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Images, UC QuakeStudies

The southern side of the Christ Church Cathedral with boarded up windows and damage to the roof above both of the transepts. Damaged masonry has been piled on the ground in front and one of the spires has been removed and braced with steel in the foreground.

Research papers, The University of Auckland Library

A non-destructive hardness testing method has been developed to investigate the amount of plastic strain demand in steel elements subjected to cyclic loading. The focus of this research is on application to the active links of eccentrically braced frames (EBFs), which are a commonly used seismic-resisting system in modern steel framed buildings. The 2010/2011 Christchurch earthquake series, especially the very intense February 22 shaking, which was the first earthquake worldwide to push complete EBF systems fully into their inelastic state, generating a moderate to high level of plastic strain in EBF active links, for a range of buildings from 3 to 23 storeys in height. This raised two important questions: 1) what was the extent of plastic deformation in active links; and 2) what effect does that have to post-earthquake steel properties? This project comprised determining a robust relationship between hardness and plastic strain in order to be able to answer the first question and provide the necessary input into answering the second question. A non-destructive Leeb (portable) hardness tester (model TH170) has been used to measure the hardness, in order to determine the plastic strain, in hot rolled steel universal sections and steel plates. A bench top Rockwell B was used to compare and validated the hardness measured by the portable hardness tester. Hardness was measured from monotonically strained tensile test specimens to identify the relationship between hardness and plastic strain demand. Test results confirmed a good relationship between hardness and the amount of monotonically induced plastic strain. Surface roughness was identified as an important parameter in obtaining reliable hardness readings from a portable hardness reader. A proper surface preparation method was established by using three different cleaning methods, finished with hand sanding to achieve surface roughness coefficients sufficiently low not to distort the results. This work showed that a test surface roughness (Ra) is not more than 1.6 micron meter (μm) is required for accurate readings from the TH170 tester. A case study on an earthquake affected building was carried out to identify the relationship between hardness and amount of plastic strain demand in cyclically deformed active links. Hardness was carried out from active links shown visually to have been the most affected during one of the major earthquake events. Onsite hardness test results were then compared with laboratory hardness test results. A good relationship between hardness from onsite and laboratory was observed between the test methods; Rockwell B bench top and portable Leeb tester TH170. Manufacturing induced plastic strain in the top and bottom of the webs of hot rolled sections were discovered from this research, an important result which explains why visual effects of earthquake induced active link yielding (eg cracked or flaking paint) was typically more prevalent over the middle half depth of the active link. The extent of this was quantified. It was also evident that the hardness readings from the portable hardness tester are influenced by geometry, mass effects and rigidity of the links. The final experimental stage was application of the method to full scale cyclic inelastic tested nominally identical active links subjected to loading regimes comprising constant and variable plastic strain demands. The links were cyclically loaded to achieve different plastic strain level. A novel Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique was incorporated during the tests of this scale, to confirm the level of plastic strain achieved. Tensile test specimens were water jet cut from cyclically deformed webs to analyse the level of plastic strain. Test results show clear evidence that cyclically deformed structural steel elements show good correlation between hardness and the amount of plastic strain demand. DIC method was found to be reliable and accurate to check the level of plastic strain within cyclically deformed structural steel elements.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A view across London Street in Lyttelton showing damage to the Four Square supermarket and Lyttelton Coffee Company buildings. The Four Square's windows have been boarded up with plywood. and cracks are visible in the masonry of the Lyttelton Coffee Company building. Steel rods have been installed to support its sagging awning.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

The old Railway Station clock tower on Moorhouse Avenue with plywood and steel reinforcement covering two sides, and a crane hanging over top. The brickwork suffered extensive cracking during the earthquake making it in need of reinforcement. The clock has stopped at around 16:35, the time of the earthquake.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Steel bracing on the front of the Worcester Street face of the Octagon Live Restaurant (formerly Trinity Church), which is being repaired. The scaffolding has been decorated with sculptures of people kayaking, cycling, climbing and bungee jumping. Some of the figures are wearing santa hats. A fence has been constructed at the base of the building.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Steel bracing on the front of the Worcester Street face of the Octagon Live Restaurant (formerly Trinity Church), which is being repaired. The scaffolding has been decorated with sculptures of people kayaking, cycling, climbing and bungee jumping. Some of the figures are wearing santa hats. A fence has been constructed at the base of the building.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Steel bracing on the front of the Worcester Street face of the Octagon Live Restaurant (formerly Trinity Church), which is being repaired. The scaffolding has been decorated with sculptures of people kayaking, cycling, climbing and bungee jumping. Some of the figures are wearing santa hats. A fence has been constructed at the base of the building.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

