Browsing by Author "Pena, Alvaro"

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    Exterior Wood-Concrete Slabs, Experimentation and Modeling of Mechanical Behavior. Part 1
    (2015) Pena, Alvaro; Fuentes, Sebastian; Fournely, Eric; Navarrete, Benjamn; Pinto, Hernan
    Structural elements of composite materials are widely used as them allow conceiving stronger as well as economic structures. In the case of wood-concrete composite slabs, the high compressive strength of concrete, together with the great performance and behavior of wood under traction, allows to obtain a resistance, weight and stiffness effective structure; features widely proven in indoor environments. The objective of this research is to analyze wood-concrete slabs behavior under outdoor environmental conditions in order to study its usage in walkways. Experimental tests were performed in two composite slabs, which were subjected to diverse loading configurations for 1250 days in outdoor environment. According to the results, was determined that the real moisture is greater than the theoretical one, which promotes the decay of wood, nevertheless, this variation did not produce a significant change in the overall mechanical characteristics of composite slabs
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    Exterior wood-concrete slabs, experimentation and modeling of mechanical behavior. Part 2.
    (2015) Pena, Alvaro; Fuentes, Sebastian; Fournely, Eric; Navarrete, Benjamin; Pinto, Hernan
    Structural elements of composite materials are widely used as them allow conceiving stronger as well as economic structures. In the case of wood-concrete composite slabs, the high compressive strength of concrete, together with the great performance and behavior of wood under traction, allows to obtain a resistance, weight and stiffness effective structure; features widely proven in indoor environments. The objective of this research is to model the behavior of wood-concrete slabs at an outdoor environment conditions in order to study its usage in walkways. To achieve this goal, the behavior of the wood-concrete slabs will be conducted through the use of finite element models that are going to be validated with the experimental data previously obtained from tests performed in two composite slabs, which were subjected to diverse loading configurations for 1250 days in outdoor environment (Pena, Fuentes, Fournely, Navarrete, & Pinto, 2015). According to the results, it was possible to conclude that real moisture is greater than the theoretical one, which promotes the decay of wood, nevertheless, this variation did not produce a significant change in the overall mechanical characteristics of composite slabs; in the other hand, numerical modeling demonstrated the importance of the connection transverse stiffness, besides enabling the incorporation of wood moisture effect over its mechanical properties, allowing to quantify the effect of the connection stiffness.
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    Integrating 1D and 3D geomechanical modeling to ensure safe hydrogen storage in bedded salt caverns: A comprehensive case study in canning salt, Western Australia
    (2024) Naderi, Hamed; Hekmatnejad, Amin; Aftab, Adnan; Sarmadivaleh, Mohammad; Pena, Alvaro
    The viability of hydrogen storage in bedded salt caverns hinges on understanding the geomechanical challenges posed by the anisotropic stress states and complex geology of such environments. This study presents a comprehensive geomechanical analysis focusing on a proposed cavern within the Carribuddy Formation in Western Australia, characterized by its interbedded salt layers. This paper introduces a new geomechanical workflow, encompassing 1D and 3D modeling techniques to provide detailed changes of mechanical properties and stress state in interbedded salt formation allowing to identify the initial optimal operational pressures for underground hydrogen storage. Initial 1D models evaluated mechanical properties and in-situ stresses, while subsequent 3D simulations, enriched by data from neighboring wells, detailed the stress, strain, and displacement responses of the cavern walls to internal pressure changes. The analysis pinpointed an initial safe gas pressure range between 3000 and 4000 psi, attributing this margin to the robust characterization of the mechanical and in-situ stress of the formation. Our findings underscore the significance of high-resolution geomechanical modeling in identifying initial optimal operational pressures for hydrogen storage in salt caverns, ensuring both safety and structural integrity.
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    Mesostructural Model for the Fatigue Analysis of Open-Cell Metal Foams
    (2024) Pinto, Hernan; Sepulveda, Alexander; Moraga, Paola; Galvez, Hector A.; Pena, Alvaro; Gornall, Jose; Garcia, Jose
    Metallic foams exhibit unique properties that make them suitable for diverse engineering applications. Accurate mechanical characterization is essential for assessing their performance under both monotonic and cyclic loading conditions. However, despite the advancements, the understanding of cyclic load responses in metallic foams has been limited. This study aims to propose a mesostructural model to assess the fatigue behavior of open-cell metal foams subjected to cyclic loading conditions. The proposed model considers the previous load history and is based on the analogy of progressive collapse, integrating a finite element model, a fatigue analysis model, an equivalent number of cycles model, and a failure criterion model. Validation against experimental data shows that the proposed model can reliably predict the fatigue life of the metallic foams for specific strain amplitudes.