Upper Bound Solution of the Resisting Moment Bearing Capacity of A Composite Bucket Shallow Foundation of An Offshore Wind Turbine in Sand

Bearing the large moment that is generated by the wind load that acts on the upper structure of offshore wind turbines is an important feature of their foundations that is different from other offshore structures.A composite bucket shallow foundation(CBSF)has been proposed by Tianjin University to address the soft geological conditions in the offshore regions of China for wind turbines.The CBSF is a new type of foundation and is effective against large moments.The soil deformation test of a CBSF and the numerical simulation study under the same working conditions are carried out to determine the failure mechanism of a CBSF under moment loading.The resisting soil compression rateηm is defined as a new empirical parameter that indicates the ability of the soil inside the bucket to resist moment loading.The upper limit of the resisting moment bearing capacity of the bucket foundation is derived through the upper bound theorem of classical plasticity theory based on the failure mechanism.The calculation method is validated by tests of bucket models with different height-diameter ratios in sand under moment loading.

Effectiveness of two conventional methods for seismic retrofit of steel and RC moment resisting frames based on damage control criteria

This study investigates the efficiency of two types of rehabilitation methods based on economic justification that can lead to logical decision making between the retrofitting schemes. Among various rehabilitation methods, concentric chevron bracing（CCB） and cylindrical friction damper（CFD） were selected. The performance assessment procedure of the frames is divided into two distinct phases. First, the limit state probabilities of the structures before and after rehabilitation are investigated. In the second phase, the seismic risk of structures in terms of life safety and financial losses（decision variables） using the recently published FEMA P58 methodology is evaluated. The results show that the proposed retrofitting methods improve the serviceability and life safety performance levels of steel and RC structures at different rates when subjected to earthquake loads. Moreover, these procedures reveal that financial losses are greatly decreased, and were more tangible by the application of CFD rather than using CCB. Although using both retrofitting methods reduced damage state probabilities, incorporation of a site-specific seismic hazard curve to evaluate mean annual occurrence frequency at the collapse prevention limit state caused unexpected results to be obtained. Contrary to CFD, the collapse probability of the structures retrofitted with CCB increased when compared with the primary structures.

Optimal seismic retrofit model for steel moment resisting frames with brittle connections

Based on performance-based seismic engineering, this paper proposes an optimal seismic retrofit model for steel moment resisting frames（SMRFs） to generate a retrofit scheme at minimal cost. To satisfy the acceptance criteria for the Basic Safety Objective（BSO） specified in FEMA 356, the minimum number of upgraded connections and their locations in an SMRF with brittle connections are determined by evolutionary computation. The performance of the proposed optimal retrofitting model is evaluated on the basis of the energy dissipation capacities, peak roof drift ratios, and maximum interstory drift ratios of structures before and after retrofitting. In addition, a retrofit efficiency index, which is defined as the ratio of the increment in seismic performance to the required retrofitting cost, is proposed to examine the efficiencies of the retrofit schemes derived from the model. The optimal seismic retrofit model is applied to the SAC benchmark examples for threestory and nine-story SMRFs with brittle connections. Using the retrofit efficiency index proposed in this study, the optimal retrofit schemes obtained from the model are found to be efficient for both examples in terms of energy dissipation capacity, roof drift ratio, and maximum inter-story drift ratio.

Seismic design factors for RC special moment resisting frames in Dubai,UAE

This study investigates the seismic design factors for three reinforced concrete （RC） framed buildings with 4, 16 and 32-stories in Dubai, UAE utilizing nonlinear analysis. The buildings are designed according to the response spectrum procedure defined in the 2009 International Building Code （IBC＇09）. Two ensembles of ground motion records with 10% and 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years （10/50 and 2/50, respectively） are used. The nonlinear dynamic resPonses to the earthquake records are computed using IDARC-2D. Key seismic design parameters are evaluated; namely, response modification factor （R）, deflection amplification factor （Cd）, system overstrength factor （Ωo）, and response modification factor for ductility （Rd） in addition to inelastic interstory drift. The evaluated seismic design factors are found to significantly depend on the considered ground motion （10/50 versus 2/50）. Consequently, resolution to the controversy of Dubai seismicity is urged. The seismic design factors for the 2/50 records show an increase over their counterparts for the 10/50 records in the range of 200%-400%, except for the D~ factor, which shows a mere 30% increase. Based on the observed trends, perioddependent R and Cd factors are recommended if consistent collapse probability （or collapse prevention performance） in moment frames with varying heights is to be expected.

