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This paper demonstrates the evaluation of the energy dissipation capacity of a steel damper made from mild steel plates through performing a finite element analysis simulating cyclic loading. Results aimed to obtain the damper characteristics incorporated in retrofitting frames to increase their seismic resistance and energy dissipation. The analysis has well captured the damper energy dissipation capacity and the effective stiffness. Results showed that stresses were concentrated on the diaphragm plate since it is the weakest part of the damper and where the failure is expected to occur. Also, the diaphragm plate was the first segment of the damper to yield and enter the plastic ranges.

The strength reduction factors (ϕ) adopted by ACI-440.1R-15 standard code for the flexure design of Fiber Reinforced Polymers Reinforced Concrete (FRP-RC) beams are calibrated in this study. The code calibration process aims to achieve a particular target reliability index (βT) for the selected FRP-RC rectangular beams. An extensive experimental database is collected and used in the calibration process of the resistance factors. It was found that the calibrated ϕ led to a more economical and less conservative design while satisfying the safety requirements imposed by the design code. To meet the βT, a recommended value of ϕ, is found to be 0.70 for cast-in-situ beams failing in compression and 0.65 for tension-controlled cast-in-situ beams. Thus, the proposed values are slightly greater than comparable factors adopted by the ACI code of 0.65 for compressioncontrolled and 0.55 for tension-controlled cast-in-situ beams.

The main objective of this paper was to study the concrete-to-concrete shear friction behavior under cyclic loading and different test rates. Eight dynamic push-pull tests were performed on concrete specimens with as-cast surface roughness type applying four different test rates. The test results include the hysteresis loops of the friction force-displacement relations. It is concluded that the dynamic coefficient of friction decreased with the increased test rate. This reduction in the dynamic coefficient of friction should be considered in the design of structural elements under cyclic or dynamic loading.

Different isolation systems are currently employed to protect sensitive equipment and their hosting structures from undesirable vibrations originating from earthquake ground motions. Wire rope isolator (WRI), a type of passive isolator is known to be effective in isolating the vibrations and shock, can be used for vibration isolation of structures and equipment. The aim of the present work is to study the performance of WRIs in mitigating the vibrational response of equipment mounted on the upper floor of a multi-story structure using numerical simulations. In multistoried buildings, the upper floors experience significantly amplified accelerations than the lower floors and hence the sensitive equipment requires an effective vibration isolation system. The present study shows that the WRI can provide an effective isolation by reducing the equipment acceleration through its lateral flexibility while satisfying the displacement demand. The Performance of the WRI was assessed considering six different earthquake excitations in a series of numerical simulations. The influence of flexibility of the structure on the performance of the WRI is also reported.

Methods of the estimation of the seismic demands of nonlinear structures require a sort of iterative procedures, no matter the elastic or inelastic response spectra are used in the procedure. Many studies dealt with the development of different inelastic spectra with the aim to simplify the evaluation of inelastic deformations and performance of structures. Recently, the concept of inelastic spectra has been adopted in the global scheme of the performance-based seismic design through capacity-spectrum methods (CSM). For instance, the modal pushover analysis (MPA) has been proved to provide accurate results for inelastic buildings to a similar degree of accuracy to the response spectrum analysis (RSA) in estimating peak response for elastic buildings. In this paper, a simplified nonlinear spectral analysis is made to the original MPA is proposed. The proposed procedure, which is applicable to multi-degree-of-freedom MDOF systems uses an inelastic spectrum and gives peak responses consistent with those obtained when using the nonlinear time history analysis (NL-RHA). The accuracy of the proposed procedure is verified against the nonlinear time history analysis results of two buildings. The comparison showed that the new method is capable to provide accurate peak response.

