• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.46 no.1
• /
• pp.75-92
• /
• 2023

The novel composite cold-formed steel (CFS)/engineered cementitious composites (ECC) beams have been recently presented. The new composite section exhibited superior structural performance as a flexural member, benefiting from the lightweight thin-walled CFS sections with improved buckling and torsional properties due to the restraints provided by thinlayered ECC. This paper investigated the shear performance of the new composite CFS/ECC section. Twenty-eight simply supported beams, with a shear span-to-depth ratio of 1.0, were assembled back-to-back and tested under a 3-point loading scheme. Bare CFS, composite CFS/ECC utilising ECC with Polyethylene fibres (PE-ECC), composite CFS/MOR, and CFS/HSC utilising high-strength mortar (MOR) and high-strength concrete (HSC) as replacements for PE-ECC were compared. Different failure modes were observed in tests: shear buckling modes in bare CFS sections, contact shear buckling modes in composite CFS/MOR and CFS/HSC sections, and shear yielding or block shear rupture in composite CFS/ECC sections. As a result, composite CFS/ECC sections showed up to 96.0% improvement in shear capacities over bare CFS, 28.0% improvement over composite CFS/MOR and 13.0% over composite CFS/HSC sections, although MOR and HSC were with higher compressive strength than PE-ECC. Finally, shear strength prediction formulae are proposed for the new composite sections after considering the contributions from the CFS and ECC components.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.205-218
• /
• 2022

Proper calculation of splitting tensile strength (STS) of concrete has been a crucial task, due to the wide use of concrete in the construction sector. Following many recent studies that have proposed various predictive models for this aim, this study suggests and tests the functionality of three hybrid models in predicting the STS from the characteristics of the mixture components including cement compressive strength, cement tensile strength, curing age, the maximum size of the crushed stone, stone powder content, sand fine modulus, water to binder ratio, and the ratio of sand. A multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network incorporates invasive weed optimization (IWO), cuttlefish optimization algorithm (CFOA), and electrostatic discharge algorithm (ESDA) which are among the newest optimization techniques. A dataset from the earlier literature is used for exploring and extrapolating the STS behavior. The results acquired from several accuracy criteria demonstrated a nice learning capability for all three hybrid models viz. IWO-MLP, CFOA-MLP, and ESDA-MLP. Also in the prediction phase, the prediction products were in a promising agreement (above 88%) with experimental results. However, a comparative look revealed the ESDA-MLP as the most accurate predictor. Considering mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) index, the error of ESDA-MLP was 9.05%, while the corresponding value for IWO-MLP and CFOA-MLP was 9.17 and 13.97%, respectively. Since the combination of MLP and ESDA can be an effective tool for optimizing the concrete mixture toward a desirable STS, the last part of this study is dedicated to extracting a predictive formula from this model.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.167-181
• /
• 2022

Soil liquefaction has been one of the most important concerns in geotechnical earthquake engineering in recent years, due to its damages to structures and its destructive effects. The cyclic liquefaction of silty sands, in particular, remains of great interest for both research and application. Although many factors are known that affect the liquefaction resistance of sands, the effect of fine grain content is perhaps one of the most studied and still controversial. In this study, 48 deformation-controlled cyclic simple shear tests were performed on BS and CS silt samples mixed with 5%, 15% and 30% by weight of Krk085, Krk042 and Krk025 sands in constant-volume conditions to determine the liquefaction potential of silty sands. The tests were carried out at 30% and 50% relative density and under 100 kPa effective stress. The results revealed that the liquefaction potential of silty sand increases with increasing average particle size ratio (D_50sand / d_50silt) of the mixture for a fixed silt content. Furthermore, for identical base sand, the liquefaction potentials of coarse grained sands increase with increasing silt content, while the respective potentials of fine grained sands generally decrease. However, this situation may vary depending on the silt grain structure and is affected by the nature of the fine grains. In addition, the variation of the void ratio interval was shown to provide a good intuition in determining the liquefaction potentials of silty sands, while the intergranular void ratio alone does not constitute a criterion for determining the liquefaction potentials of silty sands.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.39 no.10
• /
• pp.27-39
• /
• 2023

To effectively manage flood risk, it is crucial to assess the stability of flood defense structures like levees under extreme flood conditions. This study focuses on the time-dependent probabilistic assessment of embankment slope stability when subjected to rapid water level drops. We integrate seepage analysis results from finite element analysis with slope stability analysis and employ Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the time-dependent behavior of the slope during rapid drawdown. The resulting probability of failure is used to develop fragility curves for the levee slope. Notably, the probability of slope failure remains low up to a specific water level, sharply increasing beyond that threshold. Furthermore, the fragility curves are strongly influenced by the rate of drawdown, which is determined through hydraulic analysis based on flood scenarios. Climate change has a significant impact on the stability of the water-side slope of the embankment due to water level fluctuations.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.303-314
• /
• 2023

