• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.907-927
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• 2014

Ultra-lightweight cement composite (ULCC) with a compressive strength of 60 MPa and density of $1450kg/m^3$ has been developed and used in the steel-concrete-steel (SCS) sandwich structures. ULCC was adopted as the core material in the SCS sandwich composite beams to reduce the overall structural weight. Headed shear studs working in pairs with overlapped lengths were used to achieve composite action between the core material and steel face plates. Nine quasi-static tests on this type of SCS sandwich composite beams were carried out to evaluate their ultimate strength performances. Different parameters influencing the ultimate strength of the SCS sandwich composite beams were studied and discussed. Design equations were developed to predict the ultimate resistance of the cross section due to pure bending, pure shear and combined action between shear and moment. Effective stiffness of the sandwich composite beam section is also derived to predict the elastic deflection under service load. Finally, the design equations were validated by the test results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.389-402
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• 2019

Reinforced concrete walls and buckling restrained braces are effective structural elements that are used to resist seismic loads. In this paper, the behavior of the reinforced concrete walls coupled with buckling restrained braces is investigated. In such a system, there is not any conventional reinforced concrete coupling beam. The coupling action is provided only by buckling restrained braces that dissipate energy and also cause coupling forces in the wall piers. The studied structures are 10-, 20- and 30-story ones designed according to the ASCE, ACI-318 and AISC codes. Wall nonlinear model is then prepared using the fiber elements in PERFORM-3D software. The responses of the systems subjected to the forward directivity near-fault (NF) and ordinary far-fault (FF) ground motions at maximum considered earthquake (MCE) level are studied. The seismic responses of the structures corresponding to the inter-story drift demand, curvature ductility of wall piers, and coupling ratio of the walls are compared. On average, the results show that the inter-story drift ratio for the examined systems subjected to the far-fault events at MCE level is less than allowable value of 3%. Besides, incremental dynamic analysis is used to examine the considered systems. Results of studied systems show that, the taller the structures, the higher the probability of their collapse. Also, for a certain peak ground acceleration of 1 g, the probability of collapse under NF records is more than twice this probability under FF records.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Structure & Construction
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.155-162
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• 2019

Hybrid precast concrete panel is a wall element that is able to quickly construct the core wall structure for moderate-rise modular buildings. Hybrid precast concrete panel has unique characteristics which is a pair of C-shaped steel beams combined at the top and bottom of a concrete wall, In this study, an improved anchorage detail for vertical rebar is proposed to ensure the lateral force resistance performance of hybrid precast concrete panel emulating monolithic concrete wall. Also, the structural performance of horizontal connection is investigated experimentally with the bolt spacing parameter. And the behavior of hybrid precast concrete panel with the improved detail is compared with the monolithic concrete wall tested in a previous study. Finally, the required thickness of C-shaped steel beam to eliminate or minimize the deformation in horizontal connection is calculated by prying action equation.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.271-286
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• 2017

The use of Hollow Structural Sections (HSS) provides an alternative for steel buildings in seismic zones, with the advantage over WF columns that the HSS columns have similar resistance along both axes and enhanced performance under flexure, compression and torsion with respect to other columns sections. The HSS columns have shown satisfactory performance under seismic loads, such as observed in buildings with steel moment frames in the Honshu earthquake (2011). The purpose of this research is to propose a new moment connection, EP-HSS ("End-plate to Hollow Structural Section"), using a wide flange beam and HSS column where the end plate falls outside the range of prequalification established in the ANSI/AISC 358-10 Specification, as an alternative to the traditional configuration of steel moment frames established in current codes. The connection was researched through analytical, numerical (FEM), and experimental studies. The results showed that the EP-HSS allowed the development of inelastic action on the beam only, avoiding stress concentrations in the column and developing significant energy dissipation. The experiments followed the qualification protocols established in the ANSI/AISC 341-10 Specification satisfying the required performance for highly ductile connections in seismic zones, thereby ensuring satisfactory performance under seismic actions without brittle failure mechanisms.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.219-229
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• 2018

In this paper, a modified rigid body spring model (RBSM) is proposed and used to analyze the damage and failure process of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. In the proposed model, the concrete is represented by an assembly of rigid blocks connected with a uniform distribution of normal and tangential springs to simulate the macroscopic mechanical behavior of concrete. Steel bars are evenly dispersed into rigid blocks as a kind of homogeneous axial material, and an additional uniform distribution of axial and dowel springs is defined to consider the axial stiffness and dowel action of steel bars. Perfect bond between the concrete and steel bars is assumed, and tension stiffening effect of steel bars is modeled by adjusting the constitutive relationship for the tensile reinforcement. Adjacent blocks are allowed to separate at the contact interface, which makes it convenient and easy to simulate the cracking process of concrete. The failure of the springs is determined by the Mohr-Coulomb type criterion with the tension and compression caps. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by elastic analyses of a cantilever beam under different loading conditions and failure analyses of a RC beam under two-point loading.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.319-332
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• 2018

