• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.543-562
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• 2024

While the external axial compressive load is applied to only the shell edge of stringer-stiffened shell in the most of numerical and analytical previous studies (entitled as conventional approach), a part of external load is applied to the stringers in real conditions. It leads to decrease the accuracy of the axial buckling load calculated by the conventional eigenvalue analysis approach performed in the most of previous studies. In this study, the distribution of stress in the pre-buckling analysis was enhanced by applying the axial external compressive load to both shell and stringers to perform an accurate eigenvalue analysis of the stringer-stiffened composite shell. In this regard, a model was developed in FORTRAN environment to simulate the laminated stringer-stiffened shell under axial compressive load using finite strip method. The axial buckling load of the shell was obtained through eigenvalue analysis. A comparison was made between the results obtained from the model and those available in the previous studies to evaluate the validity of the results obtained from the model. Through a parametric study, the effects of different parameters such as stringer properties and composite layup on the buckling load of the shell under different loading patterns were investigated. The results indicated that in some cases, the axial buckling load obtained for the conventional approach used in the most of previous studies is significantly overestimated or underestimated due to neglecting the stringer in distribution of external load applied to the stringer-stiffened shell. According to the results obtained from the parametric study, some graphs were derived to show the accuracy of the axial buckling load obtained from the conventional approach utilized in the literature.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.265-280
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• 2024

The collapse behavior observed in single-story beam-column assembly (SSBCA) do not accurately represent the actual overall stress characteristic of multi-story frame structure (MSFS) under column loss scenario owing to ignoring the interaction action among different stories, leading to a disconnection between the anti-collapse behaviors of "components" and "overall structures", that is, the anti-collapse performance of frame structures with two different structural scales has not yet formed a combined force. This paper conducts a numerical and theoretical study to explore the difference of the collapse behaviors of the SSBCA and MSFS, and further to reveal the internal force relationships and boundary constraints at beam ends of models SSBCA and MSFS. Based on the previous experimental tests, the corresponding refined numerical simulation models were established and verified, and comparative analysis on the resistant-collapse performance was carried out, based on the validated modeling methods with considering the actual boundary constraints, and the results illustrates that the collapse behaviors of the SSBCA and MSFS is not a simple multiple relationship. Through numerical simulation and theoretical analysis, the development laws of internal force in each story beam under different boundary constraints was clarified, and the coupling relationship between the bending moment at the most unfavorable section and axial force in the composite beam of different stories of multi story frames with weld cover-plated flange connections was obtained. In addition, considering the effect of the yield performance of adjacent columns on the anti-collapse bearing capacities of the SSBCA and MSFS during the large deformation stages, the calculation formula for the equivalent axial stiffness at the beam ends of each story were provided.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.205-216
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• 2023

Concrete structures may become vulnerable during their lifetime due to several reasons such as degradation of their material properties; design or construction errors; and environmental damage due to earthquake. These structures should be repaired or strengthened to ensure proper performance for the current service load demands. Several methods have been investigated and applied for the strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) structures using various materials. Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcement is one of the most recent type of material for the strengthening purpose of RC structures. The main objective of the present research is to identify the behavior of reinforced concrete slabs strengthened with FRP bars by using near surface mounted (NSM) technique. Validation study is conducted based on the experimental test available in the literature to investigate the accuracy of finite element models using LS-DYNA to present the behavior of the models. A parametric analysis is conducted on the effect of FRP bar diameters, number of grooves, groove intervals as well as width and height of the grooves on the flexural behavior of strengthened reinforced slabs. Performance of strengthening RC slabs with NSM FRP bars was confirmed by comparing the results of strengthening reinforced slabs with control slab. The numerical results of mid-span deflection and stress time histories were reported. According to the numerical analysis results, the model with three grooves, FRP bar diameter of 10 mm and grooves distances of 100 mm is the most ideal and desirable model in this research. The results demonstrated that strengthening of reinforced concrete slabs using FRP by NSM method will have a significant effect on the performance of the slabs.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2024

