Institutional-Repository, University of Moratuwa
Welcome to the University of Moratuwa Digital Repository, which houses postgraduate theses and dissertations, research articles presented at conferences by faculties and departments, university-published journal articles and research publications authored by academic staff. This online repository stores, preserves and distributes the University's scholarly work. This service allows University members to share their research with a larger audience.
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Recent Submissions
item: Conference-Extended-Abstract
Civil Engineering Research Symposium 2026 (Pre-Text)
(Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, 2026) Chandrathilaka, K
A collection of the extended abstracts presented at the
Civil Engineering Research Symposium 2026
item: Conference-Extended-Abstract
Numerical evaluation of shear performance in cold-formed stainless steel supacee section with web openings
(Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, 2026) Ajithmilan, R; Miranda, ERSB; Ishqy, MFM; Poologanathan, K; Chandrathilaka, K
Cold-formed stainless-steel (CFSS) members offer corrosion resistance and lightweight structural efficiency, making them suitable for a range of structural applications. Web openings are commonly introduced into CFSS SupaCee sections to accommodate building services and minimise storey height; however, they reduce the effective web area and consequently the shear capacity. Research on the shear strength reduction caused by circular web openings in CFSS SupaCee sections remains limited. This study presents a numerical investigation of the shear behaviour and capacity of cold-formed duplex stainless-steel (grade 1.4462) SupaCee sections containing unreinforced circular web openings. A parametric study comprising 120 finite element models was undertaken following validation against existing experimental shear test data to investigate the effect of circular web openings on shear capacity. The numerical results were used to develop a third-order polynomial equation for predicting the shear reduction factor. The proposed equation showed close agreement with the finite element results, with a mean FE-to-predicted ratio of 1.0010 and a coefficient of variation of 0.0640.
item: Conference-Extended-Abstract
Analysis and prediction of transition length in circular thin shell deployable booms
(Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, 2026) Ranatunga, RGPM; Mallikarachchi, HMYC; Chandrathilaka, K
Coilable thin shell booms are components of deployable space structures, where the transition from a locally flattened state to the recovered circular cross section governs the extent of geometric disturbance along the boom. This study investigates the transition length of circular thin shell booms using finite element modelling, experimental validation and analytical prediction. Numerical models were developed in Abaqus to examine the influence of boom length, radius and wall thickness. Experimental tests using UPVC tubes showed good agreement with the predicted cross-sectional deformation profiles. The results indicate that transition length becomes independent of boom length once sufficient length is available for complete recovery, while increasing radius increases transition length and increasing wall thickness reduces it. A reduced analytical model based on ovalisation, membrane stretching and circumferential bending was developed and reproduced the observed geometric trends. The proposed model provides a basis for estimating transition length in circular deployable booms.
item: Conference-Extended-Abstract
Multilevel reliability assessment of masonry infill strut models under seismic loading
(Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, 2026) Raheem, S; Thamboo, J; Mallikarachi, C; Wijesundara, K; Dias,P; Chandrathilaka, K
Reinforced concrete frames infilled with masonry walls (RC-IMW) are a commonly used configuration for low-to-medium-rise buildings in Sri Lanka. To analyse their seismic performance, they are represented as equivalent infill strut models in the structural analysis. Several masonry infill strut models have been proposed in the past, yet their reliability is not well assessed. This study evaluates the reliability of five recently developed strut models using the first-order reliability method. An experimental database comprising single-bay singlestorey tests and multi-storey tests was utilised. Non-linear numerical models of infilled frames were developed, and their in-plane load-displacement and time-history responses were compared with the experimental results using mean error and root mean square error. The results showed that the predicted reliability indices of the models vary between 1.03 and 4.13. Subsequently, the weighted sum method, assigning equal weight to all the considered scenarios, was employed to propose the most reliable model.
item: Conference-Extended-Abstract
Comparison of analytical and numerical models for predicting the capacity of dapped-end connections
(Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, 2026) Kumarasinghe, SGMND; Herath, HMST; Rajapakse, RMCM; Chandrathilaka, K
Reinforced concrete (RC) dapped-end connections are widely used in precast concrete structures; however, their abrupt geometric discontinuity results in complex stress distributions and brittle failure mechanisms, making the accurate prediction of their load-carrying capacity a significant engineering challenge. This study compares the predictive performance of representative analytical and numerical models for estimating the ultimate capacity of RC dapped-end connections. Three analytical models, namely the classical Strut-and-Tie Model (STM) proposed by Schlaich and Schäfer, the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) design method, and the Kinematics-Based Model (KBM), were evaluated using the experimental results of eight large-scale, orthogonally reinforced dapped-end specimens from a previous experimental programme. In addition, a nonlinear finite element model was developed in VecTor2 using the Disturbed Stress Field Model (DSFM) and validated against the experimental data. The predicted capacities obtained from each model were compared with the measured ultimate loads. The results showed that the KBM provided the most accurate analytical predictions, while the VecTor2 model also demonstrated excellent agreement with the experimental results. The findings highlight the effectiveness of mechanics-based analytica l and nonlinear numerical models for the reliable assessment of reinforced concrete dapped-end connections.