Trust-region based instantaneous optimal semi-active control of long-span spatially extended structures with MRF-04K damper

In the field of civil engineering, magnetorheological fluid （MRF） damper-based semi-active control systems have received considerable attention for use in protecting structures from natural hazards such as strong earthquakes and high winds. In this paper, the MRF damper-based semi-active control system is applied to a long-span spatially extended structure and its feasibility is discussed. Meanwhile, a _trust-region method based instantaneous optimal semi-active control algorithm （TIOC） is proposed to improve the performance of the semi-active control system in a multiple damper situation. The proposed TIOC describes the control process as a bounded constraint optimization problem, in which an optimal semi- active control force vector is solved by the trust-region method in every control step to minimize the structural responses. A numerical example of a railway station roof structure installed with MRF-04K dampers is presented. First, a modified Bouc- Wen model is utilized to describe the behavior of the selected MRF-04K damper. Then, two semi-active control systems, including the well-known clipped-optimal controller and the proposed TIOC controller, are considered. Based on the characteristics of the long-span spatially extended structure, the performance of the control system is evaluated under uniform earthquake excitation and travelling-wave excitation with different apparent velocities. The simulation results indicate that the MR fluid damper-based semi-active control systems have the potential to mitigate the responses of full-scale long-span spatially extended structures under earthquake hazards. The superiority of the proposed TIOC controller is demonstrated by comparing its control effectiveness with the clipped-optimal controller for several different cases.

Ultimate Load Capacity and Reinforcement of Circular-Hollow-Section N-Joint

Experimental research and numerical analysis were applied to study the ultimate load capacity(ULC) and reinforcement of circular-hollow-section N-joint.Four specimens were tested under static load.The ULC of each specimen was obtained and the detailed failure conditions were discussed.Based on the results, both welding a plate on the chord member and filling concrete in the chord member are effective to reinforce the N-joint, but it is suggested that these two methods should not be applied simultaneously.Moreover, considering the four important influence factors of ULC of the joints, the ratio of chord diameter to chord thickness, the ratio of diagonal member diameter to chord member diameter, the axial load on the chord member and the gap size between the two brace members, a new prediction formula of ULC of N-joint was put forward based on numerical analysis results.The new formula was proved to be more accurate than the current Chinese design code in a wide range.

Amplification of in-plane seismic ground motion by group cavities in layered half-space (Ⅱ): with saturated poroelastic soil layers

As the continuation study on amplification of in-plane seismic ground motion by underground group cavities in layered half-space, this study extends to the case of poroelastic half-space with dry poroelastic and saturated poroelastic soil layers. The influence of poroelastic layers on the amplification of seismic ground motion is studied both in frequency domain and time domain using indirect boundary element method （IBEM）. It is shown that for the example of a saturated poroelastic site in Tianjin under the excitation of Taft wave and E1 Centro wave, the amplification of seismic ground motion in poroelastic case is slightly smaller than that in the elastic case, and the amplification of PGA （peak ground acceleration） and its PRS （peak response spectrum）.. can be increased up to 38.8% and 64.6%; the predominant period of response spectra in poroelastic case becomes shorter to some extent compared with that in the elastic case. It is suggested that the effect of underground group cavities in poroelastic half-space on design seismic ground motion should be considered.

3D scattering of obliquely incident plane SV waves by an alluvial valley embedded in a fluid-saturated, poroelastic layered half-space

The indirect boundary element method is used to study the 3D dynamic response of an infinitely long alluvial valley embedded in a saturated layered half-space for obli- quely incident SV waves. A wave-number transform is first applied along the valley＇s axis to reduce a 3D problem to a 2D plane strain problem. The problem is then solved in the section perpendicular to the axis of the valley. Finally, the 3D dynamic responses of the valley are obtained by an inverse wave-number transform. The validity of the method is con- firmed by comparison with relevant results. The differences between the responses around the valley embedded in dry and in saturated poroelastic medium are studied, and the effects of drainage conditions, porosity, soil layer stiffness, and soil layer thickness on the dynamic response are dis- cussed in detail resulting in some conclusions.

Amplification of in-plane seismic ground motion by group cavities in layered half-space (Ⅰ)

Amplification of in-plane seismic ground motion by underground group cavities in layered half-space is studied both in frequency domain and time domain by using indirect boundary element method （IBEM）, and the effect of cavity interval and spectrum of incident waves on the amplification are studied by numerical examples. It is shown that there may be large interaction between cavities, and group cavities with certain intervals may have significant amplification to seismic ground motion. The amplification of PGA （peak ground acceleration） and its PRS （peak response spectrum） can be increased up to 45.2% and 84.4%, for an example site in Tianjin, under the excitation of Taft wave and E1 Centro wave; and group cavities may also affect the spectra of the seismic ground motion. It is suggested that the effect of underground group cavities on design seismic ground motion should be considered.

Performance of Cross-Shaped Concrete Columns Confined by Stirrups

The stress-strain curves of confined concrete were obtained based on tests of seven cross-shaped columns confined by stirrups under axial load. The experiment results showed that the strength and deformation of confined concrete can be enhanced effectively by stirrups for cross-shaped columns. Compared with the non-confined concrete, when the stirrup characteristic value is in the range of 0.046-0.230, the confined concrete compressive strengths has an increase of 8%-43%, and the strain corresponding to the peak stress of confined concrete has an increase of 25%-195%. According to the test results, the effects of stirrup characteristic and stirrup spacing on the compressive strength and strain of confined concrete were analysed. It is shown that the compressive strength of confined concrete has a linear relationship with the product of stirrup characteristic value and stirrup effective restraint coefficient, and the strain corresponding to the peak stress of confined concrete has a nonlinear relationship with the product of stirrup characteristic value and stirrup effective restraint coefficient. The stress-strain curve equation of confined concrete was proposed for cross-shaped columns, and the calculated curves are in good agreement with the experimental curves.

Determination of Wind Pressure Coefficients for Arc-Shaped Canopy Roof with Numerical Wind Tunnel Method

In this paper,the wind load on an arc-shaped canopy roof was studied with numerical wind tunnel method(NWTM) .Three-dimensional models were set up for the canopy roof with opened or closed skylights.The air flow around the roof under wind action from three directions was analysed respectively.Wind pressure coefficients on the canopy roof were determined by NWTM.The results of NWTM agreed well with those of wind tunnel test for the roof with opened skylights,which verified the applicability and rationality of NWTM.The effect of the closure of skylights was then investigated with NWTM.It was concluded that the closure of the skylights may increase the wind suction on the top surface of the roof greatly and should be considered in the structure design of the canopy roof.

Three-dimensional Scattering of Obliquely Incident Plane SH Waves by an Alluvial Valley in a Layered Half-space

The indirect boundary element method(IBEM)is used to study three-dimensional scattering of obliquely incident plane SH waves by an alluvial valley embedded in a layered half-space.The free-field response of the layered half-space is calculated by the direct stiffness method,and dynamic Green's functions of moving distributed loads acting on inclined lines in a layered half-space are calculated to simulate the scattering wave field.The presented method yields very accurate results since the three-dimensional dynamic stiffness matrix is exact and the moving distributed loads can act directly on the valley boundary without singularity.Numerical results and analyses are performed for amplification of obliquely incident plane SH waves around an alluvial valley in a uniform half-space and in single layer over half-space.The results show that the three-dimensional responses are distinctly different from the two-dimensional responses,and the displacement amplitudes around alluvial valleys in a uniform half-space are obviously different from those in a layered half-space.