A strong earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China, on May 12, 2008. Shortly after the earthquake, the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center of the Federal Highway Administration, in partnershi...A strong earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China, on May 12, 2008. Shortly after the earthquake, the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center of the Federal Highway Administration, in partnership with the Research Institute of Highways, the Ministry of Communication of China, led a reconnaissance team to conduct a post-earthquake bridge performance investigation of the transportation system in the earthquake affected areas. The U.S. transportation system reconnaissance team visited the area during July 20 24, 2008. This paper presents the findings and lessons learned by the team.展开更多
In this paper, the seismic effectiveness of a density-variable tuned liquid damper （DVTLD） with a sloping bottom is experimentally investigated through a series of shake table tests on a 1/4-scale, 3-story frame str...In this paper, the seismic effectiveness of a density-variable tuned liquid damper （DVTLD） with a sloping bottom is experimentally investigated through a series of shake table tests on a 1/4-scale, 3-story frame structure and numerically simulated by a new semi-analytical model. Special attention was given to reducing the first peak and maximum response under near- and far-field ground motions, and the robustness of a density-variable control system consisting of multiple DVTLDs with closely-spaced frequencies. Adaptable to earthquake excitations, the density-variable control system has been demonstrated to be more effective and more robust than its corresponding traditional tuned liquid damper in suppressing story drift and floor acceleration of the structure. Numerical simulations of the DVTLD-controlled structure agreed very well in phase with experimental results but somewhat overestimated the amplitude of the structural response.展开更多
The use of fiber reinforced polymer （FRP） reinforcement is becoming increasingly attractive in construction of new structures. However, the inherent linear elastic behavior of FRP materials up to rupture is consider...The use of fiber reinforced polymer （FRP） reinforcement is becoming increasingly attractive in construction of new structures. However, the inherent linear elastic behavior of FRP materials up to rupture is considered as a major drawback under seismic attacks when significant material inelasticity is required to dissipate the input energy through hysteretic cycles. Besides, cost considerations, including FRP material and construction of pre-fabricated FRP configurations, especially for stirrups, and probable damage to epoxy coated fibers when transported to the field are noticeable issues. The current research has proposed a novel economical hybrid reinforcement scheme for the next generation of infrastructures implementing on-site fabricated FRP stirrups comprised of FRP sheets. The hybrid reinforcement consists of conventional longitudinal steel reinforcement and FRP stirrups. The key feature of the proposed hybrid reinforcement is the enhanced strength and ductility owing to the considerable confining pressure provided by the FRP stirrups to the longitudinal steel reinforcement and core concrete. Reinforced concrete beam specimens and beam- column joint specimens were tested implementing the proposed hybrid reinforcement. The proposed hybrid reinforcement, when compared with conventional steel stirrups, is found to have higher strength, stiffness, and energy dissipation. Design methods, structural behavior, and applicability of the proposed hybrid reinforcement are discussed in detail in this paper.展开更多
Corrosion is one of the main causes of incidents occurred in hazardous liquid and gas transmission pipelines in the USA, resulting in a loss of over $12 billion per year. In this study, the corrosion resistance of pip...Corrosion is one of the main causes of incidents occurred in hazardous liquid and gas transmission pipelines in the USA, resulting in a loss of over $12 billion per year. In this study, the corrosion resistance of pipeline steel coated with five types of enamel was investigated in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution with linear polarization resistance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests. Steel coupons were cut from API 5L X65 pipeline steel and coated with five types of enamels using the wet process. The microstructures of all enamel samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Experimental results indicate that all enamel coatings increase the corrosion resistance of pipeline steel, and pure enamel PE2, mixed enamels ME1 and ME2 have higher corrosion resistances than pure enamel PE1 and mixed enamel ME3.展开更多
基金Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center of Federal Highway Administration
文摘A strong earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China, on May 12, 2008. Shortly after the earthquake, the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center of the Federal Highway Administration, in partnership with the Research Institute of Highways, the Ministry of Communication of China, led a reconnaissance team to conduct a post-earthquake bridge performance investigation of the transportation system in the earthquake affected areas. The U.S. transportation system reconnaissance team visited the area during July 20 24, 2008. This paper presents the findings and lessons learned by the team.
基金U.S. National Science Foundation Under Award No. 0342020the Dean’s Fellowship Program from the University of Missouri-Rolla (renamed to Missouri University of Science and Technology in January 2008)
文摘In this paper, the seismic effectiveness of a density-variable tuned liquid damper （DVTLD） with a sloping bottom is experimentally investigated through a series of shake table tests on a 1/4-scale, 3-story frame structure and numerically simulated by a new semi-analytical model. Special attention was given to reducing the first peak and maximum response under near- and far-field ground motions, and the robustness of a density-variable control system consisting of multiple DVTLDs with closely-spaced frequencies. Adaptable to earthquake excitations, the density-variable control system has been demonstrated to be more effective and more robust than its corresponding traditional tuned liquid damper in suppressing story drift and floor acceleration of the structure. Numerical simulations of the DVTLD-controlled structure agreed very well in phase with experimental results but somewhat overestimated the amplitude of the structural response.
基金Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at Missouri S＆T and the National Science Foundation （award No. CMMI-1030399） for their support. The results and findings expressed in this paper are those of the authors only and do not necessarily represent those of the supporting institutions.
文摘The use of fiber reinforced polymer （FRP） reinforcement is becoming increasingly attractive in construction of new structures. However, the inherent linear elastic behavior of FRP materials up to rupture is considered as a major drawback under seismic attacks when significant material inelasticity is required to dissipate the input energy through hysteretic cycles. Besides, cost considerations, including FRP material and construction of pre-fabricated FRP configurations, especially for stirrups, and probable damage to epoxy coated fibers when transported to the field are noticeable issues. The current research has proposed a novel economical hybrid reinforcement scheme for the next generation of infrastructures implementing on-site fabricated FRP stirrups comprised of FRP sheets. The hybrid reinforcement consists of conventional longitudinal steel reinforcement and FRP stirrups. The key feature of the proposed hybrid reinforcement is the enhanced strength and ductility owing to the considerable confining pressure provided by the FRP stirrups to the longitudinal steel reinforcement and core concrete. Reinforced concrete beam specimens and beam- column joint specimens were tested implementing the proposed hybrid reinforcement. The proposed hybrid reinforcement, when compared with conventional steel stirrups, is found to have higher strength, stiffness, and energy dissipation. Design methods, structural behavior, and applicability of the proposed hybrid reinforcement are discussed in detail in this paper.
基金financial support provided by the US Department of Transportation under Award No.DTPH5615HCAP10
文摘Corrosion is one of the main causes of incidents occurred in hazardous liquid and gas transmission pipelines in the USA, resulting in a loss of over $12 billion per year. In this study, the corrosion resistance of pipeline steel coated with five types of enamel was investigated in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution with linear polarization resistance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests. Steel coupons were cut from API 5L X65 pipeline steel and coated with five types of enamels using the wet process. The microstructures of all enamel samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Experimental results indicate that all enamel coatings increase the corrosion resistance of pipeline steel, and pure enamel PE2, mixed enamels ME1 and ME2 have higher corrosion resistances than pure enamel PE1 and mixed enamel ME3.
