Search results for "Forced"
showing 10 items of 500 documents
Ductility of Reinforced Concrete Members Externally Wrapped with Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Sheets
2007
The effectiveness of external wrapping with fiber-reinforced polymer for enhancing the curvature ductility of lightly reinforced concrete members is investigated. Referring to members with circular transverse cross sections, the performances in terms of both strength and ductility capacities are analyzed, and the predictive reliability of two different recent constitutive models, available in the literature and able to take into account the softening behavior of confined concrete, is checked. A parameter characterizing the effectiveness of the confining wrapping is proposed, and characteristic values are suggested. Moreover, referring to ductility increases due to confinement effects, a com…
Application of a non linear local analysis method for the problem of mixed convection instability
2007
Abstract We consider the problem of laminar mixed convection flow between parallel, vertical and uniformly heated plates where the governing dimensionless parameters are the Prandtl, Rayleigh and Reynolds numbers. Using the method based on the centre manifold theorem which was derived from the general theory of dynamical systems, we reduce a three-dimensional simplified model of ordinary differential amplitude equations emanating from the original Navier-Stokes system of the problem in the vicinity of a trivial stationary solution. We have found that when the forcing parameter, the Rayleigh number, increases beyond the critical value Ra s , the stationary solution is a pitchfork bifurcation…
Seismic behavior of exterior RC beam-column joints without code-specified ties in the joint core
2021
Abstract Beam-column joint design for reinforced concrete (RC) buildings is a critical issue for modern earthquake engineering, because for these structural elements, the current codes provide several geometrical constraints and reinforcement provisions, which may be very complex to implement during the construction phase. To investigate how a construction error might influence the joint behavior, two identical full-scale exterior beam-column joints specimens are built, according to Italian Building Code specifications for the high ductility class, but without the required horizontal ties inside the joint panel. This construction error could be plausible because, according to the design dra…
ELECTROSPUN NANOFIBROUS MATS IN FIBRE REINFORCED EPOXY LAMINATES
Hydrothermal aging of carbon reinforced epoxy laminates with nanofibrous mats as toughening interlayers
2016
Electrospun mats have been applied as toughening interlayers in high performance carbon fiber epoxy composites. While the toughening mechanism exerted by the mat at the interface is the subject of several recent studies, no investigations are reported on the aging behaviour of laminates comprising these nanostructured elements. This work investigates the influence of the combined effect of water and temperature (90 °C) on laminates with Nylon 6,6 electrospun membranes placed either at the middle plane only or at each interlayer. The water-uptake behaviour is modelled by a two-stage diffusion model and compared with the behaviour of the neat resin and of the laminate without mats. Interestin…
Well-Being without Employment? Promoting the Employability of Refugees
2020
There are more than 25 million refugees in the world. Many of them try to reach the Mediterranean in order to enter Europe. Spain is one of the countries that receive refugees and have to integrate them. Many refugees have experienced persecution in their countries, as well as forced migration, rape, diseases, etc. Their integration requires support and coordination from the government, health services, and social agents. The first step in achieving this integration is getting a job, which is currently an important issue. Thus, we aim to analyze the employability of a specific group of refugees in Spain and then develop and implement an intervention program to improve their employability. O…
Effects of circular openings on the compressive behaviour of R.C. columns
2014
Core-drilling technique is nowadays always more frequently performed in existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures in order to investigate on the mechanical properties of concrete and for structural health monitoring purposes. Even if the engineering practice discourages to drill columns, this can be often unavoidable. In this last case the presence of the circular opening influences the compressive behavior of the column in terms of load-carrying capacity and axial deformability. The goal of this investigation was the experimental evaluation of the effects induced by circular openings on the behavior of RC columns. Twenty-four reinforced and plain concrete prisms in presence of circular …
Frictional effects in structural behavior of no-end-connected steel-jacketed RC columns: Experimental results and new approaches to model numerical a…
2017
Steel jacketing of reinforced concrete (RC) columns is a common retrofitting technique used to restore bearing and deformation capacity of buildings presenting structural deficiencies. For practical reasons, steel angles are in several cases arranged leaving a gap with the end beams or slabs. Despite this disconnection, the angles are still able to support a non-negligible portion of load because of the frictional forces developed along the column-angle contact interface. In these cases, the definition of computational numerical and analytical models for the assessment of reinforced cross sections becomes more complex and must be handled with care. The actual load-carrying capacity of the a…
Fundamental period of infilled reinforced concrete frame structures
2016
AbstractThe fundamental period of vibration appears to be one of the most critical parameters for the seismic design and assessment of structures. In the present paper, the results of a large-scale analytical investigation on the parameters that affect the fundamental period of reinforced concrete structures are presented. The influence of the number of storeys, the number of spans, the span length, the infill wall panel stiffness and the percentage of openings within the infill panel on the fundamental period of infilled RC frames was investigated. Based on these results, a regression analysis is applied in order to propose a new empirical equation for the estimation of the fundamental per…
Structural Performances of Composite Pultruded GFRP Emergency Structures
2021
The use of composite FRP pultruded elements in civil constructions is nowadays widely accepted as a valid alternative to classic materials. In the case of emergency applications (as for temporary shelter after earthquakes, floods and all disastrous), the lightness, ease of transport, assembly, safety of use, possibility of disassembly and reuse are key aspects that composite FRP structures can provide easily.