Codes EN 1993 and EN 1994 require to take into account actual joint characteristics in the global analysis. In order to implement the semi-rigid connection effects in frame design, knowledge of joint rotation characteristics ($M-{\phi}$ relationship), or at least three basic joint properties, namely the moment resistance $M_R$, the rotational stiffness $S_j$ and rotation capacity, is required. To avoid expensive experimental tests many methods for predicting joint parameters were developed. The paper presents a comprehensive analytical model that has been developed for predicting the moment resistance $M_R$, initial stiffness $S_{j.ini}$ and rotation capacity of the minor axis, composite, semi-rigid joint. This model is based on so-called component method included in EN 1993 and EN 1994. Comparison with experimental test results shows that a quite good agreement was achieved. A computer program POWZ containing proposed procedure were created. Based on the numerical simulation made with the use of this program and applying regression analysis, simplified equations for main joint properties were also developed.

In order to investigate the flexural bearing capacity of panel zone of diaphragm-through joint between concrete filled square steel tubular column and steel beam, four specimens were tested under static tension loads to study the mechanical properties and bearing capacity of diaphragm-through joints with a failure mode of panel zone. Finite element models of these specimens were developed to simulate the test and compare the predicted failure modes, load-displacement curves and bearing capacities with the experimentally observed. It was found that the tensile load from the steel beam flange is mainly shared by the square steel tube and the diaphragm. The diaphragm plastic zone appears along the cross-section lines enclosed by the square steel tube and the influence of steel beam web on the plastic zone of the steel tube is significant and cannot be neglected. Computational models of yield lines on square steel tube and diaphragm are established based on the distribution pattern of the plastic zone, and an analytical method for the evaluation of the bearing capacity of the joint is proposed. The theoretical results and the experimental data are compared and found in good agreement.

High-strength structural bolts have been utilized for beam-to-column connections in steel-framed structural buildings. Failure of these components may be caused by the bolt shank fracture or threads stripping-off, documented in the literature. Furthermore, these structural bolts are galvanized for corrosion resistance or quenched-and-tempered in the manufacturing process. This paper adopted the finite element simulation to demonstrate discrete mechanical performance for these bolts under tensile loading conditions, the coated and uncoated numerical model has been built up for two numerical integration methods: explicit and implicit. Experimental testing and numerical methods can fully approach the failure mechanism of these bolts and their ultimate load capacities. Comparison has also been conducted for two numerical integration methods, demonstrating that the explicit integration procedure is also suitable for solving quasi-static problems. Furthermore, by using precise bolt models in T-Stub, more accurately simulate the mechanical behavior of T-Stub, which will lay the foundation of the mechanical properties of steel bolted joints.

Third order shear deformation theory is used to evaluate electro-elastic solution of a sandwich plate with considering functionally graded (FG) core and composite face sheets made of piezoelectric layers. The plate is resting on the Pasternak foundation and subjected to normal pressure. Short circuited condition is applied on the top and bottom of piezoelectric layers. The governing differential equations of the system can be derived using Hamilton's principle and Maxwell's equation. The Navier's type solution for a sandwich rectangular thick plate with all edges simply supported is used. The numerical results are presented in terms of varying the parameters of the problem such as two elastic foundation parameters, thickness ratio ($h_p/2h$), and power law index on the dimensionless deflection, critical buckling load, electric potential function, and the natural frequency of sandwich rectangular thick plate. The results show that the dimensionless natural frequency and critical buckling load diminish with an increase in the power law index, and vice versa for dimensionless deflection and electrical potential function, because of the sandwich thick plate with considering FG core becomes more flexible; while these results are reverse for thickness ratio.

