Engineering Commons^™

Material Evaluation And Structural Monitoring Of Early-Age Masonry Structures, Kyle Dunphy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

During the initial construction period, “early-age” masonry walls are susceptible to lateral loads induced by wind or earthquake, which may result in damages or catastrophic failures. To mitigate such consequences at construction sites, temporary bracings are adopted to provide lateral support to masonry walls until they are matured enough to serve as the inherent lateral system of the structure. However, current temporary bracing guidelines provide oversimplified design due to the lack of available information on the material properties of early-age masonry. Moreover, there are no existing techniques for monitoring masonry walls to detect cracks due to construction activities. …

Seismic Hazard Assessment For Mainland China Based On Spatially Smoothed Seismicity And Projected Sets Of Ground Motion Models, Chao Feng

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The latest version of the Chinese seismic hazard map (CSHM) (i.e., fifth-generation CSHM) was developed based on the delineated seismic source model, which is defined based on geological and seismological information but also with some subjectivities. The results of the CSHM were presented in terms of peak ground acceleration (PGA) and peak ground velocity. No maps for spectral acceleration (SA) are given. This is partly due to the ground motion models (GMMs) to predict SA for mainland China are unavailable. The unavailability of the GMMs for SA results in the lack of uniform hazard spectra (UHS) that is important for …

Classification, Localization, And Quantification Of Structural Damage In Concrete Structures Using Convolutional Neural Networks, Majdi Flah

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Applications of Machine Learning (ML) algorithms in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) have recently become of great interest owing to their superior ability to detect damage in engineering structures. ML algorithms used in this domain are classified into two major subfields: vibration-based and image-based SHM. Traditional condition survey techniques based on visual inspection have been the most widely used for monitoring concrete structures in service. Inspectors visually evaluate defects based on experience and engineering judgment. However, this process is subjective, time-consuming, and hampered by difficult access to numerous parts of complex structures. Accordingly, the present study proposes a nearly automated inspection …

New Model And Simulation Algorithm Of Nonstationary Non-Gaussian Ground Motions Based On S-Transform, Xizhong Cui

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The seismic ground motions are nonstationary stochastic processes and vary from site to site. The time histories of synthetic ground motions are used for nonlinear inelastic structural dynamic analysis since the historical records are limit or unavailable for a particular scenario seismic event. This is especially the case for structures with multiple supports. The characteristics of the nonstationary stochastic ground motions depend on the earthquake magnitude, fault mechanism, source-to-site distance, and local site conditions. The characteristics could be represented by time-frequency (dependent) power spectral density (TFPSD) and coherence functions. The assessment of such power spectral density and coherence functions are …

Experimental And Numerical Study On Three-Edge Bearing Test For Reinforced Concrete Pipe, Abdul-Aziz Younis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Reinforced Concrete Pipe (RCP) is widely used in storm and wastewater management owing to its resiliency and reliability. The century old Three-Edge Bearing Test (TEBT) is currently used to classify RCP strength. The test relies on the skill and experience of the operator for capturing the occurrence of a 0.3-mm-wide crack using a leaf-gauge, which induces subjectivity and error. Studies have also indicated the TEBT crack bears little structural significance.

This thesis aims at improving the TEBT by replacing the arbitrary crack-width with rational capacity-driven criteria. A wide range of full-scale RCP were instrumented and subjected to the modified TEBT …

Experimental And Numerical Study Of Precast Concrete Pipe With Single Elliptical Steel Cage Reinforcement, Abdullah Samir Ramadan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) with single elliptical (SE) reinforcement offers cost savings and is permitted by Canadian and American standards. Yet, its use has not yet gained momentum primarily due to limited knowledge of its structural performance. This study explores the structural behaviour of full-scale 1050 mm and 1200 mm diameter RCP reinforced with SE cold drawn steel wire cage under the Three-Edge Bearing Test. Results indicate that RCP with SE reinforcement designed per current standards did not meet the specified 0.3-mm crack and ultimate load capacity. Hence, pertinent provisions in CSA A257.2 and ASTM C76 for RCP need to …

