• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.199-212
• /
• 2019

This paper presents an investigation on seismic behavior of out-of-code Q690 circular high-strength concrete-filled thin-walled steel tubular (HCFTST) columns made up of high-strength (HS) steel tubes (yield strength $f_y{\geq}690MPa$). Eight Q690 circular HCFTST columns with various diameter-to-thickness (D/t) ratios, concrete cylinder compressive strengths ($f_c$) and axial compression ratios (n) were tested under the constant axial loading and reversed cyclic lateral loading. The obtained lateral load-displacement hysteretic curves, energy dissipation, skeleton curves and ductility, and stiffness degradation were analyzed in detail to reflect the influences of tested parameters. Subsequently, a simplified shear strength model was derived and validated by the test results. Finally, a finite element analysis (FEA) model incorporating a stress triaxiality dependent fracture criterion was established to simulate the seismic behavior. The systematic investigation indicates the following: compared to the D/t ratio and axial compression ratio, improving the concrete compressive strength (e.g., the HS thin-walled steel tube filled with HS concrete) had a slight influence on the ductility but an obvious enhancement of energy dissipation and peak load; the simplified shear strength model based on truss mechanism accurately predicted the shear-resisting capacity; and the established FEA model incorporating steel fracture criterion simulated well the seismic behavior (e.g., hysteretic curve, local buckling and fracture), which can be applied to the seismic analysis and design of Q690 circular HCFTST columns.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.521-536
• /
• 2019

The mechanical response of concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns subjected to pure compression or uniaxial bending was studied in depth over the last decades. However, the available research results on CFST columns under biaxial bending are still scarce and the lack of experimental tests for this loading situation is evident. At the same time, the design provisions in Eurocode 4 Part 1.1 for verifying the stability of CFST columns under biaxial bending make use of a simplistic interaction curve, which needs to be revised. This paper presents the outcome of a numerical investigation on slender CFST columns subjected to biaxial bending. Eccentricities differing in minor and major axis, as well as varying end moment ratios are considered in the numerical model. A parametric study is conducted for assessing the current design guidelines of EN1994-1-1. Different aspect ratios, member slenderness, reinforcement ratios and load eccentricities are studied, covering both constant and variable bending moment distribution. The numerical results are subsequently compared to the design provisions of EN1994-1- 1, showing that the current interaction equation results overly conservative. An alternative interaction equation is developed by the authors, leading to a more accurate yet conservative proposal.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.467-478
• /
• 2019

Running safety and ride comfort of high speed railway largely depend on the track geometry that is dependent on the bridge deformation. This study presents a theoretical study on mapping the bridge vertical deformations to the change of track geometry. Analytical formulae are derived through the theoretical analysis to quantify the track geometry change, and validated against the finite element analysis and experimental data. Based on the theoretical formulae, parametric studies are conducted to evaluate the effects of key parameters on the track geometry of a high speed railway. The results show that the derived formulae provide reasonable prediction of the track geometry change under various bridge vertical deformations. The rail deflection increases with the magnitude of bridge pier settlement and vertical girder fault. Increasing the stiffness of the fasteners or mortar layer tends to cause a steep rail deformation curve, which is undesired for the running safety and ride comfort of high-speed railway.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.497-507
• /
• 2019

Exposed column base connections are used in low- to mid-rise steel moment resisting frames. This paper is to investigate the effect of the base plate thickness on the exposed column base connection strength, stiffness, and energy dissipation. Five specimens with different base plate thickness were numerically modelled using ABAQUS software. The numerical model is able to reproduce the key characteristics of the experimental response. Based on the numerical analysis, the critical base plate thickness to identify the base plate and anchor rod yield mechanism is proposed. For the connection with base plate yield mechanism, the resisting moment is carried by the flexural bending of the base plate. Yield lines in the base plate on the tension side and compression side are illustrated, respectively. This type of connection exhibits a relatively large energy dissipation. For the connection with anchor rod yield mechanism, the moment is resisted through a combination of bearing stresses of concrete foundation on the compression side and tensile forces in the anchor rods on the tension side. This type of connection exhibits self-centering behavior and shows higher initial stiffness and bending strength. In addition, the methods to predict the moment resistance of the connection with different yield mechanisms are presented. And the evaluated moment resistances agree well with the values obtained from the FEM model.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.433-441
• /
• 2019

The aim of this research is reinforcing of concrete with variety of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) configurations and investigates the load capacity and ductility of these connections using an experimental investigation. Six scaled-down RC exterior joints were tested under moderately monotonic loads. The results show that, the shape of the FRP had a different effect on the joint capacity and the connection ductility coefficient. The greatest effect on increasing the ductility factor was seen in the sample where two reinforcement plates were used on both sides of the beam web (RCS5 sample). For the sample with the presence of FRP plates at the top and bottom of the beam (RCS3 sample), the ductility factor was reduced even the load capacity of this sample increased. Except for the RCS3 sample, the rest of the samples exhibited an increase in the ductility factor due to the FRP reinforcement.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.471-481
• /
• 2019

