Dynamic Response of Variable Height Retaining Walls
A full-scale dynamic test was conducted on a 140 ft long reinforced concrete retaining wall. The observed resonant configurations were similar to those of a cantilever plate and showed...

Ambient Vibration Survey: Sunshine Skyway Bridge
An ambient vibration survey of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge was performed. The goal of this survey was to provide field data on the dynamic characteristics of the structure to corroborate...

Steel Bar Joist Performance: Design Deficiencies and Defects
Several failures of steel bar joist roofs have been investigated by the authors in the past decade. Many of these failures or performance problems have corresponded to bar joists manufactured...

Loma Prieta Response of an Eccentrically Braced Tall Building
Acceleration response records obtained during the October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake [Ms = 7.1] from the 47-story, eccentrically braced Embarcadero...

Instrumentation Considerations for Nondestructive and Destructive Testing of Reinforced Concrete Slab Bridges
This paper examines the process of selection and calibration for instruments used in nondestructive and destructive field tests of a reinforced concrete slab bridge. Of great importance...

Acoustic Emission Monitoring of Stressed Composite Bars
In this study, Acoustic Emission (AE) technique is used to monitor the behavior of composite bars subjected to direct tension. Aramid Fiber Reinforced Plastics (AFRP) bars were loaded...

Performance Monitoring of Concrete Structures with Embedded Sensors
This paper describes the use of embedded fiber optic sensors to monitor the performance of reinforced concrete structures. The fiber optic sensors are capable of measuring vibrations,...

Monitoring Performance of Full Scale Structures
General Physics Services Corporation (GPSC) of Columbia, Maryland has developed a device for the remote long-term monitoring of full scale structures, such as highway bridges. This patented...

Full Scale Dynamic Monitoring of Highway Bridges
Sensitivity of identified modal properties by physical testing is critical for automated monitoring of bridge structural condition. It is investigated here considering flexure modes and...

What is Optimization?
Basic concepts of optimization are described using design of a plate girder as an example. First, a way to formulate the problem as an optimization problem is presented. Then basic terminologies...

How to Optimize Reinforced Concrete Systems
A straightforward procedure for the optimization of member dimensions and reinforcement design in concrete structures consisting of beams, slabs, and columns is presented. The procedure...

How to Optimize Steel Frameworks
This paper presents the details of a design synthesis strategy to conduct computer-automated design of least-weight structural steel frameworks, where members are automatically sized using...

How to Optimize Prestressed Concrete Systems?
Three common problems of prestressed concrete optimization, that involve only a single structural analysis and can readily be solved by available programs, are presented: 1. The problem...

How to Include Reliability Constraints in Structural Optimization
Structural optimization is a complex process made of design cycles aimed at finding the best possible solution. At each design cycle ultimate and/or serviceability limit states must be...

Teaching Structural Engineering in Year 2000
The paper addresses the need for changes in engineering education in order to keep pace with the changes that have and will continue to take place in the workplace. Over the past 40 years...

Interfacing Academia and the Practicing Profession
The paper presents a discussion of current topics and instructional methods in structural engineering in the United States. Following a review of typical subject matter in analysis and...

What Attributes Should the Structural Engineering Graduate Possess?
This paper will discuss the need for structural engineering students to be trained to think in terms of the performance of the structural system as a whole, rather than the individual...

Structural Analysis for the Student
The transition from student to practicing structural engineer can be a very 'eye-opening' experience. From the classical right-wrong classroom solutions of well-defined indeterminate structures,...

Structural Analysis in Context
The issues of what student should learn about structural analysis and how it should be taught are explored considering the purposes of structural analysis in engineering practice and the...

Development in Criteria for Dam Corrective Actions
Reviewed is the recent history of the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) Safety of Dams (SOD) Program. Particularly, the development of decision philosophies and technical approaches...

 

 

 

 

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