Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the structural performance of the beam-column joints of Yingxian Wood Pagoda. A scaled model of typical beam-column joints with dovetail tenon-mortise connection was manufactured and tested. Four failure modes of the joint were identified. These included yield of component under compression perpendicular or parallel to grain, fracture of component under tension perpendicular to grain, and tenon pullout from mortise. The structural performance of the model beam-column joint was revealed from test observations, and the stiffness and the moment-resisting capacity of the prototype beam-column joints of the pagoda were derived based on the similitude theory. An analytical model for estimating the lateral stiffness and load-carrying capacity of a bay of the column-frames using the structural performance of beam-column joints was developed and applied to evaluating the inter-story lateral performance of the pagoda. This study provides reference, from a structural point of view, for the preservation of cultural heritage structures such as Yingxian Wood Pagoda.

This paper deals with the heat transfer analysis of the 63-year-old and 60-m-high Moste concrete arch-gravity dam, located in Northwest Slovenia. The analysis was performed after a new sophisticated monitoring system had been established, making it possible to perform continuous measurements of the temperatures of the concrete, water, and dam surroundings, i.e., air temperatures and amount of solar insolation. An equation defining nonlinear and nonstationary heat conduction in the case of a two-dimensional space, for a homogeneous isotropic solid whose thermal conductivity is independent of temperature, was solved numerically by means of the finite-element method, taking into account appropriate boundary conditions. The latter involved the effects of changing conditions in the surroundings (i.e., shading, convection, and solar radiation) during the analyzed period of 15 consecutive clear days in the summer. The results show that the measured and calculated temperatures of the concrete at different locations, and at different depths, were in very good agreement.

The Al-Askari shrine, located in Samarra, Iraq, is a remarkable example of a building with ancient Islamic architecture and construction that was heavily damaged by massive bombings. The bombings were carried out by two separate terrorist attacks in 2006 and 2007. This paper summarizes the important undertakings in the identification of shrine buildings in terms of structural and architectural background and characteristics, damage classification and monitoring, site conditions and material properties. Moreover, the shortcomings of a series of previously performed partial restorations are elaborated upon. The results and findings of this study can be utilized as database in other numerical and field observation research. The details of the vulnerability assessment of the existing building, making use of finite element analyses, are presented in the second part of this article.

This paper presents the results of a vulnerability assessment of the damaged Al-Askari shrine located in Samarra, Iraq by finite element analysis. Reliable material characteristics are derived using limited experimental data on this historical building in order to be utilized in the numerical models. It is concluded that the cracked piers are not vulnerable under the weight of the newly added dome. However, the cracks in the piers widen under design seismic loads, which results in unbalanced settlements in the piers and torsional cracks in the dome. The vulnerability of the minarets is more severe, necessitating heavy reinforcement at their bases and adequate anchorage to the masonry building.

Precast/prestressed concrete I-girders with wide and thin top flanges have been widely used by several transportation agencies in the last two decades. These girders have many advantages, such as accommodating a large number of prestressing strands, having a reduced girder weight, and providing greater stability in construction and an adequate platform for workers. Despite these advantages, the wide and thin top flange might be disadvantageous when it comes to deck removal, as it is more susceptible to damage. In this paper, the impact of deck removal on the performance of supporting girders is investigated. Two methods, saw-cutting and jackhammering, were implemented on the Camp Creek Bridge over I-80 in Lancaster County, Nebraska, before demolition due to its functional obsolesces. Different saw-cutting and jackhammering techniques were performed for deck removal between girders and on top of girder flange. Also, two girders from the bridge were taken to the lab for structural testing after applying different deck removal methods and redecking. Test results indicated adequate performance of the girder with reduced flange width even when partial deck removal around shear connectors is applied. Also, an analytical investigation was conducted to evaluate the effect of top flange width on the performance of bridge I-girders under service and ultimate loads. Investigation results indicate that in several cases top flange width does not have a significant impact on the structural performance of I-girders.

