Seismic performance of high-rise buildings in selected regions in Saudi Arabia according to different seismic codes

The design code for each country is revised and updated based on an expected zone’s seismic intensities,geotechnical site classifications,structural systems,construction materials and methods of construction in order to provide more realistic considerations of seismic demand,seismic response,and seismic capacity.Based on the aforementioned provisions,structures designed according to different seismic codes may yield different performances for the same level of hazard.This study aims to investigate and compare the induced responses related to the earthquake-resistant design of reinforced concrete(RC)buildings according to the Saudi building code(SBC-301),American code(ASCE-7),uniform building code(UBC-97),and European code(EC-8).In order to account for the provision regarding the hazard specification and its effect on the induced seismic responses,four regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with different seismic levels are selected.The code provisions related to the specification of site classification and its effect on the induced design base shear are investigated as well.Significant differences are observed in the induced responses with the variation in seismic design codes for the considered seismic hazards and site classifications.

Cooling Load Distribution of Large Space Building

The cooling and heating load distribution of large area air-conditioned room such as “open” offices, shopping malls and waiting rooms is usually assumed to be even in air conditioning system design. However, it is not the case in reality, and a low efficient air conditioning system results from this assumption. A simulation and analysis of the cooling load distribution of an office building in Hong Kong with TRANSYS software is provided in this paper. A typical office is divided into 13 zones for simulation, including external zone, medial zone and internal zone in the north, the south, the east and the west respectively and a central zone, instead of 4 directional zone. The result shows there is much cooling load difference between each zone, and more attention should be paid to uneven indoor cooling and heating load distribution to further guide the design.

Seismic response of underground utility tunnels: shaking table testing and FEM analysis

Underground utility tunnels are widely used in urban areas throughout the world for lifeline networks due to their easy maintenance and environmental protection capabilities. However, knowledge about their seismic performance is still quite limited and seismic design procedures are not included in current design codes. This paper describes a series of shaking table tests the authors performed on a scaled utility tunnel model to explore its performance under earthquake excitation. Details of the experimental setup are first presented focusing on aspects such as the design of the soil container, scaled structural model, sensor array arrangement and test procedure. The main observations from the test program, including structural response, soil response, soil-structure interaction and earth pressure, are summarized and discussed. Further, a finite element model (FEM) of the test utility tunnel is established where the nonlinear soil properties are modeled by the Drucker-Prager constitutive model; the master-slave surface mechanism is employed to simulate the soil-structure dynamic interaction; and the confining effect of the laminar shear box to soil is considered by proper boundary modeling. The results from the numerical model are compared with experiment measurements in terms of displacement, acceleration and amplification factor of the structural model and the soil. The comparison shows that the numerical results match the experimental measurements quite well. The validated numerical model can be adopted for further analysis.

Experimental study on the seismic response of braced reinforced concrete frame with irregular columns

A 15-storey K-braced reinforced concrete model frame with irregular columns, i.e., T-shaped, L-shaped, as well as +-shaped columns, was constructed and tested on the six-degree-of-freedom shaking table at the State Key Laboratory for Disaster Reduction in Civil Engineering in Tongji, China. Two types of earthquake records, El-Centro wave (south-north direction) and Shanghai artificial wave (SHAW) with various peak accelerations and principal-secondary sequences, were input and experimentally studied. Based on the shaking table tests and theoretical analysis, several observations can be made. The failure sequence of the model structure is brace→beam→column→joints, so that the design philosophy for several lines of defense has been achieved. Earthquake waves with different spectrums not only influence the magnitude and distribution of the earthquake force and the storey shear force, but also obviously affect the magnitude of the displacement response. The aftershock seismic response of previously damaged reinforced concrete braced frames with irregular columns possesses the equivalent elastic performance characteristic. Generally speaking, from the aspects of failure features and drift ratio, this type of reinforced concrete structure provides adequate earthquake resistance and can be promoted for use in China.

Development of steel dampers for bridges to allow large displacement through a vertical free mechanism

Isolation bearings and dampers are often installed between piers and superstructures to reduce the seismic responses of bridges under large earthquakes. This paper presents a novel steel damper for bridges. The damper employs steel plates as energy dissipation components, and adopts a vertical free mechanism to achieve a large deformation capacity. Quasi-static tests using displacement-controlled cyclic loading and numerical analyses using a finite element program called ABAQUS are conducted to investigate the behavior of the damper, and a design methodology is proposed based on the tests and numerical analyses. Major conclusions obtained from this study are as follows:(1) the new dampers have stable hysteresis behavior under large displacements;(2) finite element analyses are able to simulate the behavior of the damper with satisfactory accuracy; and(3) simplified design methodology of the damper is effective.

