This book addresses current activities in strong-motion networks around the globe, covering issues related to designing, maintaining and disseminating information from these arrays. The book is divided in three principal sections. The first section includes recent developments in regional and global ground-motion predictive models. It presents discussions on the similarities and differences of ground motion estimations from these models and their application to design spectra as well as other novel procedures for predicting engineering parameters in seismic regions with sparse data. The second section introduces topics about the particular methodologies being implemented in the recently established global and regional strong-motion databanks in Europe to maintain and disseminate the archived accelerometric data. The final section describes major strong-motion arrays around the world and their historical developments. The last three chapters of this section introduce projects carried out within the context of arrays deployed for seismic risk studies in metropolitan areas. Audience: This timely book will be of particular interest for researchers who use accelerometric data extensively to conduct studies in earthquake engineering and engineering seismology.

This book is not intended to be a text-book, delineating the full scope of finite element methodology, nor is it a comprehensive handbook of modern finite element practice for the finite element engineer. There are enough books that serve to do these and more. It is however intended as a monograph or treatise on a very specific area - the design of robust and accurate elements for applications in struc tural mechanics. It attempts to describe the epistemological conflict between the principles in finite element technology that can be described as Art and those that have a scientific basis invested in it and which can be admitted as science as the subject evolved and came to be accepted. The principles of structural mechanics as a branch of physics are well founded and have a sound scientific basis. The mathematical description of it has also a long history and is rigorously based on the infinitesimal and variational calculus. Of much more recent origin has been the branch of knowledge dealing with the numerical modelling of the beha viour of structural material. The most powerful method available to do this today is the finite element method. It is eminently suited to carry out the entire cycle of design and analysis of a structural configuration on a digital computer."

This work summarizes the main processes determining the behaviour of sand in the sea. The results are intended to provide the tools with which the practising engineer can make calculations of sand behaviour as it affects engineering works. The book aims to present methods for calculating the various hydrodynamic and sediment dynamic quantities necessary for marine sediment transport applications. Recommendations for the most appropriate methods to use on any particular engineering project are provided.

Evaluation, repair and rehabilitation of bridges are increasingly important topics in the effort to deal with the deteriorating infrastructure. For example, in the United States about 40 percent of the nation's 570,000 bridges are classified, according to the Federal Highway Administra tion's (FHW A) criteria, as deficient and in need of rehabilitation and replacement. In other countries the situation is similar. FHW A estimates the cost of a bridge replacement and reha bilitation program at 50 billion dollars. The major factors that have contributed to the present situation are: the age, inadequate maintenance, increasing load spectra and environmental contamination. The deficient bridges are posted, repaired or replaced. The disposition of bridges involves clear economical and safety implications. To avoid high costs of replacement or repair, the evaluation must accurately reveal the present load carrying capacity of the struc ture and predict loads and any further changes in the capacity (deterioration) in the applicable time span. Accuracy of bridge evaluation can be improved by using the recent developments in bridge diagnostics, structural tests, material tests, structural analysis and probabilistic methods. There is a need for an international exchange of advanced experience to increase the research effi ciency. The Workshop is organized on the premise that the exchange of existing American and European experience in the area of bridge evaluation, repair and rehabilitation is beneficial for both parties involved."

Especially written for contractors and small businesses carrying out small works, Spon's House Improvement Price Guide contains accurate information on thousands of rates, each broken down to labour, material overheads and profit.

This extensively revised and updated fourth edition provides engineers with the principles and tools needed to turn their familiarity with earlier ACI Codes into more profitable, time-saving routine designs. Created to be used with the ACI Code and Commentary, this outstanding guide follows the new Code format with information covered in more specific sections and subsections in order to enhance clarity. In addition, it shortens the time needed for computer-aided design and analysis, converts code formulas from the review form to direct design, and presents simple formulas, tabulations, and charts for conservative longhand direct design. Two convenient indices - a subject index and a 1995 Code section index - are provided, enabling engineers to quickly locate all Code references to a particular topic, as well as concise interpretation of a given Code section. The Guide also saves engineers time and effort on the job with its detailed coverage of: torsional stiffness, braced and unbraced slender columns with and without sidesway, wide-module joist systems, reinforcement details for economy in design, detailing, fabricating, field erection, and inspection, latest ASTM material specifications, anchorage, development, and splice requirements, high-strength concrete, comparisons between wall and column economy, structural plain concrete. More than ever, the sure-handed Structural Design Guide to the ACI Building Code is an indispensable practical reference for structural, civil, and architectural engineers and students who want to safely meet modern building requirements while taking full advantage of every economy permitted by the 1995 ACI Code.

