The Effect of Core Eccentricity on the Structural Behavior of Concrete Tall Buildings

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of core eccentricity on the structural behavior of concrete tall buildings.Concrete buildings of 55 floors with plan dimensions 48.0×48.0 m2 were investigated.Three cases of main core locations are studied:centric(A),eccentric by one sixth(B)and one third(C)of building width.The three-dimensional finite element method has been used in conducting structural analysis through ETABS software.Gravity and lateral(wind and seismic)loadings are applied to all building cases.It has been concluded that the core location is the prime parameter governing the structural behavior of tall buildings.Although the first two cases(A,B)have acceptable and similar structural behaviors conforming to code limits,in the third case(C),the building behavior came beyond code limits.The author introduced remedial action by adding two secondary cores in the opposite direction of the main core(C-R)to restore the building behavior to the code limits.The results of this action were satisfactory.

Weathering Characterization and Degradation Analysis of Landscape Wooden Buildings in Semi-Arid and Sandy Area

Wooden buildings play a very important role in China’s construction and landscape architecture industry.In order to explore the weathering characteristics of the surface layer of landscape wooden buildings,the main causes of weathering were analyzed on the basis of summarizing the common types of weathering characterization.The results showed that the weathering characterization was mainly reflected in the surface defects of wood structures,such as cracking,discoloration,peeling,wind erosion wear,and so on.The coating technology on the surface of constructions was the main artificial factor affecting the surface defects of constructions.In the case of similar surface decoration conditions,sunlight and moisture were the main natural factors affecting the weathering of wooden buildings,which will promote the process of weathering.

Application Strategies of Modular Design in Assembled Teaching Buildings

As an efficient,environmentally friendly,energy-saving construction method,assembled buildings are now widely used in campus building construction.Modular design thinking is system-based design thinking,and its application to the design of an assembled teaching building project will comprehensively improve the rationality of the teaching building and component design.The paper focuses on the application of modular design thinking in assembled teaching building design,aiming to provide references for China’s architectural design units,giving full play to the advantages of modular design thinking in future teaching building design projects,and enhancing the level of design,for the construction of the teaching building and the basis of the technical guarantee.

基于Tekla Structures的三维仿真技术应用研究

【目的】针对复杂的装配式钢结构建筑,为了保证工程质量,提高施工效率,需要对三维仿真技术的工程应用进行研究。【方法】以郑州市某装配式钢结构工程为例,利用Tekla Structures内置的三维碰撞分析模块,对碰撞问题进行优化,并进行精细化三维仿真模拟,对屋面工程的第一榀~第四榀主桁架、次桁架的施工全过程进行仿真分析,确定合理的施工方案。【结果】发现一处钢梁加劲肋与水平支撑的碰撞问题,并进行了优化设计。通过三维仿真模拟,确定了合理的屋面桁架施工方案,保证了施工质量,明显加快了工程进度。【结论】三维仿真技术对于装配式建筑的发展具有重大意义,在施工过程中应加强三维碰撞分析、三维仿真模拟,从而确保工程质量和工期进度,研究成果可为类似工程的三维仿真技术应用提供一定的参考。

“3 Degrees and 8 Combinations” Teaching Mode of Anti-Seismic Design of Building Structures

Earthquakes pose a significant threat to people’s property and personal safety.Improving the teaching of civil engineering and building structure anti-seismic design courses can enable students to do a good job in anti-seismic design in the future and effectively reduce the damage on buildings caused by earthquakes.In this paper,we analyzed the basic characteristics of a course in civil engineering major,which is Anti-Seismic Design of Building Structures,and the shortcomings of traditional teaching.It is proposed that the 3-degrees and 8-combinations teaching mode of anti-seismic design of building structures can effectively improve students’autonomy and enthusiasm in learning,helps to cultivate professional ethics among students,and improve their ability to apply what they have learned.

FUZZY MATHEMATICAL EVALUATION FOR MASONRY STRUCTURE BUILDINGS' DAMAGE GRADE CAUSED BY COAL MINING

Coal mining under buildings certainly causes surface movement and deformation, therefore, it brings about deformation even fracture for buildings. It is an important task to evaluate correcly the buildings’ damage grabe caused by coal mining. Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation,considering some factors of buildings’ fracture, has been applied to analyze the masonry structure buildings’ damage grade affer coal mining in this paper. It provides a scientific basis for buildings’reidercement before mining and maintenance or compensation after mining.

Describe the Process of Retrofitting Existing Buildings and Evaluate the Effectiveness of it in Improving the Seismic Performance of Structures in Earthquake-prone Regions

At present,earthquakes are a serious problem for building.Severe damages and collapses of buildings were caused by earthquakes in different degrees.It is reported that there are more than 68,858 deaths and hundreds of billions RMB losses in the May 12,2008 Great Wenchuan Earthquake[16].So,more attention should be paid to seismic technology.In order to face the challenges of earthquake on building,the seismic retrofitting was put forward,which“is the modification of existing structures to make them more resistant to seismic activity,ground motion,or soil failure due to earthquakes”[2].

Rock mass structural recognition from drill monitoring technology in underground mining using discontinuity index and machine learning techniques

A procedure to recognize individual discontinuities in rock mass from measurement while drilling(MWD)technology is developed,using the binary pattern of structural rock characteristics obtained from in-hole images for calibration.Data from two underground operations with different drilling technology and different rock mass characteristics are considered,which generalizes the application of the methodology to different sites and ensures the full operational integration of MWD data analysis.Two approaches are followed for site-specific structural model building:a discontinuity index(DI)built from variations in MWD parameters,and a machine learning(ML)classifier as function of the drilling parameters and their variability.The prediction ability of the models is quantitatively assessed as the rate of recognition of discontinuities observed in borehole logs.Differences between the parameters involved in the models for each site,and differences in their weights,highlight the site-dependence of the resulting models.The ML approach offers better performance than the classical DI,with recognition rates in the range 89%to 96%.However,the simpler DI still yields fairly accurate results,with recognition rates 70%to 90%.These results validate the adaptive MWD-based methodology as an engineering solution to predict rock structural condition in underground mining operations.

A Review of Current Researches on Blast Load Effects on Building Structures in China

The damages of building structures subjected to multifarious explosions cause huge losses of lives and property. It is the reason why the blast resistance and explosion protection of building structures become an important research topic in the civil engineering field all over the world. This paper provides an overview of the research work in China on blast loads effect on building structures. It includes modeling blast shock wave propagation and their effects, the dynamic responses of various building structures under blast loads and the measures to strengthen the building structures against blast loads. The paper also discusses the achievements and further work that needs be done for a better understanding of the blast loads' effects on building structures, and for deriving effective and economic techniques to design new or to strengthen existing structures.

Mining subsidence control by solid backfilling under buildings

Solid backfilling mining can reduce the buildings' damage caused by mining greatly. The reduction of subsidence value, the slow advancing speed and the subsidence caused by backfilling body compaction are the main reasons that solid backfilling mining velocity decreases significantly. Based on the research of mechanism, some principles on subsidence control of solid backfilling mining under buildings were proposed. The equivalent mining height was designed according to the fortification criteria of buildings and their attachment structures, which enables the ground movement and deformation caused by mining to be less than the corresponding fortification criteria.

Research and Implementations of Structural Monitoring for Bridges and Buildings in Japan

This paper provides a review on the development of structural monitoring in Japan, with an emphasis on the type, strategy, and utilization of monitoring systems. The review focuses on bridge and building structures using vibration-based techniques. Structural monitoring systems in Japan historically started with the objective of evaluating structural responses against extreme events. In the development of structural monitoring, monitoring systems and collected data were used to verify design assumptions, update speci cations, and facilitate the ef cacy of vibration control systems. Strategies and case studies on monitoring for the design veri cation of long-span bridges and tall buildings, the performance of seismic isolation systems in building and bridges, the veri cation of structural retro t, the veri cation of structural control systems (passive, semi-active, and active), structural assessment, and damage detec- tion are described. More recently, the application of monitoring systems has been extended to facilitate ef cient operation and effective maintenance through the rationalization of risk and asset management using monitoring data. This paper also summarizes the lessons learned and feedback obtained from case studies on the structural monitoring of bridges and buildings in Japan.