The old Railway Station clock tower on Moorhouse Avenue with plywood and steel reinforcement covering two sides, and a crane hanging over top. The brickwork suffered extensive cracking during the earthquake making it in need of reinforcement. The clock has stopped at around 16:35, the time of the earthquake.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Steel bracing on the front of the Worcester Street face of the Octagon Live Restaurant (formerly Trinity Church), which is being repaired. The scaffolding has been decorated with sculptures of people kayaking, cycling, climbing and bungee jumping. Some of the figures are wearing santa hats. A fence has been constructed at the base of the building.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Damage to the front gable of the Durham Street Methodist Church. Masonry has fallen from the top of the gable, and the resulting gap has been weather proofed with plywood, tarpaulins and metal tiles. The steel bracing propping the whole front wall can be seen at the bottom of the photograph.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Steel bracing on the front of the Worcester Street face of the Octagon Live Restaurant (formerly Trinity Church), which is being repaired. The scaffolding has been decorated with sculptures of people kayaking, cycling, climbing and bungee jumping. Some of the figures are wearing santa hats. A fence has been constructed at the base of the building.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Steel bracing on the front of the Worcester Street face of the Octagon Live Restaurant (formerly Trinity Church), which is being repaired. The scaffolding has been decorated with sculptures of people kayaking, cycling, climbing and bungee jumping. Some of the figures are wearing santa hats. A fence has been constructed at the base of the building.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to a building on the corner of Armagh and Barbadoes Streets. The outer walls of the building have collapsed and the bricks have spilled onto the footpath and road below. Steel and wire fences have been placed around the building as a cordon.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Registry Building on the corner of Montreal and Worcester Streets. Masonry around the gable has collapsed onto the footpath below. Steel bracing has been used to hold up the remaining masonry. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Registry Building on the corner of Montreal and Worcester Streets. Masonry around the gable has collapsed onto the footpath below. Steel bracing has been used to hold up the remaining masonry. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the Christchurch Arts Centre taken from Rolleston Avenue. A spire has been removed from one of the towers and braced on the footpath in front of the building. Wire fencing and road cones have been used to cordon off one side of the road.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Piko Wholefoods Building on the corner of Kilmore and Barbadoes Street. Sections of the top storey of the building have collapsed and the bricks and other rubble have spilled onto the footpath below. Steel fences have been placed around the building as a cordon.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a piece of plywood sitting on top of a pile of bricks from the Carlton Hotel. USAR codes have been spray-painted on the wood. In the foreground, metal fencing, cordon tape and a road cone have been used to cordon off the building.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Kenton Chambers Building on Hereford Street. Large cracks have formed in the columns between the building's windows. A section on the bottom storey has collapsed and the bricks have spilled onto the footpath in front. Steel fences have been placed across the street as a cordon.

