Among the different lateral force resisting systems, shear walls are of appropriate stiffness and hence are extensively employed in the design of high-rise structures. The architectural concerns regarding the safety of these structures have further widened the application of coupled shear walls. The present study investigated the optimal dimensional design of coupled shear walls based on the im...

A variable stiffness and damping isolator (VSDI) is designed and developed employing MREs. A double lap shear test has been carried out to characterize two MRE based VSDIs under quasi-static shear loading. A phenomenological model which can capture the behavior of the VSDI is developed and related parameters are identified using experimental data. Both experimental and theoretical modeling resu...

Three-dimensional axisymmetric elasticity solutions for pull-out stresses in bonded anchors with spatially stiffness-varying adhesive are presented. A stiff rod embedded a semi-infinite rigid half-space through an bondlayer, representing general anchor problem is analyzed. The layer considered to have smoothly varying stiffness over length. Two cases of particular engineering relevance consider...

In this paper, the effect of elliptical shape openings was numerically compared to the case when circular openings were used in the steel panel shear walls. At first, the finite element model in ABAQUS was calibrated by experimental results, obtained from previous studies. Then, three steel shear panels with different sizes of elliptical openings were analyzed under cyclic loads, and the result...

The goal of this study was improvement of sandy soil using a combination of polystyrene foam container waste and Portland cement. For this purpose, Babolsar sand was used as the base soil. Strips of disposable polystyrene foam container waste in “chips” of 50 ´ 5 mm and 50 ´ 10 mm were added to the soil at 0.0%, 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3% by weight along with 3% Portland cement at a relative density o...

2.02.4.1 Finite-strain Effects in Bulky or Massive Bodies 71 2.02.4.2 Nonlinear Finite-strain Effects in Columns, Plates and Shells Soft in Shear 72 2.02.4.3 Discrepancy between Engesser’s and Haringx’s Formulas: New Paradox and its Resolution 73 2.02.4.4 Shear Stiffness Associated with Second-order Strain 74 2.02.4.5 Differential Equations of Equilibrium Associated with Different Finite-strain...

We present a non-destructive approach to sense inclusion objects embedded in a solid medium remotely from force sensors applied to the medium and boundary displacements that could be measured via a digital image correlation system using a set of cameras. We provide a rationale and strategy to uniquely identify the heterogeneous sample composition based on stiffness (here, shear modulus) maps. T...

The airway smooth muscle (ASM) layer within the airway wall modulates airway diameter and distensibility. Even in the relaxed state, the ASM layer possesses finite stiffness and limits the extent of airway distension by the radial force generated by parenchymal tethers and transmural pressure. Airway stiffness has often been attributed to passive elements, such as the extracellular matrix in th...