@article{PennerUsherovichNiedermeieretal.2022, author = {Penner, Crystal and Usherovich, Samuel and Niedermeier, Jana and B{\´e}langer-Champagne, Camille and Trinczek, Michael and Paulßen, Elisabeth and Hoehr, Cornelia}, title = {Organic Scintillator-Fibre Sensors for Proton Therapy Dosimetry: SCSF-3HF and EJ-260}, series = {electronics}, volume = {12}, journal = {electronics}, number = {1}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2079-9292}, doi = {10.3390/electronics12010011}, pages = {12 Seiten}, year = {2022}, abstract = {In proton therapy, the dose from secondary neutrons to the patient can contribute to side effects and the creation of secondary cancer. A simple and fast detection system to distinguish between dose from protons and neutrons both in pretreatment verification as well as potentially in vivo monitoring is needed to minimize dose from secondary neutrons. Two 3 mm long, 1 mm diameter organic scintillators were tested for candidacy to be used in a proton-neutron discrimination detector. The SCSF-3HF (1500) scintillating fibre (Kuraray Co. Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan) and EJ-260 plastic scintillator (Eljen Technology, Sweetwater, TX, USA) were irradiated at the TRIUMF Neutron Facility and the Proton Therapy Research Centre. In the proton beam, we compared the raw Bragg peak and spread-out Bragg peak response to the industry standard Markus chamber detector. Both scintillator sensors exhibited quenching at high LET in the Bragg peak, presenting a peak-to-entrance ratio of 2.59 for the EJ-260 and 2.63 for the SCSF-3HF fibre, compared to 3.70 for the Markus chamber. The SCSF-3HF sensor demonstrated 1.3 times the sensitivity to protons and 3 times the sensitivity to neutrons as compared to the EJ-260 sensor. Combined with our equations relating neutron and proton contributions to dose during proton irradiations, and the application of Birks' quenching correction, these fibres provide valid candidates for inexpensive and replicable proton-neutron discrimination detectors}, language = {en} } @article{NiedermeierPennerUsherovichetal.2023, author = {Niedermeier, Jana and Penner, Crystal and Usherovich, Samuel and B{\´e}langer-Champagne, Camille and Paulßen, Elisabeth and Cornelia, Hoehr}, title = {Optical Fibers as Dosimeter Detectors for Mixed Proton/Neutron Fields - A Biological Dosimeter}, series = {electronics}, volume = {12}, journal = {electronics}, number = {2}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2079-9292}, doi = {10.3390/electronics12020324}, pages = {11 Seiten}, year = {2023}, abstract = {In recent years, proton therapy has gained importance as a cancer treatment modality due to its conformality with the tumor and the sparing of healthy tissue. However, in the interaction of the protons with the beam line elements and patient tissues, potentially harmful secondary neutrons are always generated. To ensure that this neutron dose is as low as possible, treatment plans could be created to also account for and minimize the neutron dose. To monitor such a treatment plan, a compact, easy to use, and inexpensive dosimeter must be developed that not only measures the physical dose, but which can also distinguish between proton and neutron contributions. To that end, plastic optical fibers with scintillation materials (Gd₂O₂S:Tb, Gd₂O₂S:Eu, and YVO₄:Eu) were irradiated with protons and neutrons. It was confirmed that sensors with different scintillation materials have different sensitivities to protons and neutrons. A combination of these three scintillators can be used to build a detector array to create a biological dosimeter.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{RosinKubalskiButenweg2013, author = {Rosin, Julia and Kubalski, Thomas and Butenweg, Christoph}, title = {Seismic isolation of cylindrical liquid storage tanks}, series = {Seismic design of industrial facilities}, booktitle = {Seismic design of industrial facilities}, editor = {Klinkel, Sven and Butenweg, Christoph and Lin, Gao and Holtschoppen, Britta}, publisher = {Springer Vieweg}, address = {Wiesbaden}, isbn = {978-3-658-02810-7}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-658-02810-7_36}, pages = {429 -- 440}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Seismic excited liquid filled tanks are subjected to extreme loading due to hydrodynamic pressures, which can lead to nonlinear stability failure of the thinwalled cylindrical tanks, as it is known from past earthquakes. A significant reduction of the seismically induced loads can be obtained by the application of base isolation systems, which have to be designed carefully with respect to the modified hydrodynamic behaviour of the tank in interaction with the liquid. For