Influence of knots and density distribution on compressive strength of wooden foundation piles

This work investigated the influence of knots on the compression strength of wooden foundation piles. The study involved 110 pile segments sawn from 18 spruce and 9 pine piles with a mean diameter of approximately 200 mm, and moisture contents above fiber saturation. The mechanical properties were determined performing both full-scale...

Experimental and numerical study of butt welded joints made of high strength steel

Welded joints are wildly used in the construction sector for fabrication of steel and aluminium structures. A welded joint is traditionally divided into three regions: The Base Material (BM), the Heat-Affected Zone (HAZ), and the Weld Material (WM). The mechanical behaviour of each region varies depending on properties of BM, FM and welding...

A seismic retrofitting design approach for activating dissipative behaviour of timber diaphragms in existing unreinforced masonry buildings

The region of Groningen (NL) has experienced increasing human-induced seismicity caused by gas extraction in the last decades. The local building stock, not designed for seismic loads, consists for more than 50% of unreinforced masonry buildings with timber diaphragms. In this context, a detailed seismic characterization of timber and masonry...

Topologically optimized structural glass megaliths: Potential, challenges and guidelines for stretching the mass limits of structural cast glass

This paper introduces the use of structural topology optimization (TO) as a new design approach that enables the creation of monolithic load-bearing cast glass components of substantial dimensions with significantly reduced annealing times, rendering such components viable in terms of manufacturing. Using topology optimization, the glass mass...

Reinforced glass: Structural potential of cast glass beams with embedded metal reinforcement

The shaping freedom of cast glass in combination with the robustness of the resulting voluminous components opens up new, exciting directions in the field of structural glass. Yet, cast glass components remain brittle, limiting their structural applications in hyper-static compressive structures designed with conservative safety factors....

The effect of manufacturing flaws in the meso-structure of cast glass on the structural performance

The success of projects such as the Crystal Houses façade in Amsterdam has triggered an increasing interest from architects, engineers and glass producers in the development and application of structural cast glass components. This interest raises, simultaneously, the needs for a controlled manufacturing process, a system for quality control and...

Dry interlayers out of cast polyurethane rubber for interlocking cast glass structures: experimental exploration and validation

A novel, reversible structural system comprising interlocking, dry-assembled cast glass components is currently being developed at the TU Delft Glass & Transparency Lab. This paper, in continuation of the research conducted by (Oikonomopoulou et al. 2018a), investigates the mechanical properties of different materials that function as dry...

Restoring and structurally reinforcing historic monuments by glass

In this paper a pioneering, transparent restoration methodology is presented, introducing structural glass elements to substitute missing components of damaged monuments and simultaneously reinforce the original structure. To prove the feasibility of the concept, a damaged medieval tower in Toolse, Estonia is selected as a case study: Soil...

Strain and deflection analysis in plain concrete beams and reinforced concrete beams by applying Digital Image Correlation

Throughout history invasive methods for analyzing deflections and deformations have been used in concrete structures at the laboratory, but the advancement of technology has allowed the development of new non-invasive alternative methods such as digital image correlation (DIC). With this technique, it is possible to obtain information about the...

Effect of torsion on shear capacity of slabs

A large number of existing bridges in Europe and North-America are reaching the end of their devised service life. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the methods of assessment for existing bridges. One method, suitable for existing reinforced concrete slab bridges, is the Modified Bond Model. This method, however, currently only takes the...