As building information modeling (BIM) has become more widely adopted by the architecture, engineering, construction and operations (AECO) industry, its undeveloped potential for supporting facility management (FM) has become more apparent. In order to fully release the power of BIM tools, the first step is to understand and clarify what the requirements of the facility management phase are for operations and maintenance activities. This paper proposes a process for knowledge accumulation and sharing for BIM-FM through the project life cycle. In order to collect the initial knowledge for the knowledge database, a survey questionnaire was developed and administered to collect perspectives from industry practitioners to understand existing facility management requirements and the types of maintainability problems that frequently occur that have the potential to be solved early on in the design phase. The survey results indicated that maintainability issues should be taken into consideration during the facility design phase. The perceived areas determined by the survey that need maintainability consideration in the design phase would be a starting point for a BIM-FM knowledge sharing database.

Preventive and regular maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation (MR&R) is necessary for a building to function satisfactorily throughout its lifecycle. A relatively constant MR&R budget is generally allocated to a building each year. However, because the components used in a building have different life expectancies, annual MR&R cost profiles may fluctuate quite strongly over time. Accordingly, if MR&R for several components comes due in the same budget period, the pre-allocated MR&R budget may not be sufficient to cover all necessary MR&R. In these cases, MR&R for some components would be postponed. This failure to conduct MR&R in a timely manner may adversely affect long-term performance of the building. To address this concern, this paper introduces a model that can minimize the fluctuation of the MR&R cost profile by adjusting the timing of some MR&R activities to earlier points than the initial MR&R schedule. Applying the newly developed model to a case study confirmed its applicability and effectiveness in stabilizing the MR&R cost profile. This paper makes a theoretical contribution to developing an optimization model that can minimize the fluctuation of the cost profile over time. It is of value to practitioners by providing an effective tool to establish a more reliable and executable MR&R schedule, thereby preventing MR&R activities from being postponed and increasing the life expectancy of a building.

Current sustainable building rating systems typically rate the energy performance of existing buildings by assessing how efficiently they consume energy, relative to similar buildings nationwide. In these rating systems, building type and external benchmark are the two notions typically employed. Alternatively, this study explores the notions of space type and internal benchmark and develops the benchmarking energy efficiency by space type for existing buildings (BEEST-EB) method to assess the energy efficiency of existing buildings. Specifically, core research concepts such as space type, standard operation settings, standard energy consumption, operational effectiveness index, and energy efficiency score are adopted in the BEEST-EB method. An existing building usually consists of different space types, each featuring similar operational characteristics and energy demands. It is therefore proposed that, for each space type, its standard operation settings should be defined and its standard energy consumption should be estimated with energy prediction models such as eQuest, accounting for the energy effects of additional factors such as existing climate and building infrastructure characteristics. The standard energy consumption of a building, revealing the performance of its building infrastructure while operating under standard settings, is regarded as its reasonable internal energy benchmark. The operational effectiveness index of a building is further assessed by calculating the ratio of its actual energy consumption to its standard energy consumption, and used to indicate how effectively the building is operated and managed. Finally, the energy efficiency of a building is evaluated by assessing both its standard energy consumption and operational effectiveness index jointly. Only buildings having high building infrastructure performance and high operational effectiveness simultaneously are rated as highly energy efficient buildings. The Department of Architecture of the national university NTUST in Taiwan is used as a case to demonstrate how the BEEST-EB method is employed to rate its energy efficiency and used as an effective energy management tool.

The overall performance of a concrete structure is considered to be a key issue when determining its service life. The widespread use of precast concrete and consideration of durability as a design parameter in most of the international codes have the goal of achieving concrete structures with better durability. Nevertheless, the early deterioration of concrete is still common in a large number of concrete structures, which reduces the service life. This paper presents a case study of an existing precast concrete cooling tower for a thermal power station subjected to severe marine exposure conditions, which showed symptoms of serious deterioration after operating for three years. The main goal of this study was to clarify the origin of the accelerated deterioration of the structure. Wetting-drying cycles were identified as the main cause of the early deterioration of the structure. Furthermore, estimations on its remaining service life were made considering the accelerating effect of the wetting-drying cycles. Finally, the variation in the safety factor of the main structural elements was evaluated.

