• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.319-334
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• 2023

Localizing damages is an essential task to monitor the health of the structures since they may not be able to operate anymore. Among the damage detection techniques, non-destructive methods are considerably more preferred than destructive methods since damage can be located without affecting the structural integrity. However, these methods have several drawbacks in terms of detecting abilities, time consumption, cost, and hardware or software requirements. Employing artificial intelligence techniques could overcome such issues and could provide a powerful damage detection model if the technique is utilized correctly. In this study, the crack localization in flat and folded plate structures has been conducted by employing a Backpropagated Artificial Neural Network (BPANN). For this purpose, cracks with 18 different dimensions in thin, flat, and folded structures having 15⁰, 30⁰, 45⁰, and 60⁰ folding angle have been modeled and subjected to free vibration analysis by employing the Classical Plate Theory with Finite Element Method. A Four-nodded quadrilateral element having six degrees of freedom has been considered to represent those structures mathematically. The first ten natural frequencies have been obtained regarding healthy and cracked structures. To localize the crack, the ratios of the frequencies of the cracked flat and folded structures to those of healthy ones have been taken into account. Those ratios have been given to BPANN as the input variables, while the crack locations have been considered as the output variables. A total of 500 crack locations have been regarded within the dataset obtained from the results of the free vibration analysis. To build the best intelligent model, a feature search has been conducted for BAPNN regarding activation function, the number of hidden layers, and the number of hidden neurons. Regarding the analysis results, it is concluded that the BPANN is able to localize the cracks with an average accuracy of 95.12%.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2022

In cold-formed steel (CFS) structures, such as trusses, transmission towers and portal frames, the use of back-to-back built-up CFS unequal angle sections are becoming increasingly popular. In such an arrangement, intermediate welds or screw fasteners are required at discrete points along the length, preventing the angle sections from buckling independently. Limited research is available in the literature on axial strength of back-to-back built-up CFS unequal angle sections. The issue is addressed herein. This paper presents an experimental investigation reported by the authors on back-to-back built-up CFS unequal angle sections with intermediate stiffeners under axial compression. The load-axial shortening behaviour along with the deformed shapes at failure are reported. A nonlinear finite element (FE) model was then developed, which includes material non-linearity, geometric imperfections and modelling of intermediate fasteners. The FE model was validated against the experimental test results, which showed good agreement, both in terms of failure loads and deformed shapes at failure. The validated finite element model was then used for the purpose of a parametric study comprising 96 models to investigate the effect of longer to shorter leg ratios, stiffener provided in the longer leg, thicknesses and lengths on axial strength of back-to-back built-up CFS unequal angle sections. Four different thicknesses and seven different lengths (stub to slender columns) with three overall widths to the overall depth (B/D) ratios were investigated in the parametric study. Axial strengths obtained from the experimental tests and FE analyses were used to assess the performance of the current design guidelines as per the Direct Strength Method (DSM); obtained comparisons show that the current DSM is conservative by only 7% and 5% on average, while predicting the axial strengths of back-to-back built-up CFS unequal angle sections with and without the stiffener, respectively.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.619-632
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• 2022

There are numerous structural details (Longitudinal beam, web plate, U-ribs and I-ribs) in the top and bottom plates of steel box girders, which have significant influences on the longitudinal stress (normal stress) distribution. Clarifying the influence of these structural details on the normal stress distribution is important. In this paper, the ultra-wide steel box girder with large cantilevers of the Jinhai Bridge in China, which is the widest cable-stayed bridge in the world, has been analyzed. A 1:4.5 scale laboratory model of the steel box girder has been manufactured, and the influence of structural details on the normal stress distribution in the top and bottom plates for four different load cases has been analyzed in detail. Furthermore, a three-dimensional finite element model has been established to further investigate the influence regularity of structural details on the normal stress. The experimental and finite element analysis (FEA) results have shown that different structural details of the top and bottom plates have varying effects on the normal stress distribution. Notably, the U-ribs and I-ribs of the top and bottom plates introduce periodicity to the normal stress distribution. The period of the influence of U-ribs on the normal stress distribution is the sum of the single U-rib width and the U-rib spacing, and that of the influence of I-ribs on the normal stress distribution is equal to the spacing of the I-ribs. Furthermore, the same structural details but located at different positions, will have a different effect on the normal stress distribution.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.685-692
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• 2024