This volume covers the computational dynamics of linear and non-linear engineering systems subject to conservative as well as non-conservative loads. Available in both paperback and hardback, the volume proposes an as simple as possible numerical evaluation of dynamic phenomena.
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Practically all known methods of linear spectral analysis like the Householder, Givens, Wiland, Lanczos, Jacobi, Guyan, Eberlein, etc., are clearly detailed with a critical appraisal of their advantages and disadvantages. A great number of flow diagrams and examples are given in order to facilitate the understanding and practical application. A technically experienced reader will no doubt appreciate the interpretative difficulties of a subject like random or stochastic vibration expounded in a special chapter. Non-model damping is also detailed and the highly topical direct integration methods of the equations of dynamic equilibrium receive a very broad description.
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Finally non-linear oscillations are analysed mostly from the computational point of view. Here the Newmark and the Hermitean algorithms receive very detailed accounts and a critical appraisal. At the same time the subject of non-linear oscillations is introduced through a semi-analytical discussion of the Duffing equation in which the various attractor systems in phase space including strange attractors for chaotic manifestation are described.
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This volume is the first to appear in this series of self-contained textbooks designed to present a modern, comprehensive account of computational mechanics, which will appeal to both student and experienced practitioner alike.

Collapsing engineering soils are a formidable hazard around the world. These difficult materials also include some of the world's most fertile agricultural soils, fostering dense human populations which are therefore increasingly at risk. Despite an impressive literature on the engineering aspects of collapsing soils, these materials are coming under increasing scrutiny by scientists in other fields. This is most evidently the case with soil scientists, stratigraphers and sedimentologists. Past earth surface conditions have a direct influence on the detailed behaviour of collapsible soils: as a complement, these materials also provide detailed data on changing global climates. The selected papers presented here highlight the common ground between three scientific groups with a vested interest in a better understanding of collapsible soils.

For long-span bridges, wind action is a dominant factor in their safety and serviceability. A large number of long-span bridges have been built in Japan over the past 30 years, and tremendous amounts of research and technical development have been accomplished in wind-resistant design." "This book is a compilation of the results of active research and development. Wind-resistant design standards generated in Japan are described in the first few chapters. Then comes information such as design wind speed, structural damping, wind tunnel tests, and analyses, which provide the basis of the designstandards. Wind-induced vibrations and their control of girders, towers, cables, and other features are explained with examples of field measurements. Comprehensive listings of Japanese experience in vibration control are also presented. Because achieving particularly dynamic safety against wind is still not an easy task, these data and information will be valuable assets for the wind-engineering and bridge-engineering communities."

The papers in this volume integrate results from current research efforts in earthquake engineering with research from the larger risk assessment community. The authors include risk and hazard researchers from the major U.S. hazard and earthquake centers. The volume lays out a road map for future developments in risk modeling and decision support, and positions earthquake engineering research within the family of risk analysis tools and techniques.

In this volume, top seismic experts and researchers from Europe and around the world, including the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) in the USA, present the most recent outcome of their work in experimental testing, as well as the results of the transnational access activities of external researchers who have used Europe's seven largest and most advanced seismic testing facilities in the framework of the Seismic Engineering Research Infrastructures for European Synergies (SERIES) Project financed by the European Commission in its 7th Framework Programme (2007-2013). This includes EU's largest reaction wall facility, EU's four largest shaking table laboratories and its two major centrifuges. The work presented includes state-of-the-art research towards the seismic design, assessment and retrofitting of structures, as well as the development of innovative research toward new fundamental technologies and techniques promoting efficient and joint use of the research infrastructures. The contents of this volume demonstrate the fruits of the effort of the European Commission in supporting research in earthquake engineering.

Have you ever had to provide accurate costs for a new supermarket or a pub "just an idea...a ballpark figure..." ? The earlier a pricing decision has to be made, the more difficult it is to estimate the cost and the more likely the design and the specs are to change. And yet a rough-and-ready estimate is more likely to get set in stone. Spon's First Stage Estimating Handbook is the only comprehensive and reliable source of first stage estimating costs. Covering the whole spectrum of building costs and a wide range of related MandE work and landscaping work, vital cost data is presented as: costs per square metre elemental cost analyses principal rates composite rates. Compact and clear, Spon's First Stage Estimating Handbook is ideal for those key early meetings with clients. And with additional sections on whole life costing and general information, this is an essential reference for all construction professionals and clients making early judgements on the viability of new projects.

