Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction

Includes bibliographical references.

Article 1. Simplified Buckling-Strength determination of pultruded FRP structural beams -- Article 2. Testing plan for estimating in Situ Concrete strength -- Article 3. Structural behavior of reinforced reactive powder concrete tapered beams -- Article 4. New metric of workforce availability among construction occupations and regions -- Article 5. Progressive collapse analysis of steel braced frames -- Article 6. Horizontal thrust in vertically curved reinforced concrete beams -- Article 7. Shear failure capacity prediction of concrete beam-column joints in terms of ANFIS and GMDH -- Article 8. Optimal depth-to-span ratio for composite rigid-frame bridges -- Article 9. Continuous reinforced concrete rigid-frame bridges in China -- Article 9. Abandoned hole effect on ultimate strength of mechanical anchors in tension -- Article 10. Discussion of " Floor Vibration control as a serviceability requirement in design standards and practices: Review" by Chaimaa Jaafari and Jamshid Mohammadi.

[Article Title: Simplified Buckling-Strength Determination of Pultruded FRP Structural Beams / Woraphot Prachasaree, Suchart Limkatanyu, Wichairat Kaewjuea, and Hota V. S. GangaRao, p. 1-17] Abstract: For many decades, both the lateral-torsional and local buckling strengths of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) structural members have been studied extensively by numerous researchers and designers. Many complex prediction models and equations of the buckling strength have been proposed. Typically, most design communities prefer simpler design procedures and equations. Simplified, albeit approximate, buckling-strength equations of pultruded FRP structural beams have been proposed with acceptable accuracy.;[Article Title: Testing Plan for Estimating In Situ Concrete Strength / Yue Choong Kog, p. 1-10] Abstract: The British Standards Institution (BSI) permits core and nondestructive tests (NDTs), such as ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), rebound hammer, and pull-out tests, to estimate the in situ compressive strength of existing concrete structures. The ASTM test method, in addition, also permits the use of a penetration resistance test (e.g., Windsor probe). Sound engineering judgment and the appreciation of factors influencing each NDT and core test are required in developing the testing plan for estimating in situ compressive strength of concrete structures.;[Article Title: Structural Behavior of Reinforced Reactive Powder Concrete Tapered Beams / Haider Talib Nimnim, Ali Talib Jassim, and Ali Amer Abdul Mohsen, p. 1-9] Abstract: The present study can be divided into five groups following its five goals. The first goal was to check the effect of compressive strength on the structural behavior of tapered and prismatic beams. The second goal was to study the effect of the tensile reinforcement ratio on the structural behavior of reactive powder concrete (RPC) tapered beams. The third goal was to study the influence of the tapering ratio on the structural behavior of RPC beams. The fourth goal was to study the influence of the shear reinforcement ratio. The last goal was to check the effect of the tapering direction on the structural behavior of RPC beams. Therefore, nine simply supported beams were tested under one-point loading action at their midspans.;[Article Title: New Metric of Workforce Availability among Construction Occupations and Regions / Mohammed A. Albattah, Paul M. Goodrum, and Timothy R. B. Taylor, p. 1-12] Abstract: American, European, and Australian construction markets are facing a shortage in quality and quantity of skilled craft workers. There are initial indications that the shortages are already having a significant impact on project performance in the industrial construction sector. With construction craft workers becoming a critical commodity whose supply can impact a project performance, an accurate metric is needed to estimate the supply. Unfortunately, labor supply metrics based on publicly available data are rate and often inaccurate. This paper's contribution to the overall body of knowledge is to create and apply a new multi-indicator metric, using a public dataset, to measure national and regional craft worker availability in the construction industry. The metric can be applied for any country using the country's respective public datasets;[Article Title: Progressive Collapse Analysis of Steel Braced Frames / Arash Naji and Mohamad Khodaverdi Zadeh, p. 1-9] Abstract: This paper studies the behavior of concentrically braced frames (CBFs) and eccentrically braced frames (EBFs) under a progressive collapse scenario, by using the alternate load path method, recommended in progressive collapse guidelines. The model structure is a 10-story steel moment frame with five bays in each direction. The present study has investigated the CBF with two types of failure scenarios, each of which examines the effects of reducing the brace's sections, and the EBF, including three types of failure scenarios, each