This study examines the temperature field distribution characteristics and temperature effects during the prefabrication of composite box girders with corrugated steel webs(CBGCSWs),aiming to provide practical recomme...This study examines the temperature field distribution characteristics and temperature effects during the prefabrication of composite box girders with corrugated steel webs(CBGCSWs),aiming to provide practical recommendations for controlling temperature-induced cracking and technical guidance for concrete mix proportions and placement processes.Based on field measurement data,a three-dimensional finite element model was developed to simulate the temperature effects at critical locations during the prefabrication phase.By varying the concrete mix proportions,initial casting temperature,and ambient temperature,the study elucidates the variation patterns of the temperature field during precast placement.The results show that the temperature rise caused by hydration heat increases with higher cement and fly ash content,whereas reducing cement and using minimal fly ash effectively lower the hydration temperature.However,the influence of fly ash on prestress losses should be carefully evaluated during the design phase.Higher initial casting temperatures accelerate hydration rates,leading to a rapid temperature rise.Significant differences between the initial casting and ambient temperatures result in larger residual temperature stresses.Based on concrete mix proportions,curing conditions,and ambient temperatures,three recommended casting temperature ranges were identified:5℃–10℃,10℃–25℃,and 25℃–30℃.Variations in the average ambient temperature affect the peak temperature of the hydration reaction and indirectly influence the final temperature distribution of the concrete structure.Optimizing the demolding time and applying geotextiles and water curing effectively reduces the peak temperature,maximum internal-to-surface temperature gradients,and surface tensile stresses,thereby mitigating the risk of temperature-induced cracking.展开更多
Corrugated steel web is folded along the longitudinal direction and has the mechanical properties such as axial compression stiffness corrugation effect, shear modulus corrugation effect, similar to that of an accordi...Corrugated steel web is folded along the longitudinal direction and has the mechanical properties such as axial compression stiffness corrugation effect, shear modulus corrugation effect, similar to that of an accordion. In order to study the lateral-torsional buckling of box beams with corrugated steel webs (BBCSW) under the action of bending moment load, the neutral equilibrium equation of BBCSW under the action of bending moment load is derived through the stationary value theory of total potential energy and further, along with taking Kollbrunner-Hajdin correction method and the mechanical properties of the corrugated web into consideration. The analytical calculation formula of lateral-torsional buckling critical bending moment of BBCSW is then obtained. The lateral-torsional buckling critical bending moment of 96 BBCSW test specimens with different geometry dimensions are then calculated using both the analytical calculation method and ANSYS finite element method. The results show that the analytical calculation results agree well with the numerical calculation results using ANSYS, thus proving the accuracy of the analytical calculation method and model simplification hypothesis proposed in this paper. Also, compared with the box beams with flat steel webs (BBFSW) with the same geometry dimensions as BBCSW, within the common range of web space-depth ratio and web span-depth ratio, BBCSW’s lateral-torsional buckling critical bending moment is larger than that of BBFSW. Moreover, the advantages of BBCSW’s stability are even more significant with the increase of web space-depth ratio and web depth-thickness ratio.展开更多
The synergistic use of partially encased concrete and composite girders with corrugated steel webs (CGCSWs) has been proposed to avoid the buckling of corrugated steel webs and compression steel flanges under large ...The synergistic use of partially encased concrete and composite girders with corrugated steel webs (CGCSWs) has been proposed to avoid the buckling of corrugated steel webs and compression steel flanges under large combined shear force and bending moment in the hogging area. First, model tests were carried out on two specimens with different shear spans to investigate the mechanical behavior, including the load-carrying capacity, failure modes, flexural and shear stress distribution, and development of concrete cracking. Experimental results show that the interaction of shear force and bending moment causes the failure of specimens. The bending-to-shear ratio does not affect the shear stiffness of a composite girder in the elastic stage when concrete cracking does not exist, but significantly influ- ences the shear stiffness after concrete cracking. In addition, composite sections in the elastic stage sat- isfy the assumption of the plane section under combined shear force and bending moment. However, after concrete cracking in the tension field, the normal stresses of a corrugated web in the tension area become small due to the "accordion effect," with almost zero stress at the flat panels but recognizable stress at the inclined panels. Second, three-dimensional finite-element (FE) models considering material and geometric nonlinearity were built and validated by experiments, and parametric analyses were conducted on composite girders with different lengths and heights to determine their load-carrying capacity when subjected to combined loads. Finally, an interaction formula with respect to shear and flexural strength is offered on the basis of experimental and numerical results in order to evaluate the load- carrying capacity of such composite structures, thereby providing a reference for the design of partially encased composite girders with corrugated steel webs (PECGCSWs) under combined flexural and shear loads.展开更多
