Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities

A church building structure, composed of a saddle-type hyperbolic paraboloid concrete shell roof supported by buttresses and brick masonry walls, was constructed in 1963. At one corner of the structure, the perimeter of the roof shell projects beyond the exterior building walls to form a canopy over the main entrance. This canopy is partially supported by two brick masonry fin walls that project outward from the main building walls. At the time of original design, closed-form methods (equations) were the only practical way of analyzing this shell structure. However, the configuration of the roof shell was not consistent with detailing requirements of the closed-form methods. After $36\text{years}$ of service, the fin walls had bowed significantly, were exhibiting wide cracks, had slipped laterally with respect to the roof shell, and were in danger of collapse. The writer led an investigation team that developed a finite element model of the church structure, studied the behavior of the church structure when subjected to applied loads and temperature changes, and developed repairs to restore structural integrity and serviceability.

As part of the Lifecycle Innovative Financing Evaluation initiative, the San Ysidro Bridge along U.S. Route 550 will be monitored throughout a $10\text{year}$ warranty period to determine changes in deflection, stiffness, and load-carrying capacity. This paper discusses an initial live-load test on the San Ysidro Bridge as well as a subsequent load test on a full-scale single lane test bridge. The two load tests in conjunction with finite element modeling were used to determine the load rating for both shear and moment of the San Ysidro Bridge. This load rating was then compared with the load rating using the distribution factors from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Standard and Load and Resistance Factor Design Specifications. According to both AASHTO specifications, the interior girder shear controlled the load rating of the San Ysidro Bridge. Using the finite element modeling scheme of frame and shell elements the interior girder moment was found to control the design. This load rating will be used as a baseline for comparison with future load ratings throughout the warranty period.

This paper describes the procedure and results of the field tests on high-density polyethylene (HDPE), PVC, and metal large diameter pipes subjected to a highway design truck loading. Numerical simulations using finite element method are performed to determine pipe-soil system response under live load application. Comparisons of field test data with the predicted responses are made for soil pressures around and above the pipes, deformed cross-sectional pipe profiles, and pipe deflections. The field test results indicated that the buried flexible pipes, embedded with highly compacted graded sand with silt, demonstrated good performance without exhibiting any visible joint opening or structural distress. Under shallow burial conditions, the AASHTO specified deflection limit of 5% is found to be adequate for installation of the flexible pipes during the construction phase, and a vertical deflection limit of 2% is suggested for HDPE pipes based on the truck load response and repeated loading effect.

Approximately 40% of the heavy industry in Turkey was located in the region affected by the 1999 ${\mathrm{M}}_{\mathrm{w}}$ 7.4 Kocaeli earthquake. Twenty-four facilities representing different industries in the epicentral region were surveyed after the earthquake. Structural and nonstructural damage to these facilities is summarized and performance is reported using a damage classification scheme. Information on typical industrial-facility construction practice in Turkey is presented. Earthquake damage to the most common structural framing systems is highlighted. The structural performance of a small number of the facilities visited by the reconnaissance team is investigated.

This paper discusses the use of pulse velocity, dynamic Young’s modulus of elasticity, and air permeability of concrete to evaluate the extent of damage and damage gradients to a concrete structure exposed to thermal shock and subsequent cryogenic temperatures. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is maintained in liquid form at cryogenic temperatures typically below $-160°\mathrm{C}$ $(-260°\mathrm{F})$ . The elevated concrete pedestal and precast concrete piles supporting a LNG storage tank were exposed to cryogenic temperatures following a leak of the LNG. The engineering assessment of the concrete structure consisted of a nondestructive evaluation phase using ultrasonic pulse velocity and a subsequent laboratory phase based on concrete cores. Dynamic Young’s modulus of elasticity and air permeability index of $25\mathrm{mm}$ $\left(1\mathrm{in.}\right)$ thick disks sawed from the cores were determined. Analyzing concrete disks at $25\mathrm{mm}$ $\left(1\mathrm{in.}\right)$ increments permitted assessment of changes in these properties with depth and enabled evaluation of depth of damage and damage gradients. The laboratory study confirmed that the distressed zone was limited to a near-surface area of concrete as suggested by the results of pulse velocity testing.

