Tianxin Zheng

Arizona State University | ASU · Academy for Writing

For a braced frame it is important to understand the relationships between the lateral stiffnesses, internal forces and bracing patterns in order to achieve an efficient design. This paper studies these relationships based on a four-bay and four-storey braced frame using both hand and computer analyses. Assuming that two bracing members can be plac...

Two-layer coupled or composite beams with discrete shear connectors of finite dimensions are commonly encountered in pre-fabricated construction. This paper presents the development of simplified closed-form solutions for such type of coupled beams for practical applications. A new coupled beam element is proposed to represent the unconnected segme...

The authors are collaborating with a manufacturer of custom built steel frame modular units which are then transported for rapid erection onsite volumetric building system. As part of its strategy to develop modular housing, Enemetric, is taking the opportunity to develop intelligent buildings, integrating a wide range of sensors and control system...

Modular structure systems are increasingly used in the building construction due to their advantages in terms of manufacturing quality, speedy erection on-site, efficient use of materials, lower life-cycle cost, as well as some other environment-friendly features. This paper presents a study on the characteristics of the seismic behaviour of a post...

This paper provides an approximate method to determine the stiffness and the fundamental frequency of a cracked beam. The cracked beam is first represented as an un-cracked beam with equivalent reduced sections around the cracks. The effect of the cracks is explained, visualised and quantified using the equivalence concept developed for stepped bea...

This paper examines representations of a beam with periodically variable cross-sections. First, the rotational equivalence of a beam with two periodical steps to a uniform beam is considered when a constant bending moment is applied along the lengths of the two beams. The representation is then extended to a beam with several different steps and th...

The authors are collaborating with a manufacturer of custom built steel frame modular units which are then transported for rapid erection onsite (volumetric building system). A bespoke integrated monitoring system is under development for control of all systems in the building (such as efficient energy usage, lighting, security and comfort) as well...

The dynamic characteristics of multi-panel floors, primarily to provide information for calculating their response to human loading are examined. The design concern arises from the possibility of resonance being generated by rhythmic human loading if the floor's principal frequency coincides with the load frequency or with two or three times its va...

The paper identifies the significance of continuity between panels in a multi-panel composite floor. It examines dynamic behaviour through a comparison of the results from a forced vibration test, an eigenvalue analysis and a simulated sweeping test using an FE model. It also considers static behaviour comparing the results from a load test with an...

This paper provides a spectral method for evaluating floor vibration generated by rhythmic crowd movements where jumping is involved. The method combines a theoretical method developed earlier and the harmonic analysis of a convenient FEA package. This provides a global picture of the floor vibration and effectively speeds up the prediction and ass...