• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.293-308
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• 2015

Interaction between the external thin-walled steel tube and the internal concrete core significantly increases the bending resistance of composite beams and beam-columns in comparison with the steel or concrete members. There is presented a developed method for design of hollow and solid concrete-filled steel tubular beams based on test data, which gives better agreement with test results than EC4 because its limitation to take an increase in strength of concrete caused by confinement contradicts the recommendation of 6.7.2(4) that full composite action up to failure may be assumed between steel and concrete components of the member. Good agreement between the results of carried out experimental, numerical and theoretical investigations allows recommending the proposed method to use in design practice.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.663-683
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• 2014

In order to study the dynamic failure mechanism and aseismic measure for high concrete gravity dam under earthquake, the comparative models experiment on the shaking table was conducted to investigate the dynamic damage response of concrete gravity dam with and without the presence of reinforcement and evaluate the effectiveness of the strengthening measure. A new model concrete was proposed and applied for maintaining similitude with the prototype. A kind of extra fine wires as a substitute for rebar was embedded in four-points bending specimens of the model concrete to make of reinforced model concrete. The simulation of reinforcement concrete of the weak zones of high dam by the reinforced model concrete meets the similitude requirements. A tank filled with water is mounted at the upstream of the dam models to simulate the reservoir. The Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) that induces the first tensile crack at the head of dam is applied as the basic index for estimating the overload capacity of high concrete dams. For the two model dams with and without strengthening tested, vulnerable parts of them are the necks near the crests. The results also indicate that the reinforcement is beneficial for improving the seismic-resistant capacity of the gravity dam.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.889-896
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• 2020

The vertically inverted U-tube steam generator (UTSG) is widely used in the pressurized water reactor (PWR). The reverse flow behavior generally exists in some U-tubes of a steam generator (SG) under both single- and two-phase natural circulations (NCs). The behavior increases the flow resistance in the primary loop and reduces the heat transfer in the SG. As a consequence, the NC ability as well as the inherent safety of nuclear reactors is faced with severe challenges. The theoretical models for calculating single- and two-phase flow pressure drops in U-tubes are developed and validated in this paper. The two-phase reverse flow characteristics in two types of SGs are investigated base on the theoretical models, and the effects of the U-tube height, bending radius, inlet steam quality and primary side pressure on the behavior are analyzed. The conclusions may provide some promising references for SG optimization to reduce the disadvantageous behavior. It is also of significance to improve the NC ability and ensure the PWR safety during some accidents.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.185-199
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• 2019

Modular construction is an emerging technology to accommodate the increasing restrictions in terms of construction period, energy efficiency and environmental impacts, since each structural module is prefabricated offsite beforehand and assembled onsite using industrialized techniques. However, some innate structural drawbacks of this innovative method are also distinct, such as connection tying inaccessibility, column instability and system robustness. This study aims to explore the theoretical and numerical stability analysis of a tenon-connected square hollow section (SHS) steel column to address the tying and stability issue in modular construction. Due to the excellent performance of composite structures in fire resistance and buckling prevention, concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns are also taken into account in the analysis to evaluate the feasibility of adopting composite sections in modular buildings. Characteristic equations with three variables, i.e., the length ratio, the bending stiffness ratio and the rotational stiffness ratio, are generated from the fourth-order governing differential equations. The rotational stiffness ratio is recognized as the most significant factor, with interval analysis conducted for its mechanical significance and domain. Numerical analysis using ABAQUS is conducted for validation of characteristic equations. Recommendations and instructions in predicting the buckling performance of both SHS and CFST columns are then proposed.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.219-229
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• 2019

This paper presents an experimental study on the structural performance of an innovative ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) deck with coarse aggregate of composite bridge under shear force. Test parameters included curing method and shear span-to-height ratio. Test results indicated that more short fine cracks developed beside the existing cracks due to the randomly dispersed fibers, resulting in re-distributing and homogenizing of the concrete stress beside cracks and allowing for the occurrence of more cracks with small spacing compared to normal strength concrete beams. Curing methods, incorporating steam curing and natural curing, did not have obvious effect on the nominal bending cracking strength and the ultimate strength of the test specimens. Shear reinforcement need not be provided for UHPFRC decks with a fiber volume fraction of 2%. UHPFRC decks showed superior load resistance ability after the appearance of cracks and excellent post-cracking deformability. Lastly, the current shear provisions were evaluated by the test results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.217-232
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• 2019