Currently used heating elements are metal and non-metal heating elements, including various types of heaters, and resistance line heating elements have a problem of decreasing thermal efficiency over time, so to solve this problem, a planar heating element using high-purity carbon materials and oxidation-resistant inorganic compounds was applied. Through the manufacture of planar heating elements using CNT, ruthenium composite materials, and ruthenium oxide, physicochemical performance and capacity were increased, and instantaneous responsiveness was increased. Through thick film technology applicable to various base bodies, fine patterns were formed by the screening method in consideration of the fact that the performance of the heat source depends on the viscosity and pattern shape. The heating element was manufactured by thick film printing technology by mixing ruthenium oxide, CNT, Ag, etc. The characteristics of each paste were analyzed through viscosity measurement, and STS 430 was used as a base. Surface temperature and efficiency were measured by testing heaters manufactured for small wind tunnels and real-vehicle experiments. The surface temperature decreased as the air volume increased, and the optimal system boundary was found to be about 200 mm. Among the currently used heating elements, this paper manufactured a planar heating element using thick film technology to find out the relationship between air volume and temperature, and to study the surface temperature.

• Journal of Platform Technology
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.47-55
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• 2023

With the goal of ensuring the safety of wheelchair users, this study was conducted using finite element analysis, focusing on the development of a platform that can be used to evaluate safety during the design stage. Safety evaluation criteria for wheelchairs used in vehicles are defined in ANSI/RESNA WC19 and ISO 7176-19. Based on these standards, finite element analysis was performed to assess the sectional forces of each component of the wheelchair and sensitivity analysis was conducted based on the specifications. These results were used to derive equivalent composite loads for the wheelchair's main components, determine the necessary sectional specifications for these main components in the wheelchair design phase, and investigate the process of safety assessment verification. The study showed that member forces vary with changes in the cross-sectional values of the wheelchair frame's main components, with the front and rear lower members, as well as the rear upper and lower members, requiring the highest cross-sectional values for safety design. This study offers a proactive method for evaluating safety in the wheelchair design stage, and in future research, we plan to develop a safety evaluation platform based on these results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.343-356
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• 2024

This paper presents an analytical solution for correctly predicting the Lateral-Torsional Buckling critical moment of simply supported castellated beams, the solution covers uniformly distributed loads combined with compressive loads. For this purpose, the castellated beam section with hexagonal-type perforation is treated as an arrangement of double "T" sections, composed of an upper T section and a lower T section. The castellated beam with regular openings is considered as a periodic repeating structure of unit cells. According to the kinematic model, the energy principle is applied in the context of geometric nonlinearity and the linear elastic behavior of materials. The differential equilibrium equations are established using Galerkin's method and the tangential stiffness matrix is calculated to determine the critical lateral torsional buckling loads. A Finite Element simulation using ABAQUS software is performed to verify the accuracy of the suggested analytical solution, each castellated beam is modelled with appropriate sizes meshes by thin shell elements S8R, the chosen element has 8 nodes and six degrees of freedom per node, including five integration points through the thickness, the Lanczos eigen-solver of ABAQUS was used to conduct elastic buckling analysis. It has been demonstrated that the proposed analytical solution results are in good agreement with those of the finite element method. A parametric study involving geometric and mechanical parameters is carried out, the intensity of the compressive load is also included. In comparison with the linear solution, it has been found that the linear stability underestimates the lateral buckling resistance. It has been confirmed that when high axial loads are applied, an impressive reduction in critical loads has been observed. It can be concluded that the obtained analytical solution is efficient and simple, and offers a rapid and direct method for estimating the lateral torsional buckling critical moment of simply supported castellated beams.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.123-144
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• 2024