Identification Of Aerodynamic Damping For Flexible Structures Using Wind-Induced Response, Shea Laventure

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Damping estimation is a critical task to perform during the design of slender structures, or for existing structures. This is to ensure the response of the structure is within allowable limits and to determine if additional damping is necessary from auxiliary devices. If a slender structure is experiencing wind loading, a phenomenon known as aerodynamic damping arises, which has the potential to reduce the damping of the structure. The most efficient method to estimate aerodynamic damping is to use a system identification technique, which requires only the input forces and output response of the structure. This thesis describes how to …

Lateral Load Analysis Of Multi-Storey Light-Frame Wood Buildings Through Detailed And Simplified Numerical Approaches, Chu Peng

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Increasing global demand for a sustainable society is driving the development of multi-storey light-frame wood structures (LFWSs). A high-resolution finite element modelling (FEM) procedure for three-dimensional multi-storey LFWS buildings is developed. This tremendous effort is carried out to have a benchmark model that can be used for the validation of simpler models and for the assessment of the structural performance considering system effects. High-resolution FEM of all components of a building is not practical. A simplified FEM procedure is developed based on equal work principle. Verification of the accuracy of the high-resolution model is undertaken by comparing the natural frequencies …

Progressive Failure Of Transmission Line Towers Under Different Tornado Wind Fields, Wesam Abdelhamid Mohamed

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

High-intensity wind events (downbursts and tornadoes) cause the majority of weather-related transmission line (TL) failures, which detrimentally affect society. This study investigates the progressive failures of single TL towers and TL systems under different F2 tornadoes. Different tornado wind fields are incorporated in a fluid-structure software developed at Western University. Progressive failure analysis is then conducted for four towers under the most critical tornado configurations identified from extensive parametric studies. Moreover, the cost associated with designing TLs to sustain F2 tornadoes is investigated by strengthening the TL towers. Finally, the progressive failure within self-supported TL systems under different tornadoes, and …

System Reliability Analysis Of Defected Pile Group Foundations, Abdalla E. Adlan Alhashmi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Deep foundations design suffers some degrees of uncertainties. This thesis studies the behavior of defected pile group foundations installed in sand and calibrates the resistance factor of pile group foundation, utilizing a rational based system reliability analysis. This was achieved by conducting a comprehensive numerical parametric investigation using the computer program ABAQUS/Standard. The result of the parametric study showed that the presence of a defected pile in a pile group foundation causes lateral deflection of the pile cap and hence induces bending moment at the adjacent piles which affects the load distribution mechanism of the system. It was also found …

Seismic Performance Of Superelastic Shape Memory Alloy Reinforced Concrete Shear Wall Systems, Emad A. Abraik

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A major sustainability issue for reinforced concrete (RC) structures is the residual deformations caused by the yielding of the steel bars during extreme seismic events. Numerous efforts have been made to develop self-centering structures, which minimize these deformations and the associated seismic damage. Superelastic shape memory alloys (SE-SMA) can be utilized in concrete elements to achieve such behaviour. This thesis focuses on the use of SE-SMA bars in RC walls.

First, the thesis starts by conducting a fragility analysis to assess the seismic performance and vulnerability of ten and twenty-story SE-SMA RC walls. SE-SMA bars are used within the plastic …

Application Of Bayesian Networks To Integrity Management Of Energy Pipelines, Wei Xiang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Metal-loss corrosion and third-party damage (TPD) are the leading threats to the integrity of buried oil and natural gas pipelines. This thesis employs Bayesian networks (BNs) and non-parametric Bayesian networks (NPBNs) to deal with four issues with regard to the reliability-based management program of corrosion and TPD. The first study integrates the quantification of measurement errors of the ILI tools, corrosion growth modeling and reliability analysis in a single dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) model, and employs the parameter learning technique to learn the parameters of the DBN model from the ILI-reported and filed-measured corrosion depths. The second study develops the …

