Engineering Commons^™

Prediction Of Shear Strength And Ductility Of Cyclically Loaded Reinforced Concrete Columns Using Artificial Intelligence, Nicholas Gordon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The shear strength and deformation capacities of reinforced concrete (RC) columns are governed by a multitude of variables related to material properties of the steel and concrete used in the design and construction of the columns. Predicting performance of RC columns using design variables is a complex, non-linear problem. The prediction of shear strength and ductility for these types of structural members has historically been performed using empirically or semi-empirically derived formulae based on experimental results. The introduction of cyclical lateral loading, such as the forces imposed on a structure during an earthquake, can result in severe degradation of shear …

Progressive Collapse Analysis Of Older Reinforced Concrete Flat Plate Buildings Using Macro Model, Jinrong Liu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Catastrophic progressive collapse of a building can be triggered by a sudden loss of a load-bearing element in an abnormal loading event. There is a large inventory of reinforced concrete flat plate buildings designed in accordance with older codes. Without using shear and integrity reinforcement in slabs, these older flat plates are vulnerable to progressive collapse. The overall goal of this research is to numerically examine the resilience of older flat plate buildings against progressive collapse due to instantaneous removal of an exterior or interior column.

To achieve the research goal, a macro behavioral model of slab-column frame is created …

Structural Performance Of Reinforced Concrete Flat Plat Buildings Subjected To Fire, Sara Jean George

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Reinforced concrete structures are typically considered to have inherent resistance to fire. However, several concrete structures around the world have experienced partial or total collapse under fire. Reinforced concrete flat-plate is a type of structural system widely used for office and residential buildings. Flat plate construction is prone to punching shear failure at slab-column connections which may lead to a catastrophic progressive collapse. The slabs of flat-plates generally have very thin concrete cover leaving steel reinforcement more sensitive to thermal loads. Little is known in the engineering community about the structural performance of flat-plate structures subjected to fire. Through a …