Steel-concrete hybrid systems are used in buildings, in which a steel structure has been placed on a concrete structure to make a lighter structure and have a faster construction. Dynamic analysis of hybrid structures is usually a complex procedure due to various dynamic characteristics of each part, i.e. stiffness, mass and especially damping. Dynamic response of hybrid structures has some complications. One of the reasons is the different stiffness of the two parts of structure and another reason is non-uniform distribution of materials and their different features such as damping in main modes of vibration. The available software is not able to calculate damping matrices and analyze these structures because the damping matrix of these irregular structures is non-classical. Also an equivalent damping should be devoted to the whole structure and using the available software. In the hybrid structures, one or more transitional stories are used for better transition of lateral and gravity forces. In this study, an equation has been proposed to determining the equivalent uniform damping ratio for hybrid steel-concrete buildings with transitional storey(s). In the proposed method, hybrid buildings are considered to have three structural systems, reinforced concrete, transitional storey and steel. Equivalent uniform damping ratio is derived by means of a semi-empirical error minimization procedure.

The cavitation erosion induced by high flow velocities is very prominent in high head and large unit discharge tunnel. Air entrainment is an effective technology to solve this problem. In this study, numerical simulation and physical model test are applied to the comparative study of air-water flows on bottom and lateral aerator in tunnel. The flow pattern, aeration cavity, air concentration and pressure distribution were obtained and there is a close agreement between the numerical and physical model values. The hydraulic characteristic and aeration effect of anti-arc section are analyzed. The results indicated that added lateral aeration facilities on 1# and 2# aerator can weaken backwater and increase the length of the bottom cavity, but it is limited to improve the air concentration and protect sidewall downstream of the ogee section. Air concentration improved on side walls downstream of anti-arc section when added lateral aeration facility on 3# aerator. The black water triangle zone disappeared and the floor and side walls well protected.

Soil contamination by heavy metals is a worldwide environmental challenging issue. Due to the industrial activities, a site located in North West of Shiraz (Fars Province, Iran) has the potential to be contaminated by different heavy metals. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of dicalcium phosphate (DCP) and sodium tripoly phosphate (STPP) for immobilizing lead, copper and cadmium in contaminated soils. Leaching column tests performed on the soil without any stabilizing agent demonstrated a uniform leachate of metals in the effluent during the experimental period. After mixing DCP or STTP with the contaminated soils, the release of all three heavy metals through the effluent was ceased. The results further indicated that 0.1 to 0.2 percent by weight of these stabilizers is effective for immobilizing of applied metals through the experimental soil. Penetration of acid sulfuric solution with pH of 5 had no influence on stabilizing efficiency and almost whole the applied heavy metals seem to be immobilized through the soil media.

A study has been conducted on the bearing capacity of strip footings over sandy layered soils using the stress characteristic lines method. Traditional bearing capacity theories for specifying the ultimate bearing capacity of shallow foundations are based on the idea that the bearing layer is homogenous and infinite. However layered soils are mainly happening in practice. The stress characteristic lines method is a powerful numerical tool in order to solve stability problems in geotechnical engineering. In the present paper, an appropriate algorithm is derived for estimating the static bearing capacity of strip footing located on two layered soils using the stress characteristic lines method. Some numerical and experimental examples are presented in order to validate the proposed algorithm. Some graphs and equation are presented for initial estimating the effective depth of strip footings located on two layered soils.

The contribution of concrete to inelastic deformation capacity and shear strength of reinforced concrete (RC) columns failing in shear has been investigated extensively by various researchers. Although RC members are designed to have shear strengths much greater than their flexural strengths to ensure flexural failure according to the current codes, shear degradation of RC columns failing in flexure has not been studied widely. The aim of this study is to investigate the shear degradation of RC columns using finite element analyses (FEA). The results of FEA are compared with the results of experimental studies selected from literature, and it is observed that the lateral load-deflection curves of analysed columns are compatible with the experimental results. Twenty-six RC columns were analysed under monotonically increasing loads to determine the concrete contribution to shear strength. The results of analyses indicate that increasing the ratio of shear to flexural strength reduces the concrete contribution to shear strength of the columns.

