Development of a Limit-State Seismic Code for Bridges
The catastrophic collapse of the Cypress Street Viaduct during the Loma Prieta earthquake of October 17, 1989 and the loss of spans in both the Struve Slough Bridge and the San Francisco-Oakland...
Reliability Model for Bridge Columns under Seismic Loads
This paper develops a model for the analysis of the reliability of bridge columns under earthquake loads. Probability of failure is defined as the probability that the displacement ductility...
Offshore Pile System Reliability
The existing design methodology for offshore pile foundations is evaluated relative to the ultimate performance of the foundation system using reliability techniques and data from three...
Experiences with Experimental Design Schemes for Failure Surface Estimation and Reliability
When using FORM and SORM to predict the probability of failure for a structural component a model for the failure function has to exist. For certain structural components a mechanical...
Comparison of Wind Cross-Spectral Data with Models
Existing analysis procedures for the prediction of long-span bridge response to wind have until recently neglected the horizontal-vertical cross-spectral components of the wind under the...
Exact Nonstationary Response of a Sliding Rigid Structure to a Modulated White Noise Base Excitation
The seismic design of embankment dams, earth retaining walls and base isolation systems have emphasized the dynamic analysis of a rigid block sliding on a moving base. In an early study...
Construction Loads on Floors: Results of a Survey
A survey of post-shorting construction loads on floors of multi-storey buildings is described. The estimated parameters of a probabilistic model of the peak (transient) loads are reported....
Reliability-Based Specification of Design Load-Effect for Penetrating Fragments and Debris
This paper presents the derivation and application of a simplified reliability-based approach for selecting design fragments/debris particles for use in protective design. Using this approach,...
A Two-Stage Safety Assessment Methodology for Construction Activities
The control of construction activities requires the evaluation of the condition of the control attributes of interest. In order to develop the required methodology, a model of the construction...
Markov Decision Processes in Structural Optimization
Initial structural design and its associated inspection and maintenance policies are modelled as a Markov Decision Process. This approach attempts to realistically capture the dynamics...
Structural System Design under Uncertainty Via Pareto Optimization
Structural systems are generally designed under safety, serviceability and economy requirements. The single objective optimal design problem of both deterministic and nondeterministic...
Bridge Overloading Criteria
Considerable concern is being expressed by the public and government agencies over the deteriorating state of the country's infrastructure. At the same time, there is a general feedling...
A Multiple Presence Load Model for Bridges
This paper utilises weigh-in-motion data to simulate multi-lane traffic crossing short span multiple-lane bridges. In this manner the reduction factors for a multiple lane bridge are derived....
On the Fatigue Loading for Local Components
Fatigue provisions in the North American Codes for design of highway bridges may not be applicable to the design of local components which are subjected to high axle overloads and dynamic...
Optimizing Economic Returns in Drainage Design
Soil wetness is a limitation to high agricultural productivity in Northern New York (NNY) where some 325,000 ha of cropland require drainage treatment. Drainage is needed for trafficability...
Irrigation Project Modernization
Project modernization for sustainable irrigation requires a design and operation plan which will provide water deliveries with flexibility and reliability at each level within the system....
Technology Transfer for Projects in South America
Engineering services were provided for three projects in South America. One project was located in the Pampa Region of Argentina and two others in northern Brazil. The projects were: 1)...
Design and Maintenance Factors Affecting Application Uniformity of Low Pressure Center-Pivot Irrigation Systems
Uniformity tests were conducted on 30 center-pivot sprinkler systems installed with one of six different low pressure nozzle types or high pressure impact sprinklers. Well designed and...
Stochastic Simulation and Optimization of Irrigation Canal Network Flows
This paper investigates the effects of parametric and objective uncertainty on simulation and optimal hydraulic design of irrigation canal networks. A model of spatially-varied flow in...
Metrication of Construction?A Message to the American Society of Civil Engineers
The author discusses the reasons for metrication of the U.S. construction industry, describes the Canadian experience in this area, and outlines the necessary steps to alleviate the metrication...
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