In this study, two steady RANS turbulence models (SST k-ω and Realizable k-ε) and four unsteady turbulence models (URANS SST k-ω and Realizable k-ε, SST-SAS, and SST-IDDES) are evaluated with respect to their capacity to predict crosswind characteristics on high-speed trains (HSTs). All of the numerical simulations are compared with the wind tunnel values and LES results to ensure the accuracy of each turbulence model. Specifically, the surface pressure distributions, time-averaged aerodynamic coefficients, flow fields, and computational cost are studied to determine the suitability of different models. Results suggest that the predictions of the pressure distributions and aerodynamic forces obtained from the steady and transient RANS models are almost the same. In particular, both SAS and IDDES exhibits similar predictions with wind tunnel test and LES, therefore, the SAS model is considered an attractive alternative for IDDES or LES in the crosswind study of trains. In addition, if the computational cost needs to be significantly reduced, the RANS SST k-ω model is shown to provide relatively reasonable results for the surface pressures and aerodynamic forces. As a result, the RANS SST k-ω model might be the most appropriate option for the expensive aerodynamic optimizations of trains using machine learning (ML) techniques because it balances solution accuracy and resource consumption.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.59-71
• /
• 2023

Corrosion of the headed studs shear connectors is an important factor in the reduction of the durability and mechanical properties of the steel-concrete composite structure. In order to study the effect of stud corrosion on the mechanical properties in the negative moment region of steel-concrete composite beams, the corrosion of stud was carried out by accelerating corrosion method with constant current. Static monotonic loading was adopted to evaluate the cracking load, interface slip, mid-span deflection, and ultimate bearing capacity of four composite beams with varying corrosion rates of headed studs. The effect of stud corrosion on the stiffness of the composite beam's hogging moment zone during normal service stage was thoroughly examined. The results indicate that the cracking load decreased by 50% as the corrosion rate of headed studs increase to 10%. Meanwhile, due to the increase of interface slip and mid-span deflection, the bending stiffness dropped significantly with the same load. In comparison to uncorroded specimens, the secant stiffness of specimens with 0.5 times ultimate load was reduced by 25.9%. However, corrosion of shear studs had no obvious effect on ultimate bending capacity. Based on the experimental results and the theory of steel-concrete interface slip, a method was developed to calculate the bending stiffness in the negative bending moment region of composite beams during normal service stage while taking corrosion of headed studs into account. The validity of the calculation method was demonstrated by data analysis.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.253-266
• /
• 2023

The time-reversal method is employed to improve the ability of pipeline defect detection, and a new approach of identifying the pipeline defect depth is proposed in this research. When the L(0,2) mode ultrasonic guided wave excited through a lead zirconate titinate (PZT) transduce array propagates along the pipeline with a defect, it will interact with the defect and be partially converted to flexural F(n, m) modes and longitudinal L(0,1) mode. Using a receiving PZT array attached axisymmetrically around the pipeline, the L(0,2) reflection signal as well as the mode conversion signals at the defect are obtained. An appropriate rectangle window is used to intercept the L(0,2) reflection signal and the mode conversion signals from the obtained direct detection signals. The intercepted signals are time reversed and re-excited in the pipeline again, result in the guided wave energy focusing on the pipeline defect, the L(0,2) reflection and the L(0,1) mode conversion signals being enhanced to a higher level, especially for the small defect in the early crack stage. Besides the L(0,2) reflection signal, the L(0,1) mode conversion signal also contains useful pipeline defect information. It is possible to identify the pipeline defect depth by monitoring the variation trend of L(0,2) and L(0,1) reflection coefficients. The finite element method (FEM) simulation and experiment results are given in the paper, the enhancement of pipeline defect reflection signals by time-reversal method is obvious, and the way to identify pipeline defect depth is demonstrated to be effective.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2023

Marine and hydraulic structures are subject to durability damage not only due to the penetration of sea water but also due to the attachment of marine organisms. Therefore, in this study, we tried to develop an antifouling coating agent with self-cleaning function for marine concrete. It was confirmed that the antifouling coating agent mixed with AKD, cellulose nanofibers and BADGE had sufficient antifouling performance at a well hydrophobicity of around 140° in contact angle and an inclination angle of 15°. In the abrasion resistance test of the surface, only a maximum loss of 0.015 g occurred. In the durability test, as a result of the chloride ion permeation test, almost no chloride ion permeation occurred in the variable where the coating agent was applied, and carbonation and freeze-thaw damage also rarely occurred, so it was analyzed that it was effective in securing durability of concrete.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.35 no.6
• /
• pp.581-591
• /
• 2023

North Anatolian Fault Zone is tectonically active with recent earthquakes (Mw7.6 1999-Kocaeli and Mw7.2 1999-Düzce earthquakes) and it passes through Marmara region, which is highly industrialized, densely populated and economically important part of Turkey. Many power plants, located in Marmara region, are exposed to high seismic hazard. In this study, open source OpenQuake software has been used for the probabilistic earthquake hazard analysis of Marmara region and risk assessment for the specified energy facility. The SHARE project seismic zonation model has been used in the analysis with the regional sources, NGA GMPEs and site model logic trees. The earthquake hazard results have been compared with the former and existing earthquake resistant design regulations in Turkey, TSC 2007 and TBSCD 2018. In the scope of the study, the seismic hazard assessment for a typical natural gas combined cycle power plant located in Marmara region has been achieved. The seismic risk assessment has been accomplished for a typical control building located in the power plant using obtained seismic hazard results. The structural and non-structural fragility functions and a consequence model have been used in the seismic risk assessment. Based on the seismic hazard level with a 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years, considered for especially these type of critical structures, the ratios of structural and non-structural loss to the total building cost were obtained as 8.8% and 45.7%, respectively. The results of the study enable the practical seismic risk assessment of the critical facility located on different regions.

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