Search results for "Reinforced Concrete"

Macroelement Model for the Progressive-Collapse Analysis of Infilled Frames

2021

A new multistrut macromodel for the analysis of the progressive-collapse response of infilled reinforced concrete (RC) frames is presented in this paper. The model consists of three struts: two outer infinitely rigid and resistant struts and one inner fiber-section strut. The inclination of the struts as well as the stress-strain response are modulated by two parameters that are obtained by means of analytical correlations provided in the paper. The latter link the geometric and mechanical properties of an infilled frame to the geometric configuration and mechanical response of the equivalent strut model. This confers the model the capability to adapt to consider different collapse configur…

Flexural behavior of external beam-column reinforced concrete assemblages externally strengthened with steel cages

2016

In this paper, an experimental study referring to the flexural behavior of full-scale external beam-column joints externally strengthened with steel angles and strips and subjected to cyclic reversal loading is presented. One control specimen and five other specimens having the same characteristics as the control specimen but strengthened with steel angles and strips along beams and columns, and characterized by different configurations of strengthening in the critical regions, were tested. The control specimen was designed with a weak column and strong beam to reproduce the most common cases of old frame structures in the Mediterranean area, which were designed only for gravity loads and a…

Influence of column shear failure on pushover based assessment of masonry infilled reinforced concrete framed structures: A case study

2017

Structural frames, constructed either of steel or reinforced concrete (RC), are often infilled with masonry panels. However, during the analysis of the structural frames, it has become common practice to disregard the existence of infills because of the complexity in modeling. This omission should not be allowed because the two contributions (of infills and of frames) complement each other in providing a so different structural system. The use of different modeling assumptions significantly affects the capacity as well as the inelastic demand and safety assessment. In specific, the adoption of equivalent diagonal pin-jointed struts leaves open the problem of the evaluation of the additional…

Analysis of a Collapsed Long-Span Reinforced Concrete Roof in South Italy: Design Mistakes and Material Degradation

2020

In 2004, during ordinary maintenance work, consisting of waterproofing a building located in the south of Italy, the long-span (14.5 m) in situ RC roof partially collapsed. The building, constructed in 1950, was in service as a cinema until 1967 and then utilized as a school until 1985. Lastly, it was a hotel until 2000. In 2004, when the building was not in service and was undergoing maintenance work, it partially collapsed under dead load. After the collapse, which involved a large portion of the roof, several beams, and two columns, the Italian court nominated an official technical consultant to investigate the direct and related causes of the failure. After the main causes were identifi…

Prediction Equations for Out-of-Plane Capacity of Unreinforced Masonry Infill Walls Based on a Macroelement Model Parametric Analysis

2021

In the seismic performance assessment of reinforced concrete (RC) frames, a reliable estimation of the capacity of unreinforced masonry (URM) infill walls is of utmost importance to ensure structural safety conditions. With particular attention to the out- of-plane (OoP) capacity of URM infill walls after in-plane (IP) damage, the issue of defining reliable analytical prediction models for the assessment of the capacity is an ongoing study. In this paper, empirical equations are proposed for the evaluation of the infilled frame’s OoP capacity, with or without IP damage, based on an extensive numerical parametric analysis, focusing on the influence of the key parameters that govern the mecha…

A semi-empirical stress-strain model for equivalent strut fiber-section modeling of infilled frames

2017

Infill-frame interaction is commonly modeled by means of equivalent strut macro-models. The main difficulty in using this phenomenological approach is to properly calibrate a force-displacement curve for the struts, as this depends not only on the geometrical and mechanical properties, but more specifically on the different potential damage mechanisms which may occur for the infill-frame system subject to lateral forces. If fiber-section elements are used as diagonal struts, the force-displacement curve is substituted by a stress-strain law. In both cases, the attribution of the inelastic law of the struts, based on a mechanical approaches, is not valid in general, as mechanical approaches …

EVALUATION OF FRAGILITY OF INFILLED FRAME STRUCTURES SUBJECT AFTERSHOCKS BY MEANS OF DOUBLE INCREMENTAL DYNAMIC ANALYSIS APPROACH

2018

The paper investigates the role of masonry infill walls on the seismic fragility of reinforced concrete structures subject to mainshock/aftershock sequences. An assessment framework aimed at determining aftershock fragility curves of bare frames and infilled frames is presented. The framework is based on a Double Incremental Dynamic Analysis (D-IDA) approach, which provides the adoption of ground motions defined by combining a fixed intensity mainshock with a set of variable intensity aftershocks. Mainshock (MS) intensity is scaled several times and combined with the same set of aftershocks (AS). Chord-rotation and shear limit states are specifically defined to consider the influence of mas…

Il recupero parziale di opere in muratura di interesse storico in zona sismica

2011

Increasing the shear capacity of reinforced concrete beams using pretensioned stainless steel ribbons

2017

In this work, the second part of an experimental campaign investigating the efficiency of an alternative retrofitting method for increasing the flexural and/or shear capacity in reinforced concrete beams, based on the use of prestressed stainless steel ribbons and steel angles, is presented and analytically reproduced. This group of tests focuses on the ability of the adopted retrofitting method to improve the shear strength and ultimate deformation of reinforced concrete structural elements. As described in a companion paper, the adopted retrofitting method is alternative to traditional techniques of reinforced concrete retrofitting, being easy to install and usually reversible, and charac…

Ultrasonic inspection for the detection of debonding in CFRP-reinforced concrete

2017

Fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) composites are extensively used to retrofit civil structures. However, the quality and the characteristics of the bond between the FRP and the structure are critical to ensure the efficacy of the retrofit. For this reason, effective non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods are often necessary to assess the bonding conditions. This article presents an ultrasonic technique for detecting defects at the FRP-substrate interface. The technique uses the Akaike Information Criterion, to detect automatically the onset of the ultrasonic signals, and the novel Equivalent Time Lenght (ETL) parameter, to quantify the energy of the propagating ultrasonic signals along the i…