The ability to understand the performance of building structures under fire exposure and to make informed engineering design decisions based on analysis rather than simply applying prescriptive codes is a growing area of interest. This paper summarizes recent research and provides a possible approach to integrating fire safety engineering into the design process for structural framing systems. Performance-based design of fire-safe structures is defined in terms of five activities, and a series of flowcharts organizes these activities in terms of sublevel functions and their interrelationships. The flowcharts also help to identify informational needs critical to performance-based structural fire safety and to develop an understanding of the role of the fire protection engineer.

Heaving of pavements and a building foundation became progressively worse on a project at Holloman Air Force Base (AFB), N.M. The cause of the heaving was identified as sulfate attack on recycled concrete used as fill and base course below the buildings and pavements. This recycled concrete came from sulfate-resistant airfield Portland concrete pavement that had existed for decades at Holloman AFB without distress. However, severe sulfate exposure conditions, ready availability of water, the more permeable nature of the crushed recycled concrete, less common thaumasite attack, possible soil contamination as a secondary source of alumina, or some combination of these factors allowed sulfate attack to develop in the recycled material even though it had not in the original concrete pavement.

This paper presents the results of the analytical and experimental studies of a pendulum tuned mass damper (PTMD) to control excessive floor vibrations due to human movements. The PTMD used in this study acts as a passive tuned mass damper. An equivalent single-degree-of-freedom model for the PTMD is developed and used to derive the equations of motion of the coupled PTMD-floor system. The optimal design parameters of the PTMD are found using an optimization algorithm. Effects of off-tuning of the PTMD due to the variations in the floor mass on its response are investigated. Results of the tuning of the PTMD on a laboratory test floor are presented along with the off-tuning effects. These results indicate that a properly tuned PTMD can significantly reduce the excessive floor vibrations. In addition, when subjected to off-tuning due to variations in the floor live load the PTMD may or may not be able to perform effectively depending on the level of human-structure dynamic interactions. Finally, examples of the PTMD already in use to control excessive floor vibrations are presented.

The study identifies the causes of inconsistencies between the design and construction of large building projects. To achieve the study objectives, a questionnaire survey was carried out to collect information on potential causes of inconsistencies at the project design and construction interface. Responses from 27 contractors were analyzed. The results suggest that the involvement of designer as consultant, communication gap between constructor and designer, insufficient working drawing details, lack of coordination between parties, lack of human resources in design firm, lack of designer’s knowledge of available materials and equipment, and incomplete plans and specifications were considered as the most important causes of the project design and construction interface inconsistencies. On the other hand, project management as a professional service, weather conditions, nationalities of participants, involvement of the contractor in design conceptual phase, unforeseen problems, involvement of the contractor in design development phase, and government regulations were the least important causes of inconsistencies between professionals at the project design and construction interface in large building projects.

In the late 19th century, the transportation needs of Quebec led to proposals for bridging the St. Lawrence River. The Quebec Bridge was the longest cantilever structure attempted until that time. In its final design, the clear span was 548.6 m (1,800 ft) long. The bridge project was financially troubled from the beginning. This caused many setbacks in the design and construction. Construction finally began in October 1900. In August 1907, the bridge collapsed suddenly. Seventy five workers were killed in the accident, and there were only 11 survivors from the workers on the span. A distinguished panel was assembled to investigate the disaster. The panel’s report found that the main cause of the bridge’s failure was improper design of the latticing on the compression chords. The collapse was initiated by the buckling failure of Chord A9L, on the anchor arm near the pier, immediately followed by Chord A9R. Theodore Cooper had been the consulting engineer for the Quebec Bridge project, and most of the blame for the disaster fell on his shoulders. He mandated unusually high allowable stresses, and failed to require recalculation of the bridge dead load when the span was lengthened.

The construction of the Battery-Joralemon Street Tunnel is described. Built between 1903 and 1907, it was the first subway tunnel placed in service under the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Both heading-and-bench rock tunneling and pressurized shield soft-soil tunneling techniques were used. Loss of control of the tunneling shield in partially saturated sands caused variations in alignment that made portions of the tunnel nonfunctional. Approximately 3,000 ft of the tunnel had to be reconstructed to enable subway cars to use the tunnel safely. Additionally, due to concerns regarding the stability of the tunnel in the soft soils, piles were installed under the tunnel to bedrock. The project was a crucible for subway contractors and engineers of the Rapid Transit Commission, especially Clifford M. Holland. His experience on the Joralemon Street Tunnel enabled him to efficiently and safely complete four other East River subway tunnels after the Dual System Agreement of March 1913.