Cable-stayed bridges have gained greater coverage in the last few decades. This study focuses mainly on two parameters. Firstly, the shape of pylons; the performance of many shapes is investigated after being exposed to an earthquake. Secondly, the effect of changing deck width of an inverted Y-shaped pylon with variation in main span length. The numerical study was performed using MIDAS civil software. It was concluded that the most efficient pylon shape in terms of seismic performance was that of pyramid shape followed by a delta shape. In addition, it was found that changing deck width for the same main span gives a negligible difference to normalized shear force.

A 3D finite element model (FEM) for predicting the distribution of lateral pressure in a square flexible walled steel silo during the filling phase was analyzed in this study. The numerical approach, developed using Abaqus software, predicts the stress state in bulk solids, as well as the pressures exerted on the silo walls. An elasto-plastic model using the Drucker–Prager criterion was employed to simulate the behavior of the granular materials. The FEM simulates the behavior of the bulk solid and its interaction with the silo’s wall and base using a surface-to-surface discretization model. The model’s predictions were validated by previous experimental measurements. The results revealed good agreement between the FEM predictions and the experimental measurements. The research confirms that the lateral pressure distribution is not uniform at any silo level. This highlights the fact that many available theories and current design codes are not accurate for flexible steel walls. As a result of the wall’s deformability, pressure regimes on the silo wall change significantly in the horizontal direction at any level. The results showed that the horizontal variations of lateral pressure change drastically with regard to wall stiffness. The FEM has been used to investigate the effect of critical parameters on wall pressure distribution, such as properties of bulk solids, wall thickness, and silo type, whether deep or flat.

Using recycled aggregate in the construction of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings has become essential to reduce the waste produced from demolished buildings. In this paper, the influence of using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) in strengthening of RC beams with recycled coarse aggregate (RCA), as a partial/full replacement for natural coarse aggregate (NCA), was experimentally investigated. Twelve RC beams with various RCA ratios (0%, 30%, 70%, and 100%) were prepared and tested under four-point loading. Four beams without CFRP were tested till failure while the other eight beams were subjected to service loads then strengthened using CFRP and re-tested till failure. The cracking pattern, deflection, as well as strain in longitudinal and transversal reinforcement were recorded. The failure loads of the tested beams were compared to those predicted from various international design codes. Results showed that the flexural cracks appeared in specimens with 100% RCA earlier than those with NCA. Moreover, the increase in RCA% resulted in resisting tensile stresses by stirrups at a lower load value and achieving a more ductile behavior. Also, the experimental results showed that including RCA in beams slightly decreased the failure load for both strengthened and un-strengthened RC beams. Furthermore, beams with higher amount of RCA experienced more deflections than those with lower amount of RCA. Such behavior was found more prominent in the CFRP strengthened beams.