• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권12호
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• pp.2939-2948
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• 2020

This paper presents an analytic solution procedure of the rotationally restrained hinged-hinged beam subjected to transverse motions at supports based on EBT (Euler-Bernoulli beam theory). The EBT solutions are compared with the solutions based on TBT (Timoshenko beam theory) for a wide range of the rotational restraint parameter (kL/EI) of slender beams whose slenderness ratio is greater than 100. The comparison shows the followings. The internal loads such as bending moment and shearing force of an extremely thin beam obtained by EBT show a good agreement with those obtained by TBT. But the discrepancy between two solutions of internal loads tends to increase as the slenderness ratio decreases. A careful examination shows that the discrepancy of the internal loads originates from their dynamic components whereas their static components show a little difference between EBT and TBT. This result suggests that TBT should be employed even for slender beams to consider the rotational effect and the shear deformation effect on dynamic components of the internal loads. The influence of the parameter on boundary conditions is examined by manipulating the spring stiffness from zero to a sufficiently large value.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제68권5호
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• pp.591-601
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• 2018

Non-moment beam-to-column connections, which are usually referred to as simple or shear connections, are typically designed to carry only gravity loads in the form of vertical shears. Although in the analysis of structures these connections are usually assumed to be pinned, they may provide a small amount of rotational stiffness due to the typical connection details. This paper investigates the effects of this small rotational restraint of simple beam-to-column connections on the behavior and seismic response of steel braced non-moment resisting frames. Two types of commonly used simple connections with bolted angles, i.e., the Double Web angle Connection (DWC) and Unstiffened Seat angle Connection (USC) are considered for this purpose. In addition to the pinned condition - as a simplified representation of these connections - more accurate semi-rigid models are established and then applied to some frame models subjected to nonlinear pushover and nonlinear time history analyses. Although the use of bracing elements generally reduces the sensitivity of the global structural response to the behavior of connections, the obtained results indicate considerable effects on the local responses. Namely, our results show that consideration of the real behavior of connections is essential in designing the column elements where the pin-connection assumption significantly underestimates design of outer columns of upper stories.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• 제7권4호
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• pp.313-325
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• 2018

Concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) members are commonly used as composite columns in modern construction. However, the current guidelines for members' fire design (EN1994-1-2) have been proved to be unsafe in case the relative slenderness is higher than 0.5. In addition, the simplified design methods of Eurocode 4 are limited to circular and square CFST columns, while in practice columns with rectangular and elliptical hollow sections are being increasingly used because of their architectural aesthetics. In the last years a large experimental research has been carried out at Coimbra University on the topic. They have been tested concrete filled circular, square, rectangular and elliptical hollow columns with restrained thermal elongation. Some parameters such as the slenderness, the type of cross-section geometry as well as the axial and rotational restraint of the surrounding structure to the column have been tested in order to evaluate their influence on the fire resistance of such columns. In this paper it is evaluated the influence of the boundary conditions (pin-ended and semi-rigid end-support conditions) on the behavior of the columns in case of fire. In these tests it could not be seen a marked effect of the tested boundary conditions but it is believed that the increasing of rotational stiffness increases the fire resistance of the columns.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.173-181
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• 2022

The current paper presents a technique to detect crack in non-uniform cantilever-type pipe beams, that have step changes in the properties of their cross sections, restrained by a translational and rotational spring with a tip mass at the free end. An equation for estimating the natural frequencies for the non-uniform beams is derived using the boundary and continuity conditions, and an equivalent bending stiffness for cracked beam is applied to calculate the natural frequencies of the cracked beam. An experimental study for a step-changed non-uniform cantilever-type pipe beam restrained by bolts with a tip mass is carried out to verify the proposed method. The translational and rotational spring constants are updated using the neural network technique to the results of the experiment for intact case in order to establish a baseline model for the subsequent crack detection. Then, several numerical simulations for the specimen are carried out using the derived equation for estimating the natural frequencies of the cracked beam to construct a set of training patterns of a neural network. The crack locations and sizes are identified using the trained neural network for the 5 damage cases. It is found that the crack locations and sizes are reasonably well estimated from a practical point of view. And it is considered that the usefulness of the proposed method for structural health monitoring of the step-changed non-uniform cantilever-type pipe beam-like structures elastically restrained in the ground and have a tip mass at the free end could be verified.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제45권4호
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• pp.547-554
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• 2022

This paper studies the static stability of an axially graded column with the power-law gradient varying along the axial direction. For a nonhomogeneous column with one end linked to a rotational spring and loaded by a compressive force, respectively, an Euler problem is analyzed by solving a boundary value problem of an ordinary differential equation with varying coefficients. Buckling loads through the characteristic equation with the aid of the Bessel functions are exactly given. An alternative way to approximately determine buckling loads through the integral equation method is also presented. By comparing approximate buckling loads with the exact ones, the approximate solution is simple in form and enough accurate for varying power-law gradients. The influences of the gradient index and the rotational spring stiffness on the critical forces are elucidated. The critical force and mode shapes at buckling are presented in graph. The critical force given here may be used as a benchmark to check the accuracy and effectiveness of numerical solutions. The approximate solution provides a feasible approach to calculating the buckling loads and to assessing the loss of stability of columns in engineering.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제10권5호
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• pp.1143-1179
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• 2016