Analysis Of Roofs Of Wooden Houses Under Uplift Wind Loads- Analytical Solution, Retrofit, And Reliability Analysis, Adnan Farouk Enajar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Observations of post-hurricane events indicate that light-frame wood houses are vulnerable to failure

Observations of post-hurricane events indicate that light-frame wood houses are vulnerable to failure due to the inability of their connections to provide sufficient transfer of uplift wind loads from the roof of the house to the foundation. One of these connections is the roof-to-wall connection (RTWC), which connects roof trusses to the top plate members of the walls. This issue has been investigated through full-scale testing at the Insurance Research Lab for Better Homes. This thesis describes the detailed finite element modelling performed for this full-scale testing …

Long-Term Deflections Of Reinforced Concrete Beams, Ziad Elaghoury

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The CSA A23.3 code provisions compute the long-term deflection of reinforced concrete flexural members by applying a multiplier to the short-term deflection, essentially ignoring the creep and shrinkage characteristics of concrete. The CAC Concrete Design Handbook presents more elaborate methods, but fails to account for the factors that influence the creep and shrinkage of concrete.

The four widely recognized models for computing creep and shrinkage strains yield predictions that differ by up to 30%. Studies by others to assess the accuracy of the models apply different of statistical analyses do different datasets and so yield contradicting outcomes, making it difficult …

Effects Of Building Scale Parameters On Pressure Equalization Capacity Of Roof Paver Systems, Matthew Sparks

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Roof pavers are commonly installed with a cavity beneath the paver that develops an internal suction pressure. These cavity pressures reduce the net pressure felt by a roof paver subject to uplift. Paver-scale parameter effects are well-understood, in this study, the effects of changing building-scale parameters such as height, aspect ratio, afterbody length, small and large scale roof obstructions, and paver to roof size ratio on cavity pressures are investigated. To do so pressure measurements were taken at the University of Western Ontario’s Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory on a modular flat roof building model at four different heights with …

Performance-Based Design Of Fire-Exposed Reinforced Concrete Elements Using An Equivalent Standard Fire, Robert T. Kuehnen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Fire events represent one of the most severe loading scenarios for reinforced concrete (RC) buildings. In lieu of intensive computational analysis, designers need simplified methods to assess RC members exposed to natural fires. This thesis focuses on the development of a time equivalent (t_e) to replace a natural fire with an equivalent standard fire, allowing for the implementation of existing simplified analysis methods.

The proposed t_e is based on the average internal temperature profile (AITP) that develops in a section during fire. Two AITP t_e are proposed to accurately or conservatively approximate the AITP of …

Heat Of Hydration Thermal Performance And Flexural Capacity Of Stainless-Steel Reinforced Concrete Sections, Mokhtar Khalifa

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Stainless steel (SS) is increasingly used in the construction field due to its high strength and corrosion resistance. However, its coefficient of thermal expansion is different from that of concrete. This difference raises concerns about the potential for concrete cracking during the hydration process. To address this concern, a thermal-structural finite element model was developed to predict the stresses in SS reinforced concrete (RC) sections during the hydration process. Different curing regimes were taken into consideration. The analysis was performed in two stages. First, a transient thermal analysis was performed to determine the temperature distribution within the concrete section as …

Aversion And Warning Factors For Assessing Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures, Marcie Van Weerdhuizen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In a world of aging infrastructure, sustainability initiatives require additional investment in the assessment of existing reinforced concrete structures. Reliability-based assessment should minimize costs by reducing conservatism, while ensuring levels of safety equivalent to those for new designs. Current Canadian and US provisions assign target reliability levels for structural assessment based on criteria including occupancy type, expected failure behaviour, and the effect of element failure on the overall structural integrity. These criteria are defined using discrete and qualitative parameter values. It is shown that the true structural conditions can be better represented by verifying the applicability and completeness of these …

