0000000000347776
AUTHOR
Gaetano Camarda
Genetic Optimization for the design of seismic retrofitting of plane RC frames with Buckling Restrained Braces (BRBs)
The increasing development of computational power in modern digital devices has spread the use of structural optimization in design applications of different fields of engineering problems. This approach exposes engineers to challenging design procedures aimed to optimize all variables to satisfy the imposed requirements, finding the “optimal” solution. Despite this wide use, the application of optimization algorithms for the design of seismic retrofitting strategies becomes tougher, due to the difficulties in finding a mathematical expression which includes and combines all the key variables (i.e., cost, safety, sustainability, design) and the nonlinearity of the analysis. In this paper, t…
Static Performances of Timber- and Bamboo-Concrete Composite Beams: A Critical Review of Experimental Results
The use of composite beams made with traditional concrete and bio-based materials (such as timber and bamboo) is a valuable solution to reduce the environmental impact of the building sector. Timber-Concrete Composite (TCC) beams have been used for decades in structural applications such as new buildings, refurbishment of old timber structures, and bridges. Recently, different researchers suggested composite beams based on engineered bamboo, commonly named Bamboo-Concrete Composite (BCC) beams. This study presents a systematic comparison of structural performances and connection behavior of TCC and BCC beams under short-term static load. TCCs beams are compared to BCC ones using similar she…
An open-source GA framework for optimizing the seismic upgrading design of RC frames through BRBs
Abstract Optimizing seismic upgrading interventions in reinforced concrete (RC) structures is a difficult task, due to the inner non-linearity of the analyses usually performed. Additionally, it is well known that the displacement demand to the structure depends from the mass and stiffness of the system, and consequently its definition cannot be made a-priori. This paper presents the application of a soft-computing method -i.e. Genetic Algorithm (GA)- for the shaping optimization of code-compliant seismic upgrading interventions on plane RC frames through Buckling-Restrained Braces (BRB). The metaheuristic procedure allows to minimize the cost while ensuring the required safety level, witho…
Use of fiber-section beam elements for modelling the monotonic flexural response of RC jacketed columns
Abstract The use of reinforced concrete (RC) jacketing is a common technique for retrofitting existing RC columns with poor structural performances. Literature studies highlighted that the relative slip occurring at the interface between the new and the old concrete can affect substantially the flexibility and the strength of the retrofitted member. For this reason, several interface treatments are usually applied, aiming to induce a monolithic behaviour to the column. However, despite the commonness of RC jacketing, a limited number of studies investigated numerical modelling strategies for including these phenomena, especially with reference to the development of numerical models for desi…
Development of a software package with GUI for the evaluation of monolithicity factors of RC jacketed columns
The design of reinforced concrete (RC) jacketing for retrofitting substandard columns is a common practice when approaching the structural rehabilitation design of existing structures. In this framework, international technical codes suggest to assume the hypothesis of monolithic section and finally affecting the deduced performances by some empirical factors, known in the literature as monolithicity factors. The assessment of these coefficients is a difficult task, and only some rough assumptions can be found in the modern codes. This paper presents the development of a software package able to perform the static non-linear analysis of RC jacketed columns and evaluating the actual value of…