This paper presents a research study performed to obtain percentage data on building anomalies of and damages to the foundations and structures of residential buildings, as well as to determine their most common causes. This analysis of the building anomalies is aimed at studying damages or construction problems that appear in the building or any of its units after its execution. The pathological process can be divided into three clearly different parts, namely: (1) origin, (2) evolution, and (3) final result. To perform an adequate study of the anomaly or defect as well as to determine the origin and potential causes of the damage, this pathway should be followed in a reverse manner, that is: (1) analysis of the damage, (2) symptoms, and (3) evolution. With the aim of drawing some conclusions regarding the different pathological processes, up to 1,166 judicial files with a firm judgment have been considered within a period of time between 2008 and 2010. A total of 995 anomalies or defects have been reported, 66.63% of them affecting the foundations and the remaining 33.37% related to the building structure. Among the anomalies related to the foundations, 90.86% originated in the walls, slabs, and isolated footings. For those affecting the structures, 79.82% originated in one-way spanning slabs, piles, and slabs on grade. Damages caused by infiltrating humidity, fissures in walls, partitions and/or floorings and cracks in the element itself account for 80.20% of the anomalies or defects analyzed here.

Numerous concrete box-girder bridges in California are horizontally curved and also have at least one in-span hinge. The curvature and in-span hinges in multiframe bridges lead to significant differences in bridge dynamic response during seismic excitations. In this article, a set of analytical fragility curves for horizontally curved highway bridges are developed based on nonlinear time history analyses in OpenSEES, focusing on subclasses of seismically designed multiframe concrete box-girder bridges with multicolumn bents and seat type abutments. Component damage levels are explored for joint seals, columns, bearings, abutments, unseating of decks, foundations, and shear keys, and system level damage states consistent with HAZUS-MH definitions. Curvature was identified to be an important factor that adversely affects the fragility of multiframe bridges. Median value modification factors are proposed to scale fragility curves to account for the deck radius effects.

In the past, highway retaining walls were assets that were often excluded from inventory programs and were regarded as noncritical or lost assets. With the recognition that wall failures may be detrimental to the roadway and the surroundings and may pose potential hazards to the safety of the public, several highway agencies have begun to incorporate retaining walls into their inventory and inspection programs. Work in this paper addresses the development of a system for the inventory and condition assessment of retaining walls serving various functions within the highway infrastructure. Critical elements of data collection are identified and a retaining wall information collection and assessment system (WICAS) is proposed. WICAS is designed such that data can be readily collected in the field. A condition assessment model is also proposed and is used to define a retaining wall rating metric. The rating system is designed so that those elements of a wall that are deemed to be in critical distress conditions are readily identified and not overlooked through the presentation of an overall average rating for the entire wall.

Failure of masonry walls during the Kaki, Iran, earthquake of April 2013 was the main damage of buildings and a major contributor to the fatalities during that earthquake. The observed damages to different masonry walls in the affected area provided an opportunity to raise awareness about the seismic behavior of this kind of structural element. In this paper, the performance of different masonry walls under the earthquake effects and the effective parameters in this regard are the main concern. For this purpose, several major issues are presented. First, the generally known failure mechanisms of unreinforced masonry walls are tracked among the observed damages. Second, some parameters found to be effective in the seismic performance of masonry walls along with the engineering aspects in their observed failures are discussed. Because different types of masonry walls are present in the region, in the final part, the seismic performance of each type as seen after the earthquake is individually discussed and their points of weakness and strength are highlighted.