To figure out the distribution of temperature gradient along the girder height of steel-concrete composite box girder, combined with the mechanical characteristics of prestressed concrete composed box girder with corr...To figure out the distribution of temperature gradient along the girder height of steel-concrete composite box girder, combined with the mechanical characteristics of prestressed concrete composed box girder with corrugated steel webs, the calculation formulas of cross-sectional temperature stress along the span in a simply-supported beam bridge with composite section were derived under the conditions of static equilibrium and deformation compatibility of the beam element. The methods of calculating the maximum temperature stress value were discussed when the connectors are assumed rigid or flexible. Theoretical and numerical results indicate that the method proposed shows better precision for the calculation of temperature self-stress in both the top and the bottom surfaces of the box girder. Moreover, the regularity of temperature stress distribution at different locations along the girder span is that the largest axial force of the top or the bottom plate of the box girder is located in the midspan and spreads decreasingly until zero at both supported ends, and that the greatest longitudinal shear density in steel-concrete interface appears at both supported ends and then reduces gradually to zero in the midspan.展开更多
A novel approach for analyzing coupled vibrations between vehicles and bridges is presented,taking into account spatiotemporal effects and mechanical phenomena resulting fromvehicle braking.Efficient modeling and solu...A novel approach for analyzing coupled vibrations between vehicles and bridges is presented,taking into account spatiotemporal effects and mechanical phenomena resulting fromvehicle braking.Efficient modeling and solution of bridge vibrations induced by vehicle deceleration are realized using this method.The method’s validity and reliability are substantiated through numerical examples.A simply supported beam bridge with a corrugated steel web is taken as an example and the effects of parameters such as the initial vehicle speed,braking acceleration,braking location,and road surface roughness on the mid-span displacement and impact factor of the bridge are analyzed.The results show that vehicle braking significantly amplifies mid-span displacement and impact factor responses in comparison to uniform vehicular motion across the bridge.Notably,the influence of wheelto-bridge friction forces is of particular significance and cannot be overlooked.When the vehicle initiates braking near the middle of the span,both the mid-span displacement and impact factor of the bridge exhibit substantial increases,further escalating with higher braking acceleration.Under favorable road surface conditions,the midspan displacement and the impact factor during vehicle braking may exceed the design values stipulated by codes.It is important to note that road surface roughness exerts a more pronounced effect on the impact factor of the bridge in comparison to the effects of vehicle braking.展开更多
In this paper,the construction process of a cable-stayed bridge with corrugated steel webs was monitored.Moreover,the end performance of the bridge was verified by load test.Owing to the consideration of the bridge st...In this paper,the construction process of a cable-stayed bridge with corrugated steel webs was monitored.Moreover,the end performance of the bridge was verified by load test.Owing to the consideration of the bridge structure safety,it is necessary to monitor the main girder deflection,stress,construction error and safety state during construction.Furthermore,to verify whether the bridge can meet the design requirements,the static and dynamic load tests are carried out after the completion of the bridge.The results of construction monitoring show that the stress state of the structure during construction is basically consistent with the theoretical calculation and design requirements,and both meet the design and specification requirements.The final measured stress state of the structure is within the allowable range of the cable-stayed bridge,and the stress state of the structure is normal and meets the specification requirements.The results of load tests show that the measured deflection values of the mid-span section of the main girder are less than the theoretical calculation values.The maximum deflection of the girder is−20.90 mm,which is less than−22.00 mm of the theoretical value,indicating that the girder has sufficient structural stiffness.The maximum impact coefficient under dynamic load test is 1.08,which is greater than 1.05 of theoretical value,indicating that the impact effect of heavy-duty truck on this type of bridge is larger.This study can provide important reference value for construction and maintenance of similar corrugated steel web cable-stayed bridges.展开更多
