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This paper evaluates the overstrength, ductility, and response modification factors for low to mid-rise buckling restrained braced frames (BRBFs) designed as per the 2010 National Building Code of Canada. In addition to nonlinear static pushover analyses, dynamic time history analyses are performed to assess the seismic performance of four-, six-, and eight-story BRBFs. Different bracing configurations, including chevron (inverted-V) and split-X braces, are considered for the building frames with varied frame span lengths of 6 m and 8 m. The results confirm that the prescribed design values for overstrength and ductility factors provide reasonable estimations of the lower bound for these factors. The response modification factor obtained in this study ranged from 4.8 to 6 for different frames. The results also indicate that the response modification factor decreases with the increase of story height and span length. Moreover, bracing configurations may slightly affect the response modification factor for BRBFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orogenic curvature is a ubiquitous feature of mountain belts, and the plate tectonic and geodynamic setting responsible for the development of curved orogens is a subject of debate. In order to distinguish between different models of orocline formation it is necessary to tightly constrain the absolute timing of oroclinal development. However, determining the absolute (isotopic) timing of oroclinal bending is challenging. The most direct method available to constrain the time interval during which an orocline formed is to obtain absolute age constraints on fabrics generated within syn-orocline strike–slip shear zones that accommodated rotations around a vertical axis during the development of crustal or lithospheric scale orogenic curvature. Here we present a data set of 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages obtained from five shear-zones, some of which display curved traces parallel to the Cantabrian Orocline structural grain in NW Iberia and are interpreted to have been generated coevally to it. The 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages were obtained by laser-rastering induced step-heating on single muscovite crystals that grew synkinematically during shearing. All five samples yielded ages that cluster tightly at 308 ± 3 Ma providing direct evidence for the age of oroclinal bending. This age is consistent with the age constraints obtained from paleomagnetic and structural data that place the onset of oroclinal bending in Moscovian times. Our 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age determinations therefore provide a reliable absolute constraint on the age of buckling of the Variscan orogen around a vertical axis and provide further evidence that oroclinal bending is unrelated to Variscan convergence/collision or the subsequent extensional collapse of the mountain belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural steel design specification in Canada, CSA S16-14, uses the same equations for the design of rolled and welded shape beams for lateral torsional buckling (LTB). A recent study has shown that the current design equations might overestimate the capacity of welded wide flange (WWF) beams. This paper evaluates the performance of the current design equations in providing LTB capacities of welded I-shape beams (WWF beams). An extensive finite element (FE) analysis is performed for simply supported WWF beams subjected to constant moment. In total, 256 FE models are analyzed and it is observed that both CSA and AISC overestimate the LTB capacity of welded I-shape beams by as much as 37%, particularly when residual stress measured at Lehigh University is used in the analysis. Also, the Eurocode is found to be conservative and the proposed equation by MacPhedran and Grondin in 2011 provides better predictions of LTB strengths of WWF shapes than the current CSA approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive research has shown that properly detailed and closely spaced transverse reinforcement in reinforced concrete columns can ensure ductile behavior during earthquakes. However, in regions of high seismicity, detailing requirements can result in heavily congested sections; the use of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) can facilitate construction in these situations. Although extensive research exists on the axial load behavior of traditional concrete columns, only limited research exists on the behavior of columns constructed with SCC. Research over the past two decades has also shown that use of steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) can improve the strength and ductility of columns by delaying cover spalling and improving core confinement. Recent research has also shown that the combined use of SCC and steel fibers can ease problems associated with the workability of traditional fiber-reinforced concrete. This paper presents the results from an experimental program that was conducted to study the axial behavior of reinforced concrete columns constructed with SCC and SFRC. Full-scale columns having rectangular cross sections were tested under pure axial compressive loading. The columns were detailed with varying amounts of transverse reinforcement in accordance with the requirements of the Canadian Standards Association. The results confirm that increasing confinement with closely spaced transverse reinforcement in rectangular SCC columns results in improvements in behavior and ductility. In addition, the results demonstrate that the use of SFRC in rectangular columns results in improvements in performance and ductility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ductile concentrically braced frames (CBFs) are commonly used seismic force-resisting systems in seismic regions. The capacity design approach described in