca, Mg, P, and Cu, compared to Blackstone. Diet selection, digestibility, biting size, and biting rate were measured with esophageally-fistulated steers grazing low (<5%) and high (>70%) endophyte-infected tall fescue, with and without white clover. Bite size was smaller (P<.05) in July compared to May, corresponding to decreased quantity of forage available. Bite size and biting rate were not affected by endophyte infection or inclusion of clover. In vitro DM digestibility was higher (P<.05) for high endophyte-infected tall fescue in July. Animals consumed a higher percentage of clover than was available in the sward. Intake and digestibility were estimated using 48 experimental animals and four esophageally-fistulated steers. Chromic oxide sustained-release boluses and forage IVDMD were used to estimate intake. The chromic oxide boluses were determined to be reliable for predicting intake of steers during a 21 d trial involving total fecal collection. Intake was higher (P<.01) in cattle grazing low endophyte-infected tall fescue compared to animals grazing high endophyte-infected fescue. Twenty-one Angus steers (256 kg) were used to compare the effect of 0 and 40% endophyte-infected tall fescue and orchardgrass hay on DM intake, daily gain, body temperature, serum minerals, and prolactin concentrations during an 8 wk study. Quality of the diets was low, as indicated by low CP (8.1 to 10.3%), and IVDMD (41.3 to 47.1%). Daily DM intake and daily gain were higher (P<.05) for animals consuming the noninfected tall fescue compared to animals fed the other hays. Body temperature and serum prolactin were not affected by diet. These data suggest that other factors, besides endophyte infection, are important in the etiology of tall fescue toxicosis. Some of the decreased performance of steers grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue was related to lower intake. Additional research is needed to evaluate higher levels of clover to possibly ameliorate some of the problems of tall fescue toxicosis. / Ph. D.

In today’s society cities grow increasingly larger, not only on the ground but vertically as well. Utilizing height means taller buildings, which often are large steel- and concrete constructions. Why not construct tall buildings out of timber instead, a material by many believed to be far better from an environmental perspective than steel and concrete? The answer lies in the lack of knowledge regarding tall timber constructions and the stresses they need to withstand. The report was conducted at the construction consulting company Bjerking AB, Uppsala. The focus in this report was to examine accelerations and deformations as an effect of wind loads. The issue at hand was whether the connections between building elements affect the dynamic responses that occur. The chosen model was a 15 storey timber building whose walls and floors consisted mainly of cross laminated timber elements as the load bearing structure. As a large amount of the analyses were complex, the calculations were made in the computer program FEM-Design, which is a finite element program. After performing numerous calculations with different settings, a result emerged. Clear trends could be seen in the connections’ influence on accelerations and deformations. A stiffer connection makes the building more resistant to wind loads. This result has to be considered when constructing tall timber buildings to avoid problems with accelerations and deformations. However, merely adjusting the connections to meet requirements is not sufficient, other measures are also needed. / I dagens samhälle växer sig städer allt större, inte bara till ytan utan även på höjden. För att kunna exploatera på höjden krävs högre hus vilka ofta byggs av stora stål- och betongkonstruktioner. Men varför byggs inte höghus istället av trä som av många anses vara mycket bättre ur bland annat miljösynpunkt? Svaret ligger i kunskapsbristen som finns kring hur höga trähus ska konstrueras för att klara de olika påfrestningarna det utsätts för. Arbetet genomfördes i samarbete med konsultföretaget Bjerking AB, Uppsala. En del av de problemen som finns har undersökts, nämligen accelerationer och deformationer som en effekt av vindlaster. Frågeställningen är huruvida infästningarna och dess inspänningsgrad mellan olika byggnadselement påverkar de statiska respektive dynamiska effekterna som uppstår. Den valda modellen, ett 15-våningar högt trähus, bestod i huvudsak av CLT-element, Cross Laminated Timber, i både väggar och bjälklag som hade till uppgift att föra ner lasterna till grunden. Då analysen är komplex utfördes en stor del av beräkningarna i FEM-Design som är ett avancerat beräkningsprogram. För att säkerställa indata samt komplettera kunskapen inom området utfördes en bakgrundsstudie. Efter utförta beräkningar på den bestämda modellen fastslogs resultatet. En tydlig trend kunde följas vid beaktning av accelerationer och deformationer vid olika värden på inspänningen mellan byggnadselementen. Styvare förband gör byggnaden mer beständig gentemot vindlaster. Ett resultat som måste beaktas för att kunna lösa en del av de problem som uppstår med höga hus i trä. Dock räcker det inte att enbart justera inspänningsgraden för att klara gällande krav och normer, utan ytterligare åtgärder krävs.