Lateral Response of Monopiles in Sand under Monotonic and Cyclic Loads: A 3D Finite Element Investigation

Large-diameter monopiles serve as foundations for offshore wind turbines (OWT), and the diameters are now up to 10 meters. These monopiles exhibit lower embedded length-to-diameter (L/D) ratios compared to the conventional monopile that is widely employed in offshore oil and gas platforms. They undergo rotation when subjected to lateral loading...

Shear Force in Bolted Connection Due to Traffic and Temperature Loads in Hybrid Steel-FRP Bridges

As many bridges are reaching the end of their service life, researchers are searching for new solutions to extend the lifespan of those bridges. Fibre reinforce polymers (FRP) could be possible a solution for bridges with deck problems. Lightweight FRP decks can be installed quickly via bolted connectors on steel substructure. In general,...

Shear force in bolted connections for hybrid steel-FRP bridges: Due to traffic, temperature and fatigue loading

Fibre reinforced polymers (FRP) can be a solution for future bridge renovation when only the deck of the bridge needs replacement. In these cases the deck is replaced with an FRP sandwich panel deck. The main advantages are a high strength-to-weight ratio which is beneficial for the ever heavier lorries and the fast installation which prevents...

Shear Capacity of Large Structural Elements: A case study of the shear behavior of the itaipu concrete lock walls

The concept of shear loading and the shear resistance is well known for ‘regular’ sized beams, meaning beams that can be characterized as a slender beam. However, once the beam increases in size such that it is characterized as a deep beam or even falls outside the range of the typical deep beam, less knowledge is available....

Anisotropic Stiffness Adhesives for High Shear Forces on Soft Substrates

Reversible attachment on soft substrates is useful in a range of applications, including soft robotics and soft-tissue surgical instrumentation. On rigid substrates, the use of micropatterned adhesives has been extensively explored. It has been shown that surface micropatterns provide conformability, thereby enabling the formation and...

Shear and torsion in a prestressed through railway bridge: A comparison between the analytical solution and SCIA

With the arrival of the Eurocode, the calculations regarding shear resistance, have become increasingly conservative compared to former concrete standards. For example in Voorschriften Beton 1974 (VB 74), a former concrete standard, a shear resistance combination of concrete, stirrups and prestress was allowed. Whereas the Eurocode assumes the...

Research and design of comfortable side supports in automotive seating

The aim of this master thesis is to “provide a deeper understanding of the (dis)comfort experience of side supports in an automotive seat.” The goal is to provide recommendations for design and eventually a (re)design of comfortable side supports in car seats. With the future prospect of an autonomous, shared and electric driving experience,...

Impact of spatial variability of subsoil stiffness on immersed tunnels

Due to increased traffic density, there is a tendency to construct larger immersed tunnels with larger tunnel elements both in transversal and longitudinal direction resulting in a more critical design of the joints. Especially for those tunnels with relatively soft foundation and high siltation, there is no mature experience for reference. This...

Quick Scan model municipal concrete slab bridges: With additional research to the alpha reduction factor and shear force transmission in slab bridges

In this thesis, existing concrete municipal slab bridges are regarded. Many of these bridges were designed and built in the 1960s and 1970s. These bridges are still in service, and subjected to higher and more frequent loads than at the time of design. This leads to uncertainties in the safety of these bridges. Many municipalities become...

Aircushion Supported Mega-Floaters

The increase of the global population and expanding coastal mega-cities will necessitate an innovative pursuit of the utilization of the ocean space in which mega-floaters will play an important role in the future. These types of structures are very large floating artificial islands that can be used for various facilities and purposes similar to...