bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lateral trusses between I‐girders introducing torsional stiffness to a composite bridge in Guatemala
Authors: Vestman Victor , García F. Javier Jordán , Caballero Guillermo Santamaría , Collin Peter 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe ways of designing and building steel girder bridges with a composite concrete deck vary much between different parts of the world. A bridge system with twin steel I‐girders or a concept with multiple (more than two) girders can be used. The design and use of details and secondary systems also vary a lot. In order to give horizontal stabilization and distribute horizontal loads, bracing between the I‐girders bracings are often used. Although not so common, the bracing can also be used to distribute vertical loads between the main girders. To describe and to analyze the possible impact from using a lateral bracing, this paper describes the design of a curved bridge in Guatemala City and its challenges. The new Bridge over the Pinula River is designed as a steel‐concrete composite bridge with multiple steel girders with a concrete deck on top and has lateral bracing between the girders. The bridge is used as a case study to analyze the impact from a lateral bracing system on the vertical load distribution between the longitudinal girders. The bridge was designed with lateral bracing between the top flanges along the whole bridge and with bracing between the lower flanges near the supports. The case study shows that the distribution of eccentric vertical loads between the longitudinal girders can be improved by using lateral bracing between the lower flanges for multiple girders. In some cases, it may not be beneficial to use lateral bracings along the whole bridge length, like for example this bridge. In this case due to the governing design cases in the construction stages where these bracings influenced the torsional stiffness of the bridge in such way that an unfavorable distribution of the support reactions between the six girders at some supports was achieved.
Shape Memory Alloy‐Based Seismic Retrofit of an existing URM Building
Authors: Ntina Maria I. , Efthymiou Evangelos 
Published: September 2023

AbstractMasonry buildings constitute a considerable part of the existing building stock and are often related to significant architectural and cultural value. Empirical construction, accumulated damage, material heterogeneity and anisotropic behavior deteriorate their structural and seismic capacity, increasing thus the risk of undergoing severe damage and even collapse. To enhance these buildings' performance, various retrofit schemes have been developed and have been included in current codes and standards, mostly utilizing conventional materials and improvement of their intervention techniques. Recently, research efforts are oriented to the application of emerging metal materials with advanced properties endowed with re‐centering abilities that conventional materials lack, aiming to achieve vibration control and mitigate potential structural damage.This work investigates the use of shape memory alloys (SMAs) for the seismic protection of masonry buildings focusing on the exploitation of their superelastic effect, namely the ability to revert to their original shape after being subjected to large deformations. The research adopts a case study approach, developing an SMA based retrofit scheme to be applied to an existing listed unreinforced masonry building in Thessaloniki. For the purposes of the study, finite element modeling is performed, while response spectrum analysis is carried out to assess the effectiveness of the introduced retrofit strategy.
Fire‐Induced Collapse of Automated Rack‐Supported Warehouses
Authors: Mei Alessandro , Orlando Maurizio , Salvatori Luca , Thiele Klaus 
Published: September 2023

AbstractAutomated self‐supporting rack warehouses are becoming increasingly common in the international logistics sector. Their static and seismic design has been studied in the literature; however, the fire design still needs to be improved. Some Standards, such as the Eurocodes or Italian Fire Code, accept the collapse of rack warehouses during fires but require avoiding a progressive collapse or obtaining an implosive collapse regardless of any other active or passive fire protection systems. A hierarchy that guides the kinematics of collapse needs to be defined appropriately but without any Code going into further details. Moreover, the scientific literature focuses more on optimizing fire protection systems for racks, such as sprinklers, rather than preventing fire‐induced progressive collapse. Here, a case study is presented, which, using finite element modelling, provide a first robustness evaluation and highlights some possible aspects to be considered in the structural design to avoid a progressive collapse in the event of a fire. The analyses are performed using the LOCAFI method for localized fires and nonlinear dynamic finite element simulations.
Reliability assessment of steel‐framed industrial buildings
Authors: da Silva Luís Simões , Ljubinković Filip , Janković Milena , Silva Catarina , Gervásio Helena , Conde Jorge , Tankova Trayana 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe classical reliability problem seeking an estimation of the probability of failure is usually undefined due to: i) its scale (size of the design problems), and ii) deficient characterization of the randomness (lack of statistical characterization of the basic random variables). A common challenge in current approaches for the assessment of structural reliability adopted in EN 1990 is the lack of data examples that could support additional research, simulation, and experiments. As the failure probability in Eurocode is about 10‐4, millions of simulations are required, which limits the accuracy of commonly used Monte Carlo simulations (MCS). Nowadays, there are different intelligent data management approaches to augment existing data points by creating synthetic examples that can then be further used in specific behavior prediction. One such intelligent approach is the recently developed Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN), which has found its use mainly in image augmentation, but also in other applications where finding new data examples is challenging, e.g., credit card fraud detection, defect detection, etc. In this paper, a reliability assessment of steel‐framed industrial buildings is presented. For that purpose, a set of portal frames is first selected as a case study and designed using the actual design codes, whereby the critical structural members and failure modes are identified. Subsequently, based on these representative case studies, the database is expanded using GAN, and the current state of reliability for the selected type of buildings is assessed, aiming to provide a statement of the current safety of industrial sheds using the Eurocodes.