Fatigue is usually the cause for the cracks identified at bridge elements in service. With an increase in the introduction of corrugated steel web girders in recent highway bridge construction, the understanding of th...Fatigue is usually the cause for the cracks identified at bridge elements in service. With an increase in the introduction of corrugated steel web girders in recent highway bridge construction, the understanding of the fatigue behaviour of welded details in such structures becomes an important issue for the design. The typical welded details were represented as welded joints assembled by longitudinal corrugated plates. All the experiments were performed under fatigue loading using a servo-control testing machine. The test results from the failure mode observation with the aid of infrared thermo-graph technology show that the failure manner of these welded joints is comparable to that of the corrugated steel web beams reported previously. It is indicated from the stiffness degradation analysis that the welded joints with larger corrugation angle have higher stiffness and greater stiffness degradation in the notable stiffness degradation range. It is shown from the test S-N relations based on the free regression and forced regression analyses that there is a good linear dependence between lg(N) and lg(ΔS). It is also demonstrated that the proposed fracture mechanics analytical model is able to give a prediction slightly lower but on the safe side for the mean stresses at 2 million cycles of the test welded joints.展开更多
A triangular web profile (TriWP) is a modified section where the flanges are connected to a web plate of triangular profile. This study examined the torsional behavior of TriWP steel sections and compared to that of...A triangular web profile (TriWP) is a modified section where the flanges are connected to a web plate of triangular profile. This study examined the torsional behavior of TriWP steel sections and compared to that of the fiat web (FW) steel sections. Three types of specimen sizes were used: 180 mmx 75 mm × 5 mm× 2 mm, 200 mm × 100 mm× 8 mm ×6 mm, and 200 mm× 100 mm × 6 mm× 5 mm. All the specimens were loaded vertically until the maximum load was achieved and then the load was released. For both types of specimens, it was observed that the torsional rotation for bigger size [200 mm× 100 mm× 8 mm × 6 mm] were smaller than that of smaller size [ 180 mm × 75 mm×5 mm× 2 mm] of the specimens. At the maximum torsional loading, the experimental result was compared to the theoretical calculation. The comparison showed that the percentage difference ranged from 1.10% to 16.80%. From the graph of torsional load versus rotational angle, the torsional rotation for all TriWP steel sections were smaller than that of the FW steel section under the same torsional loading i.e., 0.2 kNm and 1 kNm. The range between FW and TriWP were 3.74 to 71.83 at 0.2 kNm while 14.5 to 75.1 at 1.0 kNm. The findings were shown that the TriWP steel sections had better resistance against torsion in comparison to FW steel section.展开更多
Concrete encased with trapezoidally corrugated web profiled cold-formed steel beams are used worldwide to improve resistance toward fire and corrosion,higher load carrying capacity as well as significant increase in t...Concrete encased with trapezoidally corrugated web profiled cold-formed steel beams are used worldwide to improve resistance toward fire and corrosion,higher load carrying capacity as well as significant increase in the bending stiffness by encasing concrete on the beam portion.The present work gives a detailed description on the experimental,analytical and numerical investigation on the flexural behavior of concrete encased trapezoidally corrugated web profiled cold-formed steel beams which were simply supported at both ends and subjected to two point symmetric loading.The flexural behavior of such structure has been experimentally tested to failure under pure bending.To find the effct of concrete encasement in the web,12 experiments were conducted by two different series.Beams having three different web corrugation angles of 0°,30°,and 45°with two different web depth-thickness(dw/tw)ratios of 60 and 80 were tested.Experimental results such as load-deflection relationship,ultimate capacity,load-strain relationship,moment-curvature curves,ductility and failure mode indices of the specimens are presented.From the static bending tests the concrete encased trapezoidally corugated web beam showed improved moment carrying capacity,ductility bchavior and the resistance to transverse deflections in comparison to concrete encased with plain web beam.Especially for the beams with concrete encased 30°trapezoidally corrugated web having(dw/tw)ratio 60 and 80,the loading capacity was improved about 54%and 67.3%and the ductility also increased about l.6 and 3.6 times,when compared to concrete encased beams with plain web.This research should contribute to the future engineering applications on seismic resistant structures and efficient usage of concrete encased with cold-formed steel beams by exhibiting its super elasto-plastic property.The analytical and numerical results showed good agreement with the experimental results at yield load,which indicates that the proposed analytical equations can be applied in predicting flexural strength accurately for such concrete encased trapezoidally corrugated web profiled cold-formed steel beams.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(U22A20598,52279113)Key Research and Development Special Program of Henan Province(241111322500)Support Plan for University Science and Technology Innovation Team of Henan Province(24IRTSTHN009).
