• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.3804-3821
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• 1996

The configuration optimization is a structural optimization method which includes the coordinates of a structure as well as the sectional properties in the design variable set. Effective reduction of the weight of discrete structures can be obrained by changing the geometry while satisfying stress, Ei;er bickling, displacement, and frequency constraints, etc. However, the nonlinearity due to the configuration variables may cause the difficulties of the convergence and expensive computational cost. An efficient approximation method for the configuration optimization has been developed to overcome the difficulties. The method approximates the constraint functions based onthe second-order Taylor series expansion with reciprocal design variables. The Hessian matrix is approzimated from the information on previous design points. The developed algotithms are coded and the examples are solved.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.335-348
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• 2010

Cutouts are often provided in structural and aircraft components for ventilation, for access, inspection, electric lines and fuel lines or sometimes to lighten the structure. This paper addresses the effects of cutout shape (i.e., circular, square, diamond, elliptical-vertical and elliptical-horizontal) and size on buckling and postbuckling response of quasi-isotropic (i.e., $(+45/-45/0/90)_{2s}$) composite laminate under uni-axial compression. The finite element method is used to carry out the investigation. The formulation is based on first order shear deformation theory and von Karman's assumptions are used to incorporate geometric nonlinearity. The 3-D Tsai-Hill criterion is used to predict the failure of a lamina while the onset of delamination is predicted by the interlaminar failure criterion. It is observed that for the smaller size cutout area there is no significant effect of cutout shape on load-deflection response of the laminate. It is also concluded that the cutout size has substantial influence on the buckling and postbuckling response of the laminate with elliptical-horizontal cutout, while this effect is observed to be the least in case of laminate with elliptical-vertical cutout.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.71 no.2
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• pp.153-163
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• 2019

Longitudinal fracture behavior of non-linear elastic beam configurations is studied in terms of the strain energy release rate. It is assumed that the beams exhibit continuous material inhomogeneity along the width as well as along the height of the crosssection. The Ramberg-Osgood stress-strain relation is used for describing the non-linear mechanical behavior of the inhomogeneous material. A solution to strain energy release rate is derived that holds for inhomogeneous beams of arbitrary cross-section under combination of axial force and bending moments. Besides, the solution may be applied at any law of continuous distribution of the modulus of elasticity in the beam cross-section. The longitudinal crack may be located arbitrary along the beam height. The solution is used to investigate a longitudinal crack in a beam configuration of rectangular cross-section under four-point bending. The crack is located symmetrically with respect to the beam mid-span. It is assumed that the modulus of elasticity varies continuously according a cosine law in the beam cross-section. The longitudinal fracture behavior of the inhomogeneous beam is studied also by applying the J-integral approach for verification of the non-linear solution to the strain energy release rate derived in the present paper. Effects of material inhomogeneity, crack location along the beam height and non-linear mechanical behavior of the material on the longitudinal fracture behavior are evaluated. Thus, the solution derived in the present paper can be used in engineering design of inhomogeneous non-linear elastic structural members to assess the influence of various material and geometrical parameters on longitudinal fracture.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.177-194
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• 2019

While establishing adequate load paths in the light-frame wood structures is critical to maintain the overall structural integrity and avoid significant damage under extreme wind events, the understanding of the load paths is limited by the high redundant nature of this building type. The objective of the current study is to evaluate the system effects and investigate the load paths in the wood structures especially the older buildings for a better performance assessment of the existing building stock under high winds, which will provide guidance for building constructions in the future. This is done by developing building models with configurations that are suspicious to induce failure per post damage reconnaissance. The effect of each configuration to the structural integrity is evaluated by the first failure wind speed, amajor indicator beyond the linear to the nonlinear range. A 3D finite-element (FE) building model is adopted as a control case that is modeled using a validated methodology in a highly-detailed fashion where the nonlinearity of connections is explicitly simulated. This model is then altered systematically to analyze the effects of configuration variations in the model such as the gable end sheathing continuity and the gable end truss stiffness, etc. The resolution of the wind loads from scaled wind tunnel tests is also discussed by comparing the effects to wind loads derived from large-scale wind tests.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.295-317
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• 2020

Investigation of the stability of arch dam abutments is one of the most important aspects in the analysis of this type of dams. To this end, the Bakhtiari dam, a doubly curved arch dam having six wedges at each of its abutments, is selected. The seismic safety of dam abutments is studied through time history analysis using the design-based earthquake (DBE) and maximum credible earthquake (MCE) hazard levels. Londe limit equilibrium method is used to calculate the stability of wedges in abutments. The thrust forces are obtained using ABAQUS, and stability of wedges is calculated using the code written within MATLAB. Effects of foundation flexibility, grout curtain performance, vertical component of earthquake, nonlinear behavior of materials, and geometrical nonlinearity on the safety factor of the abutments are scrutinized. The results show that the grout curtain performance is the main affecting factor on the stability of the abutments, while nonlinear behavior of the materials is the least affecting factor amongst others. Also, it is resulted that increasing number of the contraction joints can improve the seismic stability of dam. A cap is observed on the number of joints, above which the safety factor does not change incredibly.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.81 no.5
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• pp.591-606
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• 2022

