• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.501-519
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• 2012

As an alternative to current conventional force-based assessment methods, the energy-based seismic performance of a code-designed 20-storey high-rise steel building is evaluated in this paper. Using 3D nonlinear dynamic time-history method with consideration of additional material damping effect, the influences of different restoring force models and P-${\Delta}/{\delta}$ effects on energy components are investigated. By combining equivalent viscous damping and hysteretic damping ratios of the structure subjected to strong ground motions, a new damping model, which is amplitude-dependent, is discussed in detail. According to the analytical results, all energy components are affected to various extents by P-${\Delta}/{\delta}$ effects and a difference of less than 10% is observed; the energy values of the structure without consideration of P-${\Delta}/{\delta}$ effects are larger, while the restoring force models have a minor effect on seismic input energy with a difference of less than 5%, but they have a certain effect on both viscous damping energy and hysteretic energy with a difference of about 5~15%. The paper shows that the use of the hysteretic energy at its ultimate state as a seismic design parameter has more advantages than seismic input energy since it presents a more stable value. The total damping ratio of a structure consists of viscous damping ratio and hysteretic damping ratio and it is found that the equivalent viscous damping ratio is a constant for the structure, while the equivalent hysteretic damping ratio approximately increases linearly with structural response in elasto-plastic stage.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.601-621
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• 2014

Repairing and strengthening structural members by bonding composite materials have received a considerable attention in recent years. The major problem when using bonded FRP or steel plates to strengthen existing structures is the high interfacial stresses that may be built up near the plate ends which lead to premature failure of the structure. As a result, many researchers have developed several analytical methods to predict the interface performance of bonded repairs under various types of loading. In this paper, a numerical solution using finite - difference method (FDM) is used to calculate the interfacial stress distribution in beams strengthened with FRP plate having a tapered ends under thermal loading. Different thinning profiles are investigated since the later can significantly reduce the stress concentration. In the present theoretical analysis, the adherend shear deformations are taken into account by assuming a parabolic shear stress through the thickness of both beam and bonded plate. The shear correction factor for I-section beams is also included in the solution. Numerical results from the present analysis are presented to demonstrate the advantages of use the tapers in design of strengthened beams.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.141-155
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• 2017

This paper presents an investigation into the magneto-thermo-mechanical vibration and damping of a viscoelastic functionally graded-carbon nanotubes (FG-CNTs)-reinforced curved microbeam based on Timoshenko beam and strain gradient theories. The structure is surrounded by a viscoelastic medium which is simulated with spring, damper and shear elements. The effective temperature-dependent material properties of the CNTs-reinforced composite beam are obtained using the extended rule of mixture. The structure is assumed to be subjected to a longitudinal magnetic field. The governing equations of motion are derived using Hamilton's principle and solved by employing differential quadrature method (DQM). The effect of various parameter like volume percent and distribution type of CNTs, temperature change, magnetic field, boundary conditions, material length scale parameter, central angle, viscoelastic medium and structural damping on the vibration and damping behaviors of the nanocomposite curved microbeam is examined. The results show that with increasing volume percent of CNTs and considering magnetic field, material length scale parameter and viscoelastic medium, the frequency of the system increases and critically damped situation occurs at higher values of damper constant. In addition, the structure with FGX distribution type of CNTs has the highest stiffness. It is also observed that increasing temperature, structural damping and central angle of curved microbeam decreases the frequency of the system.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.409-420
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• 2017

This paper theoretically studies the cyclic behavior of hybrid connections between steel coupling beams and concrete shear walls with embedded steel columns. Finite element models of connections with long and short embedded steel columns are built in ABAQUS and validated against the test results in the companion paper. Parametric studies are carried out using the validated FE model to determine the key influencing factors on the load-bearing capacity of connections. A close-form solution of the load-bearing capacity of connections is proposed by considering the contributions from the compressive strength of concrete at the interface between the embedded beam and concrete, shear yielding of column web in the tensile region, and shear capacity of column web and concrete in joint zone. The results show that the bond slip between embedded steel members and concrete should be considered which can be simulated by defining contact boundary conditions. It is found that the loadbearing capacity of connections strongly depends on the section height, flange width and web thickness of the embedded column. The accuracy of the proposed calculation method is validated against test results and also verified against FE results (with differences within 10%). It is recommended that embedded steel columns should be placed along the entire height of shear walls to facilitate construction and enhance the ductility. The thickness and section height of embedded columns should be increased to enhance the load-bearing capacity of connections. The stirrups in the joint zone should be strengthened and embedded columns with very small section height should be avoided.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.535-550
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• 2019