Structural failure analysis with CMS-based ground motion selection using innovative cost function and weight factors

The selection and scaling of ground motion records is considered a primary and essential task in performing structural analysis and design.Conventional methods involve using ground motion models and a conditional spectrum to select ground motion records based on the target spectrum.This research demonstrates the influence of adopting different weighted factors for various period ranges during matching selected ground motions with the target hazard spectrum.The event data from the Next Generation Attenuation West 2(NGA-West 2)database is used as the basis for ground motion selection,and hazard de-aggregation is conducted to estimate the event parameters of interest,which are then used to construct the target intensity measure(IM).The target IMs are then used to select ground motion records with different weighted vector-valued objective functions.The weights are altered to account for the relative importance of IM in accordance with the structural analysis application of steel moment resisting frame(SMRF)buildings.Instead of an ordinary objective function for the matching spectrum,a novel model is introduced and compared with the conventional cost function.The results indicate that when applying the new cost function for ground motion selection,it places higher demands on structures compared to the conventional cost function.Moreover,submitting more weights to the first-mode period of structures increases engineering demand parameters.Findings demonstrate that weight factors allocated to different period ranges can successfully account for period elongation and higher mode effects.

Bending moment resistance of dowel corner joints in case-type furniture under diagonal compression load

We investigated bending moment resistance under diagonal compression load of comer doweled joints with plywood members. Joint members were made of ll-ply hardwood plywood of 19 mm thickness. Dowels were fabricated of Beech and Hornbeam species. Their diameters （6, 8 and 10 mm） and depths of penetration （9, 13 and 17 ram） in joint members were chosen variables in our experiment. By increasing the connector＇s diameter from 6 to 8 mm, the bending moment resistance under diagonal compressive load was increased, while it decreased when the diameter was increased from 8 to 10 mm. The bending moment re- sistance under diagonal compressive load was increased by increasing the dowel＇s depth of penetration. Joints made with dowels of Beech had higher resistance than dowels of Hornbeam. Highest resisting moment （45.18 N.m） was recorded for joints assembled with 8 mm Beech dowels penetrating 17 mm into joint members Lowest resisting moment （13.35 N.m） was recorded for joints assembled with 6 mm Hornbeam dowels and penetrating 9 mm into joint members.

Bending moment resistance of corner joints constructed with spline under diagonal tension and compression

We determined the effects of the penetration depth and spline material and composite material type as well as joining method on bending moment resistance under diagonal compression and tension in common wood panel structures. Composite materials were laminated medium density fiberboard （MDF） and particleboard. Joining methods were butt and miter types. Spline materials were high density fiberboard （HDF）. The penetration depths of plywood, wood （Carpinus betolus） and spline were 8, 11 and 14 mm. The results showed that in both diagonal com- pression and tension, MDF joints are stronger than particleboard joints, and the bending moment resistance under compression is higher compared with that in tension. The highest bending moment resistance under tension was shown in MDF, butt joined using plywood spline with 8 mm penetration depth, whereas under compression bending moment resistance was seen in MDF, miter joined with the HDF spline of 14 mm penetration depth.

Research on Steering Resistance Moment of Wheel Loader

The wheel loader as the research object in present article,its steering mechanism is analyzed for the relationship between the steering cylinder displacement and the steering angle,which means,the relationship between the arm of steering resistance moment and the steering angle.In addition,the relationship between the in-situ steering resistance moment and the wheel angle is also be analyzed by integrating the interaction between the tire and the ground.The Matlab will help to build the mathematical modeling for verification.

Selection and modification of ground motion records using Newmark-Hall spectrum as target spectrum for long-period structures

Input ground motions have significant impacts on the uncertainty of structural responses in time-history analysis.In this study,records were selected and scaled for the evaluation of mean structural responses according to the target spectrum.The Newmark-Hall spectrum is closely related to seismic response of short,medium and long-period structures,so it was taken as the target spectrum here.The nonlinear time-history analyses of 9-story and 20-story steel moment-resisting frame structures were carried out as examples.They represent medium and long-period buildings,respectively.Three target spectra with risk of 50%,10%and 2%probabilities for exceedance in 50 years were calculated by the average Newmark-Hall spectrum method for three ground motion sets developed in the SAC Steel Project.The predicted structural mean responses of these Newmark-Hall spectra were compared with those calculated by the average spectral acceleration method for the same record set.It is found that both methods have similar accuracy for estimating the structural mean response.However,the method proposed herein is more effective in reducing the variability of the structural responses.Also,the proposed method is more advantageous for the time-history analysis of long-period structures or structures with more severe nonlinear responses under strong seismic excitations.

