Bamboo is a natural material with the potential for being used in sustainable construction. However, uncertainty in the bearing capacity of the bamboo results in nonstandard values for structural ...engineering design. This research studied the simple and multiple linear regression analyses for indicating properties to predict the axial compressive load capacity and strength of bamboo culms, which will be useful information for quality control during building construction and further structural grading. First, twelve basic physical properties were measured from 111 samples of
Munro bamboo culms, and axial compressive load tests of the bamboo culms were performed. Then, the correlation significance of the physical properties to axial load capacity and strength (load per area) were analyzed by the Pearson correlation method. The results show that five parameters, i.e., linear mass, culm wall thickness, external diameter, moisture content, and density, were statistically significant with the responses (compressive load capacity and compressive strength) and then defined as "candidates for indicating properties". Next, simple linear and multiple linear regression were analyzed to formulate the relationship between the significant indicating properties and the responses. From the simple linear regression analysis, linear mass can be best used as an indicating property for predicting the maximum compressive load. The maximum compressive strength was well associated with density. The multiple linear regression analysis shows an improvement in the response predictions with respect to the simple linear regression analysis with the higher R
-values. Finally, structural grading of the bamboo is determined.
Dams play a crucial role in water resource management, but the risk of failures requires a thorough safety evaluation. Earthquakes, among other factors, can contribute to dam failures, emphasizing ...the importance of securing the safety of both the dam and its associated structures against future earthquakes. While existing specification codes offer design ideas for seismic safety, dam-relevant structures have not received sufficient attention. This study focuses on the seismic analysis of the spillway and radial gate in Northern Thailand. The seismic behaviors of these structures are investigated using the finite element method, employing Nonlinear Response History Analyses to explore their seismic responses. Input ground motions for the analysis adhere to Thailand seismic design standard (DPT1301/1302-61), considering the Maximum Considered Earthquake (MCE). The results affirm that both the spillway and gate meet established safety standards, satisfying the prescribed criteria. Minimal damage is visible in the lower control bridge’s pier. Radial gate stresses and deformations meet criteria, but stress is high in locally stiffened areas, and deformation is significant at unsupported points. Outcomes provide valuable insights, significantly contributing to the seismic safety analysis of the spillway and radial gate. These complex and unique findings emphasize the significance of implementing tailored measures to ensure the structural integrity, safety, and resilience of dam-related structures.
Thailand has set criteria called Building Energy Code (BEC) for building energy conservation). It is set OTTV as a standard value. Only the total amount of heat transferred through the walls in each ...direction of the building is considered. However, this approach cannot indicate the energy consumption needs and consider additional building improvement costs to meet the standard. This study presents the building improvement guidelines for reducing energy consumption by considering the changing construction costs to determine the efficiency of the cost’s impact and the changing energy values. These are the variables describing the interest for each alternative in terms of efficiencies and investment worthiness. Therefore, the building modelling created by Autodesk Revit and DesignBuilder is used to analyse the energy value, which needs calibration for Base Case Modelling. For the calibration, the past-3-year electricity consumption of the building is used, and the retroactive electricity value equals 55,920 kWh/year. In addition, comparing the energy consumption values obtained from the models, its value is 59,321 kWh/year, showing that the difference is only 5.73% before using the models to create the alternative cases. In this study, two alternative guidelines for decision-making of the building improvements are presented: (1) changing the building envelope from a single-layer to a double-layer brick wall, (2) adding the PU foam insulation and covering with gypsum board. The values of both alternatives regarding the effects on costs and changing energy consumption are 3.67 and 3.43 Wh/year/Bath, respectively. To conclude, the efficiency of the alternatives is quite similar, resulting in more remarkableness for the building improvement options. Thus, this can be used as a guideline for making decisions about building improvements in the future.
The strength of construction material is a crucial consideration in the process of structural design and construction. Conventional materials such as concrete or steel have been widely utilized due ...to their predictable material performance. However, a significant obstacle to the widespread use of bamboo in structural elements lies in the challenge of its standardization. Many previous research studies have explored bamboo’s load bearing capacity, but the information remains limited due to variations in species, size, age, physical properties, moisture content, and other factors, making it difficult to predict their load-bearing capacity. This study aims to propose Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models to predict ultimate compressive load and compressive strength of Dendrocalamus Sericeus bamboo culm. Additionally, for structural design purposes, the proposed ANN models were employed to determine the characteristic and allowable compressive strengths. As a first step, experimental data from compressive tests in the literature were used for training and developing the ANN model. To investigate the effect of the node on compressive loading capacities, the test data were separated into two datasets, “Node” samples and “Internode” samples. Through the training process, ANN models were finally proposed, and the R-square values for the prediction of ultimate compressive load and compressive strength from the proposed ANN models were significantly higher than those obtained from the linear regression analyses used in the literature. Subsequently, the characteristic and allowable compressive strengths were calculated and compared to the strengths obtained from the experiment data, revealing a difference of approximately only 8.0%. Overall, the ANN models presented in this study offer promising predictive ability for both ultimate compressive load and compressive strength of Dendrocalamus Sericeus bamboo culm, as well as for determining characteristic and allowable strengths. Hence, ANN models are suggested to be adopted as a tool for the design and construction of bamboo buildings.
