• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제39권4호
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• pp.599-620
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• 2011

The investigation on possible causes of failures related to documented collapses is a complicated issue, primarily due to the scarcity and inadequacy of information available. Although several studies have tried to understand which are the inherent structural deficiencies or circumstances associated to failure of the main structural elements in a reinforced concrete frame, to the authors knowledge a uniform approach for the evaluation building static vulnerability, does not exist yet. This paper investigates, by means of a detailed case study, the potential failure mechanisms of an existing reinforced concrete building. The linear elastic analysis for the three-dimensional building model gives an insight on the working conditions of the structural elements, demonstrating the relevance of a number of structural faults that could sensibly lower the structure's safety margin. Next, the building's bearing capacity is studied by means of parametric nonlinear analysis performed at the element's level. It is seen that, depending on material properties, concrete strength and steel yield stress, the failure hierarchy could be dominated by either brittle or ductile mechanisms.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.151-159
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• 2020

An experimental study on the stress-strain relation of PVC-CFRP confined reinforced concrete columns subjected to eccentric compression was carried out. Two parameters, such as the CFRP strips spacing and eccentricity of axial load, were considered. The experimental results showed that all specimens failed by compressive yield of longitudinal steel bar and rupture of CFRP strips. The bearing capacity of specimen decreases as the eccentricity or the CFRP strips spacing increases. The stress-strain relation of specimens undergoes two stages: parabolic and linear stages. In the parabolic stage, the slope of stress-strain curve decreases gradually as the eccentricity of axial loading increases while the CFRP strips spacing has little effect on the slope of stress-strain curve. For the linear stage, the slope of stress-strain curve decreases as the eccentricity of axial load or the CFRP strips spacing increases. A model for predicting the stress-strain relation of columns under eccentric compression is proposed and it agrees well with various test data.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.465-472
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• 2011

This paper investigates bond behavior of structural lightweight concrete (SLWC) and ordinary concrete (OC) comparatively using bending test called Standard Belgium Hinged Beam Test (SBHBT). For this purpose the experiments were carried out as three series on 36 beam specimens (12 specimens of SLWC and OC with $20{\phi}$ development length, 12 specimens of SLWC with $25{\phi}$ development length). For each series bond behavior of steel rebars with 8, 10, 12, 14 mm diameters were tested. The results indicate that bond strength of SLWC is considerable lower than OC and $20{\phi}$ development length is insufficient for steel rebars with 12 mm and 14 mm diameters. Therefore development length of SLWC was extended to $25{\phi}$, even if 8 and 10 mm steel rebars provided acceptable bond strength. In this way, bond strength between SLWC and 8 and 10 mm steel rebars was developed. In addition, adequate bond behavior was achieved for 12 mm rebar but the beam in which 14 mm rebar used exceeded their bearing capacity by shear forces before yield stress. This result shows that SBHBT is more convenient for small sized steel rebars.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.291-301
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• 2019

Pure torsion loading conditions were not frequently occurred in practical engineering, but the torsional researches were important since it's the basis of mechanical property researches under complex loading. Then a 3D finite element model with precise material constitutive models was established, and the effectiveness was verified with test data. Parametric studies with varying factors as steel yield strength, concrete strength and sectional height-width ratio, were performed. Internal stress state and the interaction effect between encased steel tube and the core concrete were analyzed. Results indicated that due to the confinement effect between steel tube and core concrete, the torsional strength of CFT columns was greatly improved comparing to plain concrete columns. The steel ratio would greatly influence the torque share between the steel tube and the core concrete. Then the torsional strength calculation formulas for core concrete and the whole CFT column were proposed. The proposed formula could be simpler and easier to use with guaranteed accuracy. Related design codes were more conservative than the proposed formula, but the proposed formula presented more satisfactory agreement with experimental results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.409-417
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• 2019

The choice of individual material for industrial application is primarily based on knowledge of its behavior in similar applications and similar environmental conditions. Contemporary design implies knowledge of material behavior and knowledge in the area of structural analysis supported by large capacity computers. Bearing this in mind, this paper presents and analyzes the experimental results related to the mechanical properties of the material considered (30CrNiMo8/1.6580/AISI 4340) at different temperatures as well as its creep and fatigue behavior. All experimental tests were carried out as uniaxial tests. The test results related to the mechanical properties are presented in the form of engineering stress-strain diagrams. The results related to the creep behavior of the material are shown in the form of creep curves, while the fatigue of the material is shown in the form of stress - life (S - N) diagram. Based on these experimental results, the values of the following properties are determined: ultimate tensile strength (${\sigma}_{m,20}=696MPa$), yield strength (${\sigma}_{0.2,20}=355.5MPa$), modulus of elasticity ($E_{,20}=217GPa$) and fatigue limit (${\sigma}_{f,20,R=-1}=280.4MPa$). Results related to fatigue tests were obtained at room temperature and stress ratio R = -1.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제38권6호
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• pp.705-716
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• 2021

