761 research outputs found
INFILL WITH SLIDING PANELS AND A FULL-HEIGHT OPENING
No full textThe innovative infill construction technique for seismic resistance, implementing horizontal
sliding joints to partition the wall into subpanels, it is here tested in presence of a full height
opening. With the double aim of protecting the opening fixtures (window or door) from the infill
sub-panels’ relative sliding and offer out of plane support to the infill, a post is placed at the
opening side spanning between the top and bottom beam of the frame. The post stiffness and
strength design is the object of the study. The role of the post deformability was studied by
modifying the post’s stiffness with additional steel profiles coupled to the initial wooden post
configuration, in different test phases. The shear action at the post ends was measured with
specific load cells, to provide information for the proportioning of the post and its connection
to the beams. The results showed the efficiency of the post in governing the sliding mechanism
between the infill sub-portions and the role of the post’s stiffness in modifying the in-plane
response of the infill. Thanks to the post’s deformability, the overall infill-frame interaction was
reduced with respect to previously tested similar infills without openings
PBEE ASSESSMENT OF RC FRAMES WITH TRADITIONAL AND SLIDING-JOINT INFILLS
No full textIn reinforced concrete (RC) multi-storey buildings, the important role of the seismic interaction of structural frames with masonry infills has been revealed by several earthquakes and
investigated by many authors. Recently, several innovative infill solutions have been proposed
to mitigate such interaction, which could result in widespread damage in both the masonry
and the RC structure and sometimes jeopardize the building stability and the occupants’ safety. One solution consists in the partitioning of the masonry infill into several sub-panels, relatively sliding along specific joints. This paper investigates the seismic performance
assessment of this technological solution in the framework of performance base earthquake
engineering. A two-dimensional five-storey RC seismic-resistant frame is selected as case
study and the performance is assessed by comparing the responses of the same structure infilled with different solutions, made of sliding joints or traditional masonry, or in the bare configuration. Incremental Dynamic Analyses (IDA) is used for the probabilistic determination of fragility curves of the structures. Results show the seismic fragility and reliability of the different investigated structures, especially addressing the probabilities of occurrence of
damage at different limit states and quantifying the associated expected annual loss
Infills with sliding joints to limit the post-earthquake damage: role and design of openings
No full textMasonry infill walls are typically considered non-structural elements in building design.
Nonetheless, their interaction with the structure during earthquakes is well documented in literature and
their significant effect on the building seismic performance highlighted. A critical aspect is the damage
suffered by traditional infills that can jeopardize the safety of inhabitants and lead to significant building
downtime. Recently, different innovative construction techniques have been proposed, aimed at obtaining
deformable infills characterized by low stiffness, low damageability and large deformation capacity, in order
to limit the infill-frame interaction and the post-earthquake damage. The paper discusses the role of a fullheight
opening in the seismic response of infills made deformable by adopting sliding joints. A summary of
the test results obtained by the authors on a real scale infill with horizontal sliding joints and a full height
opening is presented, together with a parametric study on the in-plane response of an infill with opening in
a “one story-one bay” RC frame. Focus is made on the interaction of the infill with the surrounding frame
and on the maximum actions in a critical component of the infill, namely the post located at the window’s
side to control the infill’s sliding mechanism. The parametric study, based on a numerical micro-modeling
approach, offers some preliminary guidelines for the design of the infilled frame, based on the opening
position, infill length and sliding joint configuration. The results show the positive effect of the posts’
deformability in limiting the shear action on both the frame’s columns and the post itself, including its
connection to the frame
Openings in infills with horizontal sliding joints: a parametric study to support the design
No full textThe Impact of the Loop Electrosurgical Excisional Procedure for Cervical Intraepithelial Lesions on Female Sexual Function
No full textIntroduction. Very limited knowledge exists concerning the impact of Loop Electrosurgical Excisional Procedure (LEEP) on female sexual function in women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia Aim. To investigate sexual function in women who underwent LEEP for the treatment of cervical intraepithelial lesions, using a validated questionnaire (Female Sexual Function Index [FSFI]). Main Outcome Measures. FSFI questionnaire on six domains of female sexuality (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain). Methods. Consecutive sexually active women, who underwent LEEP for the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia were enrolled in this study. All women were asked to complete a copy of FSFI questionnaire, at the time of LEEP and after 6 months. We finally compared the results of the pre-LEEP questionnaire and the post-LEEP questionnaire for each patient. Results. A total of 67 sexually active women undergoing LEEP for the treatment of cervical intraepithelial lesions were enrolled. Nine of these patients (13.4%) completed only the questionnaire regarding their sexual function before LEEP; thus we did not include them for final analysis. In our study population, data showed a sexual function overall unchanged after LEEP; only the variable "desire" (sexual interest) became significantly worse (P = 0.02). Conclusions. LEEP for the treatment of cervical intraepithelial lesions doesn't affect women's sexuality, when compared with sexual function before surgery. In our study, all FSFI sexual function domains but desire, did not show significant change after LEEP. Serati M, Salvatore S, Cattoni E, Zanirato M, Mauri S, Siesto G, Cromi A, Ghezzi F, and Bolis P. The impact of the Loop Electrosurgical Excisional Procedure for cervical intraepithelial lesions on female sexual function. J Sex Med 2010;7:2267-2272
Long-Term Evolution of Orbits in Cislunar Space: Characterisation and Stability Analysis
No full textEnd-Of-Life Disposal Parametric Analysis in Cislunar Space: Earth-Moon L2 Escape No-Return Trajectories
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