This book provides a thorough understanding of the general principles of measurement for taking off quantities. An essential guide to any quantity surveyor, architect or engineer. Taking off quantities: Civil Engineering demonstrates, through a series of detailed worked examples from a range of civil engineering projects, how the measurement techniques are actually used.

Provides comprehensive coverage of theory and hands-on implementation of computer vision-based sensors for structural health monitoring This book is the first to fill the gap between scientific research of computer vision and its practical applications for structural health monitoring (SHM). It provides a complete, state-of-the-art review of the collective experience that the SHM community has gained in recent years. It also extensively explores the potentials of the vision sensor as a fast and cost-effective tool for solving SHM problems based on both time and frequency domain analytics, broadening the application of emerging computer vision sensor technology in not only scientific research but also engineering practice. Computer Vision for Structural Dynamics and Health Monitoring presents fundamental knowledge, important issues, and practical techniques critical to successful development of vision-based sensors in detail, including robustness of template matching techniques for tracking targets; coordinate conversion methods for determining calibration factors to convert image pixel displacements to physical displacements; sensing by tracking artificial targets vs. natural targets; measurements in real time vs. by post-processing; and field measurement error sources and mitigation methods. The book also features a wide range of tests conducted in both controlled laboratory and complex field environments in order to evaluate the sensor accuracy and demonstrate the unique features and merits of computer vision-based structural displacement measurement. Offers comprehensive understanding of the principles and applications of computer vision for structural dynamics and health monitoring Helps broaden the application of the emerging computer vision sensor technology from scientific research to engineering practice such as field condition assessment of civil engineering structures and infrastructure systems Includes a wide range of laboratory and field testing examples, as well as practical techniques for field application Provides MATLAB code for most of the issues discussed including that of image processing, structural dynamics, and SHM applications Computer Vision for Structural Dynamics and Health Monitoring is ideal for graduate students, researchers, and practicing engineers who are interested in learning about this emerging sensor technology and advancing their applications in SHM and other engineering problems. It will also benefit those in civil and aerospace engineering, energy, and computer science.

In recent times, the use of composites and functionally graded materials (FGMs) in structural applications has increased. FGMs allow the user to design materials for a specified functionality and therefore have numerous uses in structural engineering. However, the behaviour of these structures under high-impact loading is not well understood. Spectral Finite Element Method: Wave Propagation, Health Monitoring and Control in Composite and Functionally Graded Structures focuses on some of the wave propagation and transient dynamics problems with this complex media which had previously been thought unmanageable.

By using state-off-the-art computational power, the Spectral Finite Element Method (SFEM) can solve many practical engineering problems. This book is the first to apply SFEM to inhomogeneous and anisotropic structures in a unified and systematic manner. The authors discuss the different types of SFEM for regular and damaged 1-D and 2-D waveguides, various solution techniques, different methods of detecting the presence of damages and their locations, and different methods available to actively control the wave propagation responses. The theory is supported by tables, figures and graphs; all the numerical examples are so designed to bring out the essential wave behaviour in these complex structures. Some case studies based on real-world problems are also presented.

This book is intended for senior undergraduate students and graduate students studying wave propagation in structures, smart structures, spectral finite element method and structural health monitoring. Readers will gain a complete understanding of how to formulate a spectral finite element; learn about wavebehaviour in inhomogeneous and anisotropic media; and, discover how to design some diagnostic tools for monitoring the health or integrity of a structure. This important contribution to the engineering mechanics research community will also be of value to researchers and practicing engineers in structural integrity.

The last decades have witnessed the development of methods for solving struc tural reliability problems, which emerged from the efforts of numerous re searchers all over the world. For the specific and most common problem of determining the probability of failure of a structural system in which the limit state function g( x) = 0 is only implicitly known, the proposed methods can be grouped into two main categories: * Methods based on the Taylor expansion of the performance function g(x) about the most likely failure point (the design point), which is determined in the solution process. These methods are known as FORM and SORM (First- and Second Order Reliability Methods, respectively). * Monte Carlo methods, which require repeated calls of the numerical (nor mally finite element) solver of the structural model using a random real ization of the basic variable set x each time. In the first category of methods only SORM can be considered of a wide applicability. However, it requires the knowledge of the first and second deriva tives of the performance function, whose calculation in several dimensions either implies a high computational effort when faced with finite difference techniques or special programs when using perturbation techniques, which nevertheless require the use of large matrices in their computations. In or der to simplify this task, use has been proposed of techniques that can be regarded as variants of the Response Surface Method.