Compression Behaviors of Parallel Bamboo Strand Lumber Under Static Loading

In order to investigate the influence of length and compression directions upon behaviour of parallel bamboo strand lumber(PBSL)specimens,240 axial compression tests have been performed.With three similar one different typical failure modes,the mechanical performance for PBSL specimens under compression parallel to grain and perpendicular to grain are different as a whole.From the point of the characteristic values,the compression strength parallel to grain is 2.1 times of the compression strength perpendicular to grain.The elastic modulus for compression parallel to grain is 3.64 times of the compression strength perpendicular to grain.While the compression ratios along two compression directions are equal to each other.The bigger Poisson ratios for one typical side surface is 3.93 times of that for another typical side surface for PBSL specimens under compression perpendicular to grain,and the bigger value is equal to that for PBSL specimens under compression parallel to grain.Length can influence the mechanical properties of the PBSL specimens.The size 50 mm×50 mm×100 mm should be good choice for the standard or code to measure the compression strength.PBSL materials have better ductility under compression parallel to grain than that under compression perpendicular to grain.Stress-strain relationship models were proposed for PBSL specimens under compression parallel to grain and perpendicular to grain,respectively.These proposed models gave a good agreement with the test results.

Characteristics of physical blocking on co-occupant's exposure to respiratory droplet residuals

Existed evidences show that airborne transmission of human respiratory droplets may be related with the spread of some infectious disease,such as severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS) and H1N1 pandemic.Non-pharmaceutical approaches,including ventilation system and personal protection,are believed to have certain positive effects on the reduction of co-occupant's inhalation.This work then aims to numerically study the performances of mouth covering on co-occupant's exposure under mixing ventilation(MV),under-floor air distribution(UFAD) and displacement ventilation(DV) system,using drift-flux model.Desk partition,as one generally employed arrangement in plan office,is also investigated under MV.The dispersion of 1,5 and 10 μm droplet residuals are numerically calculated and CO2 is used to represent tracer gas.The results show that using mouth covering by the infected person can reduce the co-occupant's inhalation greatly by interrupting direct spread of the expelled droplets,and best performance can be achieved under DV since the coughed air is mainly confined in the microenvironment of the infected person.The researches under MV show that the two interventions,mouth covering and desk partition,achieve almost the same inhalation for fine droplets while the inhalation of the co-occupant is lower when using mouth covering for large droplets.

Long-term stability analysis of large-scale underground plant of Xiangjiaba hydro-power station

Numerical analysis of the optimal supporting time and long-term stability index of the surrounding rocks in the underground plant of Xiangjiaba hydro-power station was carried out based on the rheological theory. Firstly,the mechanical parameters of each rock group were identified from the experimental data; secondly,the rheological calculation and analysis for the cavern in stepped excavation without supporting were made; finally,the optimal time for supporting at the characteristic point in a typical section was obtained while the creep rate and displacement after each excavation step has satisfied the criterion of the optimal supporting time. Excavation was repeated when the optimal time for supporting was identified,and the long-term stability creep time and the maximum creep deformation of the characteristic point were determined in accordance with the criterion of long-term stability index. It is shown that the optimal supporting time of the characteristic point in the underground plant of Xiangjiaba hydro-power station is 5-8 d,the long-term stability time of the typical section is 126 d,and the corresponding largest creep deformation is 24.30 mm. While the cavern is supported,the cavern deformation is significantly reduced and the stress states of the surrounding rock masses are remarkably improved.

Tensile bond anchorage properties of Australian 500N steel bars in concrete

In order to investigate the tensile bond anchorage properties of Australian 500N steel bars in concrete,111 pullout tests were conducted.The precise bond slip values have been gained by using the laser displacement sensor with high resolution,including the complete bond-slip curves.How the main anchorage factors such as concrete strength,bar diameter(8,10,12,16,20,24,28,32 and 36 mm) the concrete covered,embedded length and transverse reinforcement influencing the bond anchorage properties was studied under tensile condition.The process of the tensile force-slip failure for Australian 500N reinforcing steel can be divided into five stages:elastic stage,local slip stage,slip in ascent stage,slip in descent stage and remnant stage.The formula for calculating the tensile bond strength of Australian 500N reinforcing bar in concrete was proposed according to the test results,including the consistent model for tensile bond-slip relationship.