of which investigates the effects of link beam length on structural capacity.;[Article Title: Horizontal Thrust in Vertically Curved Reinforced Concrete Beams / Ramakrishnan Subramanian and Arun Murugesan, p. 1-10] Abstract: This study was conducted to investigate the horizontal thrust of vertically curved reinforced concrete (VCRC) beams. The middle portion of beam is curved like an arch; such beams are said to be vertically curved beams. In this investigation, 15 VCRC beams were cast, of which, 8 beams had a constant rise of 200 mm and varying chord length of curved portion from 490 mm to 1832 mm, and the remaining 7 beams had a constant rise of 300 mm and varying chord length of curved portion from 690 mm to 1844 mm.;[Article Title: Shear Failure Capacity Prediction of Concrete Beam-Column Joints in Terms of ANFIS and GMDH / Hosein Naderpour and Masoomeh Mirrashid, p. 1-18] Abstract: Vulnerability assessment of structures in an earthquake is one of the most important topics in structural engineering. HAZUS instruction is the code widely used for assessment of structures for satisfied damage based on the interstory drift. In a structure, there are several parameters, such as forces and responses in elements, which cause damage to the structure simultaneity, and therefore, the use of only one parameter, such as interstory drift, could be unrealistic. In this paper, reinforced concrete (RC) beam-column joints are studied, with the aim of determining the maximum shear capacity of RC joints as a key parameter in the damage of RC structures.;[Article Title: Optimal Depth-to-Span Ratio for Composite Rigid-Frame Bridges / Yanmei Xie, Huojun Yang, Zhijun Zuo, and Zhili Gao, p. 1-8] Abstract: The depth-to-span ratio is not only an important part of steel-concrete composite rigid-frame bridges (CRFBs) but is also one of the important parameters in designing CRFBs, determining the appearance of the bridge, volume of work for the whole bridge, arrangement of the prestressed reinforcements, clearance of the bridge, mechanical performance, and so on. However, there is little research about the effects of depth-to-span ratio with the steel section length on the structural mechanical behavior. This study examined the influence of depth-to-span ratio on the structural behavior of a rigid-frame bridge (e.g., bending moment and stress) and conducted the optimization of the depth-to-span ratio using the bending strain energy as the objective function.;[Article Title: Continuous Reinforced Concrete Rigid-Frame Bridges in China / Huili Wang, Changling Xie, David Liu, and Sifeng Qin, p. 1-10] Abstract: Continuous reinforced concrete rigid-frame bridges in China have undergone rapid development in recent decades. Great progress has been made in the design and construction of these types of bridges. Therefore, it is useful to summarize some experiences from these recent developments in bridge design and construction. For this purpose, 349 continuous reinforced concrete rigid-frame bridges built in China during the period from 1988 to 2016 were evaluated. Because of the different design loads, certain design parameters of highway bridges and railway bridges were analyzed, including the span-to-height ratio between girder height and span length, the slab thickness, and the concrete strength. The results provide some guidance for the design and research of continuous rigid-frame bridges.;[Article Title: Abandoned Hole Effect on Ultimate Strength of Mechanical Anchors in Tension / Zhao Chen, Somayeh Nassiri, and Anthony Lamanna, p. 1-4] Abstract: Postinstalled anchors are frequently installed with unpredictable abandoned drilled holes (ADHs) at the job site. While ADHs may have a reducing impact on the original ultimate tensile strength (Nu) of the anchor per the design code, this effect was not adequately investigated. In this study, 60 wedge anchors in three diameters (d) and two (deep and shallow) effective embedment depths (hef) per d were tested in tension in five repeats. Half of the tests (30) served as the reference scenario for the other half (30) that included one ADH drilled at 2×d offset from the anchor. The ADH scenario resulted in (4.5-21%) reduction in Nu, regardless of the failure modes, and the percent reductions decreased as d and/or hef increased. Based on the results, an area method was proposed to predict the reduced Nu in the ADH scenario.

This method can be used to predict reduced Nu when ADH conditions occur in the field and calculate the increased d and/or hef to minimize the reducing effect if the application allows.;[Article Title: Floor Vibration Control as a Serviceability Requirement in Design Standards and Practices: Review / Chaimaa Jaafari and Jamshid Mohammadi, p. 1-1] Abstract: Serviceability requirements are considered in any building design to maintain the occupants' comfort and protection for nonstructural elements. Specifically, floor system deflection and vibration are two important issues that need to be considered in design for serviceability. For the most part, design codes all have provisions for deflection control.