An innovative partially precast partially encased composite beam (PPECB) is put forward based on the existing research. In order to study the flexural performance of the new composite beam which has precast part and cast-in-place part, six prefabricated specimens and one cast-in-place specimen are designed with considering the influence of the production method, the steel flange thickness, the concrete strength grade and the stirrup process on the behavior of the composite beam. Through four points loading and test data collection and analysis, the behavior of partially prefabricated specimen is similar to that of cast-in-place specimen, and the casting method, the thickness of the steel flange, the concrete strength grade and the stirrup process have different influence on the crack, yield and peak load bearing capacity of the component. Finally, the calculation theory of plastic bending of partially precast partially encased concrete composite beams is given. The calculation results are in good agreement with the experimental results, which can be used for practical engineering theory guidance. This paper can provide reference value for further research and engineering application.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권1호
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• pp.357-373
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• 2022

The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor pebble-bed module project is the first commercial Generation-IV NPP(Nuclear Power Plant) in China. A new joint is used for the vertical support of RPV(Reactor Pressure Vessel). The steel corbel is integrally embedded into the reactor-cabin wall through eight asymmetrically arranged pre-stressed high-strength bolts, achieving the different path transmission of shear force and moment. The vertical monotonic loading test of two specimens is conducted. The results show that the failure mode of the joint is bolt fracture. There is no prominent yield stage in the whole loading process. The stress of bolts is linearly distributed along the height of corbel at initial loading. As the load increases, the height of neutral axis of bolts gradually decreases. The upper and lower edges of the wall opening contact the corbel plate to restrict the rotation of the corbel. During the loading, the pre-stress of some bolts decreases. The increase of the pre-stress strength ratio of bolts has no noticeable effect on the structure stiffness, but it reduces the ultimate bearing capacity of the joint. A simplified calculation model for the elastic stage of the joint is established, and the estimation results are in good agreement with the experimental results.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.59-73
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• 2022

In this study, the seismic behavior of an all-steel buckling-restrained (AB) steel plate shear wall (SPSW) with incline slits under fire and cyclic loading was investigated. ABSPSW was composed of two thin steel infill plates with a narrow distance from each other, which were embedded with incline slits on each plate. These slits were in opposite directions to each other. The finite element (FE) numerical model was validated with three test specimens and after ensuring the modeling strategy, the parametric study was performed by considering variables such as wall plate thickness, slit width, strip width between two slits, and degree of temperature. A total of 256 FE numerical models were subjected to coupled temperature-displacement analysis. The results of the analysis showed that the high temperature reduced the seismic performance of the ABSPSW so that at 917℃, the load-bearing capacity was reduced by 92%. In addition, with the increase in the temperature, the yield point of the infill plate and frame occurred in a small displacement. The average decrease in shear strength at 458℃, 642℃, and 917℃ was 18%, 46%, and 92%, respectively, compared to the shear strength at 20℃. Also, with increasing the temperature to 917℃, ductility increased by an average of 75%

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제85권3호
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• pp.407-417
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• 2023

Precast assembled bridge piers with hybrid connection (PASP) use both tendons and socket connections. To study the seismic performance of PASP, a full-scale in-situ test was performed based on an actual bridge project. The elastic-plastic fiber model of PASP was established using finite element software, and numerical analyses were performed to study the influence of prestress degree and socket depth on the PASP seismic performance. The results show that the typical failure mode of PASP under horizontal load is bending failure dominated by concrete cracking at the joint between the column and cushion cap. The cracking of the pier concrete and opening of joints depend on the prestress degree and socket depth. The prestressing tendons and socket connection can provide enough ductility, strength, restoration capability, and bending strength under small horizontal displacements. Although the bearing capacity and post yield stiffness of the pier can be improved to some extent by increasing the prestressing force, ductility is reduced, and residual deformation is increased. Overall, there are reasonable minimum socket depths to ensure the reliability of the socket connection.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제35권5호
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• pp.611-625
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• 2020

Experimental investigation and finite element analysis of corroded cold-formed steel (CFS) columns are presented. 11 tensile coupon specimens and 6 stub columns of corroded CFS that had a channel section of C160x60x20 were subjected to monotonic tensile tests and axial compression tests, respectively. The degradation laws of the mechanical properties of the tensile coupon specimens and stub columns were analysed. An appropriate finite element model for the corroded CFS columns was proposed and the influence of local corrosion on the stability performance of the columns was studied by finite element analysis. Finally, the axial capacity of the experimental results was compared with the predictions obtained from the existing design specifications. The results indicated that with an increasing average thickness loss ratio, the ultimate strength, elastic modulus and yield strength decreased for the tensile coupon specimens. Local buckling deformation was not noticeable until the load reached about 90% of the ultimate load for the non-corroded columns, while local buckling deformation was observed when the load was only 40% of the ultimate load for the corroded columns. The maximum reduction of the ultimate load and critical buckling load was 57% and 81.7%, respectively, compared to those values for the non-corroded columns. The ultimate load of the columns with web thickness reduced by 2 mm was 53% lower than that of the non-corroded columns, which indicates that web corrosion most significantly affects the bearing capacity of the columns with localized corrosion. The results predicted using the design specifications of MOHURD were more accurate than those predicted using the design specifications of AISI.