Study of the seismic response of a recycled aggregate concrete frame structure

Based on six-degree-of-freedom three-dimensional shaking table tests,the seismic response of a recycled aggregate concrete(RAC)frame was obtained.The analysis results indicate that the maximum story shear force and overturning moment reduce proportionally along the height of the model under the same earthquake wave.The story shear force,base shear coefficient and overturning moment of the structure increase progressively as the acceleration amplitude increases.The base shear coefficient is primarily controlled by the peak ground acceleration(PGA).The relationships between the PGA and the shear coefficient as well as between the PGA and the dynamic amplification factor are obtained by mathematical fitting.The dynamic amplification factor decreases rapidly at the elastic-plastic stage,but decreases slowly with the development of the elastic-plasticity stage.The results show that the RAC frame structure has reasonable deformability when compared with natural aggregate concrete frame structures.The maximum inter-story drift ratios of the RAC frame model under frequent and rare intensity 8 test phases are 1/266 and 1/29,respectively,which are larger than the allowable value of 1/500 and 1/50 according to Chinese seismic design requirements.Nevertheless,the RAC frame structure does not collapse under base excitations with PGAs from 0.066 g up to 1.170 g.

Suppression of supercooling of PCM-water emulsions using nano-additives

This study aims to develop a paraffin-based phase change material(PCM) emulsion with a low extent of supercooling for thermal energy storage(TES) systems to improve the cooling efficiency.Hexadecane-water emulsions were prepared and characterized. Multi-wall carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs) were dispersed in the emulsion as a nucleating agent to reduce the supercooling. The MWCNTs were chemically modified with carboxyl groups to improve the dispersion of the tubular particles in the organic liquid. Thermal analyses of the emulsions by differential scanning calorimeter(DSC) indicated that the extent of supercooling was significantly reduced. The concentration of the nucleating agent for an effective supercooling suppression as found to be very low, in agreement with previous findings, and there appeared to be a minimum concentration for the supercooling reduction.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Air Pollution Abatement Policy of Hong Kong

As only about 15% of the total time of people in Hong Kong was spent outdoors, it would be more valuable if the associated effectiveness and impact of the recently proposed abatement measures could be expressed in terms of the improvement in the total exposure levels. This paper uses an exposure assessment model developed from the local microenvironment concentration data together with our surveyed time activity patterns to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed air pollution abatement policy. Prior to the enforcement of abatement measures, about 2.5% of the young group and 1.2% of the adult group having their exposure levels exceeded that defined by the current 8-hour PM10 standard (180 μg/m3). With the enforcement of abatement measures, only 0.3% of the adult group would be restored to a safe level.

Mechanical Properties of Sea Water Sea Sand Coral Concrete Modified with Different Cement and Fiber Types

The mechanical properties of modified sea water sea sand coral concrete(SWSSCC)under axial compression were experimentally studied.Two different parameters were considered in this test:types of cement and fiber.An experimental campaign was developed involving uniaxial compression tests and the use of digital image correlation(DIC)method to analyze the strain distribution and crack propagation of specimen.Test results indicated that the compressive strength and elastic modulus of SWSSCC were improved by adding stainless steel fibers(SSF),while polypropylene fibers(PF)enhanced the SWSSCC peak deformation.It was found that the elastic modulus and strength of SWSSCC using ordinary Portland cement(OPC)were higher compared to specimen with low alkalinity sulphoaluminate cement(LAS).Typical strain distribution changed with the variation of fiber types.The propagation and characteristics of cracks in SWSSCC containing PF were similar to those of cracks in SWSSCC.However,the propagation of cracks and the development of plastic deformation in SWSSCC were effectively hindered by adopting SSF.Finally,an analytical stress-strain expression of specimen considering the influences of fibers was established.The obtained results would provide a basis for the application of SWSSCC.

An improved cut-based recursive decomposition algorithm for reliability analysis of networks

在这份报纸，一个改进基于切割的递归的分解算法为救生索网络被建议。首先，互补结构的功能被建立，三条定理表现为建议算法的一个前提。作为分解政策拿一个网络的最小的切割，建议算法构造一个递归的分解过程。在分解期间，最小的切割设置了的 disjoint 和最小的路径设置了的 disjoint 同时被枚举。因此，除了在分解以后获得精确价值，所有拆散最小的切割并且拆散最小的路径，算法提供用概率的不平等满足规定错误界限的近似结果。包括一个大城市的煤气的系统，二个例子网络用建议算法被分析。同时，结果的部分与一个基于路径的递归的分解算法获得的结果相比。这些结果证明建议算法为救生索网络的可靠性评估提供一个有用概率的分析方法并且可能对边有低可靠性的网络更合适。

Catenary action of restrained steel beam against progressive collapse of steel frameworks