this reason a highly sophisticated fluid-structure interaction model has to be applied for a realistic simulation of the overall dynamic system. In the following, such a model is presented and compared with the results of simplified mathematical models for rigidly supported tanks. Finally, it is examined to what extent a simple mechanical model can represent the behaviour of a base isolated tank in case of seismic excitation}, language = {en} } @misc{ButenwegGellertReindletal.2009, author = {Butenweg, Christoph and Gellert, Christoph and Reindl, Lukas and Meskouris, Konstantin}, title = {A nonlinear method for the seismic safety verification of masonry buildings}, publisher = {National Technical University of Athens}, address = {Athen}, year = {2009}, abstract = {In order for traditional masonry to stay a competitive building material in seismically active regions there is an urgent demand for modern, deformation-based verification procedures which exploit the nonlinear load bearing reserves. The Capacity Spectrum Method (CSM) is a widely accepted design approach in the field of reinforced concrete and steel construction. It compares the seismic action with the load-bearing capacity of the building considering nonlinear material behavior with its post-peak capacity. The bearing capacity of the building is calculated iteratively using single wall capacity curves. This paper presents a new approach for the bilinear approximation of single wall capacity curves in the style of EC6/EC8 respectively FEMA 306/FEMA 356 based on recent shear wall test results of the European Collective-Research Project "ESECMaSE". The application of the CSM to masonry structures by using bilinear approximations of capacity curves as input is demonstrated on the example of a typical German residential home.}, language = {en} } @article{ŠakićMarinkovićButenwegetal.2023, author = {Šakić, Bogdan and Marinković, Marko and Butenweg, Christoph and Klinkel, Sven}, title = {Influence of slab deflection on the out-of-plane capacity of unreinforced masonry partition walls}, series = {Engineering Structures}, volume = {276}, journal = {Engineering Structures}, editor = {Yang, J.}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0141-0296}, doi = {10.1016/j.engstruct.2022.115342}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Severe damage of non-structural elements is noticed in previous earthquakes, causing high economic losses and posing a life threat for the people. Masonry partition walls are one of the most commonly used non-structural elements. Therefore, their behaviour under earthquake loading in out-of-plane (OOP) direction is investigated by several researches in the past years. However, none of the existing experimental campaigns or analytical approaches consider the influence of prior slab deflection on OOP response of partition walls. Moreover, none of the existing construction techniques for the connection of partition walls with surrounding reinforced concrete (RC) is investigated for the combined slab deflection and OOP loading. However, the inevitable time-dependent behaviour of RC slabs leads to high values of final slab deflections which can further influence boundary conditions of partition walls. Therefore, a comprehensive study on the influence of slab deflection on the OOP capacity of masonry partitions is conducted. In the first step, experimental tests are carried out. Results of experimental tests are further used for the calibration of the numerical model employed for a parametric study. Based on the results, behaviour under combined loading for different construction techniques is explained. The results show that slab deflection leads either to severe damage or to a high reduction of OOP capacity. Existing practical solutions do not account for these effects. In this contribution, recommendations to overcome the problems of combined slab deflection and OOP loading on masonry partition walls are given. Possible interaction of in-plane (IP) loading, with the combined slab deflection and OOP loading on partition walls, is not investigated in this study.