Lateral deformation behavior of eccentrically loaded slender RC columns with different levels of rotational end restraint at elevated temperatures

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled Ahmed Mahmoud

Purpose In literature, previous studies have focused on analyzing rienforced concrete (RC) columns with idealized end conditions when subjected to fire. In nature, full fixity or free rotation at column ends is not attained. Such ends may be considered partially restrained in rotation. This paper aims to shed a new light on the effect of different degrees of rotational restraint on the lateral deformation behavior of slender heated RC columns subjected to non-linear strain distributions produced by a time-dependent temperature history. Design/methodology/approach To find the strain distribution on the cross section, an iterative technique is adopted using Newton–Raphson method. By introducing a reliable calculation procedure, the lateral deformational behavior is expressed using numerical and searching techniques. A methodology is presented to calculate the effective length factor for RC columns at elevated temperature. Findings The results of the proposed model showed good agreement with available experimental test results. It was also found that the variation of rotational end restraint level has a considerable effect on the lateral deformation behavior of heated slender RC columns. In addition, the effectiveness and the validity of an analytical model should be verified by simultaneously validating the axial and lateral deformations. Moreover, the effective length factor for heated column is higher than that for the corresponding column at ambient temperature. Originality/value This paper shows the impact of different boundary conditions on the behavior of heated slender RC columns. It suggests powerful techniques to determine the lateral deflection and the effective length factor at high temperatures.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 324-339
Author(s):  
Ahmed Allam ◽  
Ayman Nassif ◽  
Ali Nadjai

Purpose This paper aims to investigate computationally and analytically how different levels of restraint from surrounding structure, via catenary action in beams, affect the survival of steel framed structures in fire. This study focuses on examining the mid-span deflection and the tensile axial force of a non-composite heated steel beam at large deflection that is induced by the catenary action during exposure to fires. The study also considers the effect of the axial horizontal restraints, load-ratio, beam temperature gradient and the span/depth ratio. It was found that these factors influence the heated steel beam within steel construction and its catenary action at large deflection. The study suggests that this may help the beam to hang to the surrounding cold structure and delay the run-away deflection when the tensile axial force of the beam has been overcome. Design/methodology/approach This paper is part one of the parametric study and discusses both the effect of the axial horizontal restraints and load-ratio on the heated steel-beam. Reliance on the prescriptive standard fire solutions may lead to an unpredicted behaviour of the structure members if the impact of potential real fires is not considered. Findings Variation of the horizontal end-restraint level has a major effect on the behaviour of the beam at high deflection, and the loading on a beam at large displacement can be carried effectively by catenary behaviour. An increase of axial horizontal stiffness helps the catenary action to prevent run-away at lower deflections. The studies also investigated the influence of varying the load ratio on the behaviour of the heated beam at large deflection and how it affects the efficacy of the catenary action. The study suggests that care should be taken when selecting the load ratio to be used in the design. Originality/value In a recent work, the large deflection behaviours of axially restrained corrugated web steel beam (CWSB) at elevated temperatures were investigated using a finite element method (Wang et al., 2014). Parameters that greatly affected behaviours of CWSB at elevated temperatures were the load ratio, the axial restraint stiffness ratio and the span–depth ratio. Other works included numerical studies on large deflection behaviours of restrained castellated steel beams in a fire where the impact of the catenary action is considered (Wang, 2002). The impact of the induced axial forces in the steel beam during cooling stage of a fire when the beam temperature decreases, if thermal shortening of the beam is restrained, large tensile forces may be induced in the beam (Wang, 2005; Allam et al., 2002). A performance-based approach is developed for assessing the fire resistance of restrained beams. The approach is based on equilibrium and compatibility principles, takes into consideration the influence of many factors, including fire scenario, end restraints, thermal gradient, load level and failure criteria, in evaluating fire resistance (Dwaikat and Kodur, 2011; Allam et al., 1998).


Author(s):  
Jeeyun Oh ◽  
Mun-Young Chung ◽  
Sangyong Han

Despite of the popularity of interactive movie trailers, rigorous research on one of the most apparent features of these interfaces – the level of user control – has been scarce. This study explored the effects of user control on users’ immersion and enjoyment of the movie trailers, moderated by the content type. We conducted a 2 (high user control versus low user control) × 2 (drama film trailer versus documentary film trailer) mixed-design factorial experiment. The results showed that the level of user control over movie trailer interfaces decreased users’ immersion when the trailer had an element of traditional story structure, such as a drama film trailer. Participants in the high user control condition answered that they were less fascinated with, absorbed in, focused on, mentally involved with, and emotionally affected by the movie trailer than participants in the low user control condition only with the drama movie trailer. The negative effects of user control on the level of immersion for the drama trailer translated into users’ enjoyment. The impact of user control over interfaces on immersion and enjoyment varies depending on the nature of the media content, which suggests a possible trade-off between the level of user control and entertainment outcomes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 339-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siham Lekchiri ◽  
Cindy Crowder ◽  
Anna Schnerre ◽  
Barbara A.W. Eversole

