International Concrete Abstracts Portal

Because of the presence of lateral loads and high-end eccentricities, the ACI 318-83 empirical design method cannot be used for design of tilt-up walls. Analysis must be performed during design to account for the P-{delta} effects. To confirm various design concepts and to evaluate the slenderness limitations, a series of tests on concrete wall panels was conducted. Several simplified design procedures were used to compare analytical results to test observations of slender load-bearing walls. Results of computer program TILT for IBM-PC (or compatible) computers were compared with the results of simplified design procedure calculations and test observations. Investigations show that the actual strength of load-bearing tilt-up walls are considerably higher than predicted by simplified analysis. The paper briefly discusses the theory of geometrical and material nonlinearities and presents methods for solutions that are incorporated in the program TILT. Conclusions and effectiveness of the TILT computer program for analyses of tilt-up load-bearing walls are shown.

The microcomputer and associated digital technology has changed the way things are done both in the structural laboratory and in the field. The impact of microcomputers on the science of field measurement is mainly with regard to cost and time. The many benefits of field monitoring of structures are now available at an acceptable cost. Cost is reduced due to automatic recording rather than manual methods. This paper discusses the benefits of field monitoring during construction and the life of the structure. Two proven measuring systems are described in detail. The paper also describes a system for dynamic analysis of structures. The reduced cost of determining the behavior of buildings and bridges is not the only benefit of these three new measuring systems. Data returned for analysis are in a form that can be quickly reduced and evaluated by computer. A short turn-around time means that the behavior data are available when needed.

Microcomputer applications are continually expanding into new fields, including the area of concrete construction. The dissemination of information concerning these applications promotes their growth and development and benefits the construction industry. When the Bureau of Reclamation began planning Upper Stillwater Dam, the largest roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam to date in the U.S., due consideration was given to the management of the myriad of concrete test data that would be generated during this rapid method of construction. Using a microcomputer system to facilitate proper treatment of these data would serve several important purposes: 1) provide an overall view of quality control of the RCC, and act as a quality assurance tool; 2) provide a quick method for updating mix design quantities based on variations in materials; and 3) provide access to the data for a comprehensive review of this state-of-the-art method of construction. Both the programming structure and the capabilities of the program will be discussed. The qualifications for developing an RCC quality control system required that the program be user friendly so that it could be readily used by construction inspectors and laboratory technicians. The system provides record keeping for all RCC tests and RCC materials tests, including concrete unit weight, concrete consistency measurements by vibrating table, nuclear density readings, cylinder compressive brake strengths, and aggregate gradations and moisture contents. The program also calculates adjusted mix proportions based on moisture content and clean separation of the aggregate. The RCC quality control system is written in dBASE III, and the host is an IBM-XT microcomputer. The system is connected to a mainframe computer in Denver via modem so that data can be periodically reviewed by designers and for long-term storage.

Presents a new computer design environment that allows the designer complete freedom in choosing design options. It combines three common tools--analysis, graphics, and a spreadsheet--into a completely integrated system. The environment allows the designer to take results directly from the analysis database, display them graphically, choose the values to be used for design, and then insert those values automatically into the spreadsheet environment. The spreadsheet can be customized, through the use of templates, to fit any design scheme. A template for the design of singly reinforced concrete beams is presented.

The computer-aided design field is expanding rapidly. There is an abundance of commercial and public domain software that is available. It is no longer necessary to write programs to introduce students to computer-aided design. The availability of spreadsheet programs has added a new dimension to computer-aided design. The principal advantage of a spreadsheet program is that it allows a series of relational steps to be programmed without having to know a programming language or having to write formal program statements. In addition, if a change is made in a particular step of a program, changes are automatically made in steps affected by that change. This can be a significant advantage in teaching reinforced concrete design. Students can use the templates created by the spreadsheet programs to answer "what if" questions about design. In this paper, several programs for the flexural design and shear design of reinforced concrete beams are described. These programs are not written in a programming language but are formulated with a spreadsheet program. The programs were run on a mainframe computer. The basic formulation of a spreadsheet program is described. Advantages of using spreadsheet programs in computer-aided design and their application in undergraduate courses in reinforced concrete design are discussed.