• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Structure & Construction
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2018

An experimental study on the ultimate behaviors of the mild carbon steel (SPHC) fillet-welded connection is presented in this paper. Seven specimens were fabricated by the shielded metal arc welding (SMAW). All specimens failed by typical block shear fracture in the base metal of welded connections not weld metal. Block shear fracture observed in the base metal of welded connection is a combination of single tensile fracture transverse to the loading direction and two shear fractures longitudinal to the loading direction. Test strengths were compared with strength predictions by the current design equations and suggested equations by previous researchers. It is known that current design specifications (AISC2010 and KBC2016) and Oosterhof & Driver's equation underestimated overly the ultimate strength of the welded connection by on average 44%, 31%, respectively and prediction by Topkaya's equation was the closest to the test results. Consequently, modified equation is required to be proposed considering the stress triaxiality effect and material property difference on the block shear strength for base metal fracture in welded connections fabricated with mild carbon steel.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.67-78
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• 2021

The use of composite beams with partial interaction, with less shear connectors than those required for full interaction, may be advantageous in many situations. However, these beams tend to show higher deflections compared to beams with full interaction, and codified expressions for the calculation of such deflections are not fully developed and validated. Thus, this paper presents a comprehensive numerical study on the deflections of steel-concrete composite beams with partial interaction. Efficient numerical models of full-scale composite beams considering material nonlinearities and contact between their parts have been developed by means of the advanced software ABAQUS, including a damage model to simulate the concrete slab. The FE models were validated against experimental results, and subsequently parametric studies were developed to investigate the influence of the shear connection degree and the coefficient of friction in the deflection of composite beams. The comparison of predicted deflections using reference codes (AISC, Eurocode-4 and AS-2327.1) against numerical results showed that there are still inaccuracies in the estimation of deflections for the verification of the serviceability limit state, according to some of the analyzed codes.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.21-33
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• 2021

This paper aims to improve the current state-of-the-art in long-term deflection prediction in steel-concrete composite beams. The efficiency of a time-dependent finite element model based on linear creep theory is verified with available experimental data. A parametric numerical study is then carried out, which focuses on the effects of concrete creep and/or shrinkage, ultimate shrinkage strain and reinforcing bars in the slab. The study shows that the long-term deformations in composite beams are dominated by concrete shrinkage and that a higher area of reinforcing bars leads to lower long-term deformations and steel stresses. The AISC model appears to overestimate the shrinkage-induced deflection. A modified ACI equation is proposed to quantify time-dependent deflections in composite beams. In particular, a modified reduction factor reflecting the influence of reinforcing bars and a coefficient reflecting the influence of ultimate shrinkage are introduced in the proposed equation. The long-term deflections predicted by this equation and the results of extensive numerical analyses are found to be in good agreement.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.83 no.3
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• pp.387-400
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• 2022

The practice of using encased steel-concrete columns in medium to high-rise structures has expanded dramatically in recent years. The study evaluates existing methodologies and codal guidelines for estimating the ultimate load-carrying characteristics of concrete-encased short columns experimentally. The present condition of composite column design methods was analyzed using the Egyptian code ECP203-2007, the American Institute of Steel Construction's AISC-LRFD-2010, Eurocode EC-4, the American Concrete Institute's ACI-318-2014, and the British Standard BS-5400-5. According to the codes, the axial load carrying characteristics of both the encased steel and concrete sections was examined. The effect of load-carrying capacities in different forms of encased steel sections on encased steel-concrete columns was studied experimentally. The axial load carrying capacity of twelve concrete-encased columns and four conventional reinforced columns were examined. The conclusion is that the confinement was not taken into account when forecasting the strength and ductility of the encased concrete, resulting in considerable disparities between codal provisions and experimental results. The configuration of the steel section influenced the confining effect. Better confinement is achieved with the laced and battened section than with the infilled steel tube reinforced and conventionally reinforced section. The ECP203-2007 code reported the most conservative results of all the codes used.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.119-139
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• 2022

This paper aims to use the artificial intelligence approach to develop a new model for predicting the ultimate axial strength of the circular concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) stub columns. For this, the results of 314 experimentally tested circular CFST stub columns were employed in the generation of the design model. Since the influence of the column diameter, steel tube thickness, concrete compressive strength, steel tube yield strength, and column length on the ultimate axial strengths of columns were investigated in these experimental studies, here, in the development of the design model, these variables were taken into account as input parameters. The model was developed using the backpropagation algorithm named Bayesian Regularization. The accuracy, reliability, and consistency of the developed model were evaluated statistically, and also the design formulae given in the codes (EC4, ACI, AS, AIJ, and AISC) and the previous empirical formulations proposed by other researchers were used for the validation and comparison purposes. Based on this evaluation, it can be expressed that the developed design model has a strong and reliable prediction performance with a considerably high coefficient of determination (R-squared) value of 0.9994 and a low average percent error of 4.61. Besides, the sensitivity of the developed model was also monitored in terms of dimensional properties of columns and mechanical characteristics of materials. As a consequence, it can be stated that for the design of the ultimate axial capacity of the circular CFST stub columns, a novel artificial intelligence-based design model with a good and robust prediction performance was proposed herein.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.225-240
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• 2022

