The absence of tsunami load provisions in coastal infrastructure design has led to unchecked resistance capacity of bridges against
one of the most eminent natural hazards on the U.S. west coast. The Spencer Creek Bridge, which was completely rebuilt on the Oregon coast in
2009, is a unique example to...
There are about 80 million single-family dwellings (SFD) in the United States,
predominantly of wood-frame construction. Of these, 68% are owner occupied. A home is
typically the largest single investment of a family, and is often not covered by earthquake
insurance, even where it is available. Of all the houses...
This paper presents a case study on the application of a dynamic framework for the intelligent
control of flooding in the Boise River system in Idaho. This framework couples a robust
and numerically efficient hydraulic routing approach with the popular multi-objective Non-dominated
Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II). The novelty of...
In the 1990s, Bartlett and Youd introduced empirical equations for predicting
horizontal displacement from liquefaction-induced lateral spreading; these equations have
become popular in engineering practice. The equations were developed by multilinear
regression (MLR) of lateral spreading case history data compiled by these researchers. In 2002,
these equations were revised and...
Bearing or compressive strength capacity perpendicular to the grain of timber beams is a troublesome issue. Not only do many different load cases occur in practice that are not covered by structural timber design codes but also these codes provide only a basic provision and vary throughout continents. Code design...
The impact of a tsunami can vary greatly across short distances due to differences in topography, building structures, concentration of economic activities in the inundation zone, and economic linkages beyond the inundation zone. This study takes these factors into account in an analysis of a potential tsunami on the West...
Ten full-size (3.7×4.9m) plywood roof diaphragms were constructed using metal-plate-connected (MPC) common and hip wood trusses or joists, typical of single-family dwelling (SFD) construction. The specimens included three gable roof slopes of 33, 67, and 100%, a hip roof of 33% slope, and a flat roof, with a horizontal bottom...
Seismic design of wood-frame single-family dwellings’ (WFSFD) lateral force–resisting systems requires determination of the stiffness of horizontal diaphragms and shearwalls. During design, sizes and locations of shearwall openings are often changed, altering shearwall stiffness and loads and requiring a significant redesign effort. Rigid and tributary area method analyses are examined...
Nearly all soils are comprised of mixtures of coarse and fine particles. Behavior under mechanical and thermal loading of soil is strongly influenced, and in some cases governed, by the ratio of coarse to fine particles. A better understanding of the fundamental behavior of soil mixtures will provide insight to...
A one-dimensional (1D) hydrologic-hydraulic model for simulating dual drainage in urban areas is presented. It consists of four modules: (1) rainfall-runoff transformation, (2) 1D flow routing on a street network, (3) flow interception at street inlets, and (4) flow interaction between surface water on the streets and the underground storm-water...