Optimized fire design for steel industrial sheds
Authors: Ljubinković Filip , Laím Luís , Martins João Pedro , Santiago Aldina , da Silva Luís Simões , Cândido Nuno , Cordeiro Luís 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThis paper showcases some of the main contributions from the research project Switch2Steel, in which a web application is developed for the calculation and optimization of the cost of steel industrial sheds. Unprotected steel structures, compared to other construction materials, possess relatively low fire resistance. To enhance their fire performance, adequate fire protection is required. Simplified fire design, without considering the real influence of the main parameters on the development and propagation of natural fires, often leads to excessive amounts of costly protective material. On the other hand, the use of advanced software tools may be impractical because of iterative time‐consuming computational processes such as structural optimization. Hence, this work presents a simple user‐friendly calculation tool that allows users to define the characteristics of the sheds to be built and based on a set of metrics, weights, and advanced algorithms, to minimize their cost by reducing the consumption of steel and fire protection material. To illustrate the use of the tool, a reference case of a steel industrial shed is selected and the results obtained by the tool are compared with those obtained by FEM tools. The tool gives more optimized results than the use of prescriptive rules, and the results are obtained considerably faster than by advanced expensive computational tools.
Load bearing behavior of concrete encased composite columns with high‐performance materials
Authors: Bogdan T. , Ergun O. , Schurgacz P. , Anwaar O. M. , Rich M. , Schäfer M. , Knobloch M. , Kurz W. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe use of steel‐concrete composite columns, such as concrete‐encased steel columns have increased in the construction of high‐rise buildings and longspan structures. In particular, the use of high‐performance materials in composite columns is expanding, enabling optimisation of the column dimensions, theultimate load capacity, improve economic design and resource efficiency. However, high‐strength concrete shows a more brittle behaviour compared to normal concrete compression strength classes that may limit the development of plastic strains in the encased steel section. In addition concrete spalling is a serious issue that may become decisive for the determination of the ultimate resistance. Therefore, to extend the design methods for composite columns using high‐performance materials, the ideitified knowledge gaps need to be filled. For this reason an experimental campaign has been performed consisting of nine concrete‐encased steel composite column test specimens; five specimens with circular and four with rectangular cross‐sections. The testing campaign was carried out in a 20 MN servo‐hydraulic universal testing machine at the Ruhr‐Universität Bochum.Abaqus® FEM software has been used to develop numerical models able to reproduce the behavior of the tested specimens. The comparisons of the experimental and numerical results show a very good correlation. The numerical analysis enable more detailed understanding of the tests results and behavior of the columns.
Lateral performance of cold‐formed steel OSB‐sheathed stud wall panels
Authors: Mojtabaei Seyed Mohammad , Yilmaz Fatih , Becque Jurgen , Hajirasouliha Iman 
Published: September 2023

AbstractOriented Strand Boards (OSB) are currently one the most widely used cladding options in cold‐formed steel (CFS) stud wall panels. The sheathing generates significant resistance to lateral loads owing to its diaphragm stiffness, which is however typically not fully exploited in design. This paper aims to investigate the lateral inplane behaviour of CFS OSB‐sheathed stud wall panels and provide insight into their failure mechanisms and seismic characteristics. Detailed finite element (FE) models of CFS OSB‐sheathed wall panels were developed, featuring material nonlinearity, detailed connection behaviour and geometric imperfections, and their accuracy was validated against previously conducted experiments. The validated FE models were then employed in a parametric study to investigate the effects of key design variables, including the OSB and CFS element thicknesses and the board configuration, on the structural performance parameters and seismic characteristics of the walls. The results demonstrate that using thinner OSB sheathing resulted in lower lateral strength, initial stiffness and energy dissipation, but increased the ductility and ultimate displacement by up to 40%. It was also shown that the presence of horizontal/vertical seams significantly reduces the lateral load capacity and initial stiffness.