When the friction pendulum system and shear keys work together to resist the ground motion, which inclined inputs (non 45°) to the bridge structure, the shear keys in XY direction will be sheared asynchronously, endowed the friction pendulum system with a violent curvilinear motion on the sliding surface during earthquakes. In view of this situation, firstly, this paper abandons the equivalent linearization model of friction and constructs a Spring-Coulomb friction plane isolation system with XY shear keys, and then makes a detailed mechanical analysis of the movement process of friction pendulum system, next, this paper establishes the mathematical model of structural time history response calculation by using the step-by-step integration method, finally, it compiles the corresponding computer program to realize the numerical calculation. The results show that the calculation method in this paper takes advantage of the characteristic that the friction force is always µmg, and creatively uses the "circle making method" to express the change process of the friction force and resultant force of the friction pendulum system in any calculation time step, which can effectively solve the temporal nonlinear action of the plane friction; Compared with the response obtained by the calculation method in this paper, the peak values of acceleration response and displacement response calculated by the unidirectional calculation model, which used in the traditional research of the friction pendulum system, are smaller, so the unidirectional calculation model is not safe.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.15-31
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• 2023

Organic solar cells utilized natural polymers to convert solar energy to electricity. The demands for green energy production and less disposal of toxic materials make them one of the interesting candidates for replacing conventional solar cells. However, the different aspects of their properties including mechanical strength and stability are not well recognized. Therefore, in the present study, we aim to explore the chaotic responses of these organic solar cells. In doing so, a specific type of organic solar cell constructed from layers of material with different thicknesses is considered to obtain vibrational and chaotic responses under different boundaries and initial conditions. A square plate structure is examined with first-order shear deformation theory to acquire the displacement field in the laminated structure. The bounding between different layers is considered to be perfect with no sliding and separation. On the other hand, nonlocal elasticity theory is engaged in incorporating the structural effects of the organic material into calculations. Hamilton's principle is adopted to obtain governing equations with regard to boundary conditions and mechanical loadings. The extracted equations of motion were solved using the perturbation method and differential quadrature approach. The results demonstrated the significant effect of relative glass layer thickness on the chaotic behavior of the structure with higher relative thickness leading to less chaotic responses. Moreover, a comprehensive parameter study is presented to examine the effects of nonlocality and relative thicknesses on the natural frequency of square organic solar cell structure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.87 no.2
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• pp.173-189
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• 2023

For a given structural geometry, the stiffness and damping parameters of the soil and the dynamic response of the structure may change in the face of an equivalent linear soil behavior caused by a strong earthquake. Therefore, the influence of equivalent linear soil behavior on the impedance functions form and the seismic response of the soil-structure system has been investigated. Through the substructure method, the seismic response of the selected structure was obtained by an analytical formulation based on the dynamic equilibrium of the soil-structure system modeled by an analog model with three degrees of freedom. Also, the dynamic response of the soil-structure system for a nonlinear soil behavior and for the two types of impedance function forms was also analyzed by 2D finite element modeling using ABAQUS software. The numerical results were compared with those of the analytical solution. After the investigation, the effect of soil nonlinearity clearly showed the critical role of soil stiffness loss under strong shaking, which is more complex than the linear elastic soil behavior, where the energy dissipation depends on the seismic motion amplitude and its frequency, the impedance function types, the shear modulus reduction and the damping increase. Excellent agreement between finite element analysis and analytical results has been obtained due to the reasonable representation of the model.

• KIPS Transactions on Computer and Communication Systems
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2024

In the development and mass production of polymers, there are many uncontrollable variables. Even small changes in chemical composition, structure, and processing conditions can lead to large variations in properties. Therefore, Traditional linear modeling techniques that assume a general environment often produce significant errors when applied to field data. In this study, we propose a new modeling method (GPR-SEM) that combines Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) to study the Friction-Coefficient and Flexural-Strength properties of Polyacetal resin, an engineering plastic, in order to meet the recent trend of using plastics in industrial drive components. And we also consider the possibility of using it for materials modeling with nonlinearity.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.90 no.3
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• pp.287-299
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• 2024

Composite skew plates are aesthetically appealing light weight structural units finding wide applications in floors and roofs of commercial buildings. Although bending and vibration characteristics of these units have received attention from researchers but the domain of first and progressive failure has not been explored. Confident use of these plates necessitates comprehensive understanding of their failure behavior. With this objective, the present paper uses an eight noded isoparametric finite element together with von-Kármán's approach of nonlinear strains to study first ply and progressive failure up to ultimate damage of skew plates being subjected to uniform surface pressure. Parameters like skew angles, laminations and boundary conditions are varied and the results are practically analyzed. The novelty of the paper lies in the fact that the stiffness matrix of the damaged plate is calculated by considering material degradation locally only at failed points at each stage of first and progressive failure and as a result, the present outputs are so close to experimental findings. Interpretation of results from practical angles and proposing the relative performances of the different plate combinations in terms of ranks will be of much help to practicing engineers in selecting the best suited plate option among many combinations.