This paper presents a novel approach to solve the double-track railway rescheduling problem, when an incident occurs into one of the block sections of the railway. The approach restricts the effects of an incident to a specific time, based on which the trains are divided into rescheduled and unchanged ones, so that the latter retain their original time-table after the incident. The main contribution of this approach is the simultaneous consideration of three rescheduling policies: cancelling, delaying and re-ordering. A mixed-integer optimization model is developed to find optimal conflict-free time-table compatible with the proposed approach. The objective function minimizes two cost parts: the cost of deviation from the primary time-table and the cost of train cancellation. The model is solved by CPLEX 11 software which automatically generates the optimal solution of a problem. Also, a meta-heuristic solution method based on simulated annealing algorithm is proposed for tackling the large-scale problems. The results of an experimental analysis on two double-track railways of the Iranian network show an appropriate capability of the model and solution method for handling the simultaneous train rescheduling. The results indicate that the proposed solution method can provide good solutions in much shorter time, compared with the time taken to solve the mathematical model by CPLEX software.

The behavior of Chamkhaleh sand and three other recognized sands namely, Babolsar, Firouzkuh and Standard (Ottawa) sands are compared using triaxial apparatus under undrained monotonic loading conditions. Chamkhaleh and Babolsar sands are supplied naturally from southern Caspian Sea shorelines, whereas artificial Firouzkuh and Standard sands were supplied commercially. Samples were prepared using wet tamping with regard to the reduced compaction effect at relative density of 15% under isotropic consolidation pressures of 100, 300 and 500 kPa. The results of triaxial tests have indicated that Chamkhaleh sand has much more dilation tendency than the other sands. In order to evaluate the reasons behind this behavior, the spherecity and roundness of all the four sand particles were measured using an image processing method. It was revealed that the spherecity of the four sands is not much different, but Chamkhaleh sand is more angular than the other sands. For comparison of the dilative response of the sands in undrained triaxial tests, a “dilation tendency index” is introduced. This index may be used as a criterion for measuring the dilation of sands in undrained tests. Results have shown that the internal friction angle under the steady state condition is more dependent on the shape of particles than the maximum strength condition. For spherecities greater than 0.5, the dependency rate of sand behavior on the roundness is decreased.

Investigating the seismic amplification of incident waves induced by subsurface cavities and characterizing its patterns for the ground surface are important in seismology, geophysics and earthquake engineering both in theory and practical application. Nowadays, it has been established that the seismic ground response above subsurface structures can be different from the free-field motion during earthquakes. In this regard, this research studied preliminary results of a numerical parametric study on the seismic response of the ground surface above subsurface cavity. Basically, this study is applied to get new idea to move a step forward in site response analysis which can be used in the seismic microzonation of areas located above underground spaces. For analysis purposes, a numerical time-domain analysis is performed by utilizing a robust numerical algorithm working based on the boundary element method. It is observed that the amplification of the ground surface underlain by a shallow elliptical cavity is increased in long periods. Some preliminary simple relationships and tables are presented which could be used while introducing simple preliminary ideas for modification of the standard design spectra in building codes and seismic microzonation studies.

Resource allocation project scheduling problem (RCPSP) has been one of the challenging subjects amongst researchers in the last decades. Most of the researches in this scope have used deterministic variables, however in a real project activities are exposed to risks and uncertainties that cause to delay in project’s duration. There are some researchers that have considered the risks for scheduling, however, new metahuristics are available to solve this problem for finding better solution with less computational time. In this paper, two new metahuristic algorithms are applied for solving fuzzy resource allocation project scheduling problem (FRCPSP) known as charged system search (CSS) and colliding body optimization (CBO). The results show that both of these algorithms find reasonable solutions, however CBO finds the results in a less computational time having a better quality. A case study is conducted to evaluate the performance and applicability of the proposed algorithms.

In this paper using the eigenvalues and eigenvectors symmetric block diagonal matrices with infinite dimension and numerical method of finite difference a closed form solution for exact solving of Laplace equation is presented. Moreover, the method of this paper has applications in different states of boundary conditions like Newman, Dirichlet and other mixed boundary conditions. Moreover, with the method of this paper, a mathematical model for the exact solution of the Poisson equation is derived. Since these equations have many applications in engineering problems, in each part examples like water seepage problem through the soil and torsion of prismatic bars are presented. Finally the method is provided for torsion problem of prismatic bars with non-circular and non-rectangular cross sections by using of conformal mapping.

The dynamic mechanical behaviour of a stone block masonry cupola composed of non-convex discrete elements is studied. This cupola is designed in innovative and modern ways and was recently constructed in southern France. The necessity for an accurate numerical study to take into account the real geometry of each non-convex block is presented. Different results, concerning the stability of the masonry structure, or its mechanical behaviour during a simulated collapsing state, are given for several sets of parameters describing the contact condition between the blocks, or the blocks and the structure foundations, under various seismic loads.