Specifically written for contractors and small businesses carrying out small works, Spon's Estimating Cost Guide to Roofing contains accurate information on thousands of rates, each broken down to labour, material overheads and profit. This is the first book to include typical project costs for slating and tiling, sheeting, cladding and other coverings, rooflights, underfelt and battens, repairs and alterations, and different sized houses.

Engineers are always interested in the worst-case scenario. One of the most important and challenging missions of structural engineers may be to narrow the range of unexpected incidents in building structural design. Redundancy, robustness and resilience play an important role in such circumstances. "Improving the Earthquake Resilience of Buildings: The worst case approach" discusses the importance of worst-scenario approach for improved earthquake resilience of buildings and nuclear reactor facilities.

"Improving the Earthquake Resilience of Buildings: The worst case approach" consists of two parts. The first part deals with the characterization and modeling of worst or critical ground motions on inelastic structures and the related worst-case scenario in the structural design of ordinary simple building structures. The second part of the book focuses on investigating the worst-case scenario for passively controlled and base-isolated buildings. This allows for detailed consideration of a range of topics including:

A consideration of damage of building structures in the critical excitation method for improved building-earthquake resilience,

A consideration of uncertainties of structural parameters in structural control and base-isolation for improved building-earthquake resilience, and

New insights in structural design of super high-rise buildings under long-period ground motions.

"Improving the Earthquake Resilience of Buildings: The worst case approach" is a valuable resource for researchers and engineers interested in learning and applying the worst-case scenario approach in the seismic-resistant design for more resilient structures.

All the cost data you need to keep your estimating accurate, competitive and profitable.Do you work on jobs between 50 and 50,000? - Then this book is for you.Specially written for contractors and small businesses carrying out small works, Spon's Estimating Cost Guide to Plumbing and Heating contains accurate information on thousands of rates each broken down to labour, material overheads and profit.The first book to include typical project costs for: rainwater goods installations bathrooms external waste systems central heating systems hot and cold water systems.

Engineering a cathedral offers professional engineers, architects and interested lay people a unique opportunity to study the construction of one of the worlds finest buildings. Durham cathedral celebrates its 900th anniversary in 1993 and to mark the event a group of engineers have applied their modern knowledge and techniques to its structure. With over 80 illustrations, Engineering a cathedral is not only relevant to Durham, it is relevant to all other medieval buildings, those who care for them and those who simply stand and wonder.

Specifically written for contractors and small businesses carrying out small works, this second edition of Spon's Estimating Cost Guide to Small Groundworks, Landscaping Work and Gardening contains accurate information on thousands of rates, each broken down to labour, material overheads and profit.This is the first book to focus on this range of external work, including garden maintenance work on blocks of flats and individual houses, schools and sports fields, garden makeovers, laying patios and paths, small land drainage schemes on farmland, and small-scale local authority maintenance work.

The book focuses on the use of inelastic analysis methods for the seismic assessment and design of bridges, for which the work carried out so far, albeit interesting and useful, is nevertheless clearly less than that for buildings. Although some valuable literature on the subject is currently available, the most advanced inelastic analysis methods that emerged during the last decade are currently found only in the specialised research-oriented literature, such as technical journals and conference proceedings. Hence the key objective of this book is two-fold, first to present all important methods belonging to the aforementioned category in a uniform and sufficient for their understanding and implementation length, and to provide also a critical perspective on them by including selected case-studies wherein more than one methods are applied to a specific bridge and by offering some critical comments on the limitations of the individual methods and on their relative efficiency. The book should be a valuable tool for both researchers and practicing engineers dealing with seismic design and assessment of bridges, by both making the methods and the analytical tools available for their implementation, and by assisting them to select the method that best suits the individual bridge projects that each engineer and/or researcher faces.

All the cost data you need to keep your estimating accurate, competitive and profitable. Do you work on jobs between 50 and 50,000? Then this book is for you. Specially written for contractors, quantity surveyors and clients carrying out small works, this book contains accurate information on thousands of rates each broken down to labour, material overheads and profit.More than just a price book, it gives easy-to-read professional advice on setting up and running a business.