Evaluation of the influence of creep and shrinkage determinants on column shortening in mid-rise buildings

B-Jahromi, Ali,Rotimi, Abdulazeez,Tovi, Shivan,Goodchild, Charles,Rizzuto, Joseph Techno-Press 2017 Advances in concrete construction Vol.5 No.2

The phenomenon of concrete column shortening has been widely acknowledged since it first became apparent in the 1960s. Axial column shortening is due to the combined effect of elastic and inelastic deformations, shrinkage and creep. This study aims to investigate the effects of ambient temperature, relative humidity, cement hardening speed and aggregate type on concrete column shortening. The investigation was conducted using a column shortening prediction model which is underpinned by the Eurocode 2. Critical analysis and evaluation of the results showed that the concrete aggregate types used in the concrete have significant impact on column shortening. Generally, aggregates with higher moduli of elasticity hold the best results in terms of shortening. Cement type used is another significant factor, as using slow hardening cement gives better results compared to rapid hardening cement. This study also showed that environmental factors, namely, ambient temperature and relative humidity have less impact on column shortening.

Partitioned analysis of nonlinear soil-structure interaction using iterative coupling

Jahromi, H. Zolghadr,Izzuddin, B.A.,Zdravkovic, L. Techno-Press 2008 Interaction and multiscale mechanics Vol.1 No.1

This paper investigates the modelling of coupled soil-structure interaction problems by domain decomposition techniques. It is assumed that the soil-structure system is physically partitioned into soil and structure subdomains, which are independently modelled. Coupling of the separately modelled partitioned subdomains is undertaken with various algorithms based on the sequential iterative Dirichlet-Neumann sub-structuring method, which ensures compatibility and equilibrium at the interface boundaries of the subdomains. A number of mathematical and computational characteristics of the coupling algorithms, including the convergence conditions and choice of algorithmic parameters leading to enhanced convergence of the iterative method, are discussed. Based on the presented coupling algorithms a simulation environment, utilizing discipline-oriented solvers for nonlinear structural and geotechnical analysis, is developed which is used here to demonstrate the performance characteristics and benefits of various algorithms. Finally, the developed tool is used in a case study involving nonlinear soil-structure interaction analysis between a plane frame and soil subjected to ground excavation. This study highlights the relative performance of the various considered coupling algorithms in modelling real soil-structure interaction problems, in which nonlinearity arises in both the structure and the soil, and leads to important conclusions regarding their adequacy for such problems as well as the prospects for further enhancements.

Robust control of nonlinear integrated ride and handling model using magnetorheological damper and differential braking system

Ali Fellah Jahromi,Wen-Fang Xie,Rama B. Bhat 대한기계학회 2016 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.30 No.7

The interaction of the ride and handling systems is one of the challenging topics in vehicle dynamics and control. In this study the dynamic behavior of a passenger car considering coupling among all the fourteen degrees of freedom is modeled using Boltzmann Hamel equations. In order to improve the ride quality and stability of the vehicle, a Magnetorheological damper and a differential braking system are used as control devices. Based on the nonlinear integrated ride and handling vehicle model, a nonlinear H-infinity controller is designed for an intermediate passenger car. The dynamic behavior of the controlled vehicle is simulated for single lane change and bump input, considering three different road conditions: Dry, rainy and snowy. The robustness of the designed controller is investigated when the vehicle is under these road conditions. The simulation results confirm the interactive nature of the ride and handling systems and the robustness of the designed control strategy.

Evaluation of thermal comfort and cooling loads for a multistory building

Lykartsis, Athanasios,B-Jahromi, Ali,Mylona, Anastasia Techno-Press 2017 Advances in energy research Vol.5 No.1

The latest UK Climate Projections (UKCP09) show that mean daily temperatures will increase everywhere in the United Kingdom. This will significantly affect the thermal and energy performance of the current building stock. This study examines an institutional fully glazed building and looks into the changes in the cooling loads and thermal comfort of the occupants during the occupied hours of the non-heating period. Furthermore, it investigates the effect of relative humidity (RH) on thermal comfort. The Design Summer Year (DSY) 2003 for London Heathrow has been used as a baseline for this study and the DSY 2050s High Emissions scenario was used to examine the performance of the building under future weather conditions. Results show a 21% increase of the cooling loads between the two examined scenarios. Thermal comfort appears to be slightly improved during the months of May and September and marginally worsen during the summer months. Results of the simulation show that a relative humidity control at 40% can improve the thermal comfort for 53% of the occupied hours. A comparison of the thermal comfort performance during the hottest week of the year, shows that when the relative humidity control is applied thermal comfort performance of the 2050s is similar or better compared to the thermal comfort performance under the baseline.

INTEGRATED RIDE AND HANDLING VEHICLE MODEL USING LAGRANGIAN QUASI-COORDINATES

A. F. JAHROMI,R. B. BHAT,W. F. XIE 한국자동차공학회 2015 International journal of automotive technology Vol.16 No.2

In this study, a methodology to build a new integrated ride and handling model is presented based on the Lagrangian method in terms of quasi-coordinates. The governing equations are derived considering the interaction between the ride and handling systems, Euler motion of the frames attached to the wheels and body, the load transfer among the wheels, and the variation of speed in longitudinal direction. The developed model is validated using ADAMS/Car for different maneuvers. In addition, a non-dimensional factor called coupling factor is introduced to study the coupling among different DOFs of the dynamic system. The results of the current study confirm the accuracy of the developed dynamic model for the simulation of the vehicle motion in comparison with the ADAMS/Car simulations and the models available in literature. The coupling factor is confirmed as an indicator parameter to demonstrate the advantages of the developed model over the existing dynamic models.