A numerical simulation method is presented to analyze the thermal and creep effects on structural performance of orifices in gravity dams during construction and operation period. Time-dependent conditions such as the changes of gravity load and water pressure, the concrete viscoelastic material properties, and the variations of environment temperature are all considered for numerical modeling. Compared temperature results obtained from heat transfer analysis with the monitored data around orifice, proposed model is verified to be a reliable tool for thermal-structural coupling analysis. This paper discusses temperature distributions of orifice concrete surfaces in contact with water or air. Tensile stress evolutions arising from temperature variations are investigated correspondingly. Subsequently, cracking risks of orifice with different environments and locations are calculated to evaluate orifice structural performance. Thermal and creep effects on the distributions of tensile stress and cracking risk are studied simultaneously. Results show that long-term thermal and creep effects play important roles in the structural performance of orifice, and orifice concrete surface in contact with air located at the middle part of the dam has a higher cracking risk than surfaces in contact with air or water close to the upstream or downstream of dam.

The impact of natural hazards on buildings’ long-term environmental performance has gained the attention of the building industry as a result of the increasing environmental loss due to hazard events devastating the built environment around the world. This study explores the role of natural hazards from the perspective of building long-term environmental performance, as well as the environmental value of hazard mitigation. Accordingly, an innovative lifecycle assessment (LCA) framework is proposed that can incorporate building damage due to hazards and convert these data into quantifiable environmental metrics. Moreover, by incorporating buildings’ environmental impacts attributable to hazards as derived from the LCA framework, a benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is achieved to justify the environmental desirability of hazard mitigation actions. Two case studies are presented: the first one assesses the environmental performance of a single reinforced concrete building under seismic risk; the second assesses the environmental justification for seismic retrofit on a regional scale. The results show that, although the expected environmental loss caused by natural hazards is significant, such loss can be effectively reduced by pre-event mitigation, and that the benefits, in terms of reduction of environmental loss, outweigh the environmental impact of the mitigation itself. It is hoped that this study will serve as a basis for further research aimed at assessing the sustainability of constructed facilities facing natural hazards and evaluating the environmental value of hazard-mitigation strategies.

The study presented in this paper is arguably the first study to use a self-organizing map (SOM) for global structural damage detection. A novel unsupervised vibration-based damage detection algorithm is introduced using SOMs in order to quantify structural damage. In this algorithm, SOMs are used to extract a number of damage indices from the random acceleration response of the monitored structure in the time domain. The summation of the indices is used as an indicator which reflects the overall condition of the structure. The ability of the algorithm to quantify the overall structural damage is demonstrated using experimental data of Phase II experimental benchmark problem of structural health monitoring.

This paper demonstrates the analysis of the relative deterioration trends of the various types of bridge structural design and/or construction to determine and compare their operational structural performances at the serviceability limit states. The study derives operational data from the entire database of the U.S. National Bridge Inventory and analyzes the actual bridge deck areas rather than bridge counts. Deck areas more realistically reflect the actual sizes of bridge types, enabling a more reliable analysis of deterioration trends and providing more objective structural performances. The study analyzes the trends of the proportional accumulation of deterioration by bridge type, considering criteria based on the concept of structural deficiency and the objective of life-cycle expectancy for uninterrupted service life. The multiple-criteria diagnostic approach integrates the rate and pattern performances, based on deterioration trends, with the condition, durability, and longevity performances to determine and compare the overall equivalent structural performances using prioritized weights. As compared to inventory averages, the results reflect the distinct deterioration trends of bridge types and show a decrease in the equivalent structural performances by 10%. As compared to counts, the equivalent structural performances by areas are lower by 3% for all bridge types and 34–40% for some bridges. Also, the annual maximum average accumulation of structural deficiency of all bridge areas is nearly 20% lower than by counts. The average increase in structural deficiency is 0.42% per year, adding to the already existing 9.38% and constituting an average annual increase of structurally deficient (SD) bridge areas by 4.48%. The analysis also identifies premature accelerated accumulation of deterioration for a particular age group within a bridge type, indicating a critical need to investigate the etiology of the deterioration and improve existing and future bridges. The study provides a comprehensive national network–level comparative experience of the operational structural performances of bridge types by area under actual practices and circumstances to help identify critical deterioration, forecast future structural performance, and promote the sustainability of bridge types.

