Josip Juraj Strossmayer University's contributions to the Partnership for Virtual Laboratories in Civil Engineering (PARFORCE) were in the combination of physical and numerical testing and modeling. The university laboratories were utilized for preparing and designing the reinforced concrete frame specimens with and without masonry infill walls and openings. Furthermore, the university's facilities and equipment were used for the execution and analysis of the in-plane and out-of-plane drift-driven tests. The models were then calibrated against them, extrapolating the research. In the end, an application to estimate the load-bearing capacity based on the results was developed.
The physical testing phase comprised setting up and calibrating hardware (LVDT, loadcell) and optical measurement devices (ARAMIS) for each experiment. This process guaranteed the precision required for the proposed experiments and dual displacement monitoring. Upon successful setup, the team executed a series of in-plane and out-of-plane drift-driven tests on various RC frames, with and without infill walls and openings. The subsequent data compilation and analysis provided insights into the seismical behavior of these structures under the tested conditions. Throughout the experimental campaign, numerous insightful discoveries were made, notably the remarkable resistance exhibited by the reinforced concrete frames even when containing masonry infill walls and various opening configurations. This observation sheds light on the potential for reassessing current understandings of these structures, with the implications potentially reverberating throughout civil engineering methodologies and regulations.
The next phase involved the development of 3D micromodels, calibrated according to the experimental results. The models were subjected to a parametric analysis and then compared and discussed, enhancing their reliability and pointing out the factors that govern their behaviors. The project then moved into its simultaneous load phase, where combined in-plane and out-of-plane drift-driven loading was examined using the calibrated micromodels. The output of these simulations was analyzed in-depth, leading to the derivation of estimating equations for load-bearing capacity. In summary, the development of 3D micromodels yielded a robust, reliable platform for analyzing the behavior of these complex systems under various load conditions. The models, calibrated against the physical test specimens, proved sensitive to various parameters, leading to a deeper understanding of how these factors influenced the models performance and computational stability.
The project also led to the development of a Python application capable of automating the estimation of load-bearing capacities. This tool, crafted using data from experimental and simulation results, presents a pathway to expedite and enhance the accuracy of hand calculations for students or designers. The refinement of the application, guided by feedback from our project partners, further underscored the potential value of this tool for both educational and practical applications in civil engineering.
Anić, F., Penava, D., Sarhosis, V., Abrahamczyk, L. (2023). Study of simultaneous inter-storey drift IP and OoP loads on RC frames with and without infill walls and openings by a variating angle. 2nd Croatian Conference on Earthquake Engineering ‒ 2CroCEE (pp. 394-405). Zagreb, Croatia: Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb. https://doi.org/10.5592/CO/2CroCEE.2023