Efflorescence formation is an important soundness issue to be considered with alkali-activated cements. In this study, the impact of activator type on the efflorescence formation severity and methods of efflorescence reduction in alkali-activated phosphorus slag cement are investigated. Different alkaline activators including NaOH, KOH and liquid sodium silicate of different silica modules (Ms = SiO2/Na2O) were used for alkali-activation of phosphorus slag. Additions of high alumina cements (Secar 71 and 80) and application of hydrothermal curing condition at 85 °C for 7 h with different pre-curing times (1, 3 and 7 day) in humid environment (relative humidity of 95 %) and 25 °C were used for efflorescence control in alkali-activated phosphorus slag cement. Sodium containing activators resulted in more severe efflorescence formation compared with those of potassium containing activators. Also presence of liquid sodium silicate intensified efflorescence formation. Based on the results obtained, application of an optimum pre-curing stage in humid environment before hydrothermal curing regime stabilizes the cement matrix and improves the effectiveness of hydrothermal conditions.

In this study, the relative performance of two soils as a sustainable natural material in retaining the selected heavy metal ions, cadmium (Cd²⁺) and nickel (Ni²⁺), from aqueous solutions has been evaluated. Red earth soil (RS) and black cotton soil (BCS) originating from India, were selected and batch equilibrium tests including sorption kinetics and leaching studies were conducted. The experimental data was used to plot sorption isotherms, Langmuir isotherm was found to be more suitable than Freundlich isotherm for both the soils. Monolayer sorption capacity was calculated from Langmuir isotherm. Kinetic data was fitted on four models namely pseudo first order, second order, Elovich and intraparticle diffusion. Correlation coefficients obtained by all models fitted well in the following ranking: Elovich>Intraparticle diffusion > Pseudo second order> Pseudo first order. Based on extensive experimental data, it is concluded that the ranking on sorption was of the order Cd > Ni for both the soils and BCS exhibited relatively higher retention levels compared to RS.  It is further concluded that, BCS can be used as a substitute to filter material, RS a substitute to main liner material in attenuating Cd²⁺ and Ni²⁺ from an industrial landfill leachate.

Steel plate shear walls have long been used as a lateral load resisting system. It is composed of beam and column frame elements, to which infill plates are connected. This paper investigates the progressive collapse-resisting capacity of 50-story building 3D model of the strip model of steel plate shear wall comparing with X-braced and moment frame system based on the removing structural elements from a middle and corner of the exterior frame, in the story above the ground. The collapse behavior is evaluated by different nonlinear static and dynamic analyses using conventional analysis software. In this study, vulnerability of structures is also assessed by sensitivity index (SI) regarding the sensitivity of structures to dynamic effect induced by progressive collapse. To identify vulnerable members, resulting actions of nonlinear static analysis, considering load factor to account for dynamic effect, at the failure mode of structure at the specific performance level are compared by the factor of redundancy related to overall strength of structure, with the linear static analysis of damaged model without considering dynamic effect,. Comparing analysis results indicated that in the steel plate shear wall system, the progressive collapse resisting potential is more than X-braced and moment frame. Sensitive index of highly sensitive elements to dynamic effect stated that in the structural models, beams are more vulnerable in moment frame than X-braced frame and SPSW structure, significantly, and vulnerability of columns in X-braced frame and SPSW system is more than moment frame.

This study is devoted to investigate the effects of mass eccentricity in seismic responses of base-isolated structures subjected to near field ground motions. Superstructures with 3, 6 and 9 stories and aspect ratios equal to 1, 2 and 3 have been idealized as steel special moment frames resting on a reasonable variety of Triple Concave Friction Pendulum (TCFP) bearings considering different period and damping ratios for the isolators. Three-dimensional linear superstructure mounted on nonlinear isolators are subjected to 3 components of near-field ground motions. Under 25 near-field ground motions, effects of mass eccentricity on the main system parameters are studied. These parameters are selected as the main engineering demands including maximum isolator displacement and base shear as well as peak superstructure acceleration. The results indicate that the mass eccentricities has not a remarkable effect on isolator displacement. In contrary to displacement, torsional effect of mass eccentricity raise the base shear up to 1.75 times in a three-story superstructure. Additionally, mass eccentricity can amplify the roof acceleration of a nine-story model approximately 3 times in comparison with a symmetric superstructure. It is also concluded that eccentricity in the direction of the subjected earthquake has the most impact on base shear while the isolator displacement and roof acceleration has mostly influenced by the eccentricity perpendicular to the earthquake path.