文摘This study examines the temperature field distribution characteristics and temperature effects during the prefabrication of composite box girders with corrugated steel webs(CBGCSWs),aiming to provide practical recommendations for controlling temperature-induced cracking and technical guidance for concrete mix proportions and placement processes.Based on field measurement data,a three-dimensional finite element model was developed to simulate the temperature effects at critical locations during the prefabrication phase.By varying the concrete mix proportions,initial casting temperature,and ambient temperature,the study elucidates the variation patterns of the temperature field during precast placement.The results show that the temperature rise caused by hydration heat increases with higher cement and fly ash content,whereas reducing cement and using minimal fly ash effectively lower the hydration temperature.However,the influence of fly ash on prestress losses should be carefully evaluated during the design phase.Higher initial casting temperatures accelerate hydration rates,leading to a rapid temperature rise.Significant differences between the initial casting and ambient temperatures result in larger residual temperature stresses.Based on concrete mix proportions,curing conditions,and ambient temperatures,three recommended casting temperature ranges were identified:5℃–10℃,10℃–25℃,and 25℃–30℃.Variations in the average ambient temperature affect the peak temperature of the hydration reaction and indirectly influence the final temperature distribution of the concrete structure.Optimizing the demolding time and applying geotextiles and water curing effectively reduces the peak temperature,maximum internal-to-surface temperature gradients,and surface tensile stresses,thereby mitigating the risk of temperature-induced cracking.
基金Projects(51408449,51778630)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(2018zzts189)supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,China
文摘Corrugated steel web is folded along the longitudinal direction and has the mechanical properties such as axial compression stiffness corrugation effect, shear modulus corrugation effect, similar to that of an accordion. In order to study the lateral-torsional buckling of box beams with corrugated steel webs (BBCSW) under the action of bending moment load, the neutral equilibrium equation of BBCSW under the action of bending moment load is derived through the stationary value theory of total potential energy and further, along with taking Kollbrunner-Hajdin correction method and the mechanical properties of the corrugated web into consideration. The analytical calculation formula of lateral-torsional buckling critical bending moment of BBCSW is then obtained. The lateral-torsional buckling critical bending moment of 96 BBCSW test specimens with different geometry dimensions are then calculated using both the analytical calculation method and ANSYS finite element method. The results show that the analytical calculation results agree well with the numerical calculation results using ANSYS, thus proving the accuracy of the analytical calculation method and model simplification hypothesis proposed in this paper. Also, compared with the box beams with flat steel webs (BBFSW) with the same geometry dimensions as BBCSW, within the common range of web space-depth ratio and web span-depth ratio, BBCSW’s lateral-torsional buckling critical bending moment is larger than that of BBFSW. Moreover, the advantages of BBCSW’s stability are even more significant with the increase of web space-depth ratio and web depth-thickness ratio.