Beam-columns are structural members subjected to a combination of axial and bending forces. Lateral-torsional buckling is one of the main failure modes. Beam-columns that are bent about its strong axis may buckle out of the plane by deflecting laterally and twisting as the values of the applied loads reach a limiting state. Lateral-torsional buckling failure occurs suddenly in beam-column elements with a much greater in-plane bending stiffness than torsional or lateral bending stiffness. This study intends to establish a unique convenient closed-form equation that it can be used for calculating critical elastic lateral-torsional buckling load of beam-column in the presence of a known axial load. The presented equation includes first order bending distribution, the position of the loads acting transversely on the beam-column and mono-symmetry property of the section. Effects of axial loads, slenderness and load positions on lateral torsional buckling behavior of beam-columns are investigated. The proposed solutions are compared to finite element simulations where thin-walled shell elements including warping are used. Good agreement between the analytical and the numerical solutions is demonstrated. It is found out that the lateral-torsional buckling load of beam-columns with mono-symmetric sections can be determined by the presented equation and can be safely used in design procedures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.303-317
• /
• 2019

This paper presents a finite element model for predicting the behaviour of high-strength steel bolted beam-to-column joints under monotonic loading. The developed numerical model considers the effects of material nonlinearities and geometric nonlinearities. The accuracy of the developed model is examined by comparing the predicted results with independent experimental results. It is demonstrated that the proposed model accurately predicts the ultimate flexural resistances and moment-rotation curves for high-strength steel bolted beam-to-column joints. Mechanical performance of three joint configurations with various design details is examined. A parametric study is carried out to investigate the effects of key design parameters on the behaviour of bolted beam-to-column joints with double-extended endplates. The plastic flexural capacities of the beam-to-column joints from the experimental programme and numerical analysis are compared with the current codes of practice. It is found that the initial stiffness and plastic flexural resistance of the high-strength steel beam-to-column joints are overestimated. Proper modifications need to be conducted to ensure the current analytical method can be safely used for the bolted beam-to-column joints with high-performance materials.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.453-469
• /
• 2021

The cracking at the transverse diaphragm cutout is one of the most severe fatigue failures threatening orthotropic steel decks (OSDs), whose mechanisms and crack treatment techniques have not been fully studied. In this paper, full-scale experiments were first performed to investigate the fatigue performance of polished cutouts involving the effect of an artificial geometrical defect. Following this, comparative experimental testing for defective cutouts strengthened with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) was carried out. Numerical finite element analysis was also performed to verify and explain the experimental observations. Results show that the combinative effect of the wheel load and thermal residual stress constitutes the external driving force for the fatigue cracking of the cutout. Initial geometrical defects are confirmed as a critical factor affecting the fatigue cracking. The principal stress 6 mm away from the free edge of the cutout can be adopted as the nominal stress of the cutout during fatigue evaluation, and the fatigue resistance of polished cutouts is higher than Grade A in AASHTO specification. The bonded CFRP system is highly effective in extending the fatigue life of the defective cutouts. The present study provides some new insights into the fatigue evaluation and repair of OSDs.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.209-224
• /
• 2019

This paper describes a study of the mapping relationship between the vertical deformation of bridge structures and rail deformation of high-speed railway, taking the interlayer interactions of the bridge subgrade CRTS II ballastless slab track system (HSRBST) into account. The differential equations and natural boundary conditions of the mapping relationship between the vertical deformation of bridge structures and rail deformation were deduced according to the principle of stationary potential energy. Then an analytical model for such relationship was proposed. Both the analytical method proposed in this paper and the finite element numerical method were used to calculate the rail deformations under three typical deformations of bridge structures and the evolution of rail geometry under these circumstances was analyzed. It was shown that numerical and analytical calculation results are well agreed with each other, demonstrating the effectiveness of the analytical model proposed in this paper. The mapping coefficient between bridge structure deformation and rail deformation showed a nonlinear increase with increasing amplitude of the bridge structure deformation. The rail deformation showed an obvious "following feature"; with the increase of bridge span and fastener stiffness, the curve of rail deformation became gentler, the track irregularity wavelength became longer, and the performance of the rail at following the bridge structure deformation was stronger.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.38 no.6
• /
• pp.637-656
• /
• 2021

The component-based method is widely used to analyze the initial stiffness of joint in steel structures. In this study, an analytical component model for determining the column face stiffness of square or rectangular hollow section (SHS/RHS) subjected to tension was established, focusing on endplate connections. Equations for calculating the stiffness of the SHS/RHS column face in bending were derived through regression analysis using numerical results obtained from a finite element model database. Because the presence of bolt holes decreased the bending stiffness of the column face, this effect was calculated using a novel plate-spring-based model through numerical analysis. The developed component model was first applied to predict the bending stiffness of the SHS column face determined through tests. Furthermore, this model was incorporated into the component-based method with other effective components, e.g., bolts under tension, to determine the tensile stiffness of the T-stub connections, which connects the SHS column, and the initial rotational stiffness of the joints. A comparison between the model predictions, test data, and numerical results confirms that the proposed model shows satisfactory accuracy in evaluating the bending stiffness of SHS column faces.