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Architecture / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / Ganga M. Hettiarachchi / Although phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for the growth of plants, it is one of the most limiting nutrients in terms of availability as a high proportion of applied P rapidly transforms into insoluble forms with low solubility in soils. To further understand the fate of P applied to soils, two separate but related studies using three high P-fixing soil types each were used for which the objectives were to investigate the mobility, availability, and reaction products from two granular and one liquid P fertilizer alone or plus a fertilizer enhancement product. Energy dispersive spectroscopy showed a substantial amount of P remained in the granule following a 5-week incubation. At the end of the 35-day incubation period there was evidence that the fluid fertilizer was superior over the granular sources in terms of enhanced diffusion and extractability of P for three calcareous soils with varying levels of CaCO₃. Phosphorus x-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy results in conjunction with resin-extractable P indicated a strong negative correlation between Ca-P solids formed and P extractability, suggesting that degree of Ca-P formation limits P solubility. For the three acidic P-fixing soils the results were complex. In two out of three acid soils, liquid P treatments diffused farther from the application point than the granular treatments. Phosphorus XANES results suggested that Fe-P or Al-P interactions control the overall P solubility. Integration of pH, resin extractable-P and XANES results suggested the P retention mechanism was either dominated by adsorption or precipitation depending on soil pH. More acidic soil conditions favored precipitation. The objectives of the third study were to observe how long-term (14 years) addition of P with or without N influences the inorganic and organic P pools in a native grassland soil using sequential fractionation, XANES, and ³¹P-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The overall results suggested that P and N fertilization and associated changes in plant productivity induced significant changes in soil P pools such as Ca-P, phytic acid, monoesters, and residual forms of P. The addition of P alone induced formation of inorganic P forms while the addition of P and N induced transformation of residual P forms into more labile and/or organic P forms.

L'ambition de cette recherche est d'interroger et de clarifier l'emploi du terme événement à propos de réalisations architecturales et des phénomènes qui les entourent. Elle a été menée grâce à l'étude de trois quartiers de tours et d'affaires européens – la City, la Défense, Francfort – qui apparaissent propices à la recherche d'événements. L'événement architectural y est vu, à l'instar de tout événement, non comme un donné immanent advenant par lui-même, mais comme un construit auquel participe chaque acteur en amont et en aval, du client qui organise un concours aux médias qui fabriquent sa réception. Cette construction est caractéristique de la période récente. L'événement architectural tel que nous le définissons n'est pas un simple mode d'existence de l'événement mais le produit d'un rapport au temps particulier que certains historiens voient comme étant uniquement tourné vers le présent et qualifient à l'aide de la notion de régime d'historicité. Dans les quartiers étudiés, l'événement prend la forme de mises en scène de l'existant lors de festivals ou grâce à la réalisation de bâtiments qui se présentent comme atemporels et hors de toute question de style. Il ne provoque plus nécessairement de rupture. Mais alors que ce phénomène tourne tous les regards vers l'architecture des bâtiments, il opère également une réduction dans leurs caractéristiques architecturales. L'architecture, en devenant événement ou en étant utilisée par un événement festif, n'est plus vue que sous l'angle de questions typologiques plus ou moins réduites et de différenciation pour faire mémoire. Ces deux points sont vus comme la part irréductible de l'architecture, indissoluble dans l'événement, dernier levier d'action pour les architectes aux prises avec une demande en événement / The aim of this research is to question and clarify the use of the term event when talking about architectural realizations and the phenomena that occur around them. It has been conducted by analyzing three European tall building and business districts – the City, La Défense, and Frankfurt – which seem propitious for the location of events. Just like any other event, the architectural one is not viewed here as a spontaneous given which occurs in and of itself but as a construction in which a variety of actors take part, from the client who organizes the competition beforehand all the way to the media who, in the aftermath of the event, generate its reception. This construction is characteristic of recent times. The architectural event such as we define it is not a mere mode of existence of the event but the product of a special relationship to time which some historians see as being only preoccupied with the present and define thanks to the notion of regime of historicity. In the districts studied, the event takes the form of a staging of the existing by way of festivals or thanks to the completion of buildings which present themselves as timeless and devoid of any question of style. It no longer necessarily leads to a breach. But while this phenomenon has all gazes turned toward the architecture of the buildings, it also diminishes their architectural characteristics. By becoming an event in itself or being used for festive events, architecture is henceforth only considered through the angle of a limited number of typological questions and that of its ability to distinguish itself in order to be remembered. These two aspects are seen as the irreducible facets of architecture, those which cannot be dissolved in the event. They are the final levers of action for the architect who is faced with a demand for events

Assessing tall building oscillation is a multidisciplinary area involving knowledge from different fields of study: structural engineering, wind engineering, reliability, and even human physiology, to name a few. With the modern high strength structural materials and the latest tendencies in tall buildings construction, new structural systems have become slender and new buildings have reached greater heights as time passes. This context leads to a situation where these slender structures are sensitive to dynamic effects from wind loads and where human comfort is often the prevailing criterion for the structural design. This multidisciplinary area with slender structural systems allied to economic and environmental aspects from building construction demands a better integration between the abovementioned fields in order to achieve both human comfort and sustainable buildings (from environmental and economic points of view). This thesis aims at connecting the \"weak links\" of the Davenport\'s chain of wind loading, discussing criteria from each field involved in the oscillation assessment of a tall building: dynamic analysis, finite element modelling, wind climate modelling and comfort assessment. The axis of investigation intends to bring precision to the procedure, whilst creating a reliable set of criteria to perform a dynamic response assessment from the wind tunnel testing of tall buildings. This thesis also aims at connecting these fields of study by bringing understanding from each one of them to all the others, and at validating multidisciplinary interactions in the Davenport\'s chain. Finally, a wide dispersion of results is obtained for two different tall buildings in São Paulo. This dispersion serves to corroborate the deficient integration between these fields of study and to present a set of criteria that brings precision to the procedure, whilst allowing more economic and sustainable designs. / O estudo das oscilações de edifícios altos sob ação do vento é uma área multidisciplinar que envolve conhecimentos de diferentes campos de estudo: engenharia estrutural, engenharia de vento, confiabilidade e até fisiologia humana, para citar apenas alguns. Em paralelo, a criação de novos materiais de construção de alta resistência, aliados às últimas tendências na construção de edifícios altos, permite sistemas estruturais cada vez mais esbeltos aplicados a edifícios cada vez mais altos. Este contexto leva a uma situação em que estes sistemas estruturais são sensíveis aos efeitos dinâmicos das cargas de vento e onde o conforto humano é frequentemente o critério preponderante para o projeto estrutural. Esta área multidisciplinar, com seus sistemas estruturais esbeltos, aliada aos aspectos econômicos e ambientais da construção de edifícios altos, exige uma melhor integração entre os campos acima referidos para se alcançar conforto humano em edifícios sustentáveis (tanto do ponto de vista ambiental quanto do econômico). Esta tese tem como eixo de investigação os \"elos fracos\" da corrente de cargas de vento de Davenport e discute os critérios de cada campo envolvido na avaliação das oscilações de um edifício alto: análise dinâmica, modelagem de elementos finitos, modelagem probabilística de vento e avaliação de conforto. O eixo de investigação proposto visa a trazer precisão ao procedimento, criando um conjunto de critérios confiáveis para a avaliação da resposta dinâmica a partir de ensaios em túnel de vento de edifícios altos. Esta tese também visa a conectar estes campos de estudo, trazendo a compreensão de cada um deles para todos os outros e para validar as interações multidisciplinares na corrente de Davenport. Finalmente, uma grande dispersão de resultados é obtida para dois edifícios altos em São Paulo. Esta dispersão serve para corroborar a deficiência da integração entre estes campos de estudo e para apresentar um conjunto de critérios que traga precisão ao procedimento, permitindo, concomitantemente, projetos mais econômicos e sustentáveis.

