• Composites Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.42-54
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• 1999

FMLC(Fiber-Metal Laminate Composites) is a new structural material combining thin metal laminate with adhesive fiber prepreg, it nearly include all the advantage of metallic materials, for example: good plasticity, impact resistance, processibility, light weight and excellent fatigue properties. This research studied the optimum design of the FMLC subject to various loading conditions using genetic algorithm. The finite element method based on the shear deformation theory was used for the analysis of FMLC. Tasi-Hill failure criterion and Miser yield criterion were taken as fitness functions of the fiber prepreg and the metal laminate, respectively. The design variables were fiber orientation angles. In genetic algorithm, the tournament selection and the uniform crossover method were used. The elitist model was also used to be effective evolution strategy and the creeping random search method was adopted in order to approach a solution with high accuracy. Optimization results were given for various loading conditions and compared with CFRP(Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic). The results show that the FMLC is more excellent than the CFRP in point and uniform loading conditions and it is more stable to unexpected loading because the deviation of failure index is smaller than that of CFRP.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.641-653
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• 2018

This paper presents experiment and bearing capacity analyses of steel dual-lintel column (SDC) joints in Chinese traditional style buildings. Two SDC interior joints and two SDC exterior joints, which consisted of dual box-section lintels, circular column and square column, were designed and tested under low cyclic loading. The force transferring mechanisms at the panel zone of SDC joints were proposed. And also, the load-strain curves at the panel zone, failure modes, hysteretic loops and skeleton curves of the joints were analyzed. It is shown that the typical failure modes of the joints are shear buckling at bottom panel zone, bending failure at middle panel zone, welds fracturing at the panel zone, and tension failure of base metal in the heat-affected zone of the joints. The ultimate bearing capacity of SDC joints appears to decrease with the increment of axial compression ratio. However, the bearing capacities of exterior joints are lower than those of interior joints at the same axial compression ratio. In order to predict the formulas of the bending capacity at the middle panel zone and the shear capacity at the bottom panel zone, the calculation model and the stress state of the element at the panel zone of SDC joints were studied. As the calculated values showed good agreements with the test results, the proposed formulas can be reliably applied to the analysis and design of SDC joints in Chinese traditional style buildings.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.271-287
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• 2005

The seismic behavior of two steel moment-resisting frames, which satisfy all the current seismic design requirements, are evaluated and compared in the presence of pre-Northridge connections denoted as BWWF and an improved post-Northridge connections denoted as BWWF-AD. Pre-Northridge connections are modeled first as fully restrained (FR) type. Then they are considered to be partially restrained (PR) to model their behavior more realistically. The improved post-Northridge connections are modeled as PR type, as proposed by the authors. A sophisticated nonlinear time-domain finite element program developed by the authors is used for the response evaluation of the frames in terms of the overall rotation of the connections and the maximum drift. The frames are excited by ten recorded earthquake time histories. These time histories are then scaled up to produce some relevant response characteristics. The behaviors of the frames are studied comprehensively with the help of 120 analyses. Following important observations are made. The frames produced essentially similar rotation and drift for the connections modeled as FR type and PR type represented by BWWF-AD indicating that the presence of slots in the web of beams in BWWF-AD is not detrimental to the overall response behavior. When the lateral displacements of the frames are significantly large, the responses are improved if BWWF-AD type connections are used in the frames. This study analytically confirms many desirable features of BWWF-AD connections. PR frames have longer periods of vibration in comparison to FR frames and may attract lower inertia forces. However, calculated periods of the frames of this study using FEMA 350 empirical equation is longer than those calculated using dynamic characteristics of the frames. This may result in even lower design forces and may adversely influence the design.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.277-300
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• 2016

Cold-formed steel (CFS) sections are becoming an increasingly popular solution for constructing floors in residential, healthcare and education buildings. Their reduced weight, however, makes them prone to excessