At two trench segments below the Andes, the Nazca Plate is subducting sub-horizontally over ∼200-300 km, thought to result from a combination of buoyant oceanic-plateau subduction and hydrodynamic mantle-wedge suction. Whether the actual conditions for both processes to work in concert existed is uncertain. Here we infer from a tectonic reconstruction of the Andes constructed in a mantle refere...

Slab-girder structures composed of steel girder and reinforced concrete slab are widely used in buildings and bridges in the world. Their advantages are largely based on the composite action through the shear connection between slab and girder. In order to assess the integrity of this kind of structures, numerous vibration-based damage identification methods have been proposed. In this study, a...

Synopsis: With long-term deflection being a critical design criterion, accurate deflection prediction is an important aspect of slab design. The many factors that influence long-term deflections and their interdependence as well as variability in material strengths and characteristics make this a challenging problem. Most building codes and standards provide methods and formulae to account for ...

[1] Sandpile avalanches were used first to illustrate the concept of self-organized criticality (SOC). Snow avalanches consist of two types: (1) loose snow avalanches which release in cohesionless material at the top of the snowpack and (2) slab avalanches which release by propagation of shear fractures originating in a thin weak layer at depth in the snowpack. Loose snow avalanches are analogo...

• Electromagnetic waves have polarization. Polarizer is a material which is transparent to light of only one particular polarization. Consider two slabs of a polarizer material with a preferred axis. A light beam shined on the rst slab gets ltered, so that only a linearly polarized beam along the preferred axis direction comes out. This beam falls on the second slab, called analyzer. If the pre...

Diaphragms are a fundamental part of the earthquake-resistant system, and in terms rigidity, it is essential to transmit dynamic loads on base structure.Also, floor openings response buildings against progressive collapse issues that have received less attention.In this study, opening surfaces their positions potential steel moment-resisting frame (SMRF) were investigated according alternate lo...

The problem of calculating transient heat transfer in concrete floor slabs is complicated due to ground coupling, which can require the numerical solution of two or three-dimensional transient conduction equations. This paper presents a simplified method for calculating transient slab-on-ground heat transfer that can be incorporated within hourly simulation programs. The method assumes that the...

The State of Florida has a draft radon standard for new construction. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of two slab types (monolithic and slab-in-stem wall) in retarding radon entry in new houses built in accordance with the proposed standard over high radon potential soils. Fourteen houses were monitored during their construction on sites whose soil gas radon concentration...