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of working women in a male-dominated country (Morocco) and unveil the unique challenges and everyday gender-bias they face, the psychological impact of the perceived gender-bias and, finally, identify a variety of coping strategies or combatting mechanisms affecting their motivation and retention in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach Empirical evidence was obtained using a qualitative research method. The Critical Incident Technique (CIT) was used to collect incidents recalled by women in the select institution reflecting their perceptions of their managers’ ineffective behaviors towards them and the impact of these behaviors. The critical incidents were inductively coded, and behavioral statements were derived from the coded data. Findings The qualitative data analysis led them to structure the data according to two theme clusters: The perceived gender-bias behaviors (Covert and evident personal and organizational behaviors) and Psychological impacts resulting from the perceived bias. These behavioral practices included abusive behaviors, unfair treatment, bias and lack of recognition. The psychological impact elements involved decreased productivity, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. Practical implications Understanding these experiences can facilitate the identification of strategies geared towards the retention of women in the workforce, and Moroccan organizations can develop and implement strategies and policies that are geared towards eliminating gender-bias in the workplace and to retaining and motivating women who remain ambitious to work in male-dominated environments and cultures. Originality/value This paper provides evidence that sufficient organizational mechanisms to support women in male-dominated environments are still unavailable, leaving them to find the proper coping mechanisms to persevere and resist.


2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xun Li ◽  
Qun Wu ◽  
Clyde W. Holsapple ◽  
Thomas Goldsby

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of three critical dimensions of supply chain resilience, supply chain preparedness, supply chain alertness and supply chain agility, all aimed at increasing a firm’s financial outcomes. In a turbulent environment, firms require resilience in their supply chains to prepare for potential changes, detect changes and respond to actual changes, thus providing superior value. Design/methodology/approach Using survey data from 77 firms, this study develops scales for preparedness, alertness and agility. It then tests their hypothesized relationships with a firm’s financial performance. Findings The results reveal that the three dimensions of supply chain resilience (i.e. preparedness, alertness and agility) significantly impact a firm’s financial performance. It is also found that supply chain preparedness, as a proactive resilience capability, has a greater influence on a firm’s financial performance than the reactive capabilities including alertness and agility, suggesting that firms should pay more attention to proactive approaches for building supply chain resilience. Originality/value First, this study develops a comparatively comprehensive definition for supply chain resilience and explores its dimensionality. Second, this study provides empirically validated instruments for the dimensions of supply chain resilience. Third, this study is one of the first to provide empirical evidence for direct impact of supply chain resilience dimensions on a firm’s financial performance.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
HyunJun Na

PurposeThis study explores how the firm’s proprietary information has an impact on the bank loan contracts. It explains the propensity of using the competitive bid option (CBO) in the syndicate loans to solicit the best bid for innovative firms and how it changes based on industry competition and the degree of innovations. This research also examines how the interstate banking deregulation (Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act) in 1994 affected the private loan contracts for innovative borrowers.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses various econometric analyses. First, it uses the propensity score matching analysis to see the impact of patents on pricing terms. Second, it uses the two-stage least square (2SLS) analysis by implementing the litigation and non-NYSE variables. Finally, it studies the impact of the policy change of the Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994 on the bank loan contracts.FindingsFirms with more proprietary information pays more annual facility fees but less other fees. The patents are the primary determinants of the usage of CBO in the syndicate loans to solicit the best bid. While innovative firms can have better contract conditions by the CBO, firms with more proprietary information will less likely to use the CBO option to minimize the leakage of private information and the severe monitoring from the banks. Finally, more proprietary information lowered the loan spread for firms dependent on the external capital after the interstate banking deregulation.Originality/valueThe findings of this research will help senior executives with responsibility for financing their innovative projects. In addition, these findings should prove helpful for the lawmakers to boost economies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Ruiz-Mafe ◽  
Enrique Bigné-Alcañiz ◽  
Rafael Currás-Pérez

