Experimental and numerical investigation of T section connections

The paper summarizes recent experimental research on determining the full-range behaviour of steel beam-to-column connections. Unlike the connection types in the literature, numerical modeling was done with various experiments to determine the behavior of two types of connection types. In these joints, T joints have been studied, but unlike the literature, T joint's element is made of plates; It was obtained from 1/2 IPE profile, not by welding. Thus, it is thought that the problems such as workmanship errors, break point formation and in situ welding failures, which occur in the welding of T joints, are eliminated. Necessary studies have been carried out to have sufficient information about the behavior of the T joint to be manufactured from the IPE profile and thus to provide the opportunity for its use. In the light of the data obtained, numerical modeling is done and the torque rotation relation and behavior of semi-rigid joints are numerically modeled. Thus, thanks to the calibrated model with the experiments, the closest results to the real behavior were obtained for the unexamined combinations.

Experimental and numerical study of the behavior of a stone column subject to the loading effect

The realization of engineering structures in compressible sites, requires in-depth geotechnical reconnaissance, as well as a study of the mechanical behavior of the soil, in order to adapt suitable soil improvement solutions. This is the case with the Annaba viaduct in Algeria, where it was found during the site survey that the soil is poor and very compressible. The foundations in these soils eventually pose the problem of their low bearing capacity and significant settlement. This, therefore, leads to the choice of reinforcement techniques. Among the many methods of improving soils, we have selected the stone column technique. The object of our article is to study the behavior of these columns, in terms of settlement and, through the loading tests on real site, we have found out that the intermediate columns are stiffer and more confined than the bank columns and the percentage reduction in settlements of these two types is important. Then, this experimental study is validated by the Plaxis 2D software, where the configurations are studied to find the best model that approximates the real behavior of the reinforced soil.

Thermal Performance of Facades Based on Experimental Monitoring of Outdoor Test Cells in Tropical Climate

The high cost of energy consumption in buildings highlights the importance of research focused on improving the energy efficiency of building’s envelope systems. It is important to characterize the real behavior of these systems to know the effectiveness in terms of energy reduction. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to characterize the thermal performance of facades based on experimental monitoring of outdoor test cells in tropical climate. To carry out this research, a case study was presented to compare two construction systems. One of them is a light façade (M1) and the other a reference façade (M2). A thermal simulation was performed for the opaque and glazed facades. In addition, several parameters were measured with different types of sensors, as well as environmental variables to evaluate the thermal and lighting behavior of multiple facades systems under real conditions. The findings show that light façade behavior was the opposite of what was expected, since by incorporating a window in the façade it has allowed solar radiation to increase the interior temperature in both modules. In the case of the light facade the penalization was higher than the reference facade, which has a lower thermal transmittance than M1. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091773 Full Text: PDF

Spiking PID Control Applied in the Van de Vusse Reaction

Artificial neural networks (ANN) can approximate signals and give interesting results in pattern recognition; some works use neural networks for control applications. However, biological neurons do not generate similar signals to the obtained by ANN. The spiking neurons are an interesting topic since they simulate the real behavior depicted by biological neurons. This paper employed a spiking neuron to compute a PID control, which is further applied to the Van de Vusse reaction. This reaction, as the inverse pendulum, is a benchmark used to work with systems that has inverse response producing the output to undershoot. One problem is how to code information that the neuron can interpret and decode the peak generated by the neuron to interpret the neuron's behavior. In this work, a spiking neuron is used to compute a PID control by coding in time the peaks generated by the neuron. The neuron has as synaptic weights the PID gains, and the peak observed in the axon is the coded control signal. The neuron adaptation tries to obtain the necessary weights to generate the peak instant necessary to control the chemical reaction. The simulation results show the possibility of using this kind of neuron for control issues and the possibility of using a spiking neural network to overcome the undershoot obtained due to the inverse response of the chemical reaction.

Filozofia polityczna a racja stanu. Część 2

Reason of state understood as the reason for its existence and expressed by a synthesis of the normative as well as the political, including its normative and empirical, universal and particular, abstract and concrete dimensions requires a justification by political philosophy. Yet, in the output of the main body of Western political philosophy, including the Aristotelian, Marxist, and liberal traditions, the reason of state lacks any validation. In those traditions, there is no distinction between the elements to be found in all states and those present only in some of them. In fact, both in Aristotle and Marx, the normative in the conduct of all states sets the limits of the empirical which expresses their real behavior. The normative of general principles outlines the political of concrete states. The normative supervises the political and the political is to confirm the normative. Thus, in Aristotle and Marx, the political is to indicate the necessity of the normative, its power of influence and complex character. In turn, the modern as well as contemporary liberals, especially contractarians, completely deprive their normative argument of any empirical confirmation. Thus, they consciously and purposefully give it exclusively a normative dimension. Accordingly, the normative fully replaces the empirical which leads to the elimination of the political. In his concept of public reason, Rawls goes even further and considers the empirical identical with the normative, and consequently the political with the normative. For some of his followers, the irrevocable character of the connection between the normative and the empirical in the notion of public reason is to be guaranteed by elimination of the political. This is to be achieved by the abolition of the state itself and thus the deprivation of the idea of reason of state of any conceptual foundation. However, both in Montesquieu and Burke, there is a strong distinction between what characterizes all states and what distinguishes each of them. Such a distinction results from the difference between what is common to their subjects or citizens and the societies they create, and what distinguishes them from themselves and their societies. At the same time, Montesquieu’s liberalism and Burke’s conservatism offer an equilibrium of the normative and the political which in turn constitutes a doctrinal support for the concept of reason of state beyond the main traditions of western political philosophy.

