Sharif Digital Repository

Performance-based design (PBD) has been accepted as one of the most reliable design methods in the past few decades. PBD can overcome inherent deficiencies associated with force-based design (FBD) and has advantages over this traditional method. Various PBD methods have been developed, which Displacement-based design (DBD) has been considered as one of the effective design approaches of the PBD method. In this study, the Displacement coefficient method (DCM) is developed for stub-type integral abutment bridges (IABs). For this purpose, two coefficients are proposed to determine the target displacement of these types of bridges. Validation of this method by nonlinear time-history analysis... 

Block shear failure in the parent material is considered as a common potential failure mode in welded connections used in steel structures. However, there is only little research reported on the block shear failure of welded connections under multiaxial loading. Multiaxial loading is defined as loading not parallel or perpendicular to weld lines and in the case of in planar eccentricity results in torsional loads. In this research a nonlinear finite element model is developed to study the effect of connection geometry, weld group configuration, and eccentricity of lap splice connection on block shear capacity. The case studied concerns a 3 milimeter thick structural steel plate (CSA G40.21... 

Choosing and designing a suitable lateral force resisting system in areas with high seismicity has always been one of the main challenges of structural engineers. Therefore, many systems have been developed and implemented over the past decades. Among them, we can mention reinforced concrete and steel moment frames, concrete and steel shear walls, bracing systems and even their combination under the title of dual systems. The choice of each of the above depends on many factors such as the importance of the building, the seismicity of the region, height of the building, architectural restrictions and also cost. Although the evidence of past earthquakes shows that, for a well-designed... 

Recently, corrugated steel plate shear walls (CSPSWs) have been shown to be an efficient lateral force resisting system for building structures. Corrugated plates have higher out-of-plane stiffness and improved buckling stability in comparison with flat plates which result in improved hysteretic behavior. The application of CSPSWs in tall buildings requires a wide range of thicknesses for the infill plates. Yet, the available range of thicknesses of corrugated plates is limited because of the restrictions associated with the process of cold forming. One solution to this problem is to use two corrugated plates as an infill plate. In this research, the cyclic performance of double corrugated... 

The strength of welded joints is determined by the lower value of the weld metal and base metal strength. In welded bracing connections, the latter includes the connecting element (i.e., the gusset plate) and the bracing member. According to the American steel design standard AISC 360, the base metal strength is determined based on the limit states of tensile rupture, shear yielding, shear rupture, and block shear. While extensive research has been conducted on the limit state of tensile rupture, limited attention has been given to the limit states of shear yielding, shear rupture, and block shear in welded bracing connections. Furthermore, the design strength equations adopted by AISC 360... 

Lateral forces on structures are transferred to braces as tensile and compressive loads. These loads enter the beams and columns through the gusset plates. The gusset connections to the beams and columns must be such that they be able to pass the loads through themselves. So far, five analytical models have been proposed for this connection and only one of them is recommended by AISC. These models estimate the existing forces and moments on the connection. The analytical models are: model 1 (KISS), model 2 (2A-AISC), model 3 (Thornton), model 4 (Ricker) and model 5 (Richard). Among these models, only model 3 is recommended by AISC because the others are more conservative. It should be noted... 

Live load distribution factors for bridge superstructures on which live load is first transmitted through concrete slabs to transverse beams and then through transverse beams to longitudinal beams (three-element superstructure), is expressed in the AASHTO LRFD, only as a function of the distance between the beams; however, in slab-beam superstructures (two-element superstructure), the live load distribution factors depend on many parameters, including slab thickness, clear span, longitudinal beam stiffness as well as the distance between longitudinal beams. This study investigates the factors affecting live load distribution factor and the relationships among these factors in three-element... 

The purpose of this research is to evaluate skew integral abutment bridges. A bridge with an integral abutment bridge system is a type of bridge in which the expansion joint is removed so the connection between the abutment and the superstructure is rigid. Therefore, the superstructure and the substructure are integrated with each other and both participate in the lateral load of the structure under seismic or thermal forces. One of the important challenges in this type of bridges is the lack of analysis, tests and limited three-dimensional modeling. According to this, the understanding of the behavior of skew integral abutment bridges and the effects of soil-structure interaction in these... 

Nowadays, many structural engineers use fillet welds in their designs because of their high strength and affordability. In these welds, eccentric loadings either out-of-plane or in-plane create complex condition in welds from stress point of view. To determine the capacity of such fillet welds different methods have been proposed over time. For instance, the method approved by AISC is the Elastic method. This method when combined with load factors, as required by the LRFD design method, yields very conservative designs for fillet welds. Therefore, in this project, we try to propose the plastic method for welds under eccentric loadings. This method is more economical than the elastic method... 

Fillet welds are widely used in steel construction due to their high strength and economy. In the joints used in construction, eccentricity loads in complex weld stress. The current research involves 72 bending specimens and 16 torsion specimens being modeled to study different design code relationships regarding the plastic properties of welds. In line with an even comprehensive study, the previous experimental programs in this field have been added to the modeling results.Reliability analysis has been applied to examine code relationships more precisely. The analysis involved examination of various uncertainties which showed that applying elastic methods proves more conservative than other... 

