• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.9 no.1 s.32
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• pp.43-49
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• 2006

We have evaluated the structural integrity of a sandwich composite train roof structure that can be a lightweight, cost saving solution to large structural components for rail vehicles in design stages. The sandwich composite train roof structure was 11.45 meters long and 1.76 meters wide. The finite element analysis was used to calculate the stresses, deflections and natural frequencies of the sandwich composite train roof against the weight of air-conditioned system. The 3D sandwich finite element model was introduced to examine the structural behavior of the hollow aluminum extrusion frames joined to both sides of the sandwich composite train roof. The results shown that the structural performance of the sandwich composite train roof under loading conditions specified is satisfaction and the use of aluminum reinforced frame and aluminum honeycomb core is beneficial with regard to weight saving and structural performance in comparison with steel reinforced frame and polyurethane foam core. Also, we have manufactured prototype of sandwich composite train roof structure on the basis of analysis results.

• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.233-249
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• 2009

Safe installation and operation of high-pressure composite cylinders for hydrogen storage are of primary concern. It is unavoidable for the cylinders to experience temperature variation and significant thermal input during service. The maximum failure pressure that the cylinder can sustain is affected due to the dependence of composite material properties on temperature and complexity of cylinder design. Most of the analysis reported for high-pressure composite cylinders is based on simplifying assumptions and does not account for complexities like thermo-mechanical behavior and temperature dependent material properties. In the present work, a comprehensive finite element simulation tool for the design of hydrogen storage cylinder system is developed. The structural response of the cylinder is analyzed using laminated shell theory accounting for transverse shear deformation and geometric nonlinearity. A composite failure model is used to evaluate the failure pressure under various thermo-mechanical loadings. A back-propagation neural network (NNk) model is developed to predict the maximum failure pressure using the analysis results. The failure pressures predicted from NNk model are compared with those from test cases. The developed NNk model is capable of predicting the failure pressure for any given loading condition.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1369-1389
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• 2016

This paper investigates the flexural stiffness of simply supported steel-concrete composite I-beams under positive bending moment through combined experimental, numerical, and different standard methods. 14 composite beams are tested for experimental study and parameters including shear connection degree, transverse and longitudinal reinforcement ratios, loading way are also investigated. ABAQUS is employed to establish finite element (FE) models to simulate the flexural behavior of composite beams. The influences of a few key parameters, such as the shear connection degree, stud arrangement, stud diameter, beam length, loading way, on the flexural stiffness is also studied by parametric study. In addition, three widely used standard methods including GB, AISC, and British standards are used to estimate the flexural stiffness of the composite beams. The results are compared with the experimental and numerical results. The findings have provided comprehensive understanding of the flexural stiffness and the modelling of the composite beams. The results also indicate that GB 50017-2003 could provide better results in comparison to the other standards.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.971-980
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• 1997

This study is to investigate the stiffness degradation of a composite laminated panel including transverse matrix cracks subjected to bending and twisting moments. Micromechanics theory on the composite material is derived by introducing crack density. Iterative numerical scheme is developed to calculate the degraded composite stiffness which has nonlinear relation due to the crack density. The finite element method is used for structural analysis of the composite panel. Structural responses of the composite panel are examined for various laminated angles and crack density under the bending and twisting moments. Also, the effect of crack opening and closing is considered in the examination. It is realized that the matrix cracks may cause severe stiffness reduction and should be considered in the composite laminated panel.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.599-621
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• 2016

In order to study the working mechanism of rectangular steel-concrete composite columns subjected to compression-bending load and further determine the seismic performance index, a bottom strengthened rectangular steel reinforced concrete (SRC) column with concealed steel plates and a bottom strengthened rectangular concrete filled steel tube (CFST) columns were proposed. Six column models with different configurations were tested under horizontal low cyclic loading. Based on the experiments, the load-bearing capacity, stiffness and degradation process, ductility, hysteretic energy dissipation capacity, and failure characteristics of the models were analyzed. The load-bearing capacity calculation formulas for a normal section and an oblique section of bottom strengthened rectangular steel-concrete composite columns were pesented and a finite element (FE) numerical simulation of the classical specimens was performed. The study shows that the load-bearing capacity, ductility, and seismic energy dissipation capacity of the bottom strengthened rectangular steel-concrete composite columns are significantly improved compared to the conventional rectangular steel-concrete composite columns and the results obtained from the calculation and the FE numerical simulation are in good agreement with those from the experiments. The rectangular steel-concrete composite column with bottom strengthened shows better seismic behavior and higher energy dissipation capacity under suitable constructional requirements and it can be applied to the structure design of high-rise buildings.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.143-162
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• 2019

