Papers by Thainswemong Choudhury
Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 2013
Construction and Building Materials, 2015
ABSTRACT Three alternative numerical strategies ready-to-use by a common practitioner and directl... more ABSTRACT Three alternative numerical strategies ready-to-use by a common practitioner and directly implementable in commercial codes are critically compared in the prediction of the non-linear behavior of a small masonry building prototype, with an estimation of the efficiency of masonry retrofitting by means of traditional strengthening with steel bands. The aim of the approach proposed is to put at disposal to practitioners working in developing countries, simple but effective numerical instruments to have a reliable evaluation of the load carrying capacity of existing buildings and to propose the most suitable strengthening intervention, with a quantitative indication of the vulnerability reduction.
Journal of Structural Engineering
Journal of Earthquake Engineering
Construction and Building Materials
SAHC2014 – 9th International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions F. Peña & M. Chávez (eds.) Mexico City, Mexico, 14–17 October 2014
The paper is aimed at presenting some results regarding the causes of damage of a
masonry church... more The paper is aimed at presenting some results regarding the causes of damage of a
masonry church (Chiesa del Rosario) located in Finale Emilia, a town stricken by the May
2012 Emilia Romagna seismic event. The church exhibits a diffused state of damage on the
façade (rocking along a horizontal hinge), lateral nave walls (shear), transect (shear and outof-
plane bending) and bell tower (detachment at the connection of the tower to the church
and subsequent rotation along a vertical axis). The approach adopted is multidisciplinary and
it is conducted within a research project that involves the Technical Universities of Milan, the
Technical University of Bari and the Italian Cultural and Architectural Heritage Ministry
(MiBAC). The survey analyses conducted comprise a detailed geometric recover of the volumes
and materials used, basing on post-seismic photogrammetric studies, historical research
on existing documentation and repeated in situ investigation. Preliminary structural
analyses are conducted in agreement with the Italian Code. In particular, full pushover analyses
on a detailed FE discretization are performed, providing an estimate of failure seismic
acceleration and automatically identifying the most critical parts of the church as well as the
failure mechanism active, to compare with the 28 possible local collapse mechanisms provided
by the Italian Guidelines on the built heritage.
Three alternative numerical strategies ready-to-use by a common practitioner and directly impleme... more Three alternative numerical strategies ready-to-use by a common practitioner and directly implementable in commercial codes are critically compared in the prediction of the non-linear behavior of a small masonry building prototype, with an estimation of the efficiency of masonry retrofitting by means of traditional strengthening with steel bands.
The aim of the approach proposed is to put at disposal to practitioners working in developing countries, simple but effective numerical instruments to have a reliable evaluation of the load carrying capacity of existing buildings and to propose the most suitable strengthening intervention, with a quantitative indication of the vulnerability reduction
The paper is aimed at presenting some results regarding the causes of damage of a
masonry church ... more The paper is aimed at presenting some results regarding the causes of damage of a
masonry church (Chiesa del Rosario) located in Finale Emilia, a town stricken by the May
2012 Emilia Romagna seismic event. The church exhibits a diffused state of damage on the
façade (rocking along a horizontal hinge), lateral nave walls (shear), transect (shear and outof-
plane bending) and bell tower (detachment at the connection of the tower to the church
and subsequent rotation along a vertical axis). The approach adopted is multidisciplinary and
it is conducted within a research project that involves the Technical Universities of Milan, the
Technical University of Bari and the Italian Cultural and Architectural Heritage Ministry
(MiBAC). The survey analyses conducted comprise a detailed geometric recover of the volumes
and materials used, basing on post-seismic photogrammetric studies, historical research
on existing documentation and repeated in situ investigation. Preliminary structural
analyses are conducted in agreement with the Italian Code. In particular, full pushover analyses
on a detailed FE discretization are performed, providing an estimate of failure seismic
acceleration and automatically identifying the most critical parts of the church as well as the
failure mechanism active, to compare with the 28 possible local collapse mechanisms provided
by the Italian Guidelines on the built heritage.
Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
The biggest challenge of the 21st century is to satisfy the escalating demand of energy and minim... more The biggest challenge of the 21st century is to satisfy the escalating demand of energy and minimize the globally changing climate impact. Earth to air heat exchanger (EAHE) system can effectively reduce heating affects on buildings. An experimental study was carried out by designing EAHE system using low cost building materials like Bamboo (Bambuseae) and hydraform (cement and soil plaster) to reduce the energy consumption of buildings and minimize the impact of climate change. This system utilizes earth’s constant subterranean temperature for naturally heating or cooling the inlet air. This study was carried out in the North Eastern part of India. An open loop EAHE system was developed to predict the heating and cooling potential of the system. Within the system locally available bamboos were used for constructing the tunnel pipes and soil-cement mixture plaster was used to enhance the conductivity of the bamboo pipes. Soil-cement mixtures are capable of decreasing the humidity by 30 to 40 %. Majority of the North Eastern region of India, have humid climatic conditions through out the year. Experiment was performed continuously for 7 days and the result shows that irrespective to the inlet air temperature (ranges from 35 °C to 42 °C), outlet air temperature was recorded between 25 °C and 26 °C, which shows the effectiveness of the system. After a series of experimental analysis the study reveals that underground tunnel based fresh air delivery system is one of the easily feasible and economically feasible techniques which can drastically reduce the energy consumption of the buildings and help in addressing the continuously escalating demand of power and minimizing the impact of changing climatic conditions on buildings.
Large number of old historical buildings are unreinforced masonry structures susceptible to damag... more Large number of old historical buildings are unreinforced masonry structures susceptible to damage and prone to partial or total collapse during earthquakes. So strengthening with proper retrofitting technique is required to be adopted. In this work a 3-D model of two storied unreinforced brick masonry building is developed using a Finite Element code, SAP 2000 and linear static analysis is done to determine the most critical areas where cracking, yielding or failure of structural elements may take place. The analysis has shown that masonry elements, near the openings of the structures are prone to more damage. Taking the overall structural performance into consideration, retrofitting technique using steel band at lintels and sill level, has been adopted to strengthen the weaker areas of the structure. To check the compatibility of the strengthening techniques, models with different retrofitting schemes are made and the performances are compared. The models are made by applying steel band at lintel and sill level as horizontal steel band and vertical steel band near the openings. It is observed that the structural deformation of strengthened models reduced considerably and the tensile stresses reduced to a large extent.
In order to further gain confidence on result of linear static analyses, nonlinear static analyses are carried out on the three best models which are selected from the various models where steel bands are provided. Three damage states are assumed for each set of strengthening scheme in addition to the undamaged model. The final capacity curve for each strengthened and un-strengthened models are developed using the results of Static Push Over analysis over the damaged and undamaged models. The models are further analyzed by varying width and thickness of the steel bands used. Analysis of the results is carried out and equation governing the increase in strength of the structure due to use of steel bands for strengthening has been developed.
India, due to its diverse nature consist of various types of housing patterns in different region... more India, due to its diverse nature consist of various types of housing patterns in different regions. With the flight of time, the housing pattern has kept on changing. People use numerous techniques, based on past experiences and then design their houses to meet the present challenges. The pucca houses, built using modern material like cement, steel and bricks, have become the order of the day. But the people of interior villages of the northeastern belt, use of mud, wood and bamboo in building shelters is quite common. Besides, the north eastern part of our country which consists of various patterns of mud houses made by the local people of that particular region. In each state, various housing pattern are observed at various places based on their tradition and culture.
Now days, people have started using cement, bricks, reinforcements etc. in forming traditional houses. But lack of the technical knowledge about the use of material, usually kept them away from the achievement of the maximum benefit from these materials in their rural houses. Today the engineers have designed low cost housing for the poor people. But it seems that design of a house using the locally available material will be of lowest cost and may act better even in terms of functional efficiency. For such houses safety is also a prime factor. Therefore, in this paper, the vulnerable areas are identified and strengthening evaluation was carried out as suggested by NICEE for non-engineered structures. The work consist of physical inspection of the structures and a 3-D and 2-D model of the house is developed using a Finite Element Code, SAP 2000 and linear and non linear analysis is done to determine the most critical areas where cracking, yielding or failure of structural elements may take place and necessary scheme will be evaluated to check the suitability with the structure. Besides the cost involved in construction and the energy consumption by the rural houses is also discussed. The paper also express the opportunity for the entrepreneurs in rural technology development in the modern world.