基金The authors gratefully thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51308070, 51408070, and 51378080), the National Basic Research Program of China (2015CB057702), the Key Discipline Fund of Creative Project of Bridge and Tunnel Engineering (13ZDXK04) from the Changsha University of Science and Technology, the Open Fund of the Hunan Province University Key Laboratory of Bridge Engineering (13KA04), and the Applied Basic Research Program of Shanxi Province for their support,
文摘The synergistic use of partially encased concrete and composite girders with corrugated steel webs (CGCSWs) has been proposed to avoid the buckling of corrugated steel webs and compression steel flanges under large combined shear force and bending moment in the hogging area. First, model tests were carried out on two specimens with different shear spans to investigate the mechanical behavior, including the load-carrying capacity, failure modes, flexural and shear stress distribution, and development of concrete cracking. Experimental results show that the interaction of shear force and bending moment causes the failure of specimens. The bending-to-shear ratio does not affect the shear stiffness of a composite girder in the elastic stage when concrete cracking does not exist, but significantly influ- ences the shear stiffness after concrete cracking. In addition, composite sections in the elastic stage sat- isfy the assumption of the plane section under combined shear force and bending moment. However, after concrete cracking in the tension field, the normal stresses of a corrugated web in the tension area become small due to the "accordion effect," with almost zero stress at the flat panels but recognizable stress at the inclined panels. Second, three-dimensional finite-element (FE) models considering material and geometric nonlinearity were built and validated by experiments, and parametric analyses were conducted on composite girders with different lengths and heights to determine their load-carrying capacity when subjected to combined loads. Finally, an interaction formula with respect to shear and flexural strength is offered on the basis of experimental and numerical results in order to evaluate the load- carrying capacity of such composite structures, thereby providing a reference for the design of partially encased composite girders with corrugated steel webs (PECGCSWs) under combined flexural and shear loads.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50978105)
文摘To figure out the distribution of temperature gradient along the girder height of steel-concrete composite box girder, combined with the mechanical characteristics of prestressed concrete composed box girder with corrugated steel webs, the calculation formulas of cross-sectional temperature stress along the span in a simply-supported beam bridge with composite section were derived under the conditions of static equilibrium and deformation compatibility of the beam element. The methods of calculating the maximum temperature stress value were discussed when the connectors are assumed rigid or flexible. Theoretical and numerical results indicate that the method proposed shows better precision for the calculation of temperature self-stress in both the top and the bottom surfaces of the box girder. Moreover, the regularity of temperature stress distribution at different locations along the girder span is that the largest axial force of the top or the bottom plate of the box girder is located in the midspan and spreads decreasingly until zero at both supported ends, and that the greatest longitudinal shear density in steel-concrete interface appears at both supported ends and then reduces gradually to zero in the midspan.
基金supported by the Henan Provincial Science and Technology Research Project under Grant(152102310295).
文摘A novel approach for analyzing coupled vibrations between vehicles and bridges is presented,taking into account spatiotemporal effects and mechanical phenomena resulting fromvehicle braking.Efficient modeling and solution of bridge vibrations induced by vehicle deceleration are realized using this method.The method’s validity and reliability are substantiated through numerical examples.A simply supported beam bridge with a corrugated steel web is taken as an example and the effects of parameters such as the initial vehicle speed,braking acceleration,braking location,and road surface roughness on the mid-span displacement and impact factor of the bridge are analyzed.The results show that vehicle braking significantly amplifies mid-span displacement and impact factor responses in comparison to uniform vehicular motion across the bridge.Notably,the influence of wheelto-bridge friction forces is of particular significance and cannot be overlooked.When the vehicle initiates braking near the middle of the span,both the mid-span displacement and impact factor of the bridge exhibit substantial increases,further escalating with higher braking acceleration.Under favorable road surface conditions,the midspan displacement and the impact factor during vehicle braking may exceed the design values stipulated by codes.It is important to note that road surface roughness exerts a more pronounced effect on the impact factor of the bridge in comparison to the effects of vehicle braking.
基金We would like to express our deep gratitude to the 2021 Liaoning Province Doctoral Research Start-Up Fund Project(2021-BS-168)for financial support.
文摘In this paper,the construction process of a cable-stayed bridge with corrugated steel webs was monitored.Moreover,the end performance of the bridge was verified by load test.Owing to the consideration of the bridge structure safety,it is necessary to monitor the main girder deflection,stress,construction error and safety state during construction.Furthermore,to verify whether the bridge can meet the design requirements,the static and dynamic load tests are carried out after the completion of the bridge.The results of construction monitoring show that the stress state of the structure during construction is basically consistent with the theoretical calculation and design requirements,and both meet the design and specification requirements.The final measured stress state of the structure is within the allowable range of the cable-stayed bridge,and the stress state of the structure is normal and meets the specification requirements.The results of load tests show that the measured deflection values of the mid-span section of the main girder are less than the theoretical calculation values.The maximum deflection of the girder is−20.90 mm,which is less than−22.00 mm of the theoretical value,indicating that the girder has sufficient structural stiffness.The maximum impact coefficient under dynamic load test is 1.08,which is greater than 1.05 of theoretical value,indicating that the impact effect of heavy-duty truck on this type of bridge is larger.This study can provide important reference value for construction and maintenance of similar corrugated steel web cable-stayed bridges.