Compliance with the mask regime and social distancing during a pandemic in the city: a factor of reducing external control and features of practices

Purpose of the study. Identification of the main characteristics of compliance with pandemic restrictions in public places during the easing of restrictions, e.g. the correlation of declarations of commitment to measures and the real behavior of the population. Material and methods. A sociological study was carried out using the method of standardized observation in the city of Moscow on July 15–25, 2020. Observation points in the metro, ground transport, shops of various price categories and shopping centers were selected. More than 16748 observations were made within the quantitative and qualitative stages. Results and discussion. A significant discrepancy (up to 4 times) between the declared adherence to masks (2 Moscow surveys was studied) and the real one was revealed, the possible reasons for this were considered (social desirability, questionnaire features, sampling shift). The approach to the survey data as indicators of adherence rather than behavior merics is proposed. The diversity and polarization of the practices of wearing masks and maintaining social distance — «positive» and «negative», formal and informal are under analysis. Possible factors of this diversity, features of practice in different places are considered. Observation groups are analyzed, both adherent to wearing masks (women, elder persons, migrants) and non-adherent (young adults, middle age men). The practice of situational social «mimicry» is described, when, under the guise of taking care of health, people wanted to get more comfortable travel conditions in transport.

Comparison of Indonesian and Malaysian Legal Systems in Rules, Traditions, and Community Behavior

This article aims to compare the legal system in Indonesia with the legal system in Malaysia by looking at the similarities and differences between the two countries legal systems. In this paper, we use a normative juridical approach, which is to examine the laws and regulations as well as the attitudes and behavior patterns of citizens towards the law and legal system in force in a country based on secondary legal sources consisting of legislation and other related documents. The results of the discussion conclude that in general both Indonesia and Malaysia have similarities in terms of: (1) The structure of the highest judicial institution along with the judicial institutions below it as well as the implementing institutions of statutory regulations. (2) Regulations, rules and real behavior patterns in various fields of life of the citizens concerned. (3) Attitudes towards the law and the legal system of citizens are in the form of beliefs, values, awareness, ideas and hopes that make the legal process work. Meanwhile, specifically between Indonesia and Malaysia have differences due to: (1) Legal structures influenced by local or domestic and global legal traditions. (2) Legislative regulations whose formulation is influenced by local or domestic and global legal traditions. (3) The legal process runs according to the situation, conditions and problems faced by the country concerned.Keywords: Comparison of the legal system, the legal system in Indonesia, the legal system in Malaysia.

Health as a value and a result of activity: problems and contradictions

According to multiple studies, health holds a key place in the system of life values. Health is the foundation of a happy life and self-realization of the individual. The lack of health bring in serious restrictions on the possibilities of normal life functioning. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the entire global population faces risks to their health, values of health and life become ever more important. In contemporary Russia there is a contradiction between the high importance of health and the real behavior aimed at preserving it. The level of awareness of the population about various aspects of their own health and healthy lifestyle is low. The population underestimates the importance of behavioral risk factors, especially those whose lifestyle is far from healthy. The article is based on the analysis of the literature and the latest statistical data. It makes an attempt to comprehend the above-described contradiction, its causes and consequences. It is concluded that the formation of a self-preserving ideology, education of a culture of health and “reload” of the value system in such a way that the value of health becomes more real and is embodied in certain strategies of health-preserving behavior is one of the main tasks facing the state and society today. The methodological basis of the work is the study of the Department of Sociology of Family and Demography of the Faculty of Sociology, Lomonosov Moscow State University “Interregional sociological and demographic study of the values of family and children lifestyle (SEDOZH-2019)” conducted in 2018–2019 and supplemented by data from the Public Opinion Foundation, the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion, Rosstat and WHO.

Internal Friction of Angel Model of Particles

Currently, pressure from industry to streamline processes by creating their simulation models, and thus to gradual digitization is increasing. The essence of representative simulation models of bulk materials is to understand the principles and laws of the real behavior of particles. The aim of this study is therefore to find and quantify the possibilities and principles of how particles can change their position relative to other particles. The possibilities of particle displacements were expressed using their specific trajectories and work ratios, or internal friction angle values. This created a new comprehensive model of the internal friction angle of particles independent of particle size. It enables the interpretation of the determined values of the angles of internal friction of particles and its application in the field of simulations of mass and process models. The model can be used to determine the basic composition of particles in volume and the dominant ways of their mutual displacements.

Site-Specific Response Spectra: Guidelines for Engineering Practice

Code response spectrum models, which are used widely in the earthquake-resistant design of buildings, are simple to apply but they do not necessarily represent the real behavior of an earthquake. A code response spectrum model typically incorporates ground motion behavior in a diversity of earthquake scenarios affecting the site and does not represent any specific earthquake scenario. The soil amplification phenomenon is also poorly represented, as the current site classification scheme contains little information over the potential dynamic response behavior of the soil sediments. Site-specific response spectra have the merit of much more accurately representing real behavior. The improvement in accuracy can be translated into significant potential cost savings. Despite all the potential merits of adopting site-specific response spectra, few design engineers make use of these code provisions that have been around for a long time. This lack of uptake of the procedure by structural designers is related to the absence of a coherent set of detailed guidelines to facilitate practical applications. To fill in this knowledge gap, this paper aims at explaining the procedure in detail for generating site-specific response spectra for the seismic design or assessment of buildings. Surface ground motion accelerograms generated from the procedure can also be employed for nonlinear time-history analyses where necessary. A case study is presented to illustrate the procedure in a step-by-step manner.