This paper describes the procedure recommended in two specific standards to define and quantify structural redundancy using a direct analysis of bridges. The procedure is illustrated using two typical bridge configurations. The first example is a simply-supported truss bridge superstructure. The second example is a continuous three-span two-girder steel box bridge. These examples are selected because these types of structures are generally considered to be fracture-critical nonredundant bridges. The object of analysis is to investigate the reserve strength redundancy of the structures, defined as their ability to continue to carry loads after the limiting strength of one member is reached. The analysis also investigates the loads that the structures could still carry after brittle damage to one of their members. The results of the analysis show that both structure types can provide adequate levels of redundancy for overloading, assuming that the bridge members have been designed to satisfy the applicable specifications. Also, the analysis demonstrates that neither bridge is necessarily fracture-critical in the traditional sense because the failure in any of their steel tension members is not expected to result in a partial or full collapse of the bridge. However, the truss bridge may be labeled as “damage-critical” because the failure of a compression chord would significantly reduce the bridge’s ability to carry vehicular traffic in a damaged state.

The influence of the American engineer George Washington Whistler on the design of the St. Petersburg-Moscow Railway, called the Nikolaev Railway, is discussed. The line, built between 1842 and 1851 and approximately 644 km long, was the first large-scale implementation of railroad transportation in Russia. Whistler recommended a 1,524-mm (5-ft) railroad gauge, which was accepted by the Tsar. He helped design the railway’s first freight and passenger steam locomotives, and he helped organize the manufacturing facility for the production of locomotives and other rolling stock. Because Whistler had successfully built a pioneering Howe truss bridge for the Western Railroad over the Connecticut River in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1841, he was able to persuade Russian engineers to adopt the Howe form for the Nikolaev Railway’s 64 major bridges. The design of the Connecticut River Bridge inspired the renowned Russian engineer Dmitry Jouravsky to perform over 8 years of study on the Howe form. Jouravsky’s contributions to structural engineering and his design adaptations are discussed in the context of the Connecticut River Bridge.

It is crucial for the design and operation of a high-speed railway to estimate and control the accumulative settlement of the subgrade induced by cyclic train loading. In this study, an analytical model, considering the effect of the initial stress state, is proposed to predict the accumulative settlement of high-speed railway subgrade. Dynamic load triaxial tests are conducted to determine the parameters involved in the computational model. Full-scale model experiments are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed computational model in predicting the accumulative settlement of high-speed railway subgrade. A probabilistic analytical model is developed for a reliability-based settlement risk assessment of the subgrade by considering the uncertainties and randomness of the relevant parameters. The coefficient of variation (COV) of the dynamic stress on the subgrade surface caused by train loading is derived from field data measured on the Wuhan-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway, China. A Monte Carlo simulation is employed to analyze the statistical properties of the accumulative settlement. The effects of the dominant parameters on the reliability index, including the mean value and the COV of the stochastic parameters as well as water level variation, are calculated through a sensitivity analysis.

The prevention of tunnel service by problematic invert-related anomalies breaks with the conventional concept that a rock tunnel is durable. This study reexamines invert anomalies in rock tunnels reported in Taiwan and in the literature in the past two decades. The diverse appearances of invert anomalies can be classified into six typical patterns: deformed invert, displaced invert, cracks, water inrush, mud inrush, and overabrasion. Possible causes accounting for these invert anomalies can be recognized as swelling ground, squeezing ground, earthquake, groundwater pressure, neighboring slope movement, displaced fault zones, and abrasion by passing water. Active and passive measures applied to mitigate invert problems are investigated on the basis of generic performance.

