Numerical simulations of shake-table experiment for dynamic soil-pile-structure interaction in liquefi able soils

A shake-table experiment on pile foundations in liquefi able soils composed of liquefi able sand and overlying soft clay is studied. A three-dimensional(3D) effective stress fi nite element(FE) analysis is employed to simulate the experiment. A recently developed multi-surface elasto-plastic constitutive model and a fully coupled dynamic inelastic FE formulation(u-p) are used to model the liquefaction behavior of the sand. The soil domains are discretized using a solid-fl uid fully coupled(u-p) 20-8 noded brick element. The pile is simulated using beam-column elements. Upon careful calibration, very good agreement is obtained between the computed and the measured dynamic behavior of the ground and the pile. A parametric analysis is also conducted on the model to investigate the effect of pile-pinning, pile diameter, pile stiffness, ground inclination angle, superstructure mass and pile head restraints on the ground improvement. It is found that the pile foundation has a noticeable pinning effect that reduces the lateral soil displacement. It is observed that a larger pile diameter and fi xed pile head restraints contribute to decreasing the lateral pile deformation; however, a higher ground inclination angle tends to increase the lateral pile head displacements and pile stiffness, and superstructure mass seems to effectively infl uence the lateral pile displacements.

Experimental studies on behavior of fully grouted reinforced-concrete masonry shear walls

An experimental study is conducted on fully grouted reinforced masonry shear walls(RMSWs) made from concrete blocks with a new configuration. Ten RMSWs are tested under reversed cyclic lateral load to investigate the influence of different reinforcements and applied axial stress values on their seismic behavior. The results show that flexural strength increases with the applied axial stress, and shear strength dominated by diagonal cracking increases with both the amount of horizontal reinforcement and applied axial stress. Yield displacement, ductility, and energy dissipation capability can be improved substantially by increasing the amount of horizontal reinforcement. The critical parameters for the walls are derived from the experiment: displacement ductility values corresponding to 15% strength degradation of the walls reach up to 2.6 and 4.5 in the shear and flexure failure modes, respectively; stiffness values of flexure- and shear-dominated walls rapidly degrade to 17% – 19% and 48% – 57% of initial stiffness at 0.50 D max(displacement at peak load). The experiment suggests that RMSWs could be assigned a higher damping ratio(~14%) for collapse prevention design and a lower damping value(~7%) for a fully operational limit state or serviceability limit state.

A sophisticated simulation for the fracture behavior of concrete material using XFEM

The development of a powerful numerical model to simulate the fracture behavior of concrete material has long been one of the dominant research areas in earthquake engineering.A reliable model should be able to adequately represent the discontinuous characteristics of cracks and simulate various failure behaviors under complicated loading conditions.In this paper,a numerical formulation,which incorporates a sophisticated rigid-plastic interface constitutive model coupling cohesion softening,contact,friction and shear dilatation into the XFEM,is proposed to describe various crack behaviors of concrete material.An effective numerical integration scheme for accurately assembling the contribution to the weak form on both sides of the discontinuity is introduced.The effectiveness of the proposed method has been assessed by simulating several well-known experimental tests.It is concluded that the numerical method can successfully capture the crack paths and accurately predict the fracture behavior of concrete structures.The influence of mode-Ⅱ parameters on the mixed-mode fracture behavior is further investigated to better determine these parameters.

Numerical simulation and experimental validation of moisture-heat coupling for saturated frozen soils

In seasonally frozen regions,freezing-and-thawing action is the main cause responsible for the destruction of canals,which is closely linked to the temperature gradient and water transport.To investigate the behaviour of soils under freezing-and-thawing actions,many numerical models have been established that consider the important coupling of moisture transport and temperature evolution;but they contain excessive parameters,some of which are rather difficult to determine.Based on the well-known Harlan's theory,a simple moisture-heat coupling model was recently proposed to quantify the coupled moisture-heat transport performance of soils in terms of the central temperature and porosity.The mathematical module of COMSOL Multiphysics was further employed to solve the governing equations numerically.To validate our model,a thorough experimental scheme was carried out in our lab.The measured temperature distribution was found to be consistent with the predicted results.

Interfacial Interaction of CFRP Reinforced Steel Beam Structures

Due to the increase of service life,the phenomenon of performance degradation of bridge structures becomes more and more common.It is important to strengthen the bridge structures so as to restore the resistance level and extend the normal service life.Carbon fiber reinforced polymer(CFRP)materials are thus used for the assembly reinforcement of bridges for the advantages of high strength,light weight,corrosion resistance and long-term stability of physical and chemical properties,etc.In view of this,based on the previous theoretical study and the established formula of the interfacial shear stress of CFRP reinforced steel beam and the normal stress of CFRP plate,this paper discusses the sensitive parameters that affect the interfacial interaction of CFRP strengthened beam structures.Through the analysis,the priority design indicators and suggestions are accordingly given for the design of reinforced beam structures.Young’s modulus of CFRP composite and shear modulus of the adhesive have the greatest influence on the interfacial interaction,which should be carefully considered.It is suggested that CFRP material with Ec close to 300 GPa and thickness no less than 3 mm,and adhesive material with Ga less than 5 GPa and 3-mm thickness can be adopted in CFRP reinforced steel beam.The conclusions of this paper can provide guidance for the interfacial damage control of CFRP reinforced steel beam structures.

