Bamboo Connected: Rethinking bamboo connections: designing a simplified system for connecting bamboo in order to develop housing units for a determinate target population in Ecuador

Bamboo has been used as a construction material since ancient times in tropical and subtropical parts of the world, because of the fastgrowing process, low cost and compressive, tensile and bending strength, that allow to create a lightweight and earthquake resistant structures. After 3 to 5 years bamboo is ready to harvest, and one clump of...

Deformation and damage evolution of a full-scale adhesive joint between a steel bracket and a sandwich panel for naval application

The increasing interest for the application of adhesive joints in naval superstructures motivates researchers to gain an in-depth understanding of the mechanical behaviour and failure mechanisms of these joints. This work reports on an experimental study of the deformation behaviour and damage evolution of a full-scale multi-material joint using...

Structural connections in circular concrete: A study about the connections between structural second-hand concrete elements

Several researches have been done in the last decade about the possibility to “give a new life” to the second-hand reinforced concrete elements of a certain building which has been (fully/partly) disassembled. However, not often the actual technical detailing of their reuse practice are addressed. This study is primarily focused on proposing the...

Optimising production costs of steel trusses: A computational approach of designing cost-effective steel trusses with welded connections

The building industry is fragmented. In the case of steel structures, two parties are involved in the design. The engineering firm designs the structure, and at a later phase the steel contractor designs all the detailing. This fragmentation restrict the possibilities of creating a cost optimal design. Currently, engineers often optimise on...

Welding of thermoplastic to thermoset composites through a thermoplastic interlayer

Research into the fusion bonding of joints containing thermoplastic and/or thermoset composites. A thermoplastic interlayer is co-cured with the thermoset that provides a fusible surface. Depending on the type of materials the interlayer can form an adhesive interface or a gradient interphase with the thermoset. Welding of thermoset composite to...

Uncracked joints in plain concrete pavements: causes, effects and possibilities of improvements

During the construction of Jointed Plain Concrete Pavements (JPCPs) in Chile, it was observed that joints remained uncracked. The objectives of this paper are to evaluate the effects of uncracked joints (UnCrJ) in JPCPs and to propose possible solutions or improvements to avoid or minimize this phenomenon. Considering low thermal amplitude as...

Wood properties from roundwood to timber engineering

Measuring and assessing wood properties during the production chain is getting more and more important for an optimal use of the resource. Over the years, research has been performed with the focus on establishing important wood properties, with the final goal of an optimized use in timber engineering. It is...

Innovative joints for gridshells

Additive manufacturing is a production technique that builds up successive layers of material to create a 3D object from a digital model. With additive manufacturing design freedom is offered, which enables new opportunities for structural engineers and designers. This new opportunity is applied to design and produce structural joints for...

Behaviour of segment joints in immersed tunnels under seismic loading

The immersed tunnel technique is a common used technique for river crossings in the Netherlands, but also in the United States and Japan. 80% of the immersed tunnels are built in these 3 countries. The design of the immersed tunnels differs for the different countries, because of the possibility of seismic loading on the tunnel structure. This...

Creep of timber joints

A creep analysis has been performed on nailed, toothed-plates and split-ring joints in a varying uncontrolled climate. The load levels varied between 30% and 50% of the average ultimate short term strength of these joints, tested in accordance with ISO 6891. The climate in which the tests were performed varied between about 40% and 90% relative...

Locally reinforced timber joints with expanded tube fasteners

The study presented focuses on the development of a novel timber joint. Traditional timber joints with mechanical fasteners, particular dowel type fasteners, such as bolts exhibit a low strength and an unreliable stiffness and ductility caused by the presence of hole clearance and the unpredictable splitting of timber. The novel joint tackles...

Dilatatievoegen in afzinktunnels

Dilatatievoegen worden tegenwoordig welhaast als vanzelfsprekend toegepast in afzinktunnelelementen. In de loop der geschiedenis is door het toepassen van dilatatievoegen, maar voor het belangrijkste deel door het koelen van het beton tijdens het hydratatieproces, de waterdichte bekleding om de tunnelhuid overbodig geworden. Een nieuwe...

Afrolling in mechanismen

Rapport Nr. A-572 - Mechanismen die in prothesen worden toegepast treedt regelmatig ongewenste wrijving op. Met konventionele middelen kan dit niet altijd worden tegengegaan, reden om een studie te verrichten naar de mogelijkheden die het op elkaar afrollen van de onderdelen te bieden heeft. In deze inleidende studie wordt nagegaan welke...

Seismic Methods in Engineering Geology

This thesis describes an investigation of the possibilities to measure ground-mass and especially joint parameters (joint direction and joint density) for engineering purposes by means of seismic waves. Therefore a literature study and a field investigation in the United Kingdom were done. The results show that seismic wave behaviour in one...