This paper presents the results of a research project aimed at examining the capabilities and challenges of two distinct but not mutually exclusive approaches to in-service bridge assessment: visual inspection and installed monitoring systems. In this study, the intended functionality of both approaches was evaluated on its ability to identify potential structural damage and to provide decision-making support. Inspection and monitoring are compared in terms of their functional performance, cost, and barriers (real and perceived) to implementation. Both methods have strengths and weaknesses across the metrics analyzed, and it is likely that a hybrid evaluation technique that adopts both approaches will optimize efficiency of condition assessment and ultimately lead to better decision making.

This paper reports a field study on the downdrag and dragload of two pairs of bored piles installed in consolidating ground in the Zhejiang coastal area, China. During and after the construction of a 2.5-m-high embankment, the dragload and downdrag induced on the four piles, surface and subsurface soil settlement, pore water pressure, and lateral earth pressure were monitored. The field measurements show that the maximum dragloads in piles founded on relatively stiffer (end-bearing pile) and relatively softer layers (floating pile) ranged from 1,198 to 1,238 kN and from 798 to 870 kN, respectively. This suggests that the dragload in a floating pile can be one-third less than that in an end-bearing pile with similar geometries and embedded in the same consolidating ground. Deduced $\beta$ values above the neutral plane (NP) in the clay strata ranged from 0.28 to 0.3, respectively. A much smaller $\beta$ (0.04–0.06) was found below the NP. The existing analytical solutions overestimated the depth of the NP, leaving the structural design of the piles on the safe side.

In this paper, a simplified numerical model is developed for studying the progressive collapse of three-dimensional semi-rigid jointed steel frames under static loading conditions using rotational springs. So far in the literature, limited study has been reported on progressive collapse of semi-rigid jointed frames, especially in the case of three-dimensional (3D) frames. Numerical modeling of semi-rigid connections using the SAP2000 software package and generation of different input requirements are discussed in detail. The results of problems given in the literature are compared for validation of the model. A detailed parametric study is carried out that includes different types of semi-rigid connections and different cases of column removal (i.e., single and consecutive) at different stories. The effects of geometric nonlinearity and debris loading are considered, and reduced 2D models are analyzed to highlight the importance of the 3D model. It is found that the progressive collapse resistance of a frame is influenced not only by in-plane-member end connection characteristics but also by out-of-plane-member end connection characteristics. Based on this study, a new retrofitting scheme for improving progressive collapse resistance is recommended. This study will be useful for engineers and researchers in progressive collapse analysis of 3D semi-rigid jointed frames.

Quantitative tools providing information about the state of the health of a bridge in service are shown to be an essential part of the maintenance required to extend its useful life. Laser scanning technology has shown in recent years a high potential applicability. One of the principal applications is the use of the detailed geometrical information extracted as a basis for the creation of precise computational models. To date, no commercial software nor a robust automatic approach for the direct transformation of these data into valid models for analysis by the finite-element method (FEM) exists. The aim of this paper is to provide an easy and practical methodology that allows the conversion of point clouds into FEM models so that daily real cases of engineering can take the benefit of the precise geometrical description to subsequently carry out the structural assessment of bridges in service.