Research papers, The University of Auckland Library

Five years after the devastating series of earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, the structural engineering community is now focussing on low damage design by either proactively reducing the possibility of significant damage to primary steel members (i.e. developing seismic resisting systems that will deliver a high damage threshold in severe earthquakes) or by improved detailing of the primary steel members for rapid replacement. This paper presents a development of Eccentrically Braced Frames (EBFs) with replaceable active links. It uses the bolted flange- and web splicing concept to connect the active link to the collector beam or column. Finite element analyses have been performed to investigate the behaviour and reliability of EBFs with this new type replaceable active link. The results show a stable hysteretic behaviour and more significantly easier replacement of the damaged active link in comparison with conventional EBFs.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A poem written on Gap Filler and Poetica's "Instant Poetry" wall on Colombo Street. The poem reads, "Amidst the shards of glass and twisted steel, beside the fallen brick and scattered concrete, we began to understand that there is beauty in the broken. Strangers do not live here anymore". This poem was picked by the public as the favourite poem written on the wall. It was then painted permanently onto the mural.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a building on the corner of Victoria Street and Bealey Avenue. Large sections of the building have collapsed and the bricks have spilled onto the footpath below. Scaffolding has been constructed around the rest of the building, blocking it from view. In the foreground steel fencing and road cones have been placed across Victoria Street as a cordon.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of emergency management personnel walking down Manchester Street towards the intersection of High and Lichfield Streets. Many of the buildings on the left side of the road have been damaged by the earthquakes. In the distance rubble from the earthquake-damaged buildings has spilled onto the road. Steel fences have been placed along the footpath to the left.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Kenton Chambers Building on Hereford Street. Large cracks have formed in the columns between the building's windows. A section of the bottom storey has collapsed and the bricks have spilled onto the footpath in front. Steel fences have been placed on the street as a cordon. In the distance there are many other earthquake-damaged buildings.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the north side of the ChristChurch Cathedral in Cathedral Square. The front of the building has been propped up with steel bracing but further earthquakes have caused more damage, leaving a gap between the bracing and the wall. The tower has been partially demolished, but the lower section is still visible. Wire fencing has been placed around the entire building. In the background, a crane is rising high above the square.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the north side of the ChristChurch Cathedral in Cathedral Square. The front of the building has been propped up with steel bracing but further earthquakes have caused more damage, leaving a gap between the bracing and the wall. The tower has been partially demolished, but the lower section is still visible. Wire fencing has been placed around the entire building. In the background, a crane is rising high above the square.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

The ruins of the historic Durham Street Methodist Church in the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The only parts of the building still upright are those supported by steel braces placed there after the 4 September 2010 earthquake to strengthen the building as it awaited repairs. Rubble has spilled out onto the street, knocking over the safety fences that were also erected after September. Silt from liquefaction has covered the road around the church.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the north side of the ChristChurch Cathedral in Cathedral Square. The front of the building has been propped up with steel bracing but further earthquakes have caused more damage, leaving a gap between the bracing and the wall. The tower has been partially demolished, but the lower section is still visible. Wire fencing has been placed around the entire building. In the background, a crane is rising high above the square.

Research papers, The University of Auckland Library

Industrial steel storage pallet racking systems are used extensively worldwide to store goods. Forty percent of all goods are stored on storage racks at some time during their manufactureto- consumption life. In 2017, goods worth USD 16.5 billion were carried on cold-formed steel racking systems in seismically active regions worldwide. Historically, these racks are particularly vulnerable to collapse in severe earthquakes. In the 2010/2011 Christchurch earthquakes, around NZD 100 million of pallet racking stored goods were lost, with much greater associated economic losses due to disruptions to the national supply chain. A novel component, the friction slipper baseplate, has been designed and developed to very significantly improve the seismic performance of a selective pallet racking system in both the cross-aisle and the down-aisle directions. This thesis documents the whole progress of the development of the friction slipper baseplate from the design concept development to experimental verification and incorporation into the seismic design procedure for selective pallet racking systems. The test results on the component joint tests, full-scale pull-over and snap-back tests and fullscale shaking table tests of a steel storage racking system are presented. The extensive experimental observations show that the friction slipper baseplate exhibits the best seismic performance in both the cross-aisle and the down-aisle directions compared with all the other base-connections tested. It protects the rack frame and concrete floor from damage, reduces the risk of overturning in the cross-aisle direction, and minimises the damage at beam-end connectors in the down-aisle direction, without sustaining damage to the connection itself. Moreover, this high level of seismic performance can be delivered by a simple and costeffective baseplate with almost no additional cost. The significantly reduced internal force and frame acceleration response enable the more cost-effective and safer design of the pallet racking system with minimal extra cost for the baseplate. The friction slipper baseplate also provides enhanced protection to the column base from operational impact damage compared with other seismic resisting and standard baseplates.