the state-of-the-art seismic codes of the US, Canada, and Turkey defines a design procedure for columns and girders via two structural analyses that intend to capture the nonlinear behavior of CBFs while assuming braces in different stories undergo yielding or buckling, simultaneously. It would be, therefore, befitting to question the validity of the anticipated mechanism controlling CBF design considering limited studies in the literature. In addition to chevron and two-story Xbraced frame configurations, an alternative design approach is proposed without changing the current habits in the industry. The present study aims to investigate whether or not the capacity design approach adopted by the leading seismic codes is consistent with the nonlinear behavior of CBFs via pushover analyses and time-history analysis. For the proto-type CBFs, peak and residual inter-story drift ratios were compared as well as ductility demands of braces. In conclusion, it is found that mechanism scenarios stimulated in current seismic codes are unlikely to occur under an earthquake event and the proposed balanced design approach provided significant reductions on seismic demands, only with an 8% increase in weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the seismic behaviour of steel multi-tiered concentrically braced frames (MT-CBFs) of the conventional construction category (Type CC) in moderate seismic regions of eastern Canada and proposes a new seismic design method for such structures. A total of 32 prototype MT-CBFs part of a single-storey building are selected and designed in accordance with the 2019 Canadian steel design standard (CSA S16-19) provisions for Type CC structures, excluding the design requirements prescribed for frames taller than 15 m, namely the amplification of seismic forces varying by the frame height and the amplification of the column factored seismic force. Nonlinear response history analyses are then performed to examine their seismic response. The results confirmed that tiers experience limited lateral deformation, intermediate horizontal struts are required between tiers, and columns are subjected to combined axial force and bi-axial bending, which in some cases led to column buckling. The results are used to propose a new seismic design method in the framework of CSA S16. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Combined out-of-plane bending and compression is an inevitable loading condition for CLT walls. • The experimental program consisted of 36 CLT panel specimens. • The damage was caused by the local buckling near the mid-height of the outer layer on the compression side. • Signs of shear failure of cross layers were evident almost simultaneously with the outer layer failure. • The interaction equations specified in the Canadian design standard are appropriate for the CLT panels under small load eccentricities. Combined out-of-plane bending and compression is an inevitable loading condition for cross-laminated timber (CLT) walls due to the out of plumbness, initial panel curvature and load eccentricity. Because of the weaker cross layers, the mechanical performance and failure mode of the CLT panels under such loading significantly differ from those of the other wood members, such as sawn timber and glulam. This experimental study focuses on investigating the behavior of CLT panels under the stated loading scenario. The experimental program consisted of 36 specimens, including 12 five-layer CLT panels provided by two Canadian manufacturers, as well as 12 three-layer and 12 five-layer CLT panels provided by a Chinese manufacturer. All the specimens were tested in Canada and China, respectively, using the same test setup. It was found that in the majority of the specimens, the damage was caused by the local buckling near the mid-height of the outer layer on the concave compression side at about 45%–60% of the ultimate failure load and 25%–35% of the ultimate deflection. The dominant failure mode was characterized as the crushing yield of the outer layer on the concave side (fibers in compression) near the mid-height after the local buckling progressed. Signs of shear failure of cross layers were evident almost simultaneously with the outer layer failure. Hence, although the dominant failure mode was likely triggered by the fracture in the cross layers due to rolling shear, the load-carrying capacity of the CLT panels under the combined out-of-plane bending and compression is governed by the compression failure of the longitudinal outer layers. It was found that a cross-layered panel can maintain its integrity before failure. It was also noted that the interaction equations specified in the Canadian design standard are appropriate for the CLT panels under small load eccentricity, while for panels that have large load eccentricity, the appropriateness of the interaction equation is questionable. Based on the test results obtained, the validity of the interaction equation for the prediction of the load-carrying capacity of CLT columns, specified in the CSA O86-19, is confirmed for cases in which P f / P r > 0.5 and M f / M r < 0.3. For the cases of P f / P r < 0.5 and M f / M r > 0.3 , modification of the equation is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economy of Canada depends largely on the performance of the hydrocarbon-based energy industry (oil and gas), which in turn is dependent on the performance of steel pipelines that are used for transporting crude oil, natural gas, and petroleum products. Field observations of buried pipelines indicate that it is not uncommon for geotechnical movements to impose large displacements on the pipelines, resulting in localized curvature, deformations, and strain in the pipe wall. Often these local deformations result in local buckling (wrinkling) in the pipe wall, and in the post-buckling range of response such wrinkles develop rapidly. Subsequent cyclic load