Simulation of retrofitted unreinforced concrete masonry unit walls under blast loading

This paper describes an investigation into the effectiveness of using spray-on nano-particle reinforced polymer and aluminium foam as new types of retrofit material to prevent the breaching and collapse of unreinforced concrete masonry walls subjected to blast over a whole range of dynamic and impulsive regimes. Material models from the LSDYNA material library were used to model the behaviors of each of the materials and its interface for retrofitted and unretrofitted masonry walls. Available test data were used to validate the numerical models. Using the validated LS-DYNA numerical models, the pressure-impulse diagrams for retrofitted concrete masonry walls were constructed. The efficiency of using these retrofits to strengthen the unreinforced concrete masonry unit (CMU) walls under various pressures and impulses was investigated using pressure-impulse diagrams. Comparisons were made to find the most efficient retrofits for masonry walls against blasts

Simulation of retrofitted unreinforced concrete masonry unit walls under blast loading

This paper describes an investigation into the effectiveness of using spray-on nano-particle reinforced polymer and aluminium foam as new types of retrofit material to prevent the breaching and collapse of unreinforced concrete masonry walls subjected to blast over a whole range of dynamic and impulsive regimes. Material models from the LS-DYNA material library were used to model the behaviors of each of the materials and its interface for retrofitted and unretrofitted masonry walls. Available test data were used to validate the numerical models. Using the validated LS-DYNA numerical models, the pressure-impulse diagrams for retrofitted concrete masonry walls were constructed. The efficiency of using these retrofits to strengthen the unreinforced concrete masonry unit (CMU) walls under various pressures and impulses was investigated using pressure-impulse diagrams. Comparisons were made to find the most efficient retrofits for masonry walls against blasts.Sanam Aghdamy, Chengqing Wu and Michael Griffit

Enhancing the lateral performance of modular buildings through innovative inter-modular connections

Steel modular constructions involve the manufacture of fully equipped three-dimensional prefabricated modules in factory-controlled settings which are then transported to construction sites and assembled to form a complete structure. Adjacent modules are attached to each other only at their corners at inter-modular connections. Typical inter-modular connections are incapable of providing resistance against lateral dynamics loads. Current research shows that under lateral dynamic loads, steel modular buildings with rigid unyielding connectors are vulnerable to failure of the columns which result in either partial or complete collapse of the structure. Modular systems would therefore require additional in-situ lateral load resisting systems, such as shear cores, which would devalue the benefits of purely modular construction as they would need to be built in-situ. To address this shortcoming, this research proposes a novel steel inter-modular connection, with two variations, to achieve safe, reliable and ductile dynamic performance of a modular building under seismic actions. An extensive experimental program was undertaken to study the feasibility of the strength hierarchy and expected ductile failure patterns of the newly proposed inter-modular connections under monotonic and cyclic lateral loads. The experimental study revealed that the proposed inter-modular connections display superior dynamic behaviour with respect to response parameters such as moment-carrying capacity, energy dissipation and ductility. Ductile failure patterns within the connection region and away from the columns, which are critical members, were observed. This information will contribute to the design of safe and efficient inter-modular connections and enable enhanced lateral performance of steel modular buildings under dynamic loads. A comprehensive numerical model of the connection was also developed and validated for use in future parametric studies.</p

Development of a Raised Rail-Road Crossing

When a road and rail intersect, a level crossing (LC) is a cheaper alternative to over or under pass infrastructure. Australia currently has approximately 20,000 LCs; annually 37 deaths on average occur mainly as a result of the road vehicles failing to obey warning signals. In this research, it is hypothesised that the current design of LC does not deter the road vehicle drivers from accelerating through the crossing, whilst a raised crossing consisting of ramps and recesses to house the rails would. This hypothesis is proved as valid through a multi-body dynamic simulation modelling method applied to a road vehicle passing through a raised crossing at various speeds. The efficacy of the raised crossing is demonstrated through numerical examples that show increase in the speed of the road vehicle reduces the vertical acceleration of the driver cabin in a LC whilst the same increases the raised crossing. Where the road vehicles fail to stop and subsequently impact a running train laterally or being impacted by a train longitudinally, the derailed wheelsets impact the sides of the recesses in the raised crossing and thereby mitigating the adverse effects of the crash. This paper summarises the train-vehicle collision induced derailment process and presents the maximum impact force time series obtained from various simulations. Finally, structural design options for the raised crossing to resist the impact forces have been explored using an explicit finite element modelling.</p

Experimental Investigation on Lateral Impact Response of Concrete-Filled Double-Skin Tube Columns Using Horizontal-Impact-Testing System

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the lateral impact performance of axially loaded concrete-filled double-skin tube (CFDST) columns. These columns have desirable structural and constructional properties and have been used as columns in building, legs of off shore platforms and as bridge piers. Since they could be vulnerable to impact from passing vessels or vehicles, it is necessary to understand their behaviour under lateral impact loads. With this in mind, an experimental method employing an innovative instrumented horizontal impact testing system (HITS) was developed to apply lateral impact loads whilst the column maintained a static axial pre-loading to examine the failure mechanism and key response parameters of the column. These included the time histories of impact force, reaction forces, global lateral deflection and permanent local buckling profile. Eight full scale columns were tested for key parameters including the axial load level and impact location. Based on the test data, the failure mode, peak impact force, impact duration, peak reaction forces, reaction force duration, column maximum and residual global deflections and column local buckling length, depth and width under varying conditions are analysed and discussed. It is evident that the innovative HITS can successfully test structural columns under the combination of axial pre-loading and impact loading. The findings on the lateral impact response of the CFDST columns can serve as a benchmark reference for their future analysis and design