Sharif Digital Repository

This paper proposes a new medium-access control (MAC) protocol designed for wireless sensor networks. A wireless sensor network is an array of large number of sensors interconnected by a multi-hop ad-hoc network. The primary objective for the sensor network is achieving to low-power consumption while latency is usually less important compare to traditional wireless networks. This characteristic of sensor network motivates the design of new MAC layer so that power consumption is reduced. In this paper, a novel traffic-aware algorithm based on distributed node schedule management (DMD) protocol is introduced that utilizes distributed dynamic node scheduling strategy to dramatically increase... 

A new air shower experiment of the Alborz Observatory, Alborz-I, located at the Sharif University of Technology, Iran, will be constructed in near future. An area of about 30×40 m2 will be covered by 20 plastic scintillation detectors (each with an area of 50×50 cm2). A series of experiments have been performed to optimize the height of light enclosures of the detectors for this array and the results have been compared to an extended code simulation of these detectors. Operational parameters of the detector obtained by this code are cross checked by the Geant4 simulation. There is a good agreement between the extended-code and Geant4 simulations. We also present further discussions on the... 

The effect of Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) on Park and Ang Damage Index in a Bilinear-SDOF model is investigated under seismic loading. This is done through an extensive parametric study. Two non-dimensional parameters are used as the key parameters which control the severity of SSI: (1) a non-dimensional frequency as the structure-to-soil stiffness ratio index and (2) the aspect ratio of the structure. The soil beneath the structure is considered as a homogeneous elastic half space and is modeled using the concept of Cone Models. The system is then subjected to three different earthquake ground motions as the representative motions recorded on different soil conditions. The analysis is... 

The effect of soil conditions on strength reduction factors (SRFs) is investigated. Both site effect and soil-structure interaction (SSI) effect are considered in the study with special emphasis on the latter effect. The structure is modeled as an elasto-plastic single degree of freedom (SDOF) system, whereas the underlying soil is considered as a homogeneous half-space. The half-space is also replaced by a simplified 3DOF system, based on the concept of Cone Models. The whole 4DOF model is then analyzed under a total of 54 strong motions recorded on different soil types. A parametric study is done for a wide range of non-dimensional parameters, which completely define the problem. It is... 

This paper revisits the phenomenon of dynamic soil-structure interaction (SSI) with a probabilistic approach. For this purpose, a twofold objective is pursued. First, the effect of SSI on inelastic response of the structure is studied considering the prevailing uncertainties. Second, the consequence of practicing SSI provisions of the current seismic design codes on the structural performance is investigated in a probabilistic framework. The soil-structure system is modeled by the sub-structure method. The uncertainty in the properties of the soil and the structure is described by random variables that are input to this model. Monte Carlo sampling analysis is employed to compute the... 

This paper reveals the consequences of practicing the 2015 National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) soilstructure interaction (SSI) provisions, which form the basis of the 2016 edition of the seismic design standard provided by the ASCE. For this purpose, the probability that the practice of SSI provisions, in lieu of fixed-base provisions, increases the ductility demand of the structure computed. It is subsequently investigated whether the NEHRP provisions are indeed an improvement upon the SSI provisions of the current ASCE seismic design standard. To this end, 720 soil-structure systems with different numbers of stories, structural systems, aspect ratios, and foundation... 

This paper studies the effect of soil–structure interaction (SSI) on the seismic risk estimates of buildings. Risk, in this context, denotes the probability distribution of seismic monetary loss due to structural and nonstructural damage. The risk analysis here uncovers the probability that SSI is beneficial, detrimental, or uninfluential on seismic losses. The analyses are conducted for a wide range of buildings with different structural systems, numbers of stories, and foundation sizes on various soil types. A probabilistic approach is employed to account for prevailing sources of uncertainty, i.e., those in ground motion and in the properties of the soil–structure system. In this... 

This paper investigates the applicability of frequency-domain system identification technique to achieve the equivalent linear dynamics of an autonomous underwater vehicle for control design purposes. Frequency response analysis is performed on the nonlinear and coupled dynamics of the vehicle, utilizing the CIFER® software to extract a reduced-order model in the form of equivalent transfer functions. Advanced features such as chirp-z transform, composite window optimization, and conditioning are employed to achieve high quality and accurate frequency responses. A particular frequency-sweep input is implemented to the nonlinear simulation model to achieve pole-zero transfer functions for yaw... 

The simultaneous effects of soil-structure interaction, foundation uplift and inelastic behavior of the superstructure on total displacement response of soil-structure systems are investigated. The superstructure is modeled as an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom system with bilinear behavior mounted on a rigid foundation resting on distributed tensionless Winkler springs and dampers. It is well known that the behavior of soil-structure systems can be well described using a limited number of nondimensional parameters. Here, by introducing two new parameters, the concept is extended to inelastic soil-structure systems in which the foundation is allowed to uplift. An extensive parametric... 

