Engineering Commons^™

Probability-Based Hurricane Resilience Evaluation And Retrofitting For Residential Community, Yadong Dong

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Wood residential construction is vulnerable to hurricanes, as evident in recent hurricane events. Many studies indicated that the changing climate may very likely alter hurricane patterns, which could lead to more severe hurricane damage to the wood residential construction that accounts for 90% of the residence in the USA. On the other hand, deterioration of material increases the chance of structural failure by reducing the structural capacity (e.g., corrosion of fasteners in roof panel could significantly reduce the withdrawal capacity of the roofing structure during hurricane events).

Currently, most hurricane damage estimations only focus on direct loss (e.g., structural loss). …

Effect Of Fiber Orientation On Dynamic Compressive Properties Of An Ultra-High Performance Concrete, Andrew B. Groeneveld

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Casting structural elements with ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) tends to create preferential fiber alignment, which affects the strength and must be accounted for in design. Fiber orientation effects in tension have been studied extensively, but less work has been performed for compression. This work characterizes the fiber orientation occurring in a typical UHPC beam and how that orientation affects compressive behavior at high strain rates. Specimens (36 total) were cored from the beam and their fiber orientations were non-destructively evaluated using x-ray computed tomography (CT). Fibers showed flow-induced alignment along the length of the beam, with orientation angles in the …

Risk-Based Assessment And Strengthening Of Electric Power Systems Subjected To Natural Hazards, Abdullahi Salman

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Modern economic and social activities are dependent on a complex network of infrastructure systems that are highly interdependent. Electric power systems form the backbone of such complex network as most civil infrastructure systems cannot function properly without reliable power supply. Electric power systems are vulnerable to extensive damage due to natural hazards, as evident in recent hazard events. Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tornados and other natural hazards have caused billions of dollars in direct losses due to damage to power systems and indirect losses due to power outages, as well as social disruption. There is, therefore, a need for a comprehensive …