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This article presents the analysis of the structure of Mallorca Cathedral taking into account the influence on the structural behavior of auxiliary iron ties used during the construction process. Recent studies (Roca et al. 2012, 2013) presented some hypotheses about the construction process of the cathedral. This article complements the previous results by considering the use of auxiliary ties as temporary stabilizing device during the construction. Evidence of the use of ties during the construction has been recognized after a comprehensive survey. The study of the role of such ties and the effect of their later removal are studied by a FE analysis carried out on a representative bay of the structure. The study includes a time-dependent FE analysis after the removal of the ties to assess the long-term structural behavior. The results of the numerical analysis are compared with the deformation trends identified by means of a recent monitoring campaign.

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Abstract

Structural and forensic analysis concluded that the Arecibo Observatory M4N socket joint failure in August 2020 was due to a socket joint design with insufficient design criteria that did not explicitly consider socket constituent stress margins or time-dependent damage mechanisms. The socket attachment design was found to have an initially low structural margin with a finite service life, notably in the outer socket wires, which degraded primarily due to long-term zinc creep effects that were activated by longterm sustained loading and exacerbated by cyclic loading. Additionally, HAC and wire defects were found in a few outer wires that may also have contributed to initial outer wire failures. The design did not explicitly consider the time-dependent effects of creep and cyclic loading on design capability, account for a worstcase build condition traceable to in-service inspection of features (e.g., zinc creep/extrusion), specify an end-of-life capability requirement associated with service life degradation, or explicitly set service life inspection intervals with pass/fail inspection criteria. In-service inspections showed evidence of progressive zinc extrusion on several Arecibo sockets, which in hindsight were evidence of cumulative damage and effectively a missed opportunity to prevent cable failure. Open spelter sockets of this type are used throughout industry in stay cables. The following recommendations are proposed to prevent failures of similar socket joints: (1) Verification of positive stress margins in socket joint wires for all failure modes, (2) Periodic visual inspections with acceptance criteria for zinc extrusion that are tied to structural qualification, (3) Revisiting civil codes and industry standards based on lessons learned from this analysis. 

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This paper presents a continuum model for the simulation of the viscous effects and the long-term damage accumulation in masonry structures. The rheological model is based on a generalized Maxwell chain representation with a constitutive law utilizing a limited number of internal variables. Thanks to its computational efficiency, this approach is suitable for the analysis of large and complex structures. In the paper, the viscous and damage models are presented and their coupling is discussed. The FE simulation of the construction process of the representative bay of Mallorca Cathedral is presented, together with the analysis of the long-term effects. The parameters of the model are tentatively calibrated on the basis of the time-dependent viscous deformations detected during the cathedral monitoring.

Abstract

"jats:p"Previous study carried out residual stress characterization for the welds of the high-temperature-section (superheater / reheater) lower headers of the bottom-supported heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Modeling the gas-tungsten arc, manual welding process considered only weld-lay for the ASTM A 335-Grade P22 finned-tube angle joint to the cylinder. Present study aims at indirectly assessing findings of previous analysis measuring maximum residual stress on the joint’s exservice material. To achieve that a tee similar to the previous was not available: for both experimental and numerical analyses present study considers a P22 circumferential “V”-groove butt joint on HRSG pipeline section, creep-operated for the same period and temperature as the previous case. In the experimental activity X-ray diffraction method (or alternatively, hole-drilling strain gage one) applies as close as possible to the weld, being residual stress maximum at the fusion boundary. Thermal analysis for the previous case also showed it keeps nearly constant during weld cooling, relaxing most during creep: after 200,000 hours of operation, welding-process simulation predicted a maximum residual stress of 70 MPa; tee-joint creep-analysis found out a maximum equivalent stress of 91 MPa. As for the sample withdrawal, dimensions should be sufficient to avoid any interference with measurement area. The experimental procedures should comply with the European standard EN 15305 on the matter (the American standard ASTM E 837 for the alternate method). Comparison of analysis results for the two cases, confirms tendencies previously found out in creep-behavior, though different equivalent stress contributions. Comparison of predicted and observed residual stress values should allow for validation of numerical models used in both welding process and stress analysis.

Abstract