A number of desirable characteristics concerning excellent durability, aesthetics, recyclability, high ductility and fire resistance have made stainless steel a preferred option in engineering practice. However, the relatively high initial cost has greatly restricted the application of stainless steel as a major structural material in general construction. This drawback can be partially overcome by introducing composite stainless steel-concrete structures, which provides a cost-efficient and sustainable solution for future stainless steel construction. This paper presents a preliminary numerical study on stainless steel-concrete composite beam-to-column joints with bolted flush endplates. In order to ensure a consistent corrosion resistance within the whole structural system, all structural steel components were designed with austenitic stainless steel, including beams, columns, endplates, bolts, reinforcing bars and shear connectors. A finite element model was developed using ABAQUS software for composite beam-to-column joints under monotonic and symmetric hogging moments, while validation was performed based on independent test results. A parametric study was subsequently conducted to investigate the effects of several critical factors on the behaviour of composite stainless steel joints. Finally, comparisons were made between the numerical results and the predictions by current design codes regarding the plastic moment capacity and the rotational stiffness of the joints. It was concluded that the present codes of practice generally overestimate the rotational stiffness and underestimate the plastic moment resistance of stainless steel-concrete composite joints.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.419-433
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• 2021

In composite structures, shear connectors are crucial components to resist the relative slip between the steel and concrete, and thereby to achieve the composite actions. In the service stage, composite structures are usually in elastic state, so the elastic stiffness of the shear connection is a quite important parameter in the structural analysis of composite structures. Nevertheless, the existing studies mainly focus on the load-slip relationship rather than the tangent stiffness at the initial elastic stage. Furthermore, when composite beams subjected to torque or local load, shear connections are affected by both tensile force and shear force. However, the stiffness of shear connections under combined effects appears not to have been discussed hitherto. This paper investigates the initial elastic stiffness of stud connections under combined effects of biaxial forces. The initial expression and the relevant parameters are obtained by establishing a simplified analytical model of the stud connection. Afterwards, parametric finite element analysis is performed to investigate the effects of the relevant factors, including the stud length, stud diameter, elastic modulus of concrete, elastic modulus of steel and volume ratio of reinforcement. The feasibility of the proposed modelling has been proved by comparing with sufficient experimental tests. Based on the analytical analysis and the extensive numerical simulations, design equations for predicting the initial elastic stiffness of stud connections are proposed. The comparison between the equations and the data of finite element models demonstrates that the equations are accurate enough to serve for engineering communities.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.285-295
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• 2022

Laminated composite plates are utilized extensively in different fields of construction and industry thanks to their advantages such as high stiffness-to-weight ratio. Additionally, they are characterized by their directional properties that permit the designer to optimize their stiffness for specific applications. This paper presents a numerical analysis and optimization study of plates made of composite subjected to low velocity impact. The main aim is to identify the optimum fiber orientations of the composite plates that resist low velocity impact load. First, a three-dimensional finite element model is built using LS DYNA computer software package to perform the impact analyses. The composite plate has been modeled using solid elements. The failure criteria of Tsai-Wu's criterion have been used to control the strength of the composite material. A good agreement has been found between the predicted numerical results and experimental results in the literature which validate the finite element model. Then, an Adaptive Simulated Annealing (ASA) has been used to optimize the response of impacted composite laminate where its objective is to maximize the safety factor by varying the ply angles. The results show that the ASA is robust in the sense that it is capable of predicting the best optimal designs.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.81 no.6
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• pp.751-767
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• 2022

In the hogging bending moment area, continuous composite beams are subjected to the ultimate limit state of lateral-torsional buckling (LTB), which depends on web stiffness as well as concrete slab and shear connection stiffnesses. The design of the LTB and the determination of the elastic critical moment are produced approximately, using the European Standard EN 1994-1-1:2004, for continuous composite steel beams, but is applicable only for those with a plane web steel profile. Also, and from the previous researches, the elastic critical moment of the continuous composite beams with corrugated sinusoidal web steel profiles was determined. In this paper, a finite element analysis (FEA) model was developed using the ANSYS 16 software, to determine the elastic critical moments of continuous composite steel beams with various corrugated web profiles, such as trapezoidal, zigzag, and rectangular profiles, which were evaluated against numerical data of the sinusoidal one from the literature. Ultimately, the failure load of a composite steel beam with various web profiles was predicted by studying 46 models, based on FEA modeling, and a procedure for predicting the elastic critical moment of composite beams with various web steel profiles was proposed. When compared to sinusoidal web profiles, the trapezoidal, zigzag, and rectangular web profiles required an average increase in load capacity and stiffness of 7%, 17.5%, and 28%, respectively, according to the finite element analysis. Also, the rectangular web steel profile has a greater stiffness and load capacity. In contrast, the sinusoidal web has lower values for these characteristics.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.403-417
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• 2022

Recently, there has been an increasing demand for buildings that allow rapid assembly of construction elements, have ample open space areas and are flexible in their final intended use. Accordingly, researchers have developed new competitive structures in terms of cost and efficiency, such as cold-formed steel and timber composite floors, to satisfy these requirements. Cold-formed steel and timber composite floors are light floors with relatively high stiffness, which allow for longer spans. As a result, they inherently have lower fundamental natural frequency and lower damping. Therefore, they are likely to undergo unwanted vibrations under the action of human activities such as walking. It is also quite expensive and complex to implement vibration control measures on problematic floors. In this study, a finite element model of a composite floor reported in the literature was developed and validated against four-point bending test results. The validated FE model was then utilised to examine the vibration behaviour of the investigated composite floor. Predictions obtained from the numerical model were compared against predictions from analytical formulas reported in the literature. Finally, the influence of various parameters on the vibration behaviour of the composite floor was studied and discussed.