Experimental response of RC columns built with plain bars under unidirectional cyclic loading

A large number of existing reinforced concrete (RC) buildings structures were designed and built before mid-70’s, when the reinforcing bars had plain surface and prior to the enforcement of the modern seismic-oriented design philosophies. This paper describes a series of unidirectional cyclic tests performed on seven full-scale columns built with plain reinforcing bars, without adequate reinforcement detailing for seismic demands. The specimens have different reinforcing steel details and different cross sections. A further monotonic test was also carried out for one of the specimens and an additional column, built with deformed bars, was cyclically tested for comparison with the results for the specimens with plain bars. The main experimental results are presented and discussed. The influence of bond properties on the column behaviour is evidenced by differences observed between the cyclic response of similar specimens with plain and deformed bars. The influence of reinforcement amount and displacement history on the column response is also investigated

Mass, angular-momentum, and charge inequalities for axisymmetric initial data

We present the key elements of the proof of an upper bound for angular-momentum and charge in terms of the mass for electro-vacuum asymptotically flat axisymmetric initial data sets with simply connected orbit space

Cyclic response of RC beam-column joints reinforced with plain bars: an experimental testing campaign

Existing reinforced concrete (RC) buildings constructed until the mid-70’s, with plain reinforcing bars, are expected to behave poorly when subjected to earthquake actions. This paper describes an experimental program designed to investigate the influence of poor detailing on the cyclic behaviour of RC beam-column joint elements. Cyclic tests were performed on five interior and five exterior full-scale beam-column joints with different detailing characteristics and reinforced with plain bars. An additional joint of each type was built with deformed bars for an evaluation of the influence of bond properties on the cyclic response of the structural element. The force-displacement global response, energy dissipation, equivalent damping and damage behaviour of the joints was investigated and the main results are presented and discussed. The experimental results indicate that the bond-slip mechanism has significantly influenced the cyclic response of the beam-column joints. The specimens built with plain bars showed lower energy dissipation, stiffness and equivalent damping

The Redner - Ben-Avraham - Kahng cluster system

We consider a coagulation model first introduced by Redner, Ben-Avraham and Krapivsky in [Redner, Ben-Avraham, Kahng: Kinetics of 'cluster eating', J. Phys. A: Math. Gen., 20 (1987), 1231-1238], the main feature of which is that the reaction between a j-cluster and a k-cluster results in the creation of a |j-k|-cluster, and not, as in Smoluchowski's model, of a (j+k)-cluster. In this paper we prove existence and uniqueness of solutions under reasonably general conditions on the coagulation coefficients, and we also establish differenciability properties and continuous dependence of solutions. Some interesting invariance properties are also proved. Finally, we study the long-time behaviour of solutions, and also present a preliminary analysis of their scaling behaviour.Comment: 24 pages. 2 figures. Dedicated to Carlos Rocha and Luis Magalhaes on the occasion of their sixtieth birthday

The Redner - Ben-Avraham - Kahng coagulation system with constant coefficients: the finite dimensional case

We study the behaviour as $t\to\infty$ of solutions $(c_j(t))$ to the Redner--Ben-Avraham--Kahng coagulation system with positive and compactly supported initial data, rigorously proving and slightly extending results originally established in [4] by means of formal arguments.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figur

Efficiency of low versus high airline pressure in stunning cattle with a pneumatically powered penetrating captive bolt gun

The efficiency of stunning cattle was assessed in 443 animals (304 pure Zebu and 139 crossbred cattle), being mainly mature bulls and cows. Cattle were stunned using a Jarvis pneumatically powered penetrating captive bolt gun operating with low (160–175 psi, N = 82) and high (190 psi, N = 363) airline pressure, which was within the manufactures specifications. Signs of brain function and the position of the shots on the heads were recorded after stunning. Velocity of the captive bolt and its physical parameters were calculated. Cattle shot with low pressures showed more rhythmic respiration (27 vs. 8%, P < 0.001), less tongue protrusion (4 vs. 12%, P = 0.03) and less masseter relaxation (22 vs. 48%, P < 0.001). There was an increased frequency of shots in the ideal position when cattle were shot with the low compared to high airline pressures (15.3 vs. 3.1%). Bolt velocity and its physical parameters were significantly (P < 0.01) higher when using high pressure. Airline pressures below 190 psi are inappropriate when shooting adult Zebu beef cattle with pneumatically powered penetrating captive bolt guns

Nonlinear modeling of the cyclic response of RC columns

Cyclic load reversals (like those induced by earthquakes) result in accelerated bond degradation, leading to significant bar slippage. The bond-slip mechanism is reported to be one of the most common causes of damage and even collapse of existing RC structures subjected to earthquake loading. RC structures with plain reinforcing bars, designed and built prior to the enforcement of the modern seismic-oriented design philosophies, are particularly sensitive to bond degradation. However, perfect bond conditions are typically assumed in the numerical analysis of RC structures. This paper describes the numerical modeling of the cyclic response of two RC columns, one built with deformed bars and the other with plain bars and structural detailing similar to that typically adopted in pre-1970s structures. For each column, different modeling strategies to simulate the column response were tested. Models were built using the OpenSees and the SeismoStruct platforms, and calibrated with the available tests results. Within each platform, different types of nonlinear elements were used to represent the columns. Bond-slip effects were included in the OpenSees models resorting to a simple modeling strategy. The models and the parameters adopted are presented and discussed. Comparison is established between the most relevant experimental results and the corresponding results provided by the numerical models. Conclusions are drawn about the capacity of the tested models to simulate the columns response and about the influence of considering or not considering the effects of bars slippage