International Journal of Civil Engineering
Volume:5 Issue: 3, Sep 2007

Project participants are becoming more aware of the high costs and risks associated with delay claims and their litigation. Among delays, weather delay has an important role in projects performed in severe environmental conditions. This research is the extension of delay analysis techniques by approving analysis of weather delays using fuzzy logic. At the presented technique, first using a fuzzy logic model calculated the delay that occurred during the activity execution after weather event; then by the selected delay analysis method (Time impact analysis) and using the risk of the contractor during the contract approval together with the effect of previous delay in changing the duration of activities, analyzed weather delays in construction project. A local general contractor and governmental firms involved in a highway construction project practiced by offering their experienced and knowledge in delay analysis procedures to provide data for development and testing of the model specified for rain events. The results indicated that the presented model is in accordance with practical experiences in weather delay duration except in some circumstances that can be divided into the separated parts. It also advances the use of fuzzy logic in delay analysis procedures and becomes it more systematic special for weather delays.

In this research, an innovative numerical simulating approach for time domain analysis of multi degrees of freedom structures with uncertainty in dynamic properties is presented. A full scale finite element model of multi-story and multi bays of three sample structures has been constructed. The reduced order model of structure with holding the dominant and effective Gramians in the balanced state-space realization has been achieved for easy and safe design of the optimal control forces applied to the structure. Some easy selective control algorithms based on the Optimal-Stochastic control theories such as LQG, DLQRY and modified sliding mode control has been programmed with the simulation control sequences. Some real features of accurate control system such as time delay and noise signals in earthquake time histories and also measurement sensors are considered in illustrative simulation models. These models can be analyzed under either various intensity of corresponding earthquakes or desired random excitations passed through the suitable filters providing stochastic parameters of earthquake disturbances. This control procedure will be shown to be very efficient suppressing all the severities and difficulties may arise in design of a multi-objective optimal control system. The obtained results illustrate the feasibility and applicability of the proposed stochastic optimal control design of active control force providing a stable and energy-saving control strategy for tall building structures.

This paper presents an experimental study on seismic repair of damaged square reinforced concrete columns with poor lap splices, 90-degree hooks and widely spaced transverse bars in plastic hinge regions according to ACI detailing (pre.1971) and (318-02) using GFRP wraps. Three specimens were tested in? as built? condition and retested after they were repaired by glass fiber-reinforced plastic sheets. They were tested under numerous reversed lateral cyclic loading with a constant axial load ratio. FRP composite wraps were used for repairing of concrete columns in critically stressed areas near the column footings. Physical and mechanical properties of composite wraps are described. Seismic performance and ductility of the repaired columns in terms of the hysteretic response are evaluated and compared with those of the original columns. The results indicated that GFRP wraps can be an effective repair measure for poorly confined R/C columns due to short splice length and widely spaced ties with 90-degree anchorage hooks. Both flexural strength and ductility of repaired columns were improved by increasing the existing confinement in critical regions of them.

In this research a new approach is proposed for elasto-plastic analysis of structures with truss elements. This method covers both perfectly plastic and hardening properties. The Proposed technique uses substituting virtual loads instead of modifying the stiffness matrix. To solve this kind of problems, complementary programming is utilized. Numerical examples demonstrate that elastoplastic analysis by this approach has very good convergence, rapidity, and accuracy.

The available methods for predicting mechanical characteristics of pavement layers are categorized into two general groups, Destructive and Non-destructive. In destructive method, using coring and pavement subgrade and performing necessary experiments on them, the quantities of layers properties will be identified. In Non-destructive method, the attained deflection is measured by applying the loading on pavement surface using equipments such as FWD which charges the impact dynamic load, and the mechanical characteristics of pavement layers are determined using back calculations. The procedure of conducting these calculations is that by knowing the thickness of the pavement layers and assuming the initial amounts for mechanical characteristics of the layer, the attained deflection at the desired points on the pavement surface will be calculated. Then, new figures are assumed for the characteristics of layers in a reattempt and calculations are repeated again. This trial and error is continued until the produced basin deformations from the calculations with true value, differs in an acceptable range. Using this method may have no accurate and single answer, since the various compositions of layers characteristics can produce similar deformations in different points of pavement surface. In this article, using an innovative method, a measurement is taken in constructing and introducing a mathematical model for determining the elastic module of surface layer using deflections attained from FWD loading equipment. The procedure is such that by using dynamic analysis software of finite elements like ABAQUS and ANSYS, the deformation of corresponding points on the surface of the pavement will be attained by FWD loading equipment. This analysis will be performed on a number of pavements with different thicknesses and different layers properties. The susceptibility analysis of different points deformations show, which will be performed as a result of the change of properties and layers thicknesses. Using this artificial data base as well as deflection basin parameters (DBP), a measurement will be taken toward constructing a regression model for determination of asphalt layer model, i.e. Eac=f(DBP) function shall be attained. To achieve the maximum correlation coefficient, an attempt is made to use the parameters of deformations basin which has the most susceptibility in changing asphalt layer module.