The objective of this research is to study experimentally and numerically the behavior of steel beam columns with openings. Although the presence of openings in the beam columns is inevitable, finding ways to maintain strength is crucial. The studied parameters are opening shape, the ratio between opening height to specimen height, the percentage of opening location from support to beam column length, and web slenderness. Experimental tests are conducted including twelve specimens to study the effect of these parameters and record failure load, load deflection curve, and stress strain curve. Two failure modes are observed: local and flexural buckling. Interaction curves plotted from finite element model analysis are also used to expand the parametric study. Changing the location of the opening can decrease failure load by up to 7% and 60% in both normal and moment ratios respectively. Increasing the opening dimension can lead to a drop in the axial ratio by up to 29% and in the moment ratio by up to 74%. The weakest beam column behavior is noticed in specimens with rectangular openings which results from uneven and concentrated stresses around the opening. The main results of this research illustrate that the best location for opening is at 40% - 50% from beam column support. Also, it is advisable to use circular openings instead of rectangular openings in specimens having slender webs because moment ratios are raised by 85% accompanied by a rise in normal ratios by 9%.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.89 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2024

This article introduces a novel analytical model for examining the impact of porosity on shear correction factors (SCFs) in functionally graded porous beams (FGPB). The study employs uneven and logarithmic-uneven modified porosity-dependent power-law functions, which are distributed throughout the thickness of the FGP beams. Additionally, a modified exponential-power law function is used to estimate the effective mechanical properties of functionally graded porous beams. The correction factor plays a crucial role in this analysis as it appears as a coefficient in the expression for the transverse shear stress resultant. It compensatesfor the assumption that the shear strain is uniform across the depth of the cross-section. By applying the energy equivalence principle, a general expression for static SCFs in FGPBs is derived. The resulting expression aligns with the findings obtained from Reissner's analysis, particularly when transitioning from the two-dimensional case (plate) to the one-dimensional case (beam). The article presents a convenient algebraic form of the solution and provides new case studies to demonstrate the practicality of the proposed formulation. Numerical results are also presented to illustrate the influence of porosity distribution on SCFs for different types of FGPBs. Furthermore, the article validates the numerical consistency of the mechanical property changesin FG beams without porosity and the SCF by comparing them with available results.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.89 no.1
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• pp.33-46
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• 2024

The present research delves into the analysis of nonlinear free and forced vibrations of porous functionally graded (FG) shallow shells reinforced with oblique stiffeners, which are embedded in a nonlinear elastic foundation (NEF) subjected to external excitation. Two distinct types of PFG shallow shells, characterized by even and uneven porosity distribution along the thickness direction, are considered in the research. In order to model the stiffeners, Lekhnitskii's smeared stiffeners technique is implemented. With the stress function and first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT), the nonlinear model of the oblique stiffened shallow shells is established. The strain-displacement relationships for the system are derived via the FSDT and utilization of the von-Kármán's geometric assumptions. To discretize the nonlinear governing equations, the Galerkin method is employed. The model such developed allows analysis of the effects of the stiffeners with various angles as desired, in addition to the quantitative investigation on the influence of the surrounding nonlinear elastic foundations. To numerically solve the problem of vibrations, the 4th-order P-T method is used, as this method, known for its enhanced accuracy and reliability, proves to be an effective choice. The validation of the present research findings includes a comprehensive comparison with outcomes documented in existing literature. Additionally, a comparative analysis of the numerical results against those obtained using the 4th Runge-Kutta method is performed. The impact of stiffeners with varying angles and material parameters on the vibration characteristics of the present system is also explored. The researchers and engineers working in this field may use the results of this study as benchmarks in their design and research for the considered shell systems.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.441-456
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• 2024

This paper aims to develop Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to predict the buckling resistance of cold-formed steel (CFS) channels with restrained flanges, widely used in typical CFS sheathed wall panels, and provide practical design tools for engineers. The effects of cross-sectional restraints were first evaluated on the elastic buckling behaviour of CFS channels subjected to pure axial compressive load or bending moment. Feedforward multi-layer Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) were then trained on different datasets comprising CFS channels with various dimensions and properties, plate thicknesses, and restraining conditions on one or two flanges, while the elastic distortional buckling resistance of the elements were determined according to the Finite Strip Method (FSM). To develop less biased networks and ensure that every observation from the original dataset has the chance of appearing in the training and test set, a K-fold cross-validation technique was implemented. In addition, the hyperparameters of the ANNs were tuned using a grid search technique to provide ANNs with optimum performances. The results demonstrated that the trained ANNs were able to predict the elastic distortional buckling resistance of CFS flange-restrained elements with an average accuracy of 99% in terms of coefficient of determination. The developed models were then used to propose a simple ANN-based design formula for the prediction of the elastic distortional buckling stress of CFS flange-restrained elements. Finally, the proposed formula was further evaluated on a separate set of unseen data to ensure its accuracy for practical applications.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.243-260
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• 2024