Modeling of environmental influence in structural health assessment for reinforced concrete buildings

One branch of structural health monitoring (SHM) utilizes dynamic response measurements to assess the structural integrity of civil infrastructures. In particular,modal frequency is a widely adopted indicator for structural damage since its square is proportional to structural stiffness. However,it has been demonstrated in various SHM projects that this indicator is substantially affected by fluctuating environmental conditions. In order to provide reliable and consistent information on the health status of the monitored structures,it is necessary to develop a method to filter this interference. This study attempts to model and quantify the environmental influence on the modal frequencies of reinforced concrete buildings. Daily structural response measurements of a twenty-two story reinforced concrete building were collected and analyzed over a one-year period. The Bayesian spectral density approach was utilized to identify the modal frequencies of this building and it was clearly seen that the temperature and humidity fluctuation induced notable variations. A mathematical model was developed to quantify the environmental effects and model complexity was taken into consideration. Based on a Timoshenko beam model,the full model class was constructed and other reduced-order model class candidates were obtained. Then,the Bayesian modal class selection approach was employed to select the one with the most suitable complexity. The proposed model successfully characterizes the environmental influence on the modal frequencies. Furthermore,the estimated uncertainty of the model parameters allows for assessment of the reliability of the prediction. This study not only improves the understanding about the monitored structure,but also establishes a systematic approach for reliable health assessment of reinforced concrete buildings.

Study of “3-Step Mining” Subsidence Control in Coal Mining Under Buildings

Mining subsidence damage is the main factor of restricting coal mining under buildings. To control or ease effectively the degree of mining subsidence and deformation is essential to resolve this problem. Through analyzing both advantages and disadvantages of some technologies such as mining with stowing, partial extraction and grouting in separated beds of overburden, we used the principle of load replacement and propose a “3-step mining” method, a new pattern of controlling mining subsidence, which consists of： strip mining, i.e. grouting to fill and consolidate the caving zone and retained strip pillar mining. The mechanism of controlling mining subsidence by using the “3-step mining” pattern is analyzed. The effect of the control is numerically simulated. The preliminary analysis shows that the “3-step mining” can effectively control ground subsidence and deformation. By using this method, the ground subsidence factor can be controlled to a value of about 0.25. Coal recovery can reach 80%-90%. Coal mining without removing surface buildins can be realized and the economic loss resultin from round subsidence can be greatly reduced.

Research on Full Space Transient Electro-magnetism Technique for Detecting Aqueous Structures in Coal Mines

Based on the transmitting theory of "smoke ring effect", the transient electromagnetism technique was used in coal mines to detect abnormal areas of aquiferous structures in both roofs and floors of coal seams and in front of excavated roadways. Survey devices, working methods and techniques as well as data processing and interpretation are discussed systematically. In addition, the direction of mini-wireframe emission electromagnetic wave of the full space transient electromagnetism technique was verified by an underground borehole for water detection and drainage. The result indicates that this technique can detect both horizontal and vertical development rules of abnormal water bodies to a certain depth below the floor of coal seams and can also detect the abnormal, low resistance water bodies within a certain distance of roofs. Furthermore, it can detect such abnormal bodies in ahead of the excavated roadway front. Limited by the underground environment, the full space transient electromagnetism technique can detect to a depth of only 120 m or so.

Methods for Progressive Collapse Analysis of Building Structures Under Blast and Impact Loads

Progressive collapse of building structures under blast and impact loads has attracted great attention all over the world. Progressive collapse analysis is essential for an economic and safe design of building structures against progressive collapse to blast and impact loads. Because of the catastrophic nature of progressive collapse and the potentially high cost of constructing or retrofitting buildings to resist it, it is imperative that the progressive collapse analysis methods be reliable. For engineers, their methodology to carry out progressive collapse evaluation need not only be accurate and concise, but also be easily used and works fast. Thus, many researchers have been spending lots of effort in developing reliable, efficient and straightforward progressive collapse analysis methods recently. In the present paper, current progressive collapse analysis methods available in the literature are reviewed. Their suitability, applicability and reliability are discussed. Our recent proposed new method for progressive collapse analysis of reinforced concrete frames under blast loads is also introduced.