The effect of foundation embedment on fundamental period and damping of buildings has been the title of several researches in three past decades. A review of the literature reveals some discrepancies between proposed formulations for dynamic characteristics of soil-embedded foundation-structure systems that raise the necessity of more investigation on this issue. Here, first a set of approximate polynomial equations for soil impedances, based on numerical data calculated from well known cone models, are presented. Then a simplified approach is suggested to calculate period and damping of the whole system considering soil medium as a viscoelastic half space. The procedure includes both... 

This paper proposes a new medium-access control (MAC) protocol designed for wireless sensor networks. A wireless sensor network is an array of large number of sensors interconnected by a multi-hop ad-hoc network. The fundamental objective for sensor network is low-power consumption while latency is usually less important. This characteristic of sensor network motivates different MAC laver design from the conventional wireless network to reduce power consumption. In this paper novel algorithm based on distributed mediation device (DMD) protocol has been introduced that utilized distributed node scheduling strategy to dramatically increase energy saving principally in intermediate devices... 

Flooding technique is widely using to manipulate sensor network essential activities such as synchronization, data gathering, network query and in-network information processing. Reliable and low latency data broadcasting is the primary goal in design of appropriate quality of service aware flooding algorithm. This paper proposes a new error-rate adaptive reliable data flooding strategy. Energy consumption which it the main limitation in sensor network, has been considered in optimal presented scheme. Also the tradeoff between reliability, power consumption and latency has been cared to achieve the finest devise. The simulation results have shown significant enhancement in quality of data... 

This paper proposes a methodology for generating surrogate single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) models that can be utilized to estimate the probability distribution of the roof drift ratio of multistory buildings at various ground motion intensity measures. The use of an SDOF model as a surrogate for multistory buildings can significantly alleviate the high computational cost for probabilistic seismic demand assessment considering both model uncertainty and record-to-record variability. The surrogate SDOF model generated herein explicitly accounts for model uncertainties and can be used as an alternative to the nonlinear dynamic analysis of detailed building structures. Applications for such... 

Seismic performance of a representative single-story confined unreinforced masonry school building in Tehran, Iran is evaluated by means of incremental dynamic analyses according to FEMA P-58 framework. For this purpose, fragility curves are derived for each of the constituent walls of the building. The in-plane behavior of the walls is considered only. Both flexible and rigid diaphragm conditions are investigated. For comparison purposes, the corresponding unconfined building exactly duplicating the considered confined unreinforced masonry building is also studied. In order to analyze the effects of near-source seismic actions on the performance of masonry buildings, two separate far-field... 

This research explores the effectiveness of the use of stiff diaphragm walls next to a rocking foundation through numerical simulation. This improvement technique is used as a means to increase in subsoil peripheral confinement and reduce rocking-induced settlement. The numerical model was verified by the centrifuge test of rocking shallow foundations on clay under cyclic loading. A parametric study was conducted to explore the effect of three stiff wall shapes on the performance of a rocking system. The general conclusion of the parametric investigation is that the use of stiff diaphragm walls reduced the sinking-dominated settlement response of the rocking system. © 2019 Taylor & Francis... 

The need for simplified physical models representing frequency dependent soil impedances has been the motivation behind many researches throughout history. Generally, such models are generated to capture impedance functions in a wide range of excitation frequencies, which leads to relatively complex models. That is while there is just a limited range of frequencies that really influence the response of the structure. Here, a new methodology based on the response-matching concept is proposed, which can lead to the development of simpler discrete models. The idea is then used to upgrade an existing simple model of surface foundations to the case of embedded foundations. The applicability of... 

This paper addresses the behavior of confined masonry walls with dominating shear failure mode in walls. For this purpose, failure modes of these walls are classified in details. For each failure mode, complete set of analytical-based relations for deriving parameters related to backbone curves is introduced. Calibrated finite element analyses are utilized as a benchmark for verification of some of the assumptions. The results of the proposed relations are compared with those of several Iranian and non-Iranian experimental data. Sensitivity analysis is performed in order to understand the effects of important behavioral characteristics of these walls. The results of this study indicate that... 

In this study, titanium substrates which previously oxidized through Micro arc oxidation method, was coated by Hydroxyapatite (HAp) coating once more by means of the same method. Morphology, topography and chemical properties as well as phase composition and thickness of layers were studied to reveal the effect of the electrolyte concentration on coating features. According to results, the obtained coatings are consisted of HAp and titania as the major phases along with minor amounts of calcium titanate and α-tri calcium phosphate. Ca and P are present on surface of obtained layers as well as predictable Ti and O based on the XPS results. Thickness profile of coatings figured out that by...