Thirteen self-compacting recycled concrete filled aluminium tubular (SCRCFAT) columns were tested under concentric compression loads. The effects of the replacement ratio of the recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and steel fibre (SF) reinforcement on the structural performance of the SCRCFAT columns were studied. A control specimen (C000) was cast with normal concrete without SF to be reference for comparison. Twelve columns were cast using RCA, six columns were cast using concrete incorporating 2% SF while the rest of columns were cast without SF. Failure mode, ductility, ultimate load capacity, axial deformation, ultimate strains, stress-strain response, and stiffness of the SCRCFAT columns were studied. The results showed that, the peak load of tested SCRCFAT columns incorporating 5-100 % RCA without SF reduced by 2.33-11.28 % compared to that of C000. Conversely, the peak load of tested SCRCFAT columns incorporating 5-100% RCA in addition to 2% SF increased by 21.1-40.25%, compared to C000. Consequently, the ultimate axial deformation (Δ) of column C100 (RCA=100% and SF 0%) increased by about 118.9 % compared to C000. The addition of 2% SF to the concrete mix decreased the axial deformation of SCRCFAT columns compared to those cast with 0% SF. Moreover, the stiffness of the columns cast without SF decreased as the RCA % increased. In contrast, the columns stiffness cast with 2% SF increased by 26.28-89.7 % over that of C000. Finally, a theoretical model was proposed to predict the ultimate loads tested SCRCFAT columns and the obtained theoretical results agreed well with the experimental results.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.259-276
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• 2024

The undrained shear strength is widely acknowledged as a fundamental mechanical property of soil and is considered a critical engineering parameter. In recent years, researchers have employed various methodologies to evaluate the shear strength of soil under undrained conditions. These methods encompass both numerical analyses and empirical techniques, such as the cone penetration test (CPT), to gain insights into the properties and behavior of soil. However, several of these methods rely on correlation assumptions, which can lead to inconsistent accuracy and precision. The study involved the development of innovative methods using extreme gradient boosting (XGB) to predict the pile set-up component "A" based on two distinct data sets. The first data set includes average modified cone point bearing capacity (q_t), average wall friction (f_s), and effective vertical stress (σ_vo), while the second data set comprises plasticity index (PI), soil undrained shear cohesion (S_u), and the over consolidation ratio (OCR). These data sets were utilized to develop XGBoost-based methods for predicting the pile set-up component "A". To optimize the internal hyperparameters of the XGBoost model, four optimization algorithms were employed: Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Social Spider Optimization (SSO), Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm (AOA), and Sine Cosine Optimization Algorithm (SCOA). The results from the first data set indicate that the XGBoost model optimized using the Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm (XGB - AOA) achieved the highest accuracy, with R2 values of 0.9962 for the training part and 0.9807 for the testing part. The performance of the developed models was further evaluated using the RMSE, MAE, and VAF indices. The results revealed that the XGBoost model optimized using XGBoost - AOA outperformed other models in terms of accuracy, with RMSE, MAE, and VAF values of 0.0078, 0.0015, and 99.6189 for the training part and 0.0141, 0.0112, and 98.0394 for the testing part, respectively. These findings suggest that XGBoost - AOA is the most accurate model for predicting the pile set-up component.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.131-143
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• 2024

Shield tunneling construction commonly crosses underground pipelines in urban areas, resulting in soil loss and followed deformation of grounds and pipelines nearby, which may threaten the safe operation of shield tunneling. This paper investigated the pipeline deformation caused by double curved shield tunnels in soil-rock composite stratum in Nanjing, China. The stratum settlement equation was modified to consider the double shield tunneling. Moreover, a three dimensional finite element model was established to explore the effects of hard-layer ratio, tunnel curvature radius, pipeline buried depth and other influencing factors. The results indicate the subsequent shield tunnel would cause secondary disturbance to the soil around the preceding tunnel, resulting in increased pipeline and ground surface settlement above the preceding tunnel. The settlement and stress of the pipeline increased gradually as buried depth of the pipeline increased or the hard-layer ratio (the ratio of hard-rock layer thickness to shield tunnel diameter within the range of the tunnel face) decreased. The modified settlement calculation equation was consistent with the measured data, which can be applied to the settlement calculation of ground surface and pipeline settlement. The modified coefficients a and b ranged from 0.45 to 0.95 and 0.90 to 1.25, respectively. Moreover, the hard-layer ratio had the most significant influence on the pipeline settlement, but the tunnel curvature radius and the included angle between pipeline and tunnel axis played a dominant role in the scope of the pipeline settlement deformation.