Quantification Of Uncertainties In Inline Inspection Data For Metal-Loss Corrosion On Energy Pipelines And Implications For Reliability Analysis, Tammeen Siraj

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

One of the major threats to the oil and gas transmission pipeline integrity is metal-loss corrosion. Pipeline operators periodically inspect the size of the metal loss corrosion in a pipeline using in-line inspection (ILI) tools to avoid pipe failure which may lead to severe consequences. To predict pipe failure efficiently, reliability-based corrosion management program is gaining popularity as it effectively incorporates all the uncertainties involved in the pipe failure prediction. The focus of the research reported in this thesis is to investigate the unaddressed issues in the reliability-based corrosion assessment to assist in better predicting pipe failure.

First, a methodology …

Eco-Efficient Preplaced Recycled Aggregate Concrete Incorporating Recycled Tire Waste Rubber Granules And Steel Wire Fibre Reinforcement, Saud A. Alfayez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

With increasing world population and urbanization, the depletion of natural resources and generation of waste materials is becoming a considerable challenge. As the number of humans has exceeded 7 billion people, there are about 1.1 billion vehicles on the road, with 1.7 billion new tires produced and over 1 billion waste tires generated each year. In the USA, it was estimated in 2011 that 10% of scrap tires was being recycled into new products, and over 50% is being used for energy recovery, while the rest is being discarded into landfills or disposed. The proportion of tires disposed worldwide into …

Flexural Behaviour Of Reinforced Concrete Elements Retrofitted Using External Unbonded Superelastic Shape Memory Alloy Bars, Yamen Ibrahim Elbahy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Steel reinforced concrete (RC) framed structures are seismically designed for safety, where the earthquake energy is dissipated through yielding of the steel bars. During strong earthquakes, high inelastic deformations are allowed to take place. This allowance results in significant residual deformations. Thus, following an earthquake, the structure might be deemed irreparable, requiring its demolishing and replacement. If the frame can be designed to regain its original shape following an earthquake, then the structure will be repairable. This kind of design can be achieved by using smart materials such as Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs).

SMAs have unique properties, which make them …

Design And Probabilistic Analysis Of Mid- And High-Rise Wood Buildings Subjected To Earthquake Excitations, Shucheng Yang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mass timber products, such as the glulam or cross laminated timber (CLT), are less frequently used construction materials at present for mid-rise and high-rise buildings. The feasibility and possible advantages of applying timber materials for constructing mid- and high-rise buildings are under investigation. One of the issues that needs to be addressed for the use of heavy timber materials is the safety of such constructions under seismic excitations. To address this issue, the nonlinear inelastic seismic responses and capacity curves of a wood buildings must be assessed. For this, the 10-, 15- and 20-storey buildings are designed using heavy timber …

Experimental And Numerical Investigation Of Emulative Connections In Precast Concrete Walls, Mohamed Gamal Elsayed

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Grouted connections are widely used in the precast concrete construction. For instance, in precast concrete walls, they are used to connect assemblies of vertically stacked panels. The connection is comprised of a grout cylinder bound by a corrugated metallic duct, which is used to house a large diameter reinforcing bar bridging the horizontal gap of stacked panels. The connection is used to provide vertical continuity to the assembly, and to help resist tensile demands from in-plane bending. Current design guidelines consider such connections through a bar-in-concrete treatment, disregarding its composite nature and the confinement effect of the duct. This has …

Condition Assessment Of Concrete Bridge Decks Using Ground And Airborne Infrared Thermography, Tarek Omar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Applications of nondestructive testing (NDT) technologies have shown promise in assessing the condition of existing concrete bridges. Infrared thermography (IRT) has gradually gained wider acceptance as a NDT and evaluation tool in the civil engineering field. The high capability of IRT in detecting subsurface delamination, commercial availability of infrared cameras, lower cost compared with other technologies, speed of data collection, and remote sensing are some of the expected benefits of applying this technique in bridge deck inspection practices. The research conducted in this thesis aims at developing a rational condition assessment system for concrete bridge decks based on IRT technology, …