Investigating risk of overheating for school buildings under extreme hot weather conditions

Lykartsis, Athanasios,B-Jahromi, Ali,Mylona, Anastasia Techno-Press 2017 Advances in energy research Vol.5 No.4

This study examines the risk of overheating of a school building, under extreme hot weather conditions, in 14 locations in the United Kingdom using the overheating criteria defined in Building Bulletin 101 (BB101). The building was modelled as naturally ventilated, mechanically ventilated and in mixed mode and was simulated both for the current and the projected weather conditions of the 2050s. Under the current weather conditions, results of the simulations show that when naturally ventilated, the school building fulfils the BB101 criteria only in the areas of Edinburgh and Glasgow. In the simulations of the building as mechanically ventilated and in mixed mode, mechanical cooling was provided in order for the building to comply with the overheating criteria. A comparison of the required cooling loads between the two scenarios shows that application of mixed mode ventilation results in less cooling loads.

Impact of standard construction specification on thermal comfort in UK dwellings

Amoako-Attah, Joseph,B-Jahromi, Ali Techno-Press 2014 Advances in environmental research Vol.3 No.3

The quest for enhanced thermal comfort for dwellings encompasses the holistic utilization of improved building fabric, impact of weather variation and amongst passive cooling design consideration the provision of appropriate ventilation and shading strategy. Whilst thermal comfort is prime to dwellings considerations, limited research has been done in this area with the attention focused mostly on non-dwellings. This paper examines the current and future thermal comfort implications of four different standard construction specifications which show a progressive increase in thermal mass and airtightness and is underpinned by the newly developed CIBSE adaptive thermal comfort method for assessing the risk of overheating in naturally ventilated dwellings. Interactive investigation on the impact of building fabric variation, natural ventilation scenarios, external shading and varying occupants' characteristics to analyse dwellings thermal comfort based on non-heating season of current and future weather patterns of London and Birmingham is conducted. The overheating analysis focus on the whole building and individual zones. The findings from the thermal analysis simulation are illustrated graphically coupled with statistical analysis of data collected from the simulation. The results indicate that, judicious integrated approach of improved design options could substantially reduce the operating temperatures in dwellings and enhance thermal comfort.

Deformation of multi-storey flat slabs, a site investigation

Tovi, Shivan,Goodchild, Charles,B-Jahromi, Ali Techno-Press 2017 Advances in concrete construction Vol.5 No.1

Traditional reinforced concrete slabs and beams are widely used for building. The use of flat slab structures gives advantages over traditional reinforced concrete building in terms of design flexibility, easier formwork and use of space and shorter building time. Deflection of the slab plays a critical role on the design and service life of building components; however, there is no recent research to explore actual deformation of concrete slab despite various advancements within the design codes and construction technology. This experimental study adopts the Hydrostatic Levelling Cells method for monitoring the deformation of a multi-storey building with flat slabs. In addition, this research presents and discusses the experimental results for the vertical deformation.

Impact of future climate change on UK building performance

Amoako-Attah, Joseph,B-Jahromi, Ali Techno-Press 2013 Advances in environmental research Vol.2 No.3

Global demand for dwelling energy and implications of changing climatic conditions on buildings confront the built environment to build sustainable dwellings. This study investigates the variability of future climatic conditions on newly built detached dwellings in the UK. Series of energy modelling and simulations are performed on ten detached houses to evaluate and predict the impact of varying future climatic patterns on five building performance indicators. The study identifies and quantifies a consistent declining trend of building performance which is in consonance with current scientific knowledge of annual temperature change prediction in relations to long term climatic variation. The average percentage decrease for the annual energy consumption was predicted to be 2.80, 6.60 and 10.56 for 2020s, 2050s and 2080s time lines respectively. A similar declining trend in the case of annual natural gas consumption was 4.24, 9.98 and 16.1, and that for building emission rate and heating demand were 2.27, 5.49 and 8.72 and 7.82, 18.43 and 29.46 respectively. The study further analyse future heating and cooling demands of the three warmest months of the year and ascertain future variance in relative humidity and indoor temperature which might necessitate the use of room cooling systems to provide thermal comfort.

Molecular Weight, Protein Binding Affinity and Methane Mitigation of Condensed Tannins from Mangosteen-peel (Garcinia mangostana L)

P. Paengkoum,T. Phonmun,J.B. Liang,X.D. Huang,H.Y. Tan,M.F. Jahromi 아세아·태평양축산학회 2015 Animal Bioscience Vol.28 No.10

The objectives of this study were to determine the molecular weight of condensed tannins (CT) extracted from mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L) peel, its protein binding affinity and effects on fermentation parameters including total gas, methane (CH4) and volatile fatty acids (VFA) production. The average molecular weight (Mw) of the purified CT was 2,081 Da with a protein binding affinity of 0.69 (the amount needed to bind half the maximum bovine serum albumin). In vitro gas production declined by 0.409, 0.121, and 0.311, respectively, while CH4 production decreased by 0.211, 0.353, and 0.549, respectively, with addition of 10, 20, and 30 mg CT/500 mg dry matter (DM) compared to the control (p<0.05). The effects of CT from mangosteen-peel on in vitro DM degradability (IVDMD) and in vitro N degradability was negative and linear (p<0.01). Total VFA, concentrations of acetic, propionic, butyric and isovaleric acids decreased linearly with increasing amount of CT. The aforementioned results show that protein binding affinity of CT from mangosteen-peel is lower than those reported for Leucaena forages, however, the former has stronger negative effect on IVDMD. Therefore, the use of mangosteen-peel as protein source and CH4 mitigating agent in ruminant feed requires further investigations.