Sharif Digital Repository

The conventional finite element method has been used successfully in linear and nonlinear analyses in concrete chimney structures. The method can be performed by subdividing the large structure into small uniform elements having approximate shape functions. Although this replaces a single complicated structural system into a number of simple uniform elements, in cases of tall concrete chimney structures with cracking and crushing behavior in concrete material and yielding in the reinforcement, the computer time and memory can be large. Hence, it is desirable to search for a procedure requiring a fewer number of elements and also less computer time and effort to model a structure. In this... 

In Endurance Time (ET) method gradually intensifying acceleration functions are created in a manner that the linear and nonlinear response spectra of them, while being proportional to average of real earthquakes spectra, intensifies in a uniform manner with time. These functions are used as input functions for nonlinear time history analysis of structures and performance of structures is assessed based on the maximum time duration that they can meet the specified performance objectives. In this paper, application of the ET method in nonlinear seismic analysis of structures has been investigated. Numerical procedures and optimization techniques that are used for the production of acceleration... 

Infill walls are realized to affect the nonlinear response of infilled frames. Yet, due to modeling and analysis complexities, infill walls are usually neglected in the modeling and analysis phase. In this paper, the nonlinear behavior of infilled steel braced frames is investigated using the Endurance Time (ET) method. The ET method is a novel and straightforward approach for the nonlinear analysis of structures under dynamic excitations. Two 2D braced frames, one concentrically braced frame and one eccentrically braced frame, with unreinforced masonry clay brick walls as infills, are considered. The infill panels are macro-modeled using equivalent compressive struts, with appropriate... 

Probabilistic seismic analysis of structures with incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) is a widely used method to offer comprehensive evaluation of the seismic performance of structures. Although IDA is a powerful computer-intensive method, it is really a time-consuming procedure. Accordingly, in this study, for coping with this problem, significant motion duration is used instead of total motion duration. This truncation can significantly reduce the computational effort and time. In order to determine the influence of truncation, fragility curves and their mean annual frequencies (MAF) in each limit state are used with two different damage indices, namely modified Park & Ang and maximum... 

This paper investigates the static and dynamic buckling of an anchored cylindrical steel tank subjected to horizontal and vertical ground acceleration. The buckling capacity of the tank is estimated using static pushover (SPO) and incremental dynamic analyses (IDA). Appropriate load patterns due to the horizontal and vertical components of ground excitations are utilized for SPO analyses. The buckling capacity curves and critical buckling loads computed using SPO analyses are compared to those obtained from IDA. A proper vertical to horizontal acceleration ratio (av/ah) for SPO analysis is proposed that leads to good agreement between SPO and IDA results. © 2017  

An Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is a capable tool to manipulate nanoparticles by exerting pushing force on the nanoparticles located on the substrate. In reality, the substrate cannot be considered as a smooth surface particularly at the nanoscale. Hence, the particle may encounter a step on the substrate during a manipulation. In this study, dynamics of the nanoparticle on a stepped substrate and critical pushing force in the manipulation are investigated. There are two possible dynamic modes that may happen in the manipulation on the stepped substrate. In one mode, the nanoparticle may slide on the step edge and then climb up to the step which is a desired mode. Another possible mode is... 

The nonlinear static procedures (NSPs) proposed by design codes do not lead to reliable results especially for tall buildings. They generally provide inconsistent estimates of inelastic seismic demands, especially for the top floors due to their inabilities in considering the higher modes effects. In this paper, a new enhanced pushover procedure is proposed which is based on the envelope of the structural responses resulting from two separate pushover analyses as a combination rule. Also, the suggested pushover analyses are performed using a newly proposed modal load pattern, i.e., the Modal Spectra Combination (MSC), and the ASCE41-06 required first mode load pattern. The MSC load pattern... 

In this paper, a large plasticity deformation finite element modeling is presented for three-dimensional dynamic analysis of unsaturated soils with special reference to the failure of lower San Fernando dam under the 1971 earthquake. The finite element method is applied to the governing equations for the spatial discretization, followed by a generalized Newmark scheme used for the time domain discretization. Time stepping scheme is used in the fully implicit coupled method and a direct solution procedure is used for the coupled equation system. The framework of generalized plasticity is presented and the numerical results of unsaturated soils are demonstrated based on the Pastor-Zienkiewicz... 

In this study, a performance-based optimisation framework is proposed for optimal cross-sectional distribution of steel moment resisting frames (MRFs) subject to earthquake excitations. For the first time, the concept of uniform distribution of damage (UDD) is adopted for the complex optimisation of moment resisting steel frames under dynamic earthquake excitations. To enhance the computational efficiency of the optimisation process, a novel adaptive algorithm is proposed, where the power functions change based on the demand to capacity ratio of the structural elements. The framework is then used for optimisation of 3, 5, 7, 10 and 15-storey steel MRFs under a set of representative... 

In this paper a novel approach to dynamic formulation of rovers has been presented. The complexity of these multi-body systems especially on rough terrain, challenged us to use the Kane's method which has been preferred to others in these cases. As an example, symbolic equations of a six-wheeled rover, named CEDRA Rescue Robot which uses a shrimp like mechanism, have been derived and a simulation of forward and inverse dynamics has been presented. Due to the clear form of equations, each term defines a physical meaning which represents the effect of each parameter, resulting in a frame-work for performance comparison of rovers. Although the method has been described for a 2-D non-slipping... 

In this paper, a unified finite element formulation associated with saturated and unsaturated soils is presented. The finite element method is applied to the governing equations for the spatial discretization, followed by a generalized Newmark scheme used for the time domain discretization. Time stepping scheme is used in the fully implicit coupled method and a direct solution procedure is used for the coupled equation system. The framework of generalized plasticity is presented and the numerical results of three saturated-unsaturated earth and rockfill dams are demonstrated. A comparison is performed between the Pastor-Zienkiewicz and cap plasticity models through the dynamic analysis of... 

Conventional finite element method has been used successfully in linear and nonlinear analyses in tall chimney structures. The method can be performed by subdividing the large structure with small uniform elements having approximate shape functions. Although this replaces a single complicated structural system with the number of simple uniform elements, in cases of tall concrete chimney structures with cracking and crushing behavior in concrete material and yielding in the reinforcement, the computer time and memory can be large. Hence, it is desirable to search for a procedure requiring lesser number of elements and also less computer time and effort to model a structure. In this respect,... 

In this paper, the results of recent studies on inelastic seismic response of MDOF shear-building structures are presented. In the last few decades, the concept of response modification factor R has been introduced and developed to account for inelastic nonlinear behaviour of structures under earthquakes. In this paper, an attempt has been made to adjust and extend this concept through introducing a modifying factor RT. This factor is used for dynamic analysis of MDOF structures, including the calculation of inelastic response spectra. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to identify the parameters that have influence on RT. It has been demonstratec that RT is predominantly a function of... 

In this paper, the results of recent studies on inelastic seismic response of MDOF shear- building structures are presented. In the last few decades, the concept of response modification factor R has been introduced and developed to account for inelastic nonlinear behaviour of structures under earthquakes. In this paper, an attempt has been made to adjust and extend this concept through introducing a modifying factor Rt This factor is used for dynamic analysis of MDOF structures, including the calculation of inelastic response spectra. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to identify the parameters that have influence on RT- It has been demonstrated that Rt is predominantly a function of...