Stiffeners have widely been used in lateral load resisting systems to improve the buckling stability of shear panels in steel frames. However, due to major differences between plate girders and steel plate shear walls (SPSWs), use of plate girder equations often leads to uneconomical and, in some cases, incorrect design of stiffeners. Hence, this paper uses finite element analysis (FEA) to describe the effect of the rigidity and arrangement of stiffeners on the buckling behavior of plates. The procedures consider transverse and/or longitudinal stiffeners in various practical configurations. Subsequently, curves and formulas for the design of stiffeners are presented. In addition, the influence of stiffeners on the inward forces subjected to the boundary elements and the tension field angle is investigated as well. The results indicate that the effective application of stiffeners in SPSW systems not only improves the structural behavior, such as stiffness, overall strength and energy absorption, but also leads to a reduction of the forces that are exerted on the boundary elements.

A new unified design formula for calculating the composite compressive strength of the axially loaded circular concrete filled double steel tubular (CFDST) short and slender columns is presented in this paper. The formula is obtained from the analytic solution by using the limit equilibrium theory, the cylinder theory and the "Unified theory" under axial compression. Furthermore, the stability factor of CFDST slender columns is derived on the basis of the Perry-Robertson formula. This paper also reports the results of experiments and finite element analysis carried out on concrete filled double steel tubular columns, where the tested specimens include short and slender columns with different steel ratio and yield strength of inner tube; a new constitutive model for the concrete confined by both the outer and inner steel tube is proposed and incorporated in the finite element model developed. The comparisons among the finite element results, experimental results, and theoretical predictions show a good agreement in predicting the behavior and strength of the concrete filled steel tubular (CFST) columns with or without inner steel tubes. An important characteristic of the new formulas is that they provide a unified formulation for both the plain CFST and CFDST columns relating to the compressive strength or the stability bearing capacity and a set of design parameters.

In order to study the working mechanism of rectangular steel-concrete composite columns subjected to compression-bending load and further determine the seismic performance index, a bottom strengthened rectangular steel reinforced concrete (SRC) column with concealed steel plates and a bottom strengthened rectangular concrete filled steel tube (CFST) columns were proposed. Six column models with different configurations were tested under horizontal low cyclic loading. Based on the experiments, the load-bearing capacity, stiffness and degradation process, ductility, hysteretic energy dissipation capacity, and failure characteristics of the models were analyzed. The load-bearing capacity calculation formulas for a normal section and an oblique section of bottom strengthened rectangular steel-concrete composite columns were pesented and a finite element (FE) numerical simulation of the classical specimens was performed. The study shows that the load-bearing capacity, ductility, and seismic energy dissipation capacity of the bottom strengthened rectangular steel-concrete composite columns are significantly improved compared to the conventional rectangular steel-concrete composite columns and the results obtained from the calculation and the FE numerical simulation are in good agreement with those from the experiments. The rectangular steel-concrete composite column with bottom strengthened shows better seismic behavior and higher energy dissipation capacity under suitable constructional requirements and it can be applied to the structure design of high-rise buildings.

Most of the early studies on plates vibration are focused on two-dimensional theories, these theories reduce the dimensions of problems from three to two by introducing some assumptions in mathematical modeling leading to simpler expressions and derivation of solutions. However, these simplifications inherently bring errors and therefore may lead to unreliable results for relatively thick plates. The main objective of this research paper is to present 3-D elasticity solution for free vibration analysis of continuously graded carbon nanotube-reinforced (CGCNTR) rectangular plates resting on two-parameter elastic foundations. The volume fractions of oriented, straight single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction. In this study, an equivalent continuum model based on the Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach is employed to estimate the effective constitutive law of the elastic isotropic medium (matrix) with oriented, straight carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The proposed rectangular plates have two opposite edges simply supported, while all possible combinations of free, simply supported and clamped boundary conditions are applied to the other two edges. The formulations are based on the three-dimensional elasticity theory. A semi-analytical approach composed of differential quadrature method (DQM) and series solution is adopted to solve the equations of motion. The fast rate of convergence of the method is demonstrated and comparison studies are carried out to establish its very high accuracy and versatility. The 2-D differential quadrature method as an efficient and accurate numerical tool is used to discretize the governing equations and to implement the boundary conditions. The convergence of the method is demonstrated and to validate the results, comparisons are made between the present results and results reported by well-known references for special cases treated before, have confirmed accuracy and efficiency of the present approach. The novelty of the present work is to exploit Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach in order to reveal the impacts of the volume fractions of oriented CNTs, different CNTs distributions, various coefficients of foundation and different combinations of free, simply supported and clamped boundary conditions on the vibrational characteristics of CGCNTR rectangular plates. The new results can be used as benchmark solutions for future researches.