}, language = {en} } @article{MorandiButenwegBreisetal.2022, author = {Morandi, Paolo and Butenweg, Christoph and Breis, Khaled and Beyer, Katrin and Magenes, Guido}, title = {Latest findings on the behaviour factor q for the seismic design of URM buildings}, series = {Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering}, volume = {20}, journal = {Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering}, number = {11}, editor = {Ansal, Atilla}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {Cham}, issn = {1573-1456}, doi = {10.1007/s10518-022-01419-7}, pages = {5797 -- 5848}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Recent earthquakes as the 2012 Emilia earthquake sequence showed that recently built unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings behaved much better than expected and sustained, despite the maximum PGA values ranged between 0.20-0.30 g, either minor damage or structural damage that is deemed repairable. Especially low-rise residential and commercial masonry buildings with a code-conforming seismic design and detailing behaved in general very well without substantial damages. The low damage grades of modern masonry buildings that was observed during this earthquake series highlighted again that codified design procedures based on linear analysis can be rather conservative. Although advances in simulation tools make nonlinear calculation methods more readily accessible to designers, linear analyses will still be the standard design method for years to come. The present paper aims to improve the linear seismic design method by providing a proper definition of the q-factor of URM buildings. These q-factors are derived for low-rise URM buildings with rigid diaphragms which represent recent construction practise in low to moderate seismic areas of Italy and Germany. The behaviour factor components for deformation and energy dissipation capacity and for overstrength due to the redistribution of forces are derived by means of pushover analyses. Furthermore, considerations on the behaviour factor component due to other sources of overstrength in masonry buildings are presented. As a result of the investigations, rationally based values of the behaviour factor q to be used in linear analyses in the range of 2.0-3.0 are proposed.}, language = {en} } @article{MarinkovićButenweg2022, author = {Marinković, Marko and Butenweg, Christoph}, title = {Experimental testing of decoupled masonry infills with steel anchors for out-of-plane support under combined in-plane and out-of-plane seismic loading}, series = {Construction and Building Materials}, volume = {318}, journal = {Construction and Building Materials}, number = {1}, editor = {Ford, Michael C.}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1879-0526}, doi = {10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.126041}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Because of simple construction process, high energy efficiency, significant fire resistance and excellent sound isolation, masonry infilled reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures are very popular in most of the countries in the world, as well as in seismic active areas. However, many RC frame structures with masonry infills were seriously damaged during earthquake events, as the traditional infills are generally constructed with direct contact to the RC frame which brings undesirable infill/frame interaction. This interaction leads to the activation of the equivalent diagonal strut in the infill panel, due to the RC frame deformation, and combined with seismically induced loads perpendicular to the infill panel often causes total collapses of the masonry infills and heavy damages to the RC frames. This fact was the motivation for developing different approaches for improving the behaviour of masonry infills, where infill isolation (decoupling) from the frame has been more intensively studied in the last decade. In-plane isolation of the infill wall reduces infill activation, but causes the need for additional measures to restrain out-of-plane movements. This can be provided by installing steel anchors, as proposed by some researchers. Within the framework of European research project INSYSME (Innovative Systems for Earthquake Resistant Masonry Enclosures in Reinforced Concrete Buildings) the system based on a use of elastomers for in-plane decoupling and steel anchors for out-of-plane restrain was tested. This constructive solution was tested and deeply investigated during the experimental campaign where traditional and decoupled masonry infilled RC frames with anchors were subjected to separate and combined in-plane ‬and out-of-plane loading. Based on a detailed evaluation and comparison of the test results, the performance and effectiveness of the developed system are illustrated.