Modular steel buildings consist of prefabricated room-sized structural units that are manufactured offsite and installed onsite. The inter-module connections must fulfill the assembly construction requirements and soundly transfer the external loads. This work proposes an innovative assembled connection suitable for modular buildings with concrete-filled steel tube columns. The connection uses pretensioned strands and plugin bars to vertically connect the adjacent modular columns. The moment-transferring performance of this inter-module connection was studied through monotonic and cyclic loading tests. The results showed that because of the assembly construction, the connected sections were separated under lateral bending, and the prestressed inter-module connection performed as a weak semirigid connection. The moment strength at the early loading stage originated primarily from the contact bonding mechanism with the infilled concrete, and the postyield strength depended mainly on the tensioned strands. The connection displayed a self-centering-like behavior that the induced deformation was reversed during unloading. The energy dissipation originated primarily from frictional slipping of the plugin bars and steel strands. The moment transferring ability was closely related to the section dimension and the arrangements of the plugin bars and steel strands. A simplified strength calculation and evaluation method was also proposed, and the effectiveness was validated with the test data.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.50-58
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• 2009

In this study, alumina matrix composites reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were fabricated by ultrasonic dispersion, ball milling, mixing, compaction, and sintering processes, and their relative density, electrical resistance, hardness, flexure strength, and fracture toughness were evaluated. 0~3 vol.% of CNTs were relatively homogeneously dispersed in the composites in spite of the existence of some pores. The three-point bending test results indicated that the flexure strength increased with increasing volume fraction of CNTs, and reached the maximum when the CNT fraction was 1.5 vol.%. The fracture toughness increased as the CNT fraction increased, and the fracture toughness of the composite containing 3 vol.% of CNTs was higher by 40% than that of the monolithic alumina. According to observation of the crack propagation path after the indentation fracture test, a new toughening mechanism of grain interface bridging-induced CNT bridging was suggested to explain the improvement of fracture toughness in the alumina matrix composites reinforced with CNTs.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.439-452
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• 2021

The concept of Performance objective assessment is extended to wind engineering. This approach applies using the Database-Assisted Design technique, relying on the aerodynamic database provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). A structural model of a low-rise building is analyzed to obtain influence coefficients for internal forces and displacements. Combining these coefficients with time histories of pressure coefficients on the envelope produces time histories of load effects on the structure, for example knee and ridge bending moments, and eave lateral drift. The peak values of such effects are represented by an extreme-value Type I Distribution, which allows the estimation of the gust wind speed leading to the mean hourly extreme loading that cause specific performance objective compromises. Firstly a fully correlated wind field over large tributary areas is assumed and then relaxed to utilize the denser pressure tap data available but with considerably more computational effort. The performance objectives are determined in accordance with the limit state load combinations given in the ASCE 7-16 provisions, particularly the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) method. The procedure is then repeated for several wind directions and different dominant opening scenarios to determine the cases that produce performance objective criteria. Comparisons with two approaches in ASCE 7 are made.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.23-30
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• 2021

In this paper, a twisted shape structure with an elevation form favorable to the resistance of vibration caused by wind loads is selected from among the forms of high-rise buildings. The analytical model is a square, triangular, and hexagonal plane with a plane rotation angle of one degree from 0 to 3 degrees per each story. As a result of the analysis, as the twist angle increased, story drift ratio is increased. Responses with different eccentricity rates were shown by analytical models. Therefore planar shapes designed symmetrically to the horizontal axis of X and Y are considered advantageous for eccentricity and torsion deformation. In the case of the bending moment of the column, the response was amplified in the column supporting the base floor, the roof floor, the floor in which the cross-section of the vertical member changes, and the floor having the same number of nodes as the base floor. Finally, the axial force response of the column is determined to be absolutely affected by the gravity load compared to the lateral load.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.81 no.6
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• pp.751-767
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• 2022

In the hogging bending moment area, continuous composite beams are subjected to the ultimate limit state of lateral-torsional buckling (LTB), which depends on web stiffness as well as concrete slab and shear connection stiffnesses. The design of the LTB and the determination of the elastic critical moment are produced approximately, using the European Standard EN 1994-1-1:2004, for continuous composite steel beams, but is applicable only for those with a plane web steel profile. Also, and from the previous researches, the elastic critical moment of the continuous composite beams with corrugated sinusoidal web steel profiles was determined. In this paper, a finite element analysis (FEA) model was developed using the ANSYS 16 software, to determine the elastic critical moments of continuous composite steel beams with various corrugated web profiles, such as trapezoidal, zigzag, and rectangular profiles, which were evaluated against numerical data of the sinusoidal one from the literature. Ultimately, the failure load of a composite steel beam with various web profiles was predicted by studying 46 models, based on FEA modeling, and a procedure for predicting the elastic critical moment of composite beams with various web steel profiles was proposed. When compared to sinusoidal web profiles, the trapezoidal, zigzag, and rectangular web profiles required an average increase in load capacity and stiffness of 7%, 17.5%, and 28%, respectively, according to the finite element analysis. Also, the rectangular web steel profile has a greater stiffness and load capacity. In contrast, the sinusoidal web has lower values for these characteristics.