Neste trabalho são abordados os aspectos inerentes à análise não linear física e geométrica de núcleos rígidos pertencentes a estruturas de contraventamento de edifícios altos em concreto armado. O trabalho foca a análise estrutural dos núcleos através do uso de uma ferramenta computacional capaz de realizar uma análise não linear rigorosa, estudando modelos usuais com o emprego do método dos elementos finitos. São avaliadas as reduções de inércia que ocorrem nas paredes que compõem os núcleos, dimensionados de forma a apresentarem três taxas de armadura, uma próxima à mínima, uma média e uma próxima à máquina permitida pela NBR 6118. São estabelecidas estimativas simplificadas para os efeitos da não linearidade física sobre esses elementos, que possam ser utilizadas em projetos usuais de maneira simples e prática. / This work deals with nonlinear geometrical and physical analysis of structural cores that take part in the bracing system of multistory reinforced concrete buildings. The study depicts the structural behavior of concrete cores by using a computational tool that performs a strict non-linear analysis, coping with usual models based on the Finite Element Method. The work evaluates the inertia reduction of concrete core\'s walls, considering minimum, medium and maximum geometrical reinforcement ratio prescribed by NBR 6118. Estimations of the physical nonlinearity of those elements are provided aiming at the practical use in actual structural design.

O emprego de pilares mistos formados por tubos de aço preenchidos com concreto de alta resistência, sobretudo em edifícios altos, é uma tendência em diversos países europeus, americanos e asiáticos. A tais elementos são atribuídas vantagens como: alta resistência e ductilidade, economia de materiais e mão-de-obra, redução das dimensões da seção transversal e melhoria no comportamento dos materiais aço e concreto, devido ao efeito de confinamento. Buscando suprir algumas carências de conhecimento, procura-se obter dados experimentais sobre o comportamento de pilares mistos axialmente comprimidos, possibilitando desta forma avaliar parâmetros como influência da forma da seção transversal e da espessura do perfil tubular no seu comportamento. Foram analisadas seções quadradas, circulares e retangulares, preenchidas por concreto com resistência média de 50MPa. A ruína destes elementos caracterizou-se pelo esmagamento do concreto, ocorrendo posteriormente a flambagem local do perfil em diversos pontos. A capacidade resistente prevista por diversas normas resultou em valores muito próximos dos experimentais, embora várias destas normas não considerem o efeito de confinamento. Os ensaios mostraram que o efeito de confinamento contribui de forma decisiva na melhoria do comportamento dos materiais, sobretudo ductilizando o concreto de alta resistência, entretanto seus efeitos não são significativos no aumento da capacidade resistente da seção mista. Alguns critérios para avaliação da ductilidade à compressão foram adaptados e mostraram bons resultados, possibilitando o cálculo do índice de ductilidade. / The use of concrete filled steel tubes especially in tall buildings is a tendency in several european, american and asian countries. The use of these members has several advantages: high resistance and ductility, saving of materials and labour, reduction of cross section dimensions and improvement in behaviour of the materials steel and concrete due the confinement. The main purpose of this study is provide some experimental results of the behaviour of concrete filled steel tubes concentrically loaded. The main experimental parameters considered were the influence of the cross-section shape and thickness of steel tube. Square, circular and rectangular cross-section shapes infilling with concrete of the 50MPa of strength were analyzed. The failure was characterized for crushing of the concrete and later local buckling of the steel section in several points. The strength capacity predicted for several standards showed good agreement with the experimental failure values although this does not consider the confinement of the concrete. The results of tests showed that the confinement effect contributes for improvement behaviour of materials, especially increasing the ductility of the high strength concrete. However the results showed that the triaxial confinement does not increase the axial capacity of the concrete filled steel tubes. Some methods to estimate the ductility of axially compressed concrete columns were adapted and showed good results permitting the calculation of the ductility index of short columns.