Main Topics
Performance-Based Design of Structures
Engineering descriptions of performance levels; conceptual design for multiple performance objectives; reliability-based design procedures; methods for analytical prediction of performance.
Seismic, Wind and Exceptional Loads
Seismic load; wind load; fire; fire after an earthquake; explosions; impact.
Material Behavior
Material properties; use of special steel grades; strain rate; welded affected zones; fatigue; brittle fracture.
Member Behavior
Rotation capacity; local buckling; overall buckling; classifications of sections; deterioration of strength, stiffness, ductility.
Connection Behavior
Cyclic behavior of joints; analytical models; test results; pros and cons of welded and bolted connections; new innovations; data bank; influence of fully and partially restrained connections; seismic demands and capabilities of frames with welded, bolted, or innovative connections.
Global Behavior
Moment resisting frames; braced frames; new and innovative structural systems; collapse mechanisms; redundancy of structures; dynamic influence of P-D effects; modeling of deterioration; evaluation of reduction factors; damageability; large span structures, bridges, and space frames; influence of non-structural elements.
Analytical and Experimental Methods
Dynamic analysis; geometrical nonlinearity and material nonlinearity; optimization; static tests, shaking table tests; online real-time tests; distributed hybrid collaboration tests via the Internet.
Mixed and Composite Structures
Concrete filled tube (CFT) construction; steel encased in reinforced concrete (SRC) construction; mixed structures with reinforced concrete; mixed structures with timber; steel pile foundation and foundation problems.
Passive, Semi-active, and Active Control
Behavior of isolated structures; bridge bearings; energy dissipation; special devices; control algorithms; smart structures; design models; criteria for detailing.
Strengthening, Repair, and Monitoring
Examination of damage; criteria for retrofitting; structural health monitoring; improvement of structural strength and ductility; ordinary buildings; historical buildings; bridges.
Codification
Safety principles; up-dating of national and international codes; calibration activities; AISC, CISC, Eurocode activities.
Design, Fabrication, and Practice
National practices case studies; cost-benefit ratio; design aids, fabrication and erection; aesthetics and habitability