These days, cement production is increasing due to the growing world population, leading to expanded use of concrete in buildings. Yet, the production of cement significantly increases carbon emissions, putting the future of sustainable development at risk. Geopolymers are under research for their potential to reduce the impact on concrete buildings. In order to tackle this issue, the literature has yet to utilize experiments or numerical modeling to thoroughly investigate the mechanical behavior of columns made of hybrid fiber-reinforced geopolymer concrete (HFRGC) and reinforced with basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) bars. This research aims to investigate and assess the mechanical performance of steel-reinforced HFRGC columns (SRHC) and BFRP-reinforced HFRGC columns (GRHC) in concentric and eccentric loading conditions through experimental testing and finite element analysis (FEA). HFRGC specimens were prepared using steel and polypropylene fibers. Twelve circular columns, six GRHC, and six SRHC specimens, were constructed with a diameter of 300 mm and a height of 1200 mm. The average axial strength (AS) of GRHC columns was found to be 92.13% of that of SRHC columns, according to the study. Under eccentric stress circumstances, both kinds of specimens showed comparable losses in AS; for example, GRHC specimens with 38 mm spiral spacing showed reductions of 39.01% and 43.12%. Good performance was shown by the suggested analytical relationships that were drawn from the experimental data. The AS of GRHC columns may be predicted using the newly established analytical and FEA models, which are well supported by this comparative analysis that takes into account the wrapping impact of lateral BFRP spirals and the axial participation of primary BFRP bars.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.919-930
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• 2014

In this study, the load capacities and behaviors of a shotcrete member with steel supports, as composite member, are investigated numerically by using a fiber section element. The cross section of a shotcrete lining with steel support is divided into a bundle of fibers, which are allocated nonlinear stress-strain relations and used for determining internal forces. To verify the used approach of the finite element method for shotcrete with steel supports, the load-displacement relations of shotcrete lining obtained by numerical analysis are compared with existing experimental results and are analyzed with the stress distribution of the shotcrete and steel support obtained numerically. As a result, it is shown that the proposed approach can predict the load capacities of each material and the overall nonlinear behavior of shotcrete lining with steel supports. The change of location of the neutral axis and the flexural resistance ratio of each material are also derived from the stress distribution of the cross section of the shotcrete lining with steel supports. From the results, it is concluded that the flexural resistance performance of steel support should be considered in shotcrete lining design.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.491-499
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• 2002

A p-version finite element model based on degenerate shell element is proposed tot the analysis of orthotropic laminated plates. In the nonlinear formulation of the model, the total Lagrangian formulation is adopted with large deflection and moderate rotation being accounted tot in the sense of yon Karman hypothesis. The material model is based on the Huber-Mises yield criterion and Prandtl-Reuss flow rule in accordance with the theory of strain hardening yield function, which is generalized lot anisotropic materials by introducing the parameters of anisotropy. The model is also based on extension of equivalent-single layer laminate theory(ESL theory) with shear deformation, leading to continuous shear strain at the interface of two layers. The integrals of Legendre polynomials are used for shape functions with p-level varying from 1 to 10. Gauss-Lobatto numerical quadrature is used to calculate the stresses at the nodal points instead of Gauss points. The validity of the proposed P-version finite element model is demonstrated through several comparative points of iew in terms of ultimate load, convergence characteristics, nonlinear effect, and shape of plastic tone.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.205-210
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• 2023

In this study, we developed a transfer learning framework based on homogenization data for efficient prediction of the effective mechanical properties and thermal conductivity of cellular foam structures. Mean-field homogenization (MFH) based on the Eshelby's tensor allows for efficient prediction of properties in porous structures including ellipsoidal inclusions, but accurately predicting the properties of cellular foam structures is challenging. On the other hand, finite element homogenization (FEH) is more accurate but comes with relatively high computational cost. In this paper, we propose a data-driven transfer learning framework that combines the advantages of mean-field homogenization and finite element homogenization. Specifically, we generate a large amount of mean-field homogenization data to build a pre-trained model, and then fine-tune it using a relatively small amount of finite element homogenization data. Numerical examples were conducted to validate the proposed framework and verify the accuracy of the analysis. The results of this study are expected to be applicable to the analysis of materials with various foam structures.