Historic buildings are public symbols, standing as sacred reminders. Many of them have been recognized as World Heritage Sites. In this study, real time vibration measurement of an important ...axisymmetric masonry pagoda was performed. With the measured vibration data, inverse analysis was proposed to backward determine its damping and natural period. The proposed algorithm utilizes Duhamel's time integration method for solving the equation of motion and the Gauss-Newton algorithm to minimize the sum-of-squares error between the calculated and real-time measured accelerations of the structure. Four distant earthquake-induced vibrations were recorded and used for the analysis. The results show that the dynamic parameters determined by the proposed method agree with those obtained from the previous study adopting finite element analysis. The obtained dynamic properties of the two perpendicular directions are slightly different, indicating the non-homogenous body of the axisymmetric structure or there would be a particular damage zone. From the results, an onsite damage investigation can be specifically identified. In summary, continuous structural health monitoring and time-dependent deterioration of historic buildings are possible with real time measurement and the proposed analytical algorithm.
This paper presents an experimental study on the cyclic behavior of fifteen concrete-filled steel tubular columns subjected to vertical cyclic loading. All test samples’ cross-sectional area is 75 × ...75 mm2 square, and they are 500 mm long. The main variables in the test are the thickness of the steel tube (1.8 and 3.0 mm with the width-to-thickness ratios (b/t) of 41.7 and 25), the strength of the infilled concrete (no-fill, 23 MPa, and 42 MPa), and the inclined angle (0, 4, and 9 degrees). The results show that all samples failed due to local buckling in compression followed by tearing of the steel tube in tension. The inclination angles of 4 and 9 degrees decreased the vertical compressive capacity of the 1.8 mm vertical hollowed steel column by 34 and 39 percent, respectively. However, the infilled concrete and thicker tube (3.0 mm) could substantially reduce the adverse effect of the inclination angle. The compressive ductility of the hollowed column with the thinner tube was significantly enhanced by the infilled concrete as well.
Bamboo is a natural material with the potential for being used in sustainable construction. However, uncertainty in the bearing capacity of the bamboo results in nonstandard values for structural ...engineering design. This research studied the simple and multiple linear regression analyses for indicating properties to predict the axial compressive load capacity and strength of bamboo culms, which will be useful information for quality control during building construction and further structural grading. First, twelve basic physical properties were measured from 111 samples of Dendrocalamus sericeus Munro bamboo culms, and axial compressive load tests of the bamboo culms were performed. Then, the correlation significance of the physical properties to axial load capacity and strength (load per area) were analyzed by the Pearson correlation method. The results show that five parameters, i.e., linear mass, culm wall thickness, external diameter, moisture content, and density, were statistically significant with the responses (compressive load capacity and compressive strength) and then defined as "candidates for indicating properties". Next, simple linear and multiple linear regression were analyzed to formulate the relationship between the significant indicating properties and the responses. From the simple linear regression analysis, linear mass can be best used as an indicating property for predicting the maximum compressive load. The maximum compressive strength was well associated with density. The multiple linear regression analysis shows an improvement in the response predictions with respect to the simple linear regression analysis with the higher Rsup.2-values. Finally, structural grading of the bamboo is determined.
This paper presents cyclic load test of five exterior reinforced concrete frames. All the specimens represent a substandard single-span, low-rise reinforced concrete frame building which behaves a ...weak column-strong beam mechanism under a strong seismic loading. The first three exterior frames M1, M2 and M3 were designed for the joint shear critical to investigate the effect of joint reinforcement. They are similar except the joint reinforcement detailing. The fourth specimen M4 was an exterior frame with a very small column member. The fifth specimen U5 was the seismic upgrade of M4 specimen using externally attached steel column. From the first three tests, the increase in shear capacity due to the reinforcement provided in the beam-column joint was negligible when the column size was small leading to high joint shear stress. The shear capacity of the specimens was agreed well with the calculation formula provided by ACI318 (ACI, 2008) ignoring the contribution from the reinforcement. The upgraded frame markedly indicated the increased capacity of 2.02 times of the strength of M4 specimen. However, the ductility of the upgraded frame was decreased. It was the result from that the failure mode of the specimen was shifted from the joint failure to the column damage at the section next to the end of the attached steel column.