• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.395-403
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• 2023

The main objective of this article is to investigate the response of different fiber metal laminates subjected to low velocity impact experimentally and numerically via finite element method (FEM). Hence, two different fiber metal laminate (FML) samples (GLARE/CARALL) are made of 7075-T6 aluminum sheets and polymeric composites reinforced by E-glass/carbon fibers. In order to study the responses to the low velocity impacts, samples are tested by drop weight machine. The projectiles are released from 1- and 1.5-meters height were the speed reaches to 4.42 and5.42 meter per second and the impact energies are measured as 6.7 and 10 Joules. In addition to experimental study, finite element simulation is done and results are compared. Finally, a detailed study on the maximum deflection, delamination and damages in laminates and geometry's effect of projectiles on the laminate response is done. Results show that maximum deflection caused by spherical projectile for GLARE samples is more apparent in comparison with the CARALL samples. Moreover, the maximum deflection of GLARE samples subjected to spherical projectile with 6.7 Joules impact energy, 127% increases in comparison with the CARALL samples in spite of different total thickness.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.293-318
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• 2023

This study aims to examine the elastic stiffness properties of Elliptic-Braced Moment Resisting Frame (EBMRF) subjected to lateral loads. Installing the elliptic brace in the middle span of the frames in the facade of a building, as a new lateral bracing system not only it can improve the structural behavior, but it provides sufficient space to consider opening it needed. In this regard, for the first time, an accurate theoretical formulation has been developed in order that the elastic stiffness is investigated in a two-dimensional single-story single-span EBMRF. The concept of strain energy and Castigliano's theorem were employed to perform the analysis. All influential factors were considered, including axial and shearing loads in addition to the bending moment in the elliptic brace. At the end of the analysis, the elastic lateral stiffness could be calculated using an improved relation through strain energy method based on geometric properties of the employed sections as well as specifications of the utilized materials. For the ease of finite element (FE) modeling and its use in linear design, an equivalent element was developed for the elliptic brace. The proposed relation was verified by different examples using OpenSees software. It was found that there is a negligible difference between elastic stiffness values derived by the developed equations and those of numerical analysis using FE method.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.899-912
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• 2022

To study the seismic performance of the all-steel buckling-restrained brace (BRB) using the novel soft steel LY315 for core member, a total of three identical BRBs were designed and a series of experimental and numerical studies were conducted. First, monotonic and cyclic loading tests were carried out to obtain the mechanical properties of LY315 steel. In addition, the parameters of the Chaboche model were calibrated based on the test results and then verified using ABAQUS. Second, three BRB specimens were tested under cyclic loads to investigate the seismic performance. The failure modes of all the specimens were identified and discussed. The test results indicate that the BRBs exhibit excellent energy dissipation capacity, good ductility, and excellent low-cycle fatigue performance. Then, a finite element (FE) model was established and verified with the test results. Furthermore, a parametric study was performed to further investigate the effects of gap size, restraining ratio, slenderness ratio of the yielding segment, and material properties of the core member on the load capacity and energy dissipation capacity of BRBs.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.651-676
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• 2022

Most of the experimental, theoretical, and numerical studies on the stability of functionally graded composites are deterministic, while there are full of complex interactions of variables with an inherently probabilistic nature, this paper presents a non-intrusive framework to investigate the stochastic nonlinear buckling behaviors of porous functionally graded cylindrical shells exposed to inevitable source-uncertainties. Euler-Lagrange equations are theoretically derived based on the three variable refined shear deformation theory. Closed-form solutions for the shell buckling loads are achieved by solving the deterministic eigenvalue problems. The analytical results are verified with numerical results obtained from finite element analyses that are conducted in the commercial software ABAQUS. The non-intrusive framework is completed by integrating the Monte Carlo simulation with the verified closed-form solutions. The convergence studies are performed to determine the effective pseudorandom draws of the simulation. The accuracy and efficiency of the framework are verified with statistical results that are obtained from the first and second-order perturbation techniques. Eleven cases of individual and compound uncertainties are investigated. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to figure out the five cases that have profound perturbative effects on the shell buckling loads. Complete probability distributions of the first three critical buckling loads are completely presented for each profound uncertainty case. The effects of the shell thickness, volume fraction index, and stochasticity degree on the shell buckling load under compound uncertainties are studied. There is a high probability that the shell has non-unique buckling modes in stochastic environments, which should be known for reliable analysis and design of engineering structures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.431-440
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• 2023

The functionally graded (FG) porous plates are usually characterized by the non-symmetric elastic modulus distribution through the thickness so that the plate neutral surface does not coincide with the mid-surface. Nevertheless, the conventional analysis models were mostly based on the plate mid-surface so that the accuracy of resulting numerical results is questionable. In this context, this paper presents the neutral surface-based static and free vibration analysis of FG porous plates and investigates the differences between the mid- and neutral surface-based analysis models. The neutral surface-based numerical method is formulated using the (3,3,2) hierarchical model and approximated by the last introduced natural element method (NEM). The volume fractions of metal and ceramic are expressed by the power-law function and the cosine-type porosity distributions are considered. The proposed numerical method is demonstrated through the benchmark experiment, and the differences between two analysis models are parametrically investigated with respect to the thickness-wise material and porosity distributions. It is found from the numerical results that the difference cannot be negligible when the material and porosity distributions are remarkably biased in the thickness direction.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.88 no.5
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• pp.439-449
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• 2023