}, language = {en} } @article{RossiWinandsButenweg2022, author = {Rossi, Leonardo and Winands, Mark H. M. and Butenweg, Christoph}, title = {Monte Carlo Tree Search as an intelligent search tool in structural design problems}, series = {Engineering with Computers : An International Journal for Simulation-Based Engineering}, volume = {38}, journal = {Engineering with Computers : An International Journal for Simulation-Based Engineering}, number = {4}, editor = {Zhang, Jessica}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {Cham}, issn = {1435-5663}, doi = {10.1007/s00366-021-01338-2}, pages = {3219 -- 3236}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) is a search technique that in the last decade emerged as a major breakthrough for Artificial Intelligence applications regarding board- and video-games. In 2016, AlphaGo, an MCTS-based software agent, outperformed the human world champion of the board game Go. This game was for long considered almost infeasible for machines, due to its immense search space and the need for a long-term strategy. Since this historical success, MCTS is considered as an effective new approach for many other scientific and technical problems. Interestingly, civil structural engineering, as a discipline, offers many tasks whose solution may benefit from intelligent search and in particular from adopting MCTS as a search tool. In this work, we show how MCTS can be adapted to search for suitable solutions of a structural engineering design problem. The problem consists of choosing the load-bearing elements in a reference reinforced concrete structure, so to achieve a set of specific dynamic characteristics. In the paper, we report the results obtained by applying both a plain and a hybrid version of single-agent MCTS. The hybrid approach consists of an integration of both MCTS and classic Genetic Algorithm (GA), the latter also serving as a term of comparison for the results. The study's outcomes may open new perspectives for the adoption of MCTS as a design tool for civil engineers.}, language = {en} } @article{ButenwegBursiPaolaccietal.2021, author = {Butenweg, Christoph and Bursi, Oreste S. and Paolacci, Fabrizio and Marinković, Marko and Lanese, Igor and Nardin, Chiara and Quinci, Gianluca}, title = {Seismic performance of an industrial multi-storey frame structure with process equipment subjected to shake table testing}, series = {Engineering Structures}, volume = {243}, journal = {Engineering Structures}, number = {15}, editor = {Yang, J.}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0141-0296}, doi = {10.1016/j.engstruct.2021.112681}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Past earthquakes demonstrated the high vulnerability of industrial facilities equipped with complex process technologies leading to serious damage of process equipment and multiple and simultaneous release of hazardous substances. Nonetheless, current standards for seismic design of industrial facilities are considered inadequate to guarantee proper safety conditions against exceptional events entailing loss of containment and related consequences. On these premises, the SPIF project -Seismic Performance of Multi-Component Systems in Special Risk Industrial Facilities- was proposed within the framework of the European H2020 SERA funding scheme. In detail, the objective of the SPIF project is the investigation of the seismic behaviour of a representative industrial multi-storey frame structure equipped with complex process components by means of shaking table tests. Along this main vein and in a performance-based design perspective, the issues investigated in depth are the interaction between a primary moment resisting frame (MRF) steel structure and secondary process components that influence the performance of the whole system; and a proper check of floor spectra predictions. The evaluation of experimental data clearly shows a favourable performance of the MRF structure, some weaknesses of local details due to the interaction between floor crossbeams and process components and, finally, the overconservatism of current design standards w.r.t. floor spectra predictions.}, language = {en} } @article{BaringhausGaigall2017, author = {Baringhaus, Ludwig and Gaigall, Daniel}, title = {On Hotelling's T² test in a special paired sample case}, series = {Communications in Statistics - Theory and Methods}, volume = {48}, journal = {Communications in Statistics - Theory and Methods}, number = {2}, publisher = {Taylor \& Francis}, address = {London}, issn = {1532-415X}, doi = {10.1080/03610926.2017.1408828}, pages = {257 -- 267}, year = {2017}, abstract = {In a special paired sample case, Hotelling's T² test based on the differences of the paired random vectors is the likelihood ratio test for testing the hypothesis that the paired random vectors have the same mean; with respect to a special group of affine linear transformations it is the uniformly most powerful invariant test for the general alternative of a difference in mean. We present an elementary straightforward proof of this result. The likelihood ratio test for testing the hypothesis that the covariance structure is of the assumed special form is derived and discussed. Applications to real data are given.}, language = {en} }