Talks by Thainswemong Choudhury
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Papers by Thainswemong Choudhury
masonry church (Chiesa del Rosario) located in Finale Emilia, a town stricken by the May
2012 Emilia Romagna seismic event. The church exhibits a diffused state of damage on the
façade (rocking along a horizontal hinge), lateral nave walls (shear), transect (shear and outof-
plane bending) and bell tower (detachment at the connection of the tower to the church
and subsequent rotation along a vertical axis). The approach adopted is multidisciplinary and
it is conducted within a research project that involves the Technical Universities of Milan, the
Technical University of Bari and the Italian Cultural and Architectural Heritage Ministry
(MiBAC). The survey analyses conducted comprise a detailed geometric recover of the volumes
and materials used, basing on post-seismic photogrammetric studies, historical research
on existing documentation and repeated in situ investigation. Preliminary structural
analyses are conducted in agreement with the Italian Code. In particular, full pushover analyses
on a detailed FE discretization are performed, providing an estimate of failure seismic
acceleration and automatically identifying the most critical parts of the church as well as the
failure mechanism active, to compare with the 28 possible local collapse mechanisms provided
by the Italian Guidelines on the built heritage.
The aim of the approach proposed is to put at disposal to practitioners working in developing countries, simple but effective numerical instruments to have a reliable evaluation of the load carrying capacity of existing buildings and to propose the most suitable strengthening intervention, with a quantitative indication of the vulnerability reduction
masonry church (Chiesa del Rosario) located in Finale Emilia, a town stricken by the May
2012 Emilia Romagna seismic event. The church exhibits a diffused state of damage on the
façade (rocking along a horizontal hinge), lateral nave walls (shear), transect (shear and outof-
plane bending) and bell tower (detachment at the connection of the tower to the church
and subsequent rotation along a vertical axis). The approach adopted is multidisciplinary and
it is conducted within a research project that involves the Technical Universities of Milan, the
Technical University of Bari and the Italian Cultural and Architectural Heritage Ministry
(MiBAC). The survey analyses conducted comprise a detailed geometric recover of the volumes
and materials used, basing on post-seismic photogrammetric studies, historical research
on existing documentation and repeated in situ investigation. Preliminary structural
analyses are conducted in agreement with the Italian Code. In particular, full pushover analyses
on a detailed FE discretization are performed, providing an estimate of failure seismic
acceleration and automatically identifying the most critical parts of the church as well as the
failure mechanism active, to compare with the 28 possible local collapse mechanisms provided
by the Italian Guidelines on the built heritage.
In order to further gain confidence on result of linear static analyses, nonlinear static analyses are carried out on the three best models which are selected from the various models where steel bands are provided. Three damage states are assumed for each set of strengthening scheme in addition to the undamaged model. The final capacity curve for each strengthened and un-strengthened models are developed using the results of Static Push Over analysis over the damaged and undamaged models. The models are further analyzed by varying width and thickness of the steel bands used. Analysis of the results is carried out and equation governing the increase in strength of the structure due to use of steel bands for strengthening has been developed.
Now days, people have started using cement, bricks, reinforcements etc. in forming traditional houses. But lack of the technical knowledge about the use of material, usually kept them away from the achievement of the maximum benefit from these materials in their rural houses. Today the engineers have designed low cost housing for the poor people. But it seems that design of a house using the locally available material will be of lowest cost and may act better even in terms of functional efficiency. For such houses safety is also a prime factor. Therefore, in this paper, the vulnerable areas are identified and strengthening evaluation was carried out as suggested by NICEE for non-engineered structures. The work consist of physical inspection of the structures and a 3-D and 2-D model of the house is developed using a Finite Element Code, SAP 2000 and linear and non linear analysis is done to determine the most critical areas where cracking, yielding or failure of structural elements may take place and necessary scheme will be evaluated to check the suitability with the structure. Besides the cost involved in construction and the energy consumption by the rural houses is also discussed. The paper also express the opportunity for the entrepreneurs in rural technology development in the modern world.