Shallow slope failures are common in highway embankments in the north Texas region and pose significant maintenance problems for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). As a cost-effective alternative, recycled plastic pins (RPPs) can be utilized to stabilize slopes and prevent shallow slope failures. RPPs are fabricated from recycled plastic and waste materials (i.e., polymers, sawdust, and fly ash). It is a lightweight material and less susceptible to chemical and biological degradation than alternative reinforcing elements. RPPs are driven into the slope face, which provides additional resistance along the slip surface, increasing the factor of safety against shallow slope failure. The current study presents a field demonstration project of a highway slope reinforced with RPPs. The slope was located on the southbound side of U.S. Highway 287, near the St. Paul overpass in Midlothian, Texas. Surficial movement had taken place in the slope, resulting in cracks along the shoulder near the bridge abutment. Three 15.25-m (50-ft) sections over the cracked portion were reinforced using RPPs. In addition, two 15.25-m (50-ft) unreinforced control sections were provided between the reinforced sections to compare the performance. The northbound side of the slope was not reinforced and was also considered the control slope. After installation of the RPPs, the performance of the slope was monitored by using instrumented RPPs, inclinometers and a topographic survey. The performance monitoring results indicated that all of the reinforced sections were performing better than the control sections on the southbound slope. Two locations on the northbound control slope failed during the monitoring period. RPPs provided support and resisted failure of the southbound slope. Moreover, the RPP spacing at the crest played an important role in resisting the displacement.

In this study, a bond-slip model is proposed to take into account the effects of corrosion on the bond characteristics between extremely low-strength concrete and plain reinforcing bars. The proposed bond-slip model is based on reversed cyclic lateral loading tests of nearly full-scale reinforced concrete columns with reinforcing bars corroded to different levels. The columns taken into consideration during the current study were part of an extensive experimental program designed to study the performance of older columns at Istanbul Technical University. The columns were representative of a large number of underperforming reinforced concrete buildings prone to seismic actions throughout the world. Test results demonstrated that the corrosion of reinforcing bars had a significant effect on the strength and deformability characteristics of substandard reinforced concrete columns subjected to the combined actions of axial and reversed cyclic lateral loads. Taking this aspect into consideration, a novel bond-slip model is established to estimate the variation in bond strength degradation and the bond strength as a function of the level of corrosion of the reinforcing bars. Furthermore, the predictions of the proposed model are also verified with experimental results from the literature.

This study uses fragility curves to focus on the seismic safety evaluation of RC hospital buildings in Turkey. Three hospital buildings with varying heights of 3–5 stories are selected, and a set of fragility curves are generated for each class. The major parameters considered in this study are the number of stories, lateral stiffness, strength, and displacement capacities of the selected template designs. A large number of pushover and time history analyses are deployed under a set of 100 strong ground motion records. Fragility curves are generated based on the analysis results for each of the typical buildings. Peak ground velocity (PGV) is selected as the measure of seismic intensity. From the generated sets of the fragility curves, it is observed that damage probabilities are significantly affected by the concrete and detailing quality. Using the constructed fragility curves, collapse probabilities of existing public buildings were estimated according to PGV values. The estimated damage by fragility analyses is compared with past studies related to RC buildings in the region. Hence, analytical fragility curves developed in this study can increase the effectiveness of seismic assessment of essential health care facilities with template designs in the Turkey region.

This paper presents a reduced-scale shake table test on the seismic responses of a section of soil-cement-bentonite (SCB) slurry cutoff wall. The geometric scale of slurry wall width was chosen as $1:3$ (model:prototype). A section of a slurry wall with dimensions of 150 cm long, 20 cm wide, and 160 cm tall was constructed and tested on a one-dimensional shake table. A $187\mathrm{cm}(\mathrm{long})\times 150\mathrm{cm}(\mathrm{wide})\times 180\mathrm{cm}$ (tall) steel-frame box was anchored on the shake table and contained the slurry wall and sandy soil that was compacted on both sides of the wall. Spring-supported wood panels were installed at the bottom and on two sides of the box to create a boundary that has the stiffness of dense sand. The slurry wall and the confining soil were instrumented with accelerometers, LVDT, linear potentiometers, and dynamic soil stress gauges to respectively record the accelerations, vertical and horizontal deformations of the wall, and transient dynamic soil pressures on the wall during the simulated seismic excitations. Dynamic scaling laws were implemented in the shake table testing to scale the seismic excitation. Two shake table tests were conducted using the 1997 Loma Prieta earthquake motions and sinusoidal sweep-frequency motions (from 0.2 to 6.0 Hz), respectively. The shake table tests provided a preliminary understanding of the seismic performances of the SCB slurry wall in levees and earthen dams.

