• Computers and Concrete
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.61-68
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• 2019

This paper presents a computational rational model to predict the ultimate and optimized load capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened by a combination of longitudinal and transverse fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite plates/sheets (flexure and shear strengthening system). Several experimental and analytical studies on the confinement effect and failure mechanisms of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) wrapped columns have been conducted over recent years. Although typical axial members are large-scale square/rectangular reinforced concrete (RC) columns in practice, the majority of such studies have concentrated on the behavior of small-scale circular concrete specimens. A high performance concrete, known as polymer concrete, made up of natural aggregates and an orthophthalic polyester binder, reinforced with non-metallic bars (glass reinforced polymer) has been studied. The material is described at micro and macro level, presenting the key physical and mechanical properties using different experimental techniques. Furthermore, a full description of non-metallic bars is presented to evaluate its structural expectancies, embedded in the polymer concrete matrix. In this paper, the mechanism of mechanical interaction of smooth and lugged FRP rods with concrete is presented. A general modeling and application of various elements are demonstrated. The contact parameters are defined and the procedures of calculation and evaluation of contact parameters are introduced. The method of calibration of the calculated parameters is presented. Finally, the numerical results are obtained for different bond parameters which show a good agreement with experimental results reported in literature.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.271-278
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• 2022

Buckling is one of the most critical phoneme in the design of steel structures. Lateral torsional buckling (LTB) is particularly significant for slender beams generally subjected to loading in plane. The web distortion effects on LTB are not addressed explicitly in standards for flexural design of steel I-section members. Hence, the present study is focused to predict the influence of the web distortion on the elastic (L_r) limiting lengths given in American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) code for the lateral torsional buckling (LTB) behavior of steel beams due to no provision in the code for consideration of web distortion. For this aim, the W44x335 beam is adopted in the buckling analysis carried out by the ABAQUS finite element (FE) program since it is one of the most critical sections in terms of lateral torsional buckling (LTB). The strain results at mid-height of the web at mid-span of the beam are taken into account as the monitoring parameters. The web strain results are found to be relatively greater than the yield strain value when L/L_r is equal to 1.0. In other words, the ratio of L/L_r is estimated from the numerical analysis to be about 1.5 when the beam reaches its first yielding at mid-span of the beam at mid-height of the section. Due to the effect of web distortion, the elastic limiting length (L_r) from the numerical analysis is obtained to be considered as greater than the calculated length from the code formulation. It is suggested that the formulations of the limiting length proposed in the code can be corrected considering the influence of the web distortion. This correction can be a modification factor or a shape factor that reduces sectional slenderness for the LTB formulation in the code.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.83 no.4
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• pp.515-535
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• 2022

The strength models for fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)-confined normal strength concrete (NC) cylinders available in the literature have been suggested based on small databases using limited variables of such structural members portraying less accuracy. The artificial neural network (ANN) is an advanced technique for precisely predicting the response of composite structures by considering a large number of parameters. The main objective of the present investigation is to develop an ANN model for the axial strength of FRP-confined NC cylinders using various parameters to give the highest accuracy of the predictions. To secure this aim, a large experimental database of 313 FRP-confined NC cylinders has been constructed from previous research investigations. An evaluation of 33 different empirical strength models has been performed using various statistical parameters (root mean squared error RMSE, mean absolute error MAE, and coefficient of determination R²) over the developed database. Then, a new ANN model using the Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH) has been proposed based on the experimental database that portrayed the highest performance as compared with the previous models with R²=0.92, RMSE=0.27, and MAE=0.33. Therefore, the suggested ANN model can accurately capture the axial strength of FRP-confined NC cylinders that can be used for the further analysis and design of such members in the construction industry.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.451-469
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• 2023

The use of precast hollow-core slabs (PCHCS) in civil construction has been increasing due to the speed of execution and reduction in the weight of flooring systems. However, in the literature there are no studies that present a finite element model (FEM) to predict the load-slip relationship behavior of pushout tests, considering headed stud shear connector and PCHCS placed at the upper flange of the downstand steel profile. Thus, the present paper aims to develop a FEM, which is based on tests to fill this gap. For this task, geometrical non-linear analyses are carried out in the ABAQUS software. The FEM is calibrated by sensitivity analyses, considering different types of analysis, the friction coefficient at the steel-concrete interface, as well as the constitutive model of the headed stud shear connector. Subsequently, a parametric study is performed to assess the influence of the number of connector lines, type of filling and height of the PCHCS. The results are compared with analytical models that predict the headed stud resistance. In total, 158 finite element models are processed. It was concluded that the dynamic implicit analysis (quasi-static) showed better convergence of the equilibrium trajectory when compared to the static analysis, such as arc-length method. The friction coefficient value of 0.5 was indicated to predict the load-slip relationship behavior of all models investigated. The headed stud shear connector rupture was verified for the constitutive model capable of representing the fracture in the stress-strain relationship. Regarding the number of connector lines, there was an average increase of 108% in the resistance of the structure for models with two lines of connectors compared to the use of only one. The type of filling of the hollow core slab that presented the best results was the partial filling. Finally, the greater the height of the PCHCS, the greater the resistance of the headed stud.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.255-264
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• 2023

As the demand for urban underground space increases recently, urban tunnel planning is actively progressing. In the urban area, a underground station is planned in consideration of the living environment of residents, and 2-arch tunnel is applied for the stability of existing structures and reduction of environmental damage. However, since the depth of weak rock mass is deeply distributed in the urban area due to severe weathering, careful planning is required to secure tunnel stability. In addition, if TBM mechanical excavation is applied as the main tunnel excavation method considering the composite ground in urban area, the construction connectivity with the 2-arch tunnel of the NATM concept may be deteriorated. In this study, the design case of applying TBM pre-excavation type 2-arch tunnel for the first time in Korea was mainly described. The main considerations for the segment design of TBM pre-excavation type 2-arch tunnel were explained for side tunnels. Also, a stability analysis was conducted to verify the effectiveness and adequacy of the TBM pre-excavation type 2-arch tunnel.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.617-631
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• 2022

