Open Access
ARTICLE
B.K.Raghu Prasad1, Rabindra Kumar Saha1, A.R.Gopalakrishnan1
Structural Longevity, Vol.1, No.3, pp. 135-154, 2009, DOI:10.3970/sl.2009.001.135
Abstract Several different models have been proposed to characterize mode-I
crack propagation in concrete. The fictitious crack model proposed by Hillerborg et
al. and the blunt crack band theory developed by Bazant & Oh are particularly well
suited for a finite element analysis. The two-parameter fracture model proposed by
Jenq & Shah is found to be applicable only for beams with s/w=4, where s=span
& w=depth of the beam. The general applicability of the model for other testing
configurations is not published. In the present study an experimental verification
of a one-parameter model based on fundamental equation of equilibrium developed
by… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
C.S. Lin, T.C. Chen, C.C. Yu,M.E. Wu, Y.H. Tu1
Structural Longevity, Vol.1, No.3, pp. 155-162, 2009, DOI:10.3970/sl.2009.001.155
Abstract Most old apartments in Taiwan lack fire prevention equipment, making fire awareness and escape difficult, as well as timely fire fighting, which leads
to increased death tolls from fire incidents. This research utilizes Fire Dynamics
Simulator (FDS) software to analyze and simulate the fire accident that occurred
in a single old-style five-story apartment on Siu-Lang Road, Chung-Ho City. In
this event, many occupant vehicles were parked at the front door of the apartment
building or in nearby parking lanes. The fire engine can only drive in after vehicles
were cleared from the fire area, a situation that delayed emergency fire… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Helen Hongniao Chen1, Ray Kai Leung Su1
Structural Longevity, Vol.1, No.3, pp. 163-174, 2009, DOI:10.3970/sl.2009.001.163
Abstract In this study, Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI) technique was used to measure the surface displacement and strain fields around cracks
in concrete beams. ESPI has high accuracy and can determine full-field deformations of concrete. However, tiny rigid-body movements of beam specimens can
spoil the ESPI measurement and cause virtual deformations and false strains. Based
on the theory of geometrical optics, this paper proposes a method to eliminate the
false strains caused by rigid-body motion. The correction procedure was validated
experimentally. Furthermore, the crack evolution in a pre-notched beam is presented. The critical minimum crack width of a microcrack is… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
Essam E Khalil1
Structural Longevity, Vol.1, No.3, pp. 175-180, 2009, DOI:10.3970/sl.2009.001.175
Abstract The cultural heritage left by the Egyptian Pharaohs in the tombs of the
Valley of the Kings represents some of the key elements of the Egyptian cultural
and tourism wealth and standing monuments demonstrating the wealth and technology of the pharaohs. These tombs were prepared to bury the Kings’ mummies
and artifacts for eternal life. Many of the wall paintings identifying the various
ancient rituals and life style are in good conditions as the tombs were only recently
opened to the public and resulted, in many instances, to dramatic deterioration of
the wall paintings due in part to excessive humidity.… More >
Open Access
ARTICLE
L. Zhang1, T. Boulet1, J. Hein1, M. Arnoult1, M. Negahban1
Structural Longevity, Vol.1, No.3, pp. 181-190, 2009, DOI:10.3970/sl.2009.001.181
Abstract The modeling of the response of the human head to blast like loading is of importance for many applications including the study of traumatic brain
injury resulting from improvised explosive devices. One key issue in simulating
the response of the head is to have models that are characteristic of the response
of the head and its components under these conditions. We review different characterization efforts for evaluating the response of the skin, skull, and brain within
this window of response and use these results to develop models appropriate for
the characterization of each component. We discuss efforts made to construct… More >