The behavior of shear connectors plays a significant role in maintaining the required strength of a composite beam in normal and hazardous conditions. Various types of shear connectors are available and being utilized in the construction industry according to their use. Channel connectors are a suitable replacement for conventional shear connectors. These connectors have been tested under different types of loading at ambient temperature; however, the behavior of these connectors at elevated temperatures has not been studied. This investigation proposes a numerical analysis approach to estimate the behavior of channel connectors under fire and compare it with the numerical analysis performed in headed stud and Perfobond shear connectors subjected to fire. This paper first reviews the mechanism of various types of shear connectors and then proposes a non-linear thermo-mechanical finite element (FE) model of channel shear connectors embedded in high-strength concrete (HSC) subjected to fire. Initially, an accurate nonlinear FE model of the specimens tested at ambient temperature was developed to investigate the strength of the channel-type connectors embedded in an HSC slab. The outcomes were verified with the experimental study performed on the testing of channel connectors at ambient temperature by Shariati et al. (2012). The FE model at ambient temperature was extended to identify the behavior of channel connectors subjected to fire. A comparative study is performed to evaluate the performance of channel connectors against headed stud and Perfobond shear connectors. The channel connectors were found to be a more economical and easy-to-apply alternative to conventional shear connectors.

FRP stay-in-place (SIP) formworks are designed as a support for casting concrete and as a tension reinforcement when concrete is cured. Bond development between SIP formwork and concrete is critical for FRP tension element to be effective. This paper reports the bond strength between FRP formwork and concrete for different interfacial treatments. A novel experimental setup is prepared for observing the bond behaviour. Three different adhesives with varying workability have been investigated. Along with the load-deformation characteristics, bond slip and strains in the formwork have been measured. A finite element numerical simulation was conducted for the experiments to understand the underlying mechanism. The results show that the adhesive bonding has the best bond strength.

This paper presents a finite element procedure based on Bridging multi-scale method (BMM) in order to incorporate the effect of local/cross-sectional deformations (e.g., flange local buckling and web crippling) on the global behaviour of thin-walled members made of fibre-reinforced polymer composite laminates. This method allows the application of local shell elements in critical regions of an existing beam-type model. Therefore, it obviates the need for using computationally expensive shell elements in the whole domain of the structure, which is otherwise necessary to capture the effect of the localized behaviour. Consequently, highly accurate analysis results can be achieved with this method by using significantly smaller finite element model, compared to the existing methods. The proposed method can be used for composite polymer laminates with arbitrary fibre orientation directions in different layers of the material, and under various loading conditions. Comparison with full shell-type finite element analysis results are made in order to illustrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed technique.

There are great needs of simple but reliable mechanical nonlinear behavior analysis and performance evaluation method for frames constructed by steel and concrete composite beams or columns when the structures subjected extreme loads, such as earthquake loads. This paper describes an approach of simplified macro-modelling for composite frames consisting of steel-concrete composite beams and CFST columns, and presents the performance evaluation procedure based on the pushover nonlinear analysis results. A four-story two-bay composite frame underground is selected as a study case. The establishment of the macro-model of the composite frame is guided by the characterization of nonlinear behaviors of composite structural members. Pushover analysis is conducted to obtain the lateral force versus top displacement curve of the overall structure. The identification method of damage degree of composite frames has been proposed. The damage evolution and development of this composite frame in case study has been analyzed. The failure mode of this composite frame is estimated as that the bottom CFST columns damage substantially resulting in the failure of the bottom story. Finally, the seismic performance of the composite frame with high strength steel is analyzed and compared with the frame with ordinary strength steel, and the result shows that the employment of high strength steel in the steel tube of CFST columns and steel beam of composite beams benefits the lateral resistance and elasticity resuming performance of composite frames.