Life cycle cost analysis is becoming an important consideration for decision making in relation to bridge design, maintenance, and rehabilitation. An optimal solution should ensure reliability during service life while minimizing the life cycle cost. Risk of failure is an important component in whole life cycle cost for both new and existing structures. This paper presents a fault-tree-based integrated methodology to assess the systematic risk of failure. The methodology provides alternatives for the users for qualitative or quantitative assessment of the risk of failure, depending on the availability of detailed data. The qualitative model is capable of obtaining the relative severity of the likelihood and the risk of occurrence of a distress mechanism, ranking the overall risk of failure of serviceability among different components of a bridge or among a group of bridges. The quantitative methodology can lead to a quantitative risk of failure of major bridge subsystems and provides inputs for estimating the expected failure cost in life cycle cost analysis based on the availability of the quantitative probability of failure due to the initiation of a distress mechanism of a structural component.

This paper proposes a simple and efficient finite-element (FE) model to accurately predict the structural response of lattice steel structures, which incorporates the effect of joint slip. The proposed model is validated by comparisons with experimental results and a conventional model. Comparisons between numerical predictions and experimental results demonstrate that joint slippage dramatically decreases the stiffness and considerably increases the displacement of lattice steel structures; however, the effect of joint slippage on the load-carrying capacity and failure mode is not significant when the structure is subjected to transverse loading. The conventional model, which does not account for the effect of joint slippage, significantly overestimates the stiffness and substantially underestimates the displacement of lattice structures, whereas the proposed model predicts the response of lattice steel structures with reasonable accuracy. The force-deflection relationship in the COMBIN39 element is one of the most critical factors that affect the accuracy of the predictions of the proposed model. The proposed model is useful in estimating the performance of lattice steel structures while considering joint slip without full- or reduced-scale testing and also has the potential to be used in the design stage for accurately assessing the reliability and safety of such lattice structures.

The 26.87-m, single-span Beaver Creek Bridge on U.S. Highway 6 in Utah was built in 2009. Elements of the bridge included AASHTO Type IV prestressed concrete girders and posttensioned, full-depth, precast concrete deck panels reinforced with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars. The bridge was given three static and five dynamic truck load–controlled tests before it was opened to traffic. Vertical acceleration data was also collected from random truck traffic. Dynamic truck load data was used to verify a finite element model and obtain dynamic load allowance (DLA) values. DLA was determined to be a function of the number of axles, axle group weight, and axle spacing. The maximum DLA for the bridge with a GFRP-reinforced concrete deck was found to be less than the value specified in the AASHTP LRFD Bridge Design Specifications.

The capability of a construction contractor greatly affects the quality of public construction. Many countries are developing assessment methods for construction contractors and establishing assessment systems for contractor performance. This study investigates one innovation of the performance records system (PRS) for public construction contractors, established in Taiwan in 2010. The PRS provides performance records pertaining to the project management contractor, the supervision contractor, and the construction contractor who have taken part in public construction in the last 5 years. Moreover, to improve the quality of public construction, Taiwan has begun implementing the policy of the lowest tender with different qualities (LTDQ) since 2006. The LTDQ uses the performance records in the PRS as the essential criteria for awarding a contract. This study uses the smooth roads project (SRP) promoted in Taipei City between 2009 and 2013 as an interesting and representative case study to explore the LTDQ policy. The international roughness index (IRI) is used to represent the road evenness, thus rendering the construction capability of the contractor. A comparison between the road evenness after implementation of the LTDQ based on the PRS (2011–2013) and before the implementation (2009–2010) reveals that the overall evenness of road sections is significantly better and the overall deterioration amount of road evenness is lower. These findings verify the capability of the LTDQ based on the PRS to select construction contractors as well as its effectiveness in improving the quality of public construction, which are worthy of reference to the global construction industry.