Offshore wind turbines are considered as a fundamental part to develop substantial, alternative energy sources. In this highly flexible structures, monopiles are usually used as support foundations. Since the monopiles are large diameter (3.5 to 7 m) deep foundations, they result in extremely stiff short monopiles where the slenderness (length to diameter) may range between 5 and 10. Consequently, their elastic deformation patterns under lateral loading differ from those of small diameter monopiles usually employed for supporting structures in offshore oil and gas industry. For this reason, design recommendations (API and DNV) are not appropriate for designing foundations for offshore wind turbine structures as they have been established on the basis of full-scale load tests on long, slender and flexible piles. Furthermore, as these facilities are very sensitive to rotations and dynamic changes in the soil-pile system, the accurate prediction of monopile head displacement and rotation constitutes a design criterion of paramount importance. In this paper, the Fourier Series Aided Finite Element Method (FSAFEM) is employed for the determination of static impedance functions of monopiles for OWT subjected to horizontal force and/or to an overturning moment, where a non-homogeneous soil profile has been considered. On the basis of an extensive parametric study, and in order to address the problem of head stiffness of short monopiles, approximate analytical formulae are obtained for lateral stiffness $K_L$, rotational stiffness $K_R$ and cross coupling stiffness $K_{LR}$ for both rough and smooth interfaces. Theses expressions which depend only on the values of the monopile slenderness $L/D_p$ rather than the relative soil/monopile rigidity $E_p/E_s$ usually found in the offshore platforms designing codes (DNV code for example) have been incorporated in the expressions of the OWT natural frequency of four wind farm sites. Excellent agreement has been found between the computed and the measured natural frequencies.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.89-110
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• 2014

Nonlinear dynamic analyses are carried out to investigate the influence of the pinching hysteretic response of the exterior RC beam-column joints on the seismic behavior of multistory RC frame structures. The effect of the pinching on the local and global mechanisms of an 8-storey bare frame and an 8-storey pilotis type frame structure is evaluated. Further, an experimental data bank extracted from literature is used to acquire experimental experience of the range of the real levels that have to be considered for the pinching effect on the hysteretic response of the joints. Thus, three different cases for the hysteretic response of the joints are considered: (a) joints with strength and stiffness degradation characteristics but without pinching effect, (b) joints with strength degradation, stiffness degradation and low pinching effect and (c) joints with strength degradation, stiffness degradation and high pinching effect. For the simulation of the beam-column joints a special-purpose rotational spring element that incorporates the examined hysteretic options developed by the authors and implemented in a well-known nonlinear dynamic analysis program is employed for the analysis of the structural systems. The results of this study indicate that the effect of pinching on the local and global responses of the examined cases is not really significant at early stages of the seismic loading and especially in the cases when strength degradation in the core of exterior joint has occurred. Nevertheless in the cases when strength degradation does not occur in the joints the pinching may increase the demands for ductility and become critical for the columns at the base floor of the frame structures. Finally, as it was expected the ability for energy absorption was reduced due to pinching effect.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제10권6호
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• pp.541-561
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• 2010

This paper presents finite element analyses, experimental measurements and finite element model updating of an arch type steel laboratory bridge model using semi-rigid connections. The laboratory bridge model is a single span and fixed base structure with a length of 6.1 m and width of 1.1m. The height of the bridge column is 0.85 m and the maximum arch height is 0.95 m. Firstly, a finite element model of the bridge is created in SAP2000 program and analytical dynamic characteristics such as natural frequencies and mode shapes are determined. Then, experimental measurements using ambient vibration tests are performed and dynamic characteristics (natural frequencies, mode shapes and damping ratios) are obtained. Ambient vibration tests are performed under natural excitations such as wind and small impact effects. The Enhanced Frequency Domain Decomposition method in the frequency domain and the Stochastic Subspace Identification method in the time domain are used to extract the dynamic characteristics. Then the finite element model of the bridge is updated using linear elastic rotational springs in the supports and structural element connections to minimize the differences between analytically and experimentally estimated dynamic characteristics. At the end of the study, maximum differences in the natural frequencies are reduced on average from 47% to 2.6%. It is seen that there is a good agreement between analytical and experimental results after finite element model updating. Also, connection percentages of the all structural elements to joints are determined depending on the rotational spring stiffness.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제4권5호
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• pp.553-568
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• 1996

Finite element stiffness matrix methods are presented for finding natural frequencies (or buckling loads) and modes of repetitive structures. The usual approximate finite element formulations are included, but more relevantly they also permit the use of 'exact finite elements', which account for distributed mass exactly by solving appropriate differential equations. A transcendental eigenvalue problem results, for which all the natural frequencies are found with certainty. The calculations are performed for a single repeating portion of a rotationally or linearly (in one, two or three directions) repetitive structure. The emphasis is on rotational periodicity, for which principal advantages include: any repeating portions can be connected together, not just adjacent ones; nodes can lie on, and members along, the axis of rotational periodicity; complex arithmetic is used for brevity of presentation and speed of computation; two types of rotationally periodic substructures can be used in a multi-level manner; multi-level non-periodic substructuring is permitted within the repeating portions of parent rotationally periodic structures or substructures and; all the substructuring is exact, i.e., the same answers are obtained whether or not substructuring is used. Numerical results are given for a rotationally periodic structure by using exact finite elements and two levels of rotationally periodic substructures. The solution time is about 500 times faster than if none of the rotational periodicity had been used. The solution time would have been about ten times faster still if the software used had included all the substructuring features presented.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.132-139
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• 1992

This paper presents geometrically nonlinear formulation of shell problems using the three-dimensional curved shell element, which includs large displacements and large rotations. Formulations of the geometrically nonlinear problems can be derived in a variety of ways, but most of them have been obtained by assuming that nodal rotations are small. Hence, the tangent stiffness matrix is derived under the assumptions that rotational increments are infinitesimal and the effect of finite rotational increments have to be considered during the equilibrium iterations. To study the large displacement and large rotation problems, the restrictions are removed and the formulations of the curved shell element including the effect of large rotational increments are developed in this paper. The displacement based finite element method using this improved formulation are applied to the analyses of the geometrically nonlinear behaviors of the single and double curved shells, which are compared with the results by others.