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This paper investigates the effectiveness of a new hybrid passive control system on the seismic response of an existing steel cable-stayed bridge considering the pounding effect. The proposed hybrid passive control system comprises a seismic isolator and a metallic damper. The bridge is located in a high seismic zone and has suffered several damages including the earthquake-induced pounding damage during the 1988 earthquake. Thereby, the proposed hybrid passive control system was investigated for seismic retrofitting of the bridge to mitigate the seismic damages due to future earthquakes. The hybrid control system was placed at the bridge ends and the tower–deck connection. A detailed three-dimensional finite element model of the bridge was created and validated with the earlier experimental results. A comparative analysis was performed through a series of nonlinear dynamic time-history analyses on the bridge equipped with the proposed and other control systems. The results showed that the hybrid control system reduced the bridge’s longitudinal seismic displacement, mitigated the pounding of the bridge with abutments and improved the overall seismic performance of the bridge.

Concrete is the most widely used construction material nowadays. We are concerned with the computational modelling and laboratory testing of high-performance concrete (HPC). The idea of HPC is to enhance the functionality and sustainability of normal concrete, especially by its greater ductility as well as higher compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths. In this paper, the influence of three types (linear displacement, uniform traction, and periodic) of boundary conditions used in numerical homogenization on the calculated values of HPC properties is determined and compared with experimental data. We take into account the softening behavior of HPC due to the development of damage (micro-cracks), which finally leads to failure. The results of numerical simulations of the HPC samples were obtained by using the Abaqus package that we supplemented with our in-house finite element method (FEM) computer programs written in Python and the homogenization toolbox Homtools. This has allowed us to better account for the nonlinear response of concrete. In studying the microstructure of HPC, we considered a two-dimensional representative volume element using the finite element method. Because of the random character of the arrangement of concrete’s components, we utilized a stochastic method to generate the representative volume element (RVE) structure. Different constitutive models were used for the components of HPC: quartz sand—linear elastic, steel fibers—ideal elastic-plastic, and cement matrix—concrete damage plasticity. The numerical results obtained are compared with our own experimental data and those from the literature, and a good agreement can be observed.

This paper presents validation and evaluation of usefulness of three non-advanced methods in EN 1992-1-2 used to determine the load-bearing capacity of columns under fire conditions: the method A, the isotherm 500 °C method, and the zone method. To verify the usefulness of these methods, experimental results for columns tested in the fire laboratories in Ottawa, Braunschweig, Liege and Ghent were used. The FDM was used to calculate the cross-section temperature distribution being required in the 500 °C isotherm method and the zone method. Temperature dependent material parameters of concrete and steel were adopted according to Eurocode 2. In the case of lack of information in the standards, the authors’ own assumptions were proposed and described. The calculated fire resistance times were compared with the experimental results. The method A has proved to be accurate enough and safe for the cases fulfilling its limitations. The results obtained with the 500 °C isotherm method vary significantly from the experimental results. The zone method is the most complex of these three methods and provides the results more accurate and safer than those obtained with the 500 °C isotherm method. The zone method is recommended for verification of the load-bearing capacity of reinforced concrete columns under fire conditions.

For decades, one of the most critical considerations of civil engineers has been the construction of structures that can sufficiently resist earthquakes. However, in many parts of the globe, ancient and contemporary buildings were constructed without regard for engineering, thus, there is a rising necessity to adapt existing structures to avoid accidents and preserve historical artefacts. There are various techniques for retrofitting a masonry structure, including foundation isolations, the use of Fibre-Reinforced Plastics (FRPs), shotcrete, etc. One innovative technique is the use of Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs), which improve structures by exhibiting high strength, good re-centring capabilities, self-repair, etc. One recent disastrous earthquake that happened in the city of Bam, Iran, (with a large proportion of masonry buildings) in 2003, with over 45,000 casualties, is analysed to discover the primary causes of the structural failure of buildings and its ancient citadel. It is followed by introducing the basic properties of SMAs and their applications in retrofitting masonry buildings. The outcomes of preceding implementations of SMAs in retrofitting of masonry buildings are then employed to present two comprehensive schemes as well as an implementation algorithm for strengthening masonry structures using SMA-based devices.

The aim of the paper is to present a global analysis of a precast, reinforced building structure. At the design stage, information about structural behaviour of particular elements and the whole structure as well as its response to applied loads are obtained. While solving the problem, the load-bearing elements and the type and deformability of connections have to be defined. The latter is especially significant in the case of precast structure models. Calculations according to the analytical method are going to be verified by the finite element method.

The work is concerned with the determination of effective material parameters of reactive powder concrete (RPC) in the range of its nonlinear response. We have used a two-scale modelling technique and carried out a series of experimental tests which allow us to validate the proposed numerical model of the considered RPC concrete. The behavior of a RPC concrete on a macro scale is described on the basis of phenomena occurring in the microstructure of material. The material microstructure is taken into account by means of a representative volume element (RVE), the structure of which is generated in a stochastic way with data from the designed recipes of RPC. It is assumed that the microstructure of RPC is composed of isotropic linear elastic—(perfectly) brittle constituents and at the macro scale the material is homogenized. This approach is a good basis for a simple modelling of microcracks that cause the nonlinear behaviour of the material at the macro level. The numerical analysis is carried out here for the plane stress state problem, and at each level of analysis the finite element method is applied.

This paper deals with one of the most dangerous failure modes in fiber reinforced composites, namely delamination. The laminated structure is modeled by a solid–shell finite element. The mechanical modeling of delamination onset and propagation is based upon a cohesive zone model implemented into a cohesive element located between laminae of a composite structure. The numerical simulations are accomplished within the commercial software package ABAQUS by the implementation of a user–written finite element. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The paper is concerned with the modelling and numerical simulation of fibre-composite plates in the nonlinear range due to large strains and damage. The layer-wise approach is applied. Each layer is treated as elastic-brittle and assumed to be orthotropic in the local material coordinate system. The appearance of damage is controlled according to the failure criteria [1,2,3,4]. When the failure condition is satisfied, the mechanical properties of the material are modified appropriately, depending on the type of damage (fibre breakage, matrix crack, fibre-matrix shear). We have programmed the model as a user subroutine within the ABAQUS environment and carried out a number of numerical simulations. The obtained numerical results are compared with the experimental data available in the literature [3]. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)