This paper investigates the free vibration of geometrically imperfect functionally graded car-bon nanotube-reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) beams that are integrated with two sur-face-bonded piezoelectric layers and subjected to a combined action of a uniform temperature rise, a constant actuator voltage and an in-plane force. The material properties of FG-CNTRCs are assumed to be temperature-dependent and vary continuously across the thick-ness. A generic imperfection function is employed to simulate various possible imperfections with different shapes and locations in the beam. The governing equations that account for the influence of initial geometric imperfection are derived based on the first-order shear deformation theory. The postbuckling configurations of FG-CNTRC hybrid beams are determined by the differential quadrature method combined with the modified Newton-Raphson technique, after which the fundamental frequencies of hybrid beams in the postbuckled state are obtained by a standard eigenvalue algorithm. The effects of CNT distribution pattern and volume fraction, geometric imperfection, thermo-electro-mechanical load, as well as boundary condition are examined in detail through parametric studies. The results show that the fundamental frequency of an imperfect beam is higher than that of its perfect counterpart. The influence of geometric imperfection tends to be much more pronounced around the critical buckling temperature.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.20-28
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• 2020

Purpose: The objective of this study is to perform Postal dosimetry audits for medical linear accelerators in radiation therapy institutions using glass dosimeters and Gafchromic film reading systems and postal dosimetry audit procedures, and to evaluate radiation therapy doses and mechanical accuracy in medical institutions. Methods: Photon output measured and analyzed using a standard phantom for measuring photon output dose using a glass dosimeter for medical linear accelerators. Mechanical accuracy was measured and analyzed using software for film measurement. Results: Measurement and analysis of photon beam output dose using a standard phantom glass dosimeter for photon beam output dose measurement was completed. All tolerance doses were within 5%. Mechanical accuracy measurement and analysis using a standard phantom for verifying the mechanical accuracy of linear accelerator (LINAC) using a Gafchromic film were completed, and all results were shown within tolerances (2 mm or less). Conclusions: In this study, Postal dosimetry audits were performed on the output dose and mechanical accuracy of photon beams (207 beams) for 106 LINACs from 48 institutions. As a result of corrective action and re-execution, it was confirmed that all engines met the acceptable standard within 2 mm in the linear accelerator.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.105-120
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• 2013

Flexural behavior of thin walled steel-concrete composite sections as cross sections for beams is investigated by conducting an experimental study supported by applicable analytical predictions. The experimental study consists of testing up to failure, simply supported beams of effective span 1440 mm under two point loading. The test specimens consisted of composite box and channel (with lip placed on tension side and compression side) sections, the behavior of which was compared with companion empty sections. To understand the role of shear connectors in developing the composite action, some of the composite sections were provided with novel simple bar type and conventional bolt type shear connectors in the shear zone of beams. Two RCC beams having equivalent ultimate moment carrying capacities as that of composite channel and box sections were also considered in the study. The study showed that the strength to weight ratio of composite beams is much higher than RCC beams and ductility index is also more than RCC and empty beams. The analytical predictions were found to compare fairly well with the experimental results, thereby validating the applicability of rigid plastic theory to cold-formed steel concrete composite beams.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.715-732
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• 2020

High-strength steel composite Y-eccentrically braced frame (Y-HSS-EBF) is a novel structural system. In this study, the spatial substructure hybrid simulation test (SHST) method is used to further study the seismic performance of Y-HSS-EBF. Firstly, based on the cyclic loading tests of two single-story single-span Y-HSS-EBF planar specimens, a finite element model in OpenSees was verified to provide a reference for the numerical substructure analysis model for the later SHST. Then, the SHST was carried out on the OpenFresco test platform. A three-story spatial Y-HSS-EBF model was taken as the prototype, the top story was taken as the experimental substructure, and the remaining two stories were taken as the numerical substructure to be simulated in OpenSees. According to the test results, the validity of the SHST was verified, and the main seismic performance indexes of the SHST model were analyzed. The results show that, the SHST based on the OpenFresco platform has good stability and accuracy, and the results of the SHST agree well with the global numerical model of the structure. Under strong seismic action, the plastic deformation of Y-HSS-EBF mainly occurs in the shear link, and the beam, beam-columns and braces can basically remain in the elastic state, which is conducive to post-earthquake repair.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.53-66
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• 2017

Structures submitted to Fire-After-Earthquake loading situations, are first experiencing inelastic deformations due to the seismic action and are then submitted to the thermal loading. This means that in the case of steel framed structures, at the starting point of the fire, plastic hinges have already been formed at the ends of the beams. The basic objective of this paper is the evaluation of the rotational capacity of steel I-section beams damaged due to prior earthquake loading, at increased temperatures. The study is conducted numerically and three-dimensional models are used in order to capture accurately the nonlinear behaviour of the steel beams. Different levels of earthquake-induced damage are examined in order to study the effect of the initial state of damage to the temperature-evolution of the rotational capacity. The study starts with the reference case where the beam is undamaged and in the sequel cyclic loading patterns are taken into account, which represent earthquakes loads of increasing magnitude. Additionally, the study extends to the evaluation of the ultimate plastic rotation of the steel beams which corresponds to the point where the rotational capacity of the beam is exhausted. The aforementioned value of rotation can be used as a criterion for the determination of the fire-resistance time of the structure in case of Fire-After-Earthquake situations.