PurposeThis paper analyses the interrelationships between emotions, the cognitive information cues of online reviews and intention to follow the advice obtained from digital platforms, paying special attention to the moderating effect of the sequencing of review valence.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 830 Spanish Tripadvisor users. In a two-step approach, a measurement model was estimated and a structural model analysed to test the proposed hypotheses. SmartPLS 3.0 software was used. The moderating effect of sequencing of reviews is tested.FindingsThe data analysis showed a bias effect of review sequence on the impact of online information cues and emotions on intention to follow advice obtained from Tripadvisor. When the online reviews of a restaurant begin with positive commentaries, their perceived persuasiveness is a stronger driver of the pleasure and arousal elicited by online reviews than when they begin with negative reviews. On the other hand, the perceived helpfulness of online reviews only triggers arousal when the user reads negative, followed by positive, comments. The impact of pleasure on intention to follow the advice provided in an online travel community is higher with positive-negative than with negative-positive sequences.Originality/valueWhile researchers have demonstrated the benefits of customer reviews on company sales, a largely uninvestigated issue is the interplay between emotions and cognitive information cues in the processing of online reviews. This is one of the first studies to examine the moderating effect of conflicting reviews on the impact of emotions and cognitive information cues on consumer intention to follow the advice obtained from digital services.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prodromos Chatzoglou ◽  
Dimitrios Chatzoudes

Purpose Nowadays, innovation appears as one of the main driving forces of organisational success. Despite the above fact, its impact on the propensity of an organisation to develop and sustain a competitive advantage has not yet received sufficient empirical investigation. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the existing empirical literature by focusing on the antecedents of innovation and its impact on competitive advantage. It proposes a newly developed conceptual framework that adopts a three-step approach, highlighting areas that have rarely been simultaneously examined before. Design/methodology/approach The examination of the proposed conceptual framework was performed with the use of a newly developed structured questionnaire that was distributed to a group of Greek manufacturing companies. The questionnaire has been successfully completed by chief executive officers (CEOs) from 189 different companies. CEOs were used as key respondents due to their knowledge and experience. The reliability and the validity of the questionnaire were thoroughly examined. Empirical data were analysed using the structural equation modelling technique. The study is empirical (based on primary data), explanatory (examines cause and effect relationships), deductive (tests research hypotheses) and quantitative (includes the analysis of quantitative data collected with the use of a structured questionnaire). Findings Results indicate that knowledge management, intellectual capital, organisational capabilities and organisational culture have significant direct and indirect effects on innovation, underlining the importance of their simultaneous enhancement. Finally, the positive effect of innovation on the creation of competitive advantages is empirically validated, bridging the gap in the relevant literature and offering avenues for additional future research. Originality/value The causal relationship between innovation and competitive advantage, despite its significant theoretical support, has not been empirically validated. The present paper aspires to bridge this gap, investigating the impact of innovation on the development of competitive advantages. Moreover, the present study adopts a multidimensional approach that has never been explored in the existing innovation literature, making the examination of the proposed conceptual framework an interesting research topic.


Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Salmabanu Luhar ◽  
Demetris Nicolaides ◽  
Ismail Luhar

Even though, an innovative inorganic family of geopolymer concretes are eye-catching potential building materials, it is quite essential to comprehend the fire and thermal resistance of these structural materials at a very high temperature and also when experiencing fire with a view to make certain not only the safety and security of lives and properties but also to establish them as more sustainable edifice materials for future. The experimental and field observations of degree of cracking, spalling and loss of strength within the geopolymer concretes subsequent to exposure at elevated temperature and incidences of occurrences of disastrous fires extend an indication of their resistance against such severely catastrophic conditions. The impact of heat and fire on mechanical attributes viz., mechanical-compressive strength, flexural behavior, elastic modulus; durability—thermal shrinkage; chemical stability; the impact of thermal creep on compressive strength; and microstructure properties—XRD, FTIR, NMR, SEM as well as physico-chemical modifications of geopolymer composites subsequent to their exposures at elevated temperatures is reviewed in depth. The present scientific state-of-the-art review manuscript aimed to assess the fire and thermal resistance of geopolymer concrete along with its thermo-chemistry at a towering temperature in order to introduce this novel, most modern, user and eco-benign construction materials as potentially promising, sustainable, durable, thermal and fire-resistant building materials promoting their optimal and apposite applications for construction and infrastructure industries.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanika Mahajan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) on farm sector wage rate. This identification strategy rests on the assumption that all districts across India would have had similar wage trends in the absence of the program. The author argues that this assumption may not be true due to non-random allocation of districts to the program’s three phases across states and different economic growth paths of the states post the implementation of NREGS. Design/methodology/approach – To control for overall macroeconomic trends, the author allows for state-level time fixed effects to capture the differences in growth trajectories across districts due to changing economic landscape in the parent-state over time. The author also estimates the expected farm sector wage growth due to the increased public work employment provision using a theoretical model. Findings – The results, contrary to the existing studies, do not find support for a significantly positive impact of NREGS treatment on private cultivation wage rate. The theoretical model also shows that an increase in public employment work days explains very little of the total growth in cultivation wage post 2004. Originality/value – This paper looks specifically at farm sector wage growth and the possible impact of NREGS on it, accounting for state specific factors in shaping farm wages. Theoretical estimates are presented to overcome econometric limitations.


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