histories may produce cyclic plastic strain reversals leading to the formation of fractures in the wrinkle region. This paper presents the development and application of a simple fracture-life assessment model that can be used successfully by the pipeline industries to assess the remaining life before fracture of wrinkled pipelines subject to strain reversals due to low cycle fatigue loadings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Deformation structures differing in style and orientation within a given terrane are often attributed to distinct tectono-metamorphic events. However, mechanical heterogeneities may locally cause strain perturbations that can have a profound effect on the geometry of such structures. Here we document highly variable orientations of planar structures, metre- to kilometre-scale folds and shortening directions inferred from brittle fault analysis within the synclinal and layered Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) and its Huronian host rocks. NW–SE shortening during Palaeoproterozoic deformation led to the formation of planar structures in the host rocks that are parallel to the NE–SW striking contact of the southern SIC. During deformation, local contact-parallel shortening became more important than regional NW–SE shortening and generated contact-orthogonal planar mineral fabrics and folds. Local contact-parallel shortening is attributed to the shape change of the southern SIC from a convex outward to a concave inward curvi-planar geometry. Contact-parallel shortening accounts for the formation of a previously unidentified kilometre-scale buckle fold in the SIC and respective axial–planar mineral fabrics in Huronian host rocks. This buckle fold shares similar structural characteristics with known higher-order buckle folds of the eastern SIC. We suggest that non-cylindrical buckling and associated mineral fabric development accommodated the shape change of the SIC. This resulted in mutually perpendicular fabric orientations, which are compatible with overall NW–SE shortening. The original shape of the SIC seems to have had a profound influence particularly on the geometry of metamorphic foliations. Our structural analysis supports earlier structural studies advocating that highly discordant planar strain fabrics can be generated by local strain perturbations near igneous sheets under uniform regional shortening. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Geotechnical input to the design, construction, and operations of pipelines in permafrost may differ significantly from that for pipelines in temperate terrain. The general remoteness and terrain fragility of permafrost regions are key issues that challenge the geotechnical input. Specific geotechnical issues that necessitate input include pipeline routing, slope stability, thaw settlement and frost heave, ditching, buoyancy control, upheaval buckling. and others. This paper examines the history of pipeline development in Canada north of the 60th latitude and highlights some key design issues and some of the technical developments over the past 40 years of design, construction, and operations of pipelines in permafrost regions. Advances have been made in areas such as geothermal modeling, slope stability assessments, terrain mapping technologies, thaw settlement and frost heave prediction, and predicting and monitoring pipeline strain demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Sudbury Basin is a non-cylindrical fold basin occupying the central portion of the Sudbury Impact Structure. The impact structure lends itself excellently to explore the structural evolution of continental crust containing a circular region of long-term weakness. In a series of scaled analogue experiments various model crustal configurations were shortened horizontally at a constant rate. In mechanically weakened crust, model basins formed that mimic several first-order structural characteristics of the Sudbury Basin: (1) asymmetric, non-cylindrical folding of the Basin, (2) structures indicating concentric shortening around lateral basin termini and (3) the presence of a zone of strain concentration near the hinge zones of model basins. Geometrically and kinematically this zone corresponds to the South Range Shear Zone of the Sudbury Basin. According to our experiments, this shear zone is a direct mechanical consequence of basin formation, rather than the result of thrusting following folding. Overall, the models highlight the structurally anomalous character of the Sudbury Basin within the Paleoproterozoic Eastern Penokean Orogen. In particular, our models suggest that the Basin formed by pure shear thickening of crust, whereas transpressive deformation prevailed elsewhere in the orogen. The model basin is deformed by thickening and non-cylindrical synformal buckling, while conjugate transpressive shear zones propagated away from its lateral tips. This is consistent with pure shear deformation of a weak circular inclusion in a strong matrix. The models suggest that the Sudbury Basin formed as a consequence of long-term weakening of the upper crust by meteorite impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following such landmark aerodynamic tests as Irminger''s in 1894, Flachsbart''s in 1932—the first to be conducted in boundary-layer flow—and University of Western Ontario (UWO) 1970s tests, considerable progress has been achieved in low-rise building design for wind. Nevertheless, the present state of the art remains inadequate. UWO tests were conducted at low angular and spatial resolutions. Their results were then used to create drastically simplifying standard aerodynamic tables and plots designed for slide-rule era calculations and entailing errors that can exceed 50%.We review material which shows that significant improvements in main wind-load resisting system and component design can be achieved by using database-assisted design (DAD) and associated structural reliability tools, thus accounting realistically for the complexity of the wind loading as well as for the stochasticity and knowledge uncertainties affecting wind effects calculations. We illustrate DAD''s capability to obtain, for the first time in a wind engineering context, realistic estimates of ultimate limit states due to local or global buckling failure. In the future other types of nonlinear behavior associated with ultimate limit states can be similarly dealt with. We note that DAD is ideally suited for use with data likely to be obtained in the future by Computational Fluid Dynamics methods. We discuss the need for assuring quality control procedures for wind tunnel testing so that inter-laboratory comparisons of test results and wind tunnel certifications can be conducted effectively. We also discuss the possibility of systematic database corrections based on full-scale test results, and the possibility of using tests in non-standard wind environments and/or on buildings with non-standard shapes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Terzaghi (Geotechnique 12 (1962) 251) and Young (Young, A., 1972. Slopes. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh, 288 pp.) described the stable forms of slopes in sedimentary rock masses, assuming penetrative discontinuities, which are parallel to bedding and joints which are perpendicular to bedding. The only movements considered were slides along bedding. Experience in the Canadian Rockies indicates that the cohesionless rock masses that exist at or above tree line may also move by toppling, buckling and sliding along joints. These processes also act to limit the inclinations of stable slopes. Rock strength is a factor in the critical height of a slope that buckles. The processes can be represented as fields on a process diagram, a plot of slope inclination against bedding dip, using the basic friction angles of the rocks present.The process diagram also separates five common mountain peak shapes, which form on homoclinal sequences of beds. Castellate and Matterhorn mountains occur in sub-horizontal beds, cuestas develop in gently to moderately dipping beds. Hogbacks formed in moderately to steeply dipping beds have similar slope angles on both cataclinal and anaclinal slopes. Dogtooth mountains occur in steeply dipping sub-vertical beds. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A deflection of the fault controlled southwestern coastline of Vancouver Island suggests the presence of a minor orocline, with a Southern Crustal Block (south of Barkley Sound–Alberni Inlet) rotated 20° counterclockwise relative to a Northern Fixed Crustal Block about a pole of rotation located northeast of Port Alberni. In this paper two models of orocline development, one of pure block rotation and one of pure bending, are proposed. The predictions of these models are tested against available geological maps, structural orientation data, identified regions of extension and contraction, and paleomagnetic data. Structural orientation and paleomagnetic data are consistent with 18° of post-Late Cretaceous counter clockwise rotation of the Southern Crustal Block relative to the Northern Fixed Crustal Block. A southward increase in the magnitude of rotation evident in the structural orientation data argues for a model of bending. Both bending and block rotation models predict the development of a zone of contraction along the northeast margin of the Southern Crustal Block, coincident with the location of the Eocene Cowichan fold-and-thrust belt, that diminishes northward toward the pole of rotation. As predicted, the fold-and-thrust belt is characterized by a northerly decrease in the amount of shortening, from >30% at the south end of the thrust belt, to 0% shortening north of Port Alberni. The northerly decrease in shortening is complemented by a north to south change in structural style from cylindrical to conical folds, and finally to planar, undeformed strata. The model of block rotation predicts the presence of a zone of extension extending southwest from the zone of rotation, coincident with the location of Eocene extensional structures within Barkley Sound and with horst and graben structures in the offshore Eocene to Miocene Tofino basin. Extension is less than predicted by a model of pure block rotation and suggests that much of the oroclinal rotation was accommodated by bending. Timing constraints indicate that orocline development was coeval with, and resulted from, the Eocene accretion of seamounts of the Crescent terrane. These findings demonstrate that oroclinal orogeny, the buckling of a linear crustal beam about vertical axes of rotation, can significantly impact the geometry, structure and character of an orogenic belt, even where the buckles are minor (<20° of rotation). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper addresses the design of wide-flange steel members subjected to torsional forces as well as axial forces and moments about their strong and weak axes. The current Canadian steel design standard (CSA S16-01) gives no specific guidance on methodology with respect to torsional design. Codes of other countries (American, British, Australian) provide useful insight but are different in format from the Canadian standard and cannot be used directly in conjunction with it. Specialized second-order finite element programs have the capacity for torsional analysis, but are too complicated and costly to use in design practice. There is, therefore, a need for a practical design method that would allow engineers to account for the effects of torsion simply and accurately. This paper, written by a practicing design engineer, suggests a number of approaches that, subject to discussion and approval by experts in the field, could constitute the basis for design of steel members in torsion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]