To study the eccentric compressive performance of the basalt-fiber reinforced recycled aggregate concrete (BFRRAC)-filled circular steel tubular stub column, 8 specimens with different replacement ratios of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA), basalt fiber (BF) dosage, strength grade of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) and eccentricity were tested under eccentric static loading. The failure mode of the specimens was observed, and the relationship curves during the entire loading process were obtained. Further, the load-lateral displacement curve was simulated and verified. The influence of the different parameters on the peak bearing capacity of the specimens was analyzed, and the finite element analysis model was established under eccentric compression. Further, the design-calculation method of the eccentric bearing capacity for the specimens was suggested. It was observed that the strength failure is the ultimate point during the eccentric compression of the BFRRAC-filled circular steel tubular stub column. The shape of the load-lateral deflection curves of all specimens was similar. After the peak load was reached, the lateral deflection in the column was rapidly increased. The peak bearing capacity decreased on enhancing the replacement ratio or eccentric distance, while the core RAC strength exhibited the opposite behavior. The ultimate bearing capacity of the BFRRAC-filled circular steel tubular stub column under eccentric compression calculated based on the limit analysis theory was in good agreement with the experimental values. Further, the finite element model of the eccentric compression of the BFRRAC-filled circular steel tubular stub column could effectively analyze the eccentric mechanical properties.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.2A
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• pp.113-120
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• 2010

The use of Concrete filled circular hollow steel section (CFCHS) members in bridge design is a relatively new concept. The most important part of the design and durability of such structures is the design and the construction of the joints. In the design of recently constructed steel-concrete composite bridges using CFCHS truss girders for the main load carrying structure, the fatigue verification of the tubular spatial truss joints was a main issue. Welded CFCHS joints are very sensitive to fatigue because the geometric discontinuities of the welds lead to a high stress concentration. New research done on the fatigue behaviour of such joints has focused on CFCHS N-joints, directly welded, with finite element analysis method. A commercial software, ABAQUS, is adopted to perform the finite element analysis on the N-joints. This paper is main focused on these topics, including hot spot stress.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.201-216
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• 2024

This paper is motivated by the lack of studies relating to vibration and nonlinear resonance of fluid-conveying cantilever porous GPLR pipes with fractional viscoelastic model resting on nonlinear foundations. A dynamical model of cantilever porous Graphene Platelet Reinforced (GPLR) pipes conveying fluid and resting on nonlinear foundation is proposed, and the vibration, natural frequencies and primary resonant of such system are explored. The pipe body is considered to be composed of GPLR viscoelastic polymeric pipe with porosity in which Halpin-Tsai scheme in conjunction with fractional viscoelastic model is used to govern the construction relation of the nanocomposite pipe. Three different porosity distributions through the pipe thickness are introduced. The harmonic concentrated force is also applied on pipe and excitation frequency is close to the first natural frequency. The governing equation for transverse motion of the pipe is derived by the Hamilton principle and then discretized by the Galerkin procedure. In order to obtain the frequency-response equation, the differential equation is solved with the assumption of small displacement, damping coefficient, and excitation amplitude by the multiple scale method. A parametric sensitivity analysis is carried out to reveal the influence of different parameters, such as nanocomposite pipe properties, fluid velocity and nonlinear viscoelastic foundation coefficients, on the primary resonance and linear natural frequency. Results indicate that the GPLs weight fraction porosity coefficient, fractional derivative order and the retardation time have substantial influences on the dynamic response of the system.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.563-581
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• 2024

This paper presents a novel finite element model for the free vibration analysis of variable-thickness functionally graded porous (FGP) microplates resting on Pasternak's medium in the hygro-thermal environment. The governing equations are established according to refined higher-order shear deformation plate theory (RPT) in construction with the modified couple stress theory. For the first time, three-node triangular elements with twelve degrees of freedom for each node are developed based on Hermitian interpolation functions to describe the in-plane displacements and transverse displacements of microplates. Two laws of variable thickness of FGP microplates, including the linear law and the nonlinear law in the x-direction are investigated. Effects of thermal and moisture changes on microplates are assumed to vary continuously from the bottom surface to the top surface and only cause tension loads in the plane, which does not change the material's mechanical properties. The numerical results of this work are compared with those of published data to verify the accuracy and reliability of the proposed method. In addition, the parameter study is conducted to explore the effects of geometrical and material properties such as the changing law of the thickness, length-scale parameter, and the parameters of the porosity, temperature, and humidity on the free vibration response of variable thickness FGP microplates. These results can be applied to design of microelectromechanical structures in practice.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.411-426
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• 2011

The construction of composite indicators should be normalized and weighted to render them comparable and evaluable variables in the field, which undergoes absence of a distinct methodology and where the application of universally popular method is common. Constructing of indices does not compare and analyze applying various normalizing and weighting, but constructer generally use chosen method and develops indicators and indices in most research. In this study, indices are applied various normalization and weighting methods, thereby analyzing how much impact the index and identifying individual characteristics derive a more reasonable way to help other research in the future. 5 different methods of normalization and 4 different types of weights were compared and analyzed. There are different results depending applied normalized methods and Z-score method best reflects the characteristics of the variables. According to weighting methods, the calculated results show little difference, but the ranking results of indices did not changed significantly. It might be better to provide constructors with a set of normalization and weighting methods to reflect their characteristics in order to build flood indices through the result of this study.