Different countries adopt different values of thermal expansion coefficients for steel cables in their design specifications, which results in the inconsistency for the design of prestressed structures. Therefore, a systematic study was conducted analytically and experimentally on thermal expansion mechanism of steel cables in this paper. First, the thermal expansion mechanism of steel cables was proposed, and the evaluation approach on the linear thermal expansion coefficient of steel cables was developed. The study identified the parameters that significantly affected the thermal expansion coefficient. After that, six types of steel-wire rope cables were tested by a thermal expansion coefficient measuring instrument. The identified parameters of the thermal expansion coefficient for these steel-wire rope cables were examined to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The analytical analysis further showed that the linear thermal expansion coefficients of these steel cables decreased with the la...

Soil–structure interaction (SSI), which characterizes the dynamic interaction between a structure and its surrounding soil, is of great significance to the seismic assessment of structures. Past research endeavors have undertaken analytical, numerical, and experimental studies to gain a thorough understanding of the influences of SSI on the seismic responses of a wide array of structures, including but not limited to nuclear power plants, frame structures, bridges, and spatial structures. Thereinto, large-span spatial structures generally have much more complex configurations, and the influences of SSI may be more pronounced. To this end, this paper aims to provide a state-of-the-art review of the SSI in the seismic assessment of large-span spatial structures. It begins with the modelling of soil medium, followed by the research progress of SSI in terms of numerical simulations and experiments. Subsequently, the focus shifts towards high-lighting advancements in understanding the seismic responses of large-span spatial structures considering SSI. Finally, some discussions are made on the unresolved problems and the possible topics for future studies.

With global warming in recent years, extreme weather conditions have increased in frequency and intensity, exacerbating the challenges for waterproofing materials. The current stages of SBS asphalt waterproofing membrane aging research mainly focus on the raw materials and modifiers in a single factor; multifactor-coupled aging research is less studied. This study focused on the coupled aging characteristics of SBS-modified asphalt waterproofing membranes, aiming to reveal the mechanism of its influence on the material’s performance under the environmental effects of high temperature and freeze–thaw. Through the accelerated aging test, we simulated the environmental conditions of high temperature in summer and freeze–thaw in winter to observe the mechanical properties of waterproofing membranes, low-temperature flexibility, and apparent phenomena. Then, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) evaluated the performance and chemical structure of SBS-modified asphalt waterproofing membranes after aging by the coupled aging of the thermo-oxidative freeze–thaw cycle. The results showed that the low-temperature flexibility of the waterproofing membranes was significantly reduced after the coupled aging effect, and, at the same time, their tensile strength was also reduced. However, despite the tensile properties being impaired, the membrane maintained good ductility, and its elongation at break did not fall below 47%.