Protection Measures for Buildings Based on Coordinating Action Theory of Ground, Foundation and Structure

Based on the theory of coordinating action of building ground, foundation and structure, this paper presents a modified method for calculating additional stresses on buildings in mining areas by considering the joint effect of cur- vature deformation and horizontal deformation on buildings. It points out that for buildings over the coal pillar, it is ad- visable to soften the intermediate ground of buildings when they are affected by mining. For buildings over the goaf, it is preferable to soften the ground at both ends of buildings. In order to enhance the ability of a building to resist tensile deformation, the key measure is to reinforce the bottom foundation of the building. In addition, the concept of “angle of break of building” is proposed. It is because of this angle that the protecting coal pillar is left, which is a better solution than prevailing solutions The findings provide a more scientific basis for mining under buildings.

Safety analysis of optimal outriggers location in high-rise building structures

This paper presents the restraining moments of outriggers acting on the core wall and the equation of the horizontal top deflection based on a simplified outrigger model. The deformation compatibility conditions between outriggers and core wall as well as the finite rigidities of outriggers are also considered. One case study was carried out to analyze the horizontal top deflection and the mutation of the restraining moments caused by the variation of outrigger location. The results showed that the method adopted in the paper is simple and reasonable. Some conclusions are valuable to the safety design of high-rise building structures.

Experimental study of friction dissipators for seismic protection of building structures

This paper presents the results from unidirectional shaking table tests of two reduced scale steel models of a building frame, with one and two floors, respectively. These frames incorporate friction dissipators at every floor. The inputs are sine-dwells and artificial and registered earthquakes. This study is part of a larger research project aiming to assess the seismic efficiency of friction dissipators by means of an integrated numerical and experimental approach. Inside this framework, the main objectives of these experiments are to： （i） collect a wide range of results to calibrate a numerical model derived within the project, （ii） clarify some of the most controversial issues about friction dissipators （including behavior for inputs containing pulses, capacity to reduce resonance peaks, introduction of high frequencies in the response, and self- generated eccentricities）, （iii） better understand their dynamic behavior, （iv） provide insight on the feasibility and reliability of using simple friction dissipators for seismic protection of building structures and （v） characterize the hysteretic behavior of these devices. Most of these objectives are satisfactorily reached and relevant conclusions are stated.

Fragility Curves of Existing RC Buildings Based on Specific Structural Performance Levels

In seismic risk mitigation policies, fragility functions of existing buildings play a fundamental role. In this paper, a procedure to develop analytical fragility curves for Moment Resisting Frame Reinforced Concrete buildings is presented. The design of the selected building typologies was performed according to the codes at the time of construction using force-based methods and the state of the practice at the time of construction. A total of 216 building classes were defined, considering different ages, number of storeys, infill panels, plan dimensions, beam stiffness, and concrete strength. The investigated buildings can be considered low-engineered buildings, using no seismic codes or old seismic codes. The seismic capacity of the selected models representing the existing RC buildings has been evaluated through non-linear dynamic simulations. Seismic response has been analyzed, considering various peak and integral intensity measures and various response parameters, such as ductility demands and Interstorey Drift Ratio (IDR). A new relationship among structural performance, damage levels and interstorey drift ratios for each studied type is introduced, which is calibrated using the damage levels described in EMS98. It is important to highlight that in this study, different thresholds of IDR have been associated with different typologies, considering their different ductility member levels after their different structural responses. Fragility Curves (FCs) for the studied structural types are set up, developed and discussed.

A New Mode of Coal Mining Under Buildings with Paste-Like Backfill Technology

The formation of the paste like backfill technology was introduced briefly in this paper. From the actual cases of coal mines, a new mode of coal mining under buildings with the technology was proposed. And its specificity was analyzed, and a further introduction to the full sand soil solidifying material was given. The main parts of the backfill system, such as the backfill preparation system, the pipeline transportation system, the backfill systems in fully mechanized mining faces and the backfill process, were presented emphatically.