Purpose of this research is evaluation of response modification factor for integral abutment bridges in longitudinal direction in which substructure and superstructure both act as a unit system in resisting of lateral loads and no expansion joints are used in them. One of the most important challenges in design of IABs, is lack of response modification factor for their seismic design in longitudinal direction. Another challenge in these bridges, is modeling of soil-bridge structure interaction that affects not only abutment and piles’ seismic performance, but deck performance too. The other challenge is lack of adequate knowledge about their behavior and seismic performance which is of great... 

This research introduces two new passive control devices for protecting structures against earthquakes: Dual Pipe Damper (DPD) and In-filled Pipe Damper (IPD). The DPD device consists of two welded pipes. The IPD device is a DPD with two smaller pipes inside them and the spaces between the pipes are filled with metals such as, lead and zinc. The DPD device only utilizes plastic deformation of pipes; but the IPD device takes advantage of plastification of the outer and inner pipes, the in-filled metals, and the friction between metals as energy absorption mechanisms. Quasi-static cyclic tests are performed on four specimens of DPD and six specimens of IPD all showing stable hysteresis and... 

Nowadays, using perimeter steel moment frames in combination with interior gravity frames have become common practice in structural building design. One of the key benefits of this system is the open space that it provides for the architects. In active seismic regions, special details are required in the design of the seismic force resisting systems to make these frames ductile. However, these details cause excessive displacement for the gravity force resisting system. Although the gravity frames are not designed to endure seismic forces, they collaborate in the system’s response as they are connected to the same floor diaphragm and withstand lateral displacements. Therefore, these systems... 

The steel-concrete composite beams are increasingly used in bridge and building construction in recent years. A shear connection between the steel and concrete should be provided to effectively transfer the shear force and to make the two materials act as a single unit. The mechanical shear connectors provide this means. They are the essential component of any composite beam system. Many studies have been performed on shear connectors and many different steel shapes have been suggested for connectors. The steel studs and channels are the most popular code accepted connectors. However, economic considerations continue to motivate the development of new products.
Present knowledge of the... 

In order to design buildings such as industrial structures, which use multi-tiered braced frames as their lateral load resisting system, it is required to know seismic performance factors, including the response modification coefficient (R), the overstrength factor (Ω0), and deflection amplification factor (Cd). The main purpose of this study is to assume initial seismic performance factors and evaluate their accuracy based on Fema-P695 methodology. This methodology provides a reliable basis for determining seismic performance factors of different lateral load resisting systems. In this study 8 archetypes have been chosen and designed with initial factors of 6, 2 and 5 as R, Ω0 and Cd,... 

Integral abutment bridges (IABs) are bridges in which the deck is cast monolithically with abutment backwalls. These bridges are also jointless through deck length, due to which they act as a frame in their longitudinal direction. These differences with common seat-type bridge construction, have made IABs more economical to build and maintain and superior in seismic performance. As such, in various countries, this method of construction have been prescribed whenever possible. As an instance, integral construction is mandatory for bridges up to 60 meters in total length in England. IABs have become more of a geotechnical problem rather than simple structural problem of conventional bridges in... 

Cable-stayed bridges are the most economical solution for spans ranging from about 200 to 1000 meters. They have become more popular in recent decades due to their efficiency and appearance. The need to understand their seismic beahvior is apparent and any improvement can be useful. The main purpose of this study is to determine the effect of using three lateral cable arrangement groups namely, cross system, pulley system and spatial lateral cable system with two transversally inclined cable planes on seismic performance of cable-stayed bridges. In this research, the seismic consequences of these arrangements with interactions of key parameters like, the main span length and deck to pylon... 

Nowadays seismic designs of building structures are based on a life-safety criterion that made the structures do not collapse to compromise safety of human life in the structure, but they can be designed to experience some damage. However, this design method has permitted large economic losses due to the damage to the structural and non-structural components at rather moderate levels of seismic intensities. This led to a new concept about design approach called performance-based design that satisfies the life-safety objective at the same time, reduces the economic loss to an acceptable level. In this study, the use of energy dissipating damping devices to improve the performance of a... 

It is very common to use moment frame system in earthquake-prone areas in the two main directions of buildings. This system is very popular among architects due to the creation of unobstructed openings between the columns and the possibility of using openings in them.The column is one of the main components in the design of orthogonal moment frame systems and plays an important role in the performance of this system. The columns that are in the two main directions of the intersection of two moment frame systems, due to the existence of the 30-100 rule in seismic design regulations, must be able to withstand 100% of the design earthquake force in one direction and 30% of the same force in the... 

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the base metal capacity of stiffened seated angle connections and to inspect their behaviour. The effect of different parameters on the capacity of connections is examined, considering the damage in the column. This research is important since for welding design, codes require the designer to control the base metal capacity to check the connection capacity, while the method of calculating this capacity is not provided, and this issue is not considered in the design. In this research, ABAQUS finite element software was used to model and analyze the results. A total of 90 stiffened seated angle connections, which were connected to the flange...