Load introduction for concrete‐encased steel composite columns using high‐performance materials
Authors: Bogdan T. , Rich M. , Ergun O. , Anwaar O. M. , Schurgacz P. , Kurz W. , Schäfer M. , Knobloch M. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractDue to the increasing demand for high‐rise buildings and resource‐efficient construction, the demand for innovative construction technologies and materials is growing. High‐performance materials provide resource‐optimized structural solutions providing an important load‐bearing resistance.However, questions arise about the ductility of structural members using e.g., high‐strength concrete that is particularly important for the shear connectors of composite structures. This paper evaluates the load‐bearing capacity of the headed stud shear connectors arranged in the load introduction zone of encased composite columns using concrete compression strength classes C50/60, C80/95, and C100/115. An experimental study consisting of 32 specific push‐tests for circular and square cross‐sections with an embedded structural steel profile HE 160 B has been investigated. The loading procedure defined in EN1994‐1‐1:2004 Annex B was applied. Eight specimens were initially preloaded for six to twelve months to investigate the impact of the long‐term behavior of the concrete.Numerical simulations performed in FE code Abaqus® supported the investigation, using a simplified definition of the bond. The results correlated well with the outcomes of the extremital campaign.The research project thus provides the first approaches to be able to include high‐strength materials in the composite construction regulations for columns in the future.
Development of pinching‐free tension‐only CBFs based on the application of metal foam dampers
Authors: Sato Atsushi , Latour Massimo , Rizzano Gianvittorio 
Published: September 2023

AbstractMetal foam is a relatively new and potentially revolutionary material due to its properties such as the low weight‐to‐stiffness ratio, high damping and energy dissipation capacity. Even if this material is widely used in mechanical, aerospace and automotive industries, it is still not frequently used in civil engineering applications. The large energy dissipation capacity that metal foams possess could be exploited to control the seismic performance of structures, but only few research investigations have been focused on this matter. Within this context, the present paper investigates a possible solution to realize dissipative aluminium foam dampers to be applied in X‐braced steel structures for concentrically braced steel frames (CBFs). The bracing system consists of a steel rod or tube linked to an aluminium foam damper. The damper device is constituted by aluminium foam that provides the structure with dissipation capacity when activated under compression. The permanent deformations of the aluminium foam are absorbed by a wedge device, avoiding a pinching behaviour in the global response. Analytical equations governing the global behaviour of the bracing system are herein presented. An X‐braced steel frame complying with Eurocode 8 provisions is designed and considered as case‐study. The structure is subsequently upgraded by introducing the dissipative device into the bracings. The results of preliminary experimental and numerical tests on the components of the device are herein presented, showing the potentiality of the solution.
Structural Performance of Demountable Hybrid Floor Systems Under Monotonic and Cyclic Loading
Authors: Kavoura Florentia , Zhang Yufei , Veljkovic Milan 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe building sector is actively researching and reviewing technical solutions for de‐construction, driven by the increasing importance of sustainability requirements, as outlined in the EU Commission's ‘Green Deal,‘ which aims to achieve net‐zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Two key research areas in efficient structural design strategies are the performance of hybrid structures, which combine mechanical properties and architectural appearance of different materials, and the techniques and mechanical properties of connections between structural components that enable deconstruction and reuse. However, there is a scarcity of studies and methods focused on demountable and hybrid structural systems, limiting the understanding of their overall structural performance at a real‐structure floor level. In this paper, a finite element model is presented to conduct a comparative study between the traditional floor system with welded stud connections and the demountable floor system with coupler‐embedded bolted connectors. The numerical results showed that the serviceability loading capacity of the demountable floor system was 8% lower, and the difference in ultimate resistance was further enlarged. Reusing a demountable floor system, analysed in the case study, had little effect on the ultimate resistance, but it is difficult to exclude local plastic deformation after the first life cycles.
Seeded bermudagrass establishment as affected by nitrogen source, rate, and application frequency
Authors: Powlen Jada S. , Bigelow Cale A. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractSeeded bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) cultivars are a popular choice for many athletic fields and golf course areas throughout the transition zone and southern United States, but the nitrogen (N) needs to optimize turf coverage are not well defined, and N is likely often applied in excess of actual plant needs. A field study was conducted to compare a controlled release versus readily soluble N‐source, total N‐rate, and application frequency for seeded bermudagrass establishment on a native soil in the northern transition zone. ‘Rio’ bermudagrass was seeded in June 2020 and 2021 to evaluate eight granular N‐fertilizer programs using either ammonium sulfate or polymer‐coated urea (PCU). Total N ranged from 0.0 to 6.0 lb N 1,000 ft−2 among three application frequencies, including applications only at planting (PCU only), or applications at planting with repeat applications every 7 or 14 days following bermudagrass germination. Time to 50% green coverage ranged from 20 to 24 and 23 to 30 days in Year 1 and 2, respectively, and varied by N‐program. Applying PCU at planting, 2 lb N 1,000 ft−2, resulted in similar number of days to 90% green coverage compared with other fertilization programs in both study years but with less overall N and fewer applications. These results indicate that applying more than 3 lb N 1,000 ft−2 over the first 60 days of establishment provided no measurable benefit in terms of time to maximum turf coverage.