Experimental validation of a signal-based approach for structural earthquake damage detection using fractal dimension of time frequency feature

This article extends a signal-based approach formerly proposed by the authors, which utilizes the fractal dimension of time frequency feature(FDTFF) of displacements, for earthquake damage detection of moment resist frame(MRF), and validates the approach with shaking table tests. The time frequency feature(TFF) of the relative displacement at measured story is defined as the real part of the coefficients of the analytical wavelet transform. The fractal dimension(FD) is to quantify the TFF within the fundamental frequency band using box counting method. It is verified that the FDTFFs at all stories of the linear MRF are identical with the help of static condensation method and modal superposition principle, while the FDTFFs at the stories with localized nonlinearities due to damage will be different from those at the stories without nonlinearities using the reverse-path methodology. By comparing the FDTFFs of displacements at measured stories in a structure, the damage-induced nonlinearity of the structure under strong ground motion can be detected and localized. Finally shaking table experiments on a 1:8 scale sixteen-story three-bay steel MRF with added frictional dampers, which generate local nonlinearities, are conducted to validate the approach.

Vibration characteristics of frozen soil under moving track loads

Vibration due to moving traffic loads is an important factor which induces frozen soil damage; this paper analyzed these vibration characteristics of frozen soil foundation under track loads. Firstly, seismic observation array(SOA) technology was applied to monitor the three dimensional dynamic characteristics of frozen soil under movable track load in a permafrost region and seasonal frozen soil area. Secondly, a numerical simulation for the response of frozen soil under movable track load was performed based on finite element analysis(FEA). The results show that dynamic characteristics of frozen soil in perpendicular and parallel direction of the track are obviously different. In the direction perpendicular to the track, the vertical acceleration amplitude had an abrupt increase in the 9–10 m from the track line. In the direction parallel to the track, the acceleration in vertical and horizontal direction had a quick attenuation compared to the other direction. Lastly, various parameters were analyzed for the purpose of controlling the dynamic response of frozen soil and the vibration attenuation in frozen soil layer.

Structural Performance of Smart CFRP-FBG Reinforced Steel Beams

Many beam structures suffer from gradual performance degradation with the increase of service life.To recover the bearing capacity of these beams,carbon fiber reinforced polymer(CFRP)plates are developed to attached on the beam bottom.To check the structural performance of the CFRP reinforced beams,smart CFRP plate with FBGs in series is designed and LVDTs are adopted to measure the deformations.The deflection of the reinforced beam is given based on the elastic conversion cross-section method.The experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.The study shows that the CFRP reinforced zone has a larger flexural rigidity than the pure steel beam zone.The general distribution of the deflection along the span of the CFRP reinforced beam can be described by the proposed formula.It provides a scientific design guidance for the deflection control of CFRP reinforced structures.

Realization of the global yield mechanism of RC frame structures by redesigning the columns using column tree method

Global failure mechanism, i.e., the strong-column weak-beam mechanism, can provide higher total energy dissipation capacity with less ductility demand on components than other failure modes, and results in a more uniform story drift distribution and higher resistance to earthquake loads at the system level. However, the current code-based elastic design method cannot guarantee the global failure mechanism of frame structures under severe earthquakes. In this paper, a simple, but practical design procedure is proposed to ensure the global failure mechanism of reinforced concrete(RC) frame structures by redesigning the columns using the column tree method(CTM). CTM considers the yield limit state of all beams and column bases. The code-based design is firstly carried out to determine the section information of all beams and base columns. Then, the internal force demands applied on the column tree can be derived. Lastly, the column moments, shear forces and axial forces are determined according to the free-body diagram of CTM to finish the column redesign. Two RC frame structures with 6 and 12 stories are illustrated to verify the design procedure. The analytical results demonstrate the proposed approach can realize the global failure mechanism.

Hysteretic energy prediction method for mainshock-aftershock sequences

Structures located in seismically active regions may be subjected to mainshock-aftershock(MSAS)sequences.present study selected two kinds of MSAS sequences,with one aftershock and two aftershocks,respectively.The aftershocksThe MSAS sequence with one aftershock exhibited a 10%to 30%hysteretic energy increase,whereas the MSAS sequence with two aftershocks presented a 20%to 40%hysteretic energy increase.Finally,a hysteretic energy prediction equation is proposed as a function of the vibration period,ductility value,and damping ratio to estimate hysteretic energy for mainshockaftershock sequences.

Node shift method for stiffness-based optimization of single-layer reticulated shells

研究目的:寻找单层网壳结构的最优节点分布,提高结构刚度,改善结构整体力学性能。创新要点:解决了单层网壳结构节点最优分布问题,实现了三种单层网壳节点位置优化的方式:自由调整,只竖向调整和在指定曲面上的调整。三种方式都可以提高结构刚度,改善结构力学性能。研究方法:根据结构应变能对节点坐标变化的敏感度,对节点坐标进行调整,修正已有的单层网壳结构,并创构自由曲面结构(图15)。重要结论:本文的节点移动敏感度方法在优化单层网壳结构时,不仅可以提高结构极限承载力,而且可以降低结构对初始几何缺陷的敏感度程度。