Local responses of steel plate-concrete composite (SC) walls under impact loads are typically evaluated using design equations available in the AISC N690s1-15. These equations enable design of impact-resistant SC walls, but some essential parts such as the effects of wall size and shear reinforcement ratio have not been addressed. Also, since they were developed for design basis events, improved equations are required for accurate prediction of the impact behaviors of SC walls for beyond design basis impact evaluation. This paper presents a numerical study to construct a robust numerical model of SC walls subjected to impact loads to reasonably predict the SC-wall impact behavior, to evaluate the findings observed from the impact tests including the effects of the key design parameters, and to assess the actual responses of full-scale SC walls. The numerical calculations are validated using intermediate-scale impact tests performed previously. The influences of the fracture energy of concrete and the conservative aspects of the current design equations are discussed carefully. Recommendations are made for design practice.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.201-219
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• 2022

This paper firstly proposed high performance composite columns for cold-region infrastructures using ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) and ultra-high strength steel (UHSS) Q960E. Then, 24 square UHPC-filled UHSS tubes (UHSTCs) at low temperatures of -80, -60, -30, and 30℃ were performed under axial loads. The key influencing parameters on axial compression performance of UHSS were studied, i.e., temperature level and UHSS-tube wall thickness (t). In addition, mechanical properties of Q960E at low temperatures were also studied. Test results revealed low temperatures improved the yield/ultimate strength of Q960E. Axial compression tests on UHSTCs revealed that the dropping environmental temperature increased the compression strength and stiffness, but compromised the ductility of UHSTCs; increasing t significantly increased the strength, stiffness, and ductility of UHSTCs. This study developed numerical and theoretical models to reproduce axial compression performances of UHSTCs at low temperatures. Validations against 24 tests proved that both two methods provided reasonable simulations on axial compression performance of UHSTCs. Finally, simplified theoretical models (STMs) and modified prediction equations in AISC 360, ACI 318, and Eurocode 4 were developed to estimate the axial load capacity of UHSTCs at low temperatures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.81 no.4
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• pp.493-502
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• 2022

Shear lag phenomenon has long been considered in numerous structural codes; however, the AISC provisions have now no longer proposed any unique equation to calculate the shear lag ratio in bolted connections for angles in general. It is noticeable that, however, codes used in this case are largely conservative and need to be amended. A parametric study consisting of 27 angle sections with equal legs and different with bolted connections was performed to investigate the effects of shear lag on the ultimate tensile capacity of angle members. The main parameters were: steel grade, connection length and eccentricity from the center of the plate, as well as the number of rows of bolts parallel to the applied force. The test results were compared with the predictions of the classical 1-x/l law proposed by Mons and Chesen to investigate its application to quantify the effect of shear lag. A parametric study was performed using valid FE models that cover a wide range of parameters. Finally, based on the numerical results, design considerations were proposed to quantify the effect of shear lag on the ultimate tensile capacity of the tensile members.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.577-589
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• 2023

In this study, on-site testing was carried out to investigate the vibration performance of a cold-formed thin-walled steel floor system. Ambient vibration, walking excitation (single and double persons), and impulsive excitation (heel-drop and jumping) were considered to capture the primary vibration parameters (natural frequencies, damping ratios, and mode shapes) and vertical acceleration response. Meanwhile, to discuss the influence of cement fiberboard on structural vibration, the primary vibration parameters were compared between the systems with and without the installation of cement fiberboard. Based on the experimental analysis, the cold-formed thin-walled steel floor possesses high frequency (> 10 Hz) and damping (> 2%); the installed cement fiberboard mainly increases the mass of floor system without effectively increasing the floor stiffness and may reduce the effects of primary vibration parameters on acceleration response; and the human-structure interaction should be considered when analyzing the vibration serviceability. The comparison of the experimental results with those in the AISC Design Guide indicates that the cold-formed thin-walled steel floor exhibits acceptable vibration serviceability. A crest factor 𝛽_rp (ratio of peak to root-mean-square accelerations) is proposed to determine the root-mean-square acceleration for convenience.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.85 no.5
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• pp.693-707
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• 2023

In order to deeply reveal the working mechanism of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) filled steel tubular columns (UHPCFSTs) under cyclic loading, a three-dimension (3D) macro-mesoscale finite element (FE) model was established considering the randomness of steel fibers and the damage of UHPC. Model correctness and reliability were verified based on the experimental results. Next, the whole failure process of UHPC reinforced with steel fibers, passive confinement effect and internal force distribution laws were comprehensively analyzed and discussed. Finally, a simplified and practical method was proposed for predicting the ultimate bending strengths of UHPCFSTs. It was found that the non-uniform confinement effect of steel tube occurred when the drift ratio exceeded 0.5%, while the confining stress increased then decreased afterwards. There was preferable synergy between the steel tube and UHPC until failure. Compared with experimental results, the ultimate bending strengths of UHPCFSTs were undervalued by the current code provisions such as AISC360-10, EC4 and GB50936 with computed mean values (MVs) of 0.855, 0.880 and 0.836, respectively. The proposed practical method was highly accurate, as evidenced by a mean value of 1.058.