Leaf micromorphology affects the particulate matter retention in herbaceous plants: An in situ interspecies comparison
Authors: Kong Weihan , Wang Tong , Li Haimei , Wang Lifan , Guo Qing , Guo Xiao 
Published: September 2023

AbstractGarden plants can absorb and retain atmospheric particles and are important for remediating environmental pollution. As an important biological constituent of urban landscape, herbaceous plants can provide ecosystem service such as particulate matter (PM) retention. However, the evaluation of this ecosystem service for herbaceous plants has been seldom made. The present study compared the PM retention capacity of four herbaceous plants commonly used for urban greening in North China—Liriope spicata (Thunb.) Lour., Lolium perenne L., Festuca elata Keng ex E.B.Alexeev, and Poa pratensis L. and explored the correlation between leaf micromorphological traits and PM retention using an in situ experiment. PM with different particle sizes, including PM>10 (10–100 µm), PM10 (2.5–10 µm), and PM2.5 (<2.5 µm), were separately evaluated. We found that L. spicata had the greatest PM retention capacity for all particle sizes among the four species. Electron microscopy revealed that leaves with higher groove proportion, larger stomatal size and greater densities of stomata and trichome generally had higher PM retention capacity. The study showed the correlation between leaf micromorphology and PM absorption, providing a scientific basis for further quantitative studies on the ecosystem service of PM absorption provided by herbaceous plants.
The reignition of the Cancer Moonshot: An opportunity missed?
Authors: Sindhu Kunal K. , Adashi Eli Y. 
Published: September 2023

In relaunching the Cancer Moonshot in 2022, the Biden Administration is seeking to reduce the mortality rate from cancer by at least 50% over the next 25 years. In this Commentary, the authors discuss the history of the federal government’s efforts to reduce the morbidity and mortality of cancer, review the ontogeny of the President’s Cancer Moonshot initiative, and identify the challenges it faces in achieving its goals.
Online versus in‐person delivery of cognitive behaviour therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder: An examination of effectiveness
Authors: Lisi Diana M. , Hawley Lance L. , McCabe Randi E. , Rowa Karen , Cameron Duncan H. , Richter Margaret A. , Rector Neil A. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractCognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) including exposure and response prevention is the first‐line psychological treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Given changes in the clinical landscape, there are increasing efforts to evaluate its effectiveness in online contexts. Mirroring the traditional in‐person delivery, few studies have assessed the role of therapist‐guided, manual‐based CBT for OCD delivered in real‐time via videoconferencing methods. The present study sought to fill this gap by comparing in‐person and online delivery of group‐based CBT for the treatment of OCD. A convenience sample of participants with moderate to severe OCD (n = 144) were recruited from a naturalistic database from two large OCD specialty assessment and treatment centres. Patients received group‐based CBT that was provided in‐person (pre‐COVID‐19 pandemic; March 2018 to March 2020) or online via videoconferencing (during the COVID‐19 pandemic; March 2020 to April 2021). In both delivery methods, treatment consisted of 2‐h weekly sessions led by trained clinicians. Analyses revealed that, regardless of treatment modality, both in‐person and online groups demonstrated significant, reliable, and statistically equivalent improvements in OCD symptoms post‐treatment. Videoconferenced, clinician‐led CBT may be a promising alternative to in‐person delivery for those with moderate to severe OCD symptoms.
Ligating Catalytically Active Peptides onto Microporous Polymers: A General Route Toward Specifically‐Functional High Surface Area Platforms
Authors: Busche Steffen A. , Traxler Michael , Thomas Arne , Börner Hans G. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractA versatile post‐synthetic modification strategy to functionalize a high surface area microporous network (MPN‐OH) by bio‐orthogonal inverse electron‐demand Diels‐Alder (IEDDA) ligation is presented. While the polymer matrix is modified with a readily accessible norbornene isocyanate (Nor‐NCO), a series of functional units presenting the robust asymmetric 1,2,4,5‐tetrazine (Tz) allows easy functionalization of the MPN by chemoselective Nor/Tz ligation. A generic route is demonstrated, modulating the internal interfaces by introducing carboxylates, amides or amino acids as well as an oligopeptide d‐Pro‐Pro‐Glu organocatalyst. The MPN‐Pz‐Peptide construct largely retains the catalytic activity and selectivity in an enantioselective enamine catalysis, demonstrates remarkable availability in different solvents, offers heterogeneous organocatalysis in bulk and shows stability in recycling settings.