Steel bridges play a very important role in every country’s transportation system. To ensure that bridges perform reliably, engineers monitor their performance which is referred to as Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). An important element of SHM includes the prediction of service life. There is ample historical evidence that bridge damage is pervasive and their life time is decreasing. To manage costs and safety, service life prediction of bridges is necessary. We present a statistical method to predict service life for steel bridges. A nonparametric statistical model based on the bootstrap method for stress analysis for fatigue life prediction of steel girder bridges is proposed. The bootstrap provides a simple approach for reproduction of the probability distribution of measured strain data. The bootstrap is sensitive to the number of events in the verification sample (data), thus we introduce a stable survival distribution function (SDF). An index is presented in this paper for inferring the service life of steel bridges, which can be known as the Life Index (µ). The life index function shows variation of the age of steel bridges under daily traffic loads. A regression model is developed which relates the service life of steel bridges using a bridge life index based on measured operational strain time histories. The predicted remaining service life derived from the model can contribute to effective management of steel bridges. The proposed method assists bridge engineers, bridge owners, and state officials in objective assessment of deteriorated bridges for retrofit or replacement of deteriorated bridges. Timely repair and retrofit increase the safety levels in bridges and decrease costs.

A robust periodic train-scheduling problem under perturbation is discussed in this paper. The intention is to develop a robustness index and propose a mathematical model which is robust against perturbations. Some practical assumptions, as well as the acceleration and deceleration times along with periodic scheduling in addition to a practical new robustness index are considered. The aim is to obtain timetables with minimum travelling time that are robust against minor perturbations while the unnecessary stops are minimized. Generally, the spread of delays in the railway system is called delay propagation. We show that in addition to this phenomenon, there exists a more complicated case in periodic type of scheduling that is the fact of delay propagation from one period to the next. In fact, if the delays of a period are not absorbed by the next one, the size of delays may converge to infinity. We name this as delay intensification. Furthermore, we develop a hybrid heuristic algorithm which is able to find near optimal schedules in a limited amount of time and can absorb perturbations. To validate the algorithm, a new lower bound is introduced.

To fully explain hydropower unit operational problems, an optimal multi-objective dynamic scheduling model is presented which seeks to improve the efficiency of reservation regulation management. To reflect the actual hydropower engineering project environment, fuzzy random uncertainty and an integrated consideration of the natural resource constraints, such as load balance, system power balance, generation limits, turbine capacity, water head, discharge capacities, reservoir storage volumes, and water spillages, were included in the model. The aim of this research was to concurrently minimize discharges and maximize economic benefit. Subsequently, a new hybrid dynamic-programming based multi-start multi-objective simulated annealing algorithm was developed to solve the hydro unit operational problem. The proposed model and intelligent algorithm were then applied to the Xiaolongmen Hydraulic and Hydropower Station in China. The computational unit commitment schedule results demonstrated the practicality and efficiency of this optimization method.

This study proposes an efficient method for allocating the blood centers to hospitals based on the concept of graph partitioning (p-median methodology) and meta- heuristic optimization algorithms. For this purpose a weighted graph is first constructed for the network denoted by G0. A coarsening process is then performed to match the edges in n stages. Following the coarsening phase, the enhanced colliding bodies (ECBO) algorithm is applied to decompose the graph into a number of sub domains by use of p-median methodology. In our problem p is the number of blood centers which hospitals are intended to allocate. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm performs quite satisfactory from computational time and optimum points of view.

The seismic performance levels are discrete damage states selected from among the infinite spectrum of possible damage states that buildings could experience as a result of earthquake response. The observation of building damage during strong motion earthquakes showed that correlation of structural damage with a single parameter such as peak ground acceleration or the total seismic duration is low while peak ground acceleration is often used as a main seismic parameter to evaluate seismic performance of structures. Main objective of this study is to determine the relationship between several seismic acceleration parameters and the Target Displacement (TD) of steel frame structures, which is an important parameter to identify performance levels. For this purpose, first, nonlinear analysis is performed on the SAC 3- and 9-story frames subjected to several far-field earthquakes and then target displacements and seismic parameters are calculated for each structure.The relationship between the target displacement and seismic parameters is evaluated in the form of correlation coefficient. It is shown that PGA has poor correlation with the target displacement. On the other hand, HOUSNER intensity, spectral pseudo-acceleration, spectral pseudo-velocity and peak ground velocity exhibit strong correlation with TD.