A Performance Based Design Approach For Tall Buildings Under Wind Loading, Fouad Y. Elezaby

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The wind design of buildings is typically based on strength provisions under ultimate loads. This is unlike the ductility-based approach used in seismic design, which allows inelastic actions to take place in the structure under extreme seismic events. This research investigates the application of a similar concept in wind engineering. In seismic design, the elastic forces resulting from an extreme event of high return period are reduced by a load reduction factor. A load reduction factor is chosen by the designer and accordingly a certain ductility capacity needs to be achieved in the structure. Two reasons have triggered the investigation …

Assessment Of Dynamic Effect Of Transmission Line Conductor Longitudinal Reaction Due To Downburst Loading, Ibrahim Ibrahim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Due to the locality and non-stationary nature of downburst wind loading events, their effect on the structural response of transmission line structures is of special nature that differs from conventional atmospheric boundary layer wind loading. Acknowledging such difference, the current thesis aims to quantify the dynamic effect associated with downburst loading on transmission line systems. To achieve that, several steps had to be realized, including experimentally verifying the numerical model used for analysis using wind field that was generated using computational fluid dynamics. The verified model was extended from model scale to full scale, where the wind field used for …

Investigation Of Ductile Crack Growth And Normalization Method For Se(T) Specimen Using Finite Element Analyses, Cheng Qian

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The fracture toughness resistance curve (e.g. J-R curve) is widely used in integrity assessment and strain-based design of oil and gas pipelines with respect to planar defects (i.e. cracks). This thesis includes two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) finite element analyses (FEA) of ductile crack growth of X80-grade pipeline steel based on the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) constitutive model, and investigation of the normalization (NM) method to generate the J-R curve for the single-edge tension (SE(T)) specimen.

First, the GTN model implemented in the computational cell is adopted in the commercial software ABAQUS to calibrate the micromechanical parameters for the pipeline steel. Subsequently, …

Partial Material Strength Reduction Factors For Aci 318, Tong Zhang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The strength reduction factors, phi, defined in ACI 318-14 for different structural actions and elements lead to inconsistent results. This study proposes partial material strength reduction factors for concrete, phi_c, and reinforcing steel, phi_s, that yield similar design strengths and more consistent reliability indices. Three structural actions are investigated: moment; shear; and, combined moment and axial force. The first-order, second-moment method is used to compute reliability indices for moment and shear, and Monte Carlo simulation is used for combined moment and axial force. The statistical parameters assumed for the professional factor for shear strength significantly impact …

Behaviour Of Pre-Stressed Concrete Transmission Poles Under High Intensity Wind, Ahmed M. Ibrahim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Among different types of electrical transmission line structures, pre-stressed concrete transmission poles have the advantages of low installation and maintenance costs, appropriate delivery time, and high corrosion resistivity. Typically, these poles are designed to resist synoptic wind loading. Current design codes do not consider the effect of high intensity wind (HIW) events in the form of downbursts and tornadoes on pre-stressed concrete poles despite the fact that those weather events are the main cause of failure of transmission line structures. The first comprehensive study conducted to assess the behaviour of pre-stressed concrete transmission poles under HIW is presented in this …

Seismic Performance Of Steel Helical Piles, Moustafa K. El-Sawy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Recent earthquakes have highlighted the need for safe and efficient construction of earthquake resilient structures. Meanwhile, helical piles are gaining popularity as a foundation for new structures and retrofitting solution for existing deficient foundations due to their immense advantages over conventional driven pile alternatives. In addition, helical pile foundations performed well in recent earthquakes, proving they can be a suitable foundation option in seismic regions. The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the seismic performance of helical piles by conducting full-scale shaking table tests and nonlinear three-dimensional numerical modeling using the computer program ABAQUS/Standard. The experimental setup involved installing …