Talks by Thainswemong Choudhury
masonry church (Chiesa del Rosario) located in Finale Emilia, a town stricken by the May
2012 Emilia Romagna seismic event. The church exhibits a diffused state of damage on the
façade (rocking along a horizontal hinge), lateral nave walls (shear), transect (shear and outof-
plane bending) and bell tower (detachment at the connection of the tower to the church
and subsequent rotation along a vertical axis). The approach adopted is multidisciplinary and
it is conducted within a research project that involves the Technical Universities of Milan, the
Technical University of Bari and the Italian Cultural and Architectural Heritage Ministry
(MiBAC). The survey analyses conducted comprise a detailed geometric recover of the volumes
and materials used, basing on post-seismic photogrammetric studies, historical research
on existing documentation and repeated in situ investigation. Preliminary structural
analyses are conducted in agreement with the Italian Code. In particular, full pushover analyses
on a detailed FE discretization are performed, providing an estimate of failure seismic
acceleration and automatically identifying the most critical parts of the church as well as the
failure mechanism active, to compare with the 28 possible local collapse mechanisms provided
by the Italian Guidelines on the built heritage.
The aim of the approach proposed is to put at disposal to practitioners working in developing countries, simple but effective numerical instruments to have a reliable evaluation of the load carrying capacity of existing buildings and to propose the most suitable strengthening intervention, with a quantitative indication of the vulnerability reduction
masonry church (Chiesa del Rosario) located in Finale Emilia, a town stricken by the May
2012 Emilia Romagna seismic event. The church exhibits a diffused state of damage on the
façade (rocking along a horizontal hinge), lateral nave walls (shear), transect (shear and outof-
plane bending) and bell tower (detachment at the connection of the tower to the church
and subsequent rotation along a vertical axis). The approach adopted is multidisciplinary and
it is conducted within a research project that involves the Technical Universities of Milan, the
Technical University of Bari and the Italian Cultural and Architectural Heritage Ministry
(MiBAC). The survey analyses conducted comprise a detailed geometric recover of the volumes
and materials used, basing on post-seismic photogrammetric studies, historical research
on existing documentation and repeated in situ investigation. Preliminary structural
analyses are conducted in agreement with the Italian Code. In particular, full pushover analyses
on a detailed FE discretization are performed, providing an estimate of failure seismic
acceleration and automatically identifying the most critical parts of the church as well as the
failure mechanism active, to compare with the 28 possible local collapse mechanisms provided
by the Italian Guidelines on the built heritage.
In order to further gain confidence on result of linear static analyses, nonlinear static analyses are carried out on the three best models which are selected from the various models where steel bands are provided. Three damage states are assumed for each set of strengthening scheme in addition to the undamaged model. The final capacity curve for each strengthened and un-strengthened models are developed using the results of Static Push Over analysis over the damaged and undamaged models. The models are further analyzed by varying width and thickness of the steel bands used. Analysis of the results is carried out and equation governing the increase in strength of the structure due to use of steel bands for strengthening has been developed.
Now days, people have started using cement, bricks, reinforcements etc. in forming traditional houses. But lack of the technical knowledge about the use of material, usually kept them away from the achievement of the maximum benefit from these materials in their rural houses. Today the engineers have designed low cost housing for the poor people. But it seems that design of a house using the locally available material will be of lowest cost and may act better even in terms of functional efficiency. For such houses safety is also a prime factor. Therefore, in this paper, the vulnerable areas are identified and strengthening evaluation was carried out as suggested by NICEE for non-engineered structures. The work consist of physical inspection of the structures and a 3-D and 2-D model of the house is developed using a Finite Element Code, SAP 2000 and linear and non linear analysis is done to determine the most critical areas where cracking, yielding or failure of structural elements may take place and necessary scheme will be evaluated to check the suitability with the structure. Besides the cost involved in construction and the energy consumption by the rural houses is also discussed. The paper also express the opportunity for the entrepreneurs in rural technology development in the modern world.