Non-linear vibration characteristics of functionally graded CNT-reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) cylindrical shell panel on elastic foundation have not been sufficiently examined. In this situation, this study aims at the profound numerical investigation of the non-linear vibration response of FG-CNTRC cylindrical panels on Winkler-Pasternak foundation by introducing an accurate and effective 2-D meshfree-based non-linear numerical method. The large-amplitude free vibration problem is formulated according to the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) with the von Karman non-linearity, and it is approximated by Laplace interpolation functions in 2-D natural element method (NEM) and a non-linear partial derivative operator H_NL. The complex and painstaking numerical derivation on the curved surface and the crucial shear locking are overcome by adopting the geometry transformation and the MITC3+ shell elements. The derived nonlinear modal equations are iteratively solved by introducing a three-step iterative solving technique which is combined with Lanczos transformation and Jacobi iteration. The developed non-linear numerical method is estimated through the benchmark test, and the effects of foundation stiffness, CNT volume fraction and functionally graded pattern, panel dimensions and boundary condition on the non-linear vibration of FG-CNTRC cylindrical panels on elastic foundation are parametrically investigated.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.88 no.5
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• pp.501-519
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• 2023

This paper introduces a new hybrid structural connection joint that combines shear walls with section steel beams, fundamentally resolving the construction complexity issue of requiring pre-embedded connectors in the connection between shear walls and steel beams. Initially, a quasi-static loading scheme with load-deformation dual control was employed to conduct low-cycle repeated loading experiments on five new connection joints. Data was acquired using displacement and strain gauges to compare the energy dissipation coefficients of each specimen. The destruction process of the new connection joints was meticulously observed and recorded, delineating it into three stages. Hysteresis curves and skeleton curves of the joint specimens were plotted based on experimental results, summarizing the energy dissipation performance of the joints. It's noteworthy that the addition of shear walls led to an approximate 17% increase in the energy dissipation coefficient. The energy dissipation coefficients of dog-bone-shaped connection joints with shear walls and cover plates reached 2.043 and 2.059, respectively, exhibiting the most comprehensive hysteresis curves. Additionally, the impact of laminated steel plates covering composite concrete floors on the stiffness of semi-rigid joint ends under excessive stretching should not be disregarded. A comparison with finite element analysis results yielded an error of merely 2.2%, offering substantial evidence for the wide-ranging application prospects of this innovative joint in seismic performance.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.231-244
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• 2023

Many of the recent investigations in the field of geotechnical engineering focused on the bearing capacity theories of multilayered soil. A number of factors affect the bearing capacity of the soil, such as soil properties, applied overburden stress, soil layer thickness beneath the footing, and type of design analysis. An extensive number of finite element model (FEM) simulation was performed on a prototype slope with various abovementioned terms. Furthermore, several non-linear artificial intelligence (AI) models are developed, and the best possible neural network system is presented. The data set is from 3443 measured full-scale finite element modeling (FEM) results of a circular shallow footing analysis placed on layered cohesionless soil. The result is used for both training (75% selected randomly) and testing (25% selected randomly) the models. The results from the predicted models are evaluated and compared using different statistical indices (R² and RMSE) and the most accurate model BBO (R²=0.9481, RMSE=4.71878 for training and R²=0.94355, RMSE=5.1338 for testing) and TLBO (R²=0.948, RMSE=4.70822 for training and R²=0.94341, RMSE=5.13991 for testing) are presented as a simple, applicable formula.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.77-87
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• 2024

In this study, the two-dimensional crack problem was investigated by using the finite element method (FEM)-based ANSYS package program and the artificial neural network (ANN)-based multilayer perceptron (MLP) method. For this purpose, a half-infinite functionally graded (FG) layer with a crack pressed through two rigid blocks was analyzed using FEM and ANN. Mass forces and friction were neglected in the solution. To control the validity of the crack problem model exercised, the acquired results were compared with a study in the literature. In addition, FEM and ANN results were checked using Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R²), and a well agreement was found. Numerical solutions were made considering different geometric parameters and material properties. The stress intensity factor (SIF) was examined for these values, and the results were presented. Consequently, it is concluded that the considered non-dimensional quantities have a noteworthy influence on the SIF. Also FEM and ANN can be logical alternative methods to time-consuming analytical solutions if used correctly.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.91-102
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• 2024

Beam-shaped components commonly rotate along a fixed axis when massive mechanical structures like rotors, jet engine blades, motor turbines, and rotating railway crossings perform their functions. For these structures to be useful in real life, their mechanical behavior is essential. Therefore, this is the first article to use the modified shear deformation theory type hyperbolic sine functions theory and the FEM to study the static bending response of rotating functionally graded GPL-reinforced composite (FG-GPLRC) beams with initial geometrical deficiencies in thermal media. Graphene platelets (GPLs) in three different configurations are woven into the beam's composition to increase its strength. By comparing the numerical results with those of previously published studies, we can assess the robustness of the theory and mechanical model employed in this study. Parameter studies are performed to determine the effect of various geometric and physical variables, such as rotation speed and temperature, on the bending reactions of structures.