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures are vulnerable to damage under dynamic loads such as earthquakes, necessitating innovative solutions that enhance both performance and sustainability. This study investigates the integration of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) in RC frames to improve ductility, durability, and energy dissipation while considering cost-effectiveness. To achieve this, the partial replacement of concrete with ECC at key structural locations, such as beam–column joints, was explored through experimental testing and numerical simulations. Small-scale beams with varying ECC replacements were tested for failure modes, load–deflection responses, and crack propagation patterns. Additionally, nonlinear quasi-static cyclic and modal analyses were performed on full RC frames, ECC-reinforced frames, and hybrid frames with ECC at the joints. The results demonstrate that ECC reduces the need for shear reinforcement due to its crack-bridging ability, enhances ductility by up to 25% in cyclic loading scenarios, and lowers the formation of plastic hinges, thereby contributing to improved structural resilience. These findings suggest that ECC is a viable, sustainable solution for achieving resilient infrastructure in seismic regions, with an optimal balance between performance and cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quasi-zero-stiffness (QZS) isolators exhibit high-static and low-dynamic stiffness without sacrificing the load-bearing capacity and with the ability to shield the vibration in low-frequency ranges. Most of the current designs possess QZS property using a combination of positive stiffness element with negative stiffness element, increasing the complexity of the model. In the present research, a single-element mechanical metamaterial is tailored to obtain the QZS property. The building block consists of a single elastically-deformed beam, and the static results of the 3D-printed metastructure demonstrate QZS behavior. A mathematical model is developed for studying the nonlinear behavior of the proposed model, and the dynamic equation is solved using Harmonic-Balance method. Further, an experiment is performed to confirm the vibration isolation capability of the proposed model in low-frequency ranges. Stability analysis is performed mathematically using the perturbation analysis. The QZS mechanism obtained here solely depends on the flexible beam's geometrical configuration, hence making the design strategy material independent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, structural engineering codes and specifications in Canada and elsewhere have moved from an allowable stress design (ASD) approach to a load and resistance factor design (LRFD) philosophy. LRFD methodology takes better account of the inherent variability in both loading and resistance by providing different factors of safety for loads of distinct natures with regard to their probability of overload, frequency of occurrences and changes in point of application. The method also results in safer structures because it considers the behavior at collapse. While resistance factors for traditional construction materials based on LRFD in the National Building Code (NBC) of Canada are available, they cannot be used for non-conventional ones. This is because the resistance of such materials due to various load effects has unique bias factors (λR) and coefficients of variation (VR), which greatly impact their reliability index (β). In this study, relationships between the resistance factor ϕ and critical load effects from the NBC load combinations at ultimate limit states are developed for a wide range of resistance bias factors and coefficients of variation. The relationships are presented in the form of charts that are useful for researchers and code-writing professionals who have expertise in the various fields of structural engineering but lack proper background in reliability theory. The developed spectra showed that for the same ϕ, β increases with an increase in the live-to-dead load (L/D) ratio until it reaches 1; thereafter, the shape of the relationship will depend on the statistics of the resistance as well as on the magnitude of ϕ. For a small ϕ and VR, β will keep increasing with an increase in the L/D ratio from 1 until 3, albeit at a lesser rate. For L/D > 3, the relationship between the critical β and applied load is just about constant. This finding is also true for load combinations involving snow and wind. Application of the method is illustrated by a practical example involving the shear strength of a corrugated web steel beam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suspension bridges are critical, lifeline, civil structures that have been constructed in many countries due to their superior effectiveness when it comes to long spans, in which other bridge system cannot handle, see fig. 1. In this paper, we study a mathematical model for a one-dimensional suspension bridge problem with nonlinear damping. The model takes into consideration the vibration of the bridge deck in the vertical plane and main cable from which the bridge deck is suspended. The well-posedness and asymptotic stability are investigated using the well-known Galerkin and multiplier methods. Next, a numerical solution using the finite difference method, along with its stability criterion is developed to solve the system of partial differential equations governing the mathematical model of the bridge system. Numerical applications are then presented to showcase the effect of the nonlinear damping parameters and the dissipated energy time histories. Results of this numerical solution proved that an optimum damping and energy dissipation can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]