基金Projects(51308363,11327801)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(2013-1792-9-4)supported by the Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese ScholarsProject(YJ201307)supported by the Start-up Research Fund for Introduced Talents of Sichuan University,China
文摘Fatigue is usually the cause for the cracks identified at bridge elements in service. With an increase in the introduction of corrugated steel web girders in recent highway bridge construction, the understanding of the fatigue behaviour of welded details in such structures becomes an important issue for the design. The typical welded details were represented as welded joints assembled by longitudinal corrugated plates. All the experiments were performed under fatigue loading using a servo-control testing machine. The test results from the failure mode observation with the aid of infrared thermo-graph technology show that the failure manner of these welded joints is comparable to that of the corrugated steel web beams reported previously. It is indicated from the stiffness degradation analysis that the welded joints with larger corrugation angle have higher stiffness and greater stiffness degradation in the notable stiffness degradation range. It is shown from the test S-N relations based on the free regression and forced regression analyses that there is a good linear dependence between lg(N) and lg(ΔS). It is also demonstrated that the proposed fracture mechanics analytical model is able to give a prediction slightly lower but on the safe side for the mean stresses at 2 million cycles of the test welded joints.
文摘A triangular web profile (TriWP) is a modified section where the flanges are connected to a web plate of triangular profile. This study examined the torsional behavior of TriWP steel sections and compared to that of the fiat web (FW) steel sections. Three types of specimen sizes were used: 180 mmx 75 mm × 5 mm× 2 mm, 200 mm × 100 mm× 8 mm ×6 mm, and 200 mm× 100 mm × 6 mm× 5 mm. All the specimens were loaded vertically until the maximum load was achieved and then the load was released. For both types of specimens, it was observed that the torsional rotation for bigger size [200 mm× 100 mm× 8 mm × 6 mm] were smaller than that of smaller size [ 180 mm × 75 mm×5 mm× 2 mm] of the specimens. At the maximum torsional loading, the experimental result was compared to the theoretical calculation. The comparison showed that the percentage difference ranged from 1.10% to 16.80%. From the graph of torsional load versus rotational angle, the torsional rotation for all TriWP steel sections were smaller than that of the FW steel section under the same torsional loading i.e., 0.2 kNm and 1 kNm. The range between FW and TriWP were 3.74 to 71.83 at 0.2 kNm while 14.5 to 75.1 at 1.0 kNm. The findings were shown that the TriWP steel sections had better resistance against torsion in comparison to FW steel section.
文摘Concrete encased with trapezoidally corrugated web profiled cold-formed steel beams are used worldwide to improve resistance toward fire and corrosion,higher load carrying capacity as well as significant increase in the bending stiffness by encasing concrete on the beam portion.The present work gives a detailed description on the experimental,analytical and numerical investigation on the flexural behavior of concrete encased trapezoidally corrugated web profiled cold-formed steel beams which were simply supported at both ends and subjected to two point symmetric loading.The flexural behavior of such structure has been experimentally tested to failure under pure bending.To find the effct of concrete encasement in the web,12 experiments were conducted by two different series.Beams having three different web corrugation angles of 0°,30°,and 45°with two different web depth-thickness(dw/tw)ratios of 60 and 80 were tested.Experimental results such as load-deflection relationship,ultimate capacity,load-strain relationship,moment-curvature curves,ductility and failure mode indices of the specimens are presented.From the static bending tests the concrete encased trapezoidally corugated web beam showed improved moment carrying capacity,ductility bchavior and the resistance to transverse deflections in comparison to concrete encased with plain web beam.Especially for the beams with concrete encased 30°trapezoidally corrugated web having(dw/tw)ratio 60 and 80,the loading capacity was improved about 54%and 67.3%and the ductility also increased about l.6 and 3.6 times,when compared to concrete encased beams with plain web.This research should contribute to the future engineering applications on seismic resistant structures and efficient usage of concrete encased with cold-formed steel beams by exhibiting its super elasto-plastic property.The analytical and numerical results showed good agreement with the experimental results at yield load,which indicates that the proposed analytical equations can be applied in predicting flexural strength accurately for such concrete encased trapezoidally corrugated web profiled cold-formed steel beams.