The changing law of internal forces during the whole deformation development process was analyzed. The process was divided into five stages based on the internal force state of the beam and the assumptions of internal force relationship of five stages were proposed. Then, the formulas for determining the midspan deflection of the steel beam under distributed load, which was restrained both in rotational and axial directions, were obtained using restraint coefficient method and rigid-plastic mechanism, thereby the deformation development process was expressed accurately in a quantified way. Priority was given to the analysis of the process from bending to tension-bending, then the final state totally depends on tension to resist the external loads, that is the problem of catenary action of the restrained beam under distributed load. Additionally, finite element analysis was carried out with software ABAQUS6.7 on a restrained steel beam under distributed load with different axial and rotational restraint coefficients. The accuracy of the formulas presented was verified by the results of the behavior of the restrained beams. Finally, error analysis was conducted and some formulas were corrected according to the reasons of errors. The calculated results of corrected formulas match the FEM analysis results better, thus the accuracy of these formulas is improved.

Behavior of High Strength Concrete Filled Square Steel Tube Stub Columns with Inner CFRP Tube Under Biaxial Eccentric Compression

This paper studies the contribution of CFRP(carbon fiber-reinforced polymer)to the mechanical behavior of high strength concrete-filled square steel tube(HCFST)under biaxial eccentric compression.The new type of composite member is composed of an inner CFRP tube and an outer steel tube with concrete filled in the two tubes.The finite element analysis was made by ABAQUS on the behavior of high strength concrete filled square steel tubular columns with inner CFRP circular tube subjected to bi-axial eccentric loading.The results obtained from the finite element analysis were verified with the experimental results.In addition,the load-deflection curves in the whole process were calculated and analyzed,which can be divided into three segments:Elastic phase,plastic phase,descending phase.Based on the load-deflection curves,the stresses analysis on the core concrete,CFRP tube and steel tube were conducted.The confinement effect of the CFRP tube improves the ductility of HCFST-CFRP stub column.CFRP ratio and eccentricity affect the ultimate bearing capacity of HCFST stub column.Finally,a calculation formula of ultimate bearing capacity was proposed in the paper.

PATH INTEGRAL SOLUTION OF NONLINEAR DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF STRUCTURE UNDER WIND EXCITATION

A numerical scheme for the nonlinear behavior of structure under wind excitation is investigated. With the white noise filter of turbulent-wind fluctuations, the nonlinear motion equation of structures subjected to wind load was modeled as the Ito’s stochastic differential equation. The state vector associated with such a model is a diffusion process. A continuous linearization strategy in the time-domain was adopted. Based on the solution series of its stochastic linearization equations, the formal probabilistic density of the structure response was developed by the path integral technique. It is shown by the numerical example of a guyed mast that compared with the frequency-domain method and the time-domain nonlinear analysis, the proposed approach is highlighted by high accuracy and effectiveness. The influence of the structure non-linearity on the dynamic reliability assessment is also analyzed in the example.

Simulation of Variable Air Volume System with Different Duct Layout

The duct static pressure reset (DSPR) control method is a popular modern control method widely applied to variable air volume (VAV) systems of commercial buildings. In this paper, a VAV system simulation program was used to predict the system performance and zone air temperature of two kinds of layouts that were applied to a typical floor of an existing building office in Hong Kong. The position where the static pressure sensor was placed should affect the zones temperature and energy consumption. The comparison of predictions of the two kinds of layouts indicates that with the same DSPR control method the layout of the air duct might influence the fan control result and energy savings.

Thermal performance assessment of self-rotating twisted tapes and Al_(2)O_(3) nanoparticle in a circular pipe

In view of the practical importance of the heat transfer devices in various thermal engineering fields including chemical and nuclear engineering,this study aims at developing an effective method of heat transfer enhancement by using selfrotating twisted tapes(SRTTs)and Al_(2)O_(3) nanoparticles.The effect of the selfrotating twisted tapes and Al2O3 nanoparticles on the thermal performance was comprehensively investigated in a circular pipe.The experimental results indicated the heat transfer rate was effectively improved by SRTTs in comparison of plain tube.In addition,the heat transfer multiplier with SRTTs decreased from 1.38 to 1.08 with the Reynolds number increasing from 19,322 to 64,407,while the friction factor multiplier decreased from 1.61 to 1.32.Besides,the results indicated that the employment of Al_(2)O_(3) nanoparticles and SRTTs demonstrated superior thermal performance to the single SRTTs.As Reynolds number increases from 19,322 to 64,407,the heat transfer multiplier decreased from 2.08 to 1.18 in the mass concentration of 3.0%and from 1.38 to 1.08 in mass concentration of 0.0%.Finally,the new heat transfer and friction factor correlations considering the combined effect of Al2O3 nanoparticle and SRTTs were developed within 10%deviation of experimental values.