A comparative study of seismic provisions between International Building Code 2003 and Uniform Building Code 1997

This study focuses on the comparison of the Uniform Building Code （UBC） 1997 and International Building Code （IBC） 2003 in relation to the seismic design and analysis of special steel moment resisting frame buildings （SMRF）. This paper formulates a numerical study of a steel SMRF building, studied in four different situations, namely： as an office building in San Francisco; as an office building in Sacramento; as an essential facility in San Francisco, and as an essential facility in Sacramento. The analytical results of the model buildings are then compared and analyzed taking note of any significant differences. This case study explores variations in the results obtained using the two codes, particularly the design base shear and drift ratios as they relate to different locations and occupancy use. This study also proves that IBC 2003 is more stringent for the redundancy factor under design category E for the SMRF building, and drift limits for essential facilities.

Numerical simulation of the seismic behavior of self-centering steel beam-column connections with bottom flange friction devices

A new type of steel moment resisting frame with bottom flange friction devices （BFFDs） has been developed to provide self-centering capacity and energy dissipation, and to reduce permanent deformations under earthquakes. This paper presents a numerical simulation of self-centering beam-column connections with BFFDs, in which the gap opening/closing at the beam-column interfaces is simulated by using pairs of zero-length elements with compression-only material properties, and the energy dissipation due to friction is simulated by using truss elements with specified hysteretic behavior. In particular, the effect of the friction bolt bearing against the slotted plate in the BFFDs was modeled, so that the increase in lateral force and the loss of friction force due to the bolt bearing could be taken into account. Parallel elastic-perfectly plastic gap （ElasticPPGap） materials in the Open System for Earthquake Engineering Simulation （OpenSees） were used with predefined gaps to specify the sequence that each bolt went into the bearing and the corresponding increase in bending stiffness. The MinMax material in OpenSees is used to specify the minimum and maximum values of strains of the ElasticPPGap materials. To consider the loss of friction force due to bok bearing, a number of parallel hysteretic materials were used, and the failure of these materials in sequence simulated the gradual loss of friction force. Analysis results obtained by using the proposed numerical model are discussed and compared with the test results under cyclic loadings and the seismic loading, respectively.

Initial stiffness and moment resistance of reinforced joint with end-plate connection

In beam-to-column joint with bolted end-plate connection,the structural details of column flange reinforced by backing plate and column web panel reinforced by supplementary plate are analyzed.The joint is divided into some basic components,and the initial stiffness of each component is obtained.Especially,the initial stiffness of reinforced components is drawn by theoretical model and finite element analysis.The initial stiffness of reinforced joint can be obtained by assembling the initial stiffness of each component.The design moment resistance of column flange reinforced by backing plate is deduced based on yield line method,and the design moment resistances of other components are deduced based on present codes.The design moment resistance of the reinforced joint is then determined by the minimum of the design moment resistances of all components.By comparison with the results of finite element calculation,it is verified that the method to calculate the initial stiffness of reinforced joint is accurate enough to be used to estimate the rigid behavior of the joint and to make parametric study.

Assessment of an alternative to deep foundations in compressible clays： the structural cell foundation

The new type of deep foundation for buildings on saturated, compressible-low strength clayey soil deposits, branded structural cell essentially consists of a rigid concrete top slab, structurally connected to reinforced concrete peripheral walls （diaphragms） that enclose the natural soil. Accordingly, as the initial volume of the confined soft clays within the lateral stiff diaphragms will remain constant upon loading, the hollowed structural cell will be ＂transformed＂ into a very large cross-section pillar of unit weight slightly higher than that of the natural soft clayey soil. This type of foundation seems to be a highly competitive alternative to the friction pile-box foundations （widely used in Mexico City clays）, due to its economic and environmental advantages. Economies result, for example, from the absence of huge excavations hence sparing the need of earth retaining structures. Further savings result from appreciably smaller concrete volumes required for building the structural cell than the friction pile-box foundation; moreover, the construction time of the former is much shorter than that of the latter. Regarding the impact to the environment, less air contamination follows from the fact that both traffic jams and soil excavation lessen appreciably. Considering these facts and others regarding scheduling, it was decided to replace 48-friction pile-box foundations specified in the master plan project by this new type of foundation. The overall behavior of these cell foundations over a five-year period is fared from close visual observations and their leveling during the first three years after their construction.