Prestressed concrete (PC) bridges using corrugated steel webbing have emerged as one of the most promising forms of steel-concrete composite bridge. However, their long-term behavior is not well understood, especially in the case of large-span bridges. In order to study the time-dependent performance, a large three-span PC bridge with corrugated steel webbing was compared to a similar conventional PC bridge to examine their respective time-dependent characteristics. In addition, a three-dimensional finite element method with step-by-step time integration that takes into account cantilever construction procedures was used to predict long-term behaviors such as deflection, stress distribution and prestressing loss. These predictions were based upon four well-established empirical creep prediction models. PC bridges with a corrugated steel web were observed to have a better long-term performance relative to conventional PC bridges. In particular, it is noted that the pre-cambering for PC bridges with a corrugated steel web could be smaller than that of conventional PC bridges. The ratio of side-to-mid span has great influence on the long-term deformation of PC bridges with a corrugated steel web, and it is suggested that the design value should be between 0.4 and 0.6. However, the different creep prediction models still showed a weak homogeneity, thus, the further experimental research and the development of health monitoring systems are required to further progress our understanding of the long-term behavior of PC bridges with corrugated steel webbing.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.571-582
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• 2019

This study aimed to assess the feasibility on the wide and long 9%Ni steel plate for use in the LNG storage inner tank shell. First, 5-m-wide and 15-m-long 9%Ni steel plates were test manufactured from a steel mill and specimens taken from the plates were tested for strength, toughness, and flatness to verify their performance based on international standards and design specifications. Second, plates with a thickness of 10 mm and 25 mm, a width of 4.8~5.0 m, and a length of 15 m were test fabricated by subjecting to pretreatment, beveling, and roll bending resulting in a final width of 4.5~4.8 m and a length of 14.8m with fabrication errors identical to conventional plates. Third, welded specimens obtained via shield metal arc welding used for vertical welding of inner tank shell and submerged arc welding used for horizontal welding were also tested for strength, toughness and ductility. Fourth, verification of shell plate material and fabrication was followed by test erection using two 25-mm-thick, 4.5-m-wide and 14.8-m-long 9%Ni steel plates. No undesirable welding failure or deformation was found. Finally, parametric design using wide and long 9%Ni steel plates was carried out, and a simplified design method to determine the plate thickness along the shell height was proposed. The cost analysis based on the parametric design resulted in about 2% increase of steel weight; however, the construction cost was reduced about 6% due to large reduction in welding work.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2019

The aim of the paper is the prediction of the seismic collapse mode of steel storage pallet racks under seismic loads. The attention paid by the researchers on the behaviour of the industrial steel storage pallets racks is increased over the years thanks to their high dead-to-live load ratio. In fact, these structures, generally made by cold-formed thin-walled profiles, present very low structural costs but can support large and expensive loads. The paper presents a prediction of the seismic collapse modes of multi-storey racks. The analysis of the possible collapse modes has been made by an approach based on the kinematic theorem of plastic collapse extended to the second order effects by means of the concept of collapse mechanism equilibrium curve. In this way, the dissipative behaviour of racks is determined with a simpler method than the pushover analysis. Parametric analyses have been performed on 24 racks, differing for the geometric layout and cross-section of the components, designed in according to the EN16618 and EN15512 requirements. The obtained results have highlighted that, in all the considered cases, the global collapse mechanism, that is the safest one, never develops, leading to a dangerous situation that must be avoided to preserve the structure during a seismic event. Although the studied racks follow all the codes prescriptions, the development of a dissipative collapse mechanism is not achieved. In addition, also the variability of load distribution has been considered, reflecting the different pallet positions assumed during the in-service life of the racks, to point out its influence on the collapse mechanism. The information carried out from the paper can be very useful for designers and manufacturers because it allows to better understand the racks behaviour in seismic load condition.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.157-171
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• 2019

In this research, the dynamic instability region (DIR) of the sandwich nano-beams are investigated based on nonlocal strain gradient elasticity theory (NSGET) and various higher order shear deformation beam theories (HSDBTs). The sandwich piezoelectric nano-beam is including a homogenous core and face-sheets reinforced with functionally graded (FG) carbon nanotubes (CNTs). In present study, three patterns of CNTs are employed in order to reinforce the top and bottom face-sheets of the beam. In addition, different higher-order shear deformation beam theories such as trigonometric shear deformation beam theory (TSDBT), exponential shear deformation beam theory (ESDBT), hyperbolic shear deformation beam theory (HSDBT), and Aydogdu shear deformation beam theory (ASDBT) are considered to extract the governing equations for different boundary conditions. The beam is subjected to thermal and electrical loads while is resting on Visco-Pasternak foundation. Hamilton principle is used to derive the governing equations of motion based on various shear deformation theories. In order to analysis of the dynamic instability behaviors, the linear governing equations of motion are solved using differential quadrature method (DQM). After verification with validated reference, comprehensive numerical results are presented to investigate the influence of important parameters such as various shear deformation theories, nonlocal parameter, strain gradient parameter, the volume fraction of the CNTs, various distributions of the CNTs, different boundary conditions, dimensionless geometric parameters, Visco-Pasternak foundation parameters, applied voltage and temperature change on the dynamic instability characteristics of sandwich piezoelectric nano-beam.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.405-416
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• 2019

Profiled composite slab has been widely used in civil engineering due to its structural merits. The extension of this concept to the bearing wall forms the profiled composite wall, which consists of two external profiled steel plates and infill concrete. This paper investigates the structural behavior of this type of wall under axial compression. A series of compression tests on profiled composite walls consisting of varied types of profiled steel plate and edge confinement have been carried out. The test results are evaluated in terms of failure modes, load-axial displacement curves, strength index, ductility ratio, and load-strain response. It is found that the type of profiled steel plate has influence on the axial capacity and strength index, while edge confinement affects the failure mode and ductility. The test data are compared with the predictions by modern codes such as AISC 360, BS EN 1994-1-1, and CECS 159. It shows that BS EN 1994-1-1 and CECS 159 significantly overestimate the actual compressive capacity of profiled composite walls, while AISC 360 offers reasonable predictions. A method is then proposed, which takes into account the local buckling of profiled steel plates and the reduction in the concrete resistance due to profiling. The predictions show good correlation with the test results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.615-630
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• 2021

The main purpose of the present work was to study the dynamic instability of a three-layered, thick composite sandwich beam with the functionally graded (FG) flexible core subjected to an axial compressive follower force. Flutter instability of a sandwich cantilever beam was analyzed using the high-order theory of sandwich beams, for the first time. The governing equations in general for sandwich beams with an FG core were extracted and could be used for all types of sandwich beams with any types of face sheets and cores. A polynomial function is considered for the vertical distribution of the displacement field in the core layer along the thickness, based on the results of the first Frosting's higher order model. The governing partial differential equations and the equations of boundary conditions of the dynamic system are derived using Hamilton's principle. By applying the boundary conditions and numerical solution methods of squares quadrature, the beam flutter phenomenon is studied. In addition, the effects of different geometrical and material parameters on the flutter threshold were investigated. The results showed that the responses of the dynamic instability of the system were influenced by the follower force, the coefficients of FGs and the geometrical parameters like the core thickness. Comparison of the present results with the published results in the literature for the special case confirmed the accuracy of the proposed theory. The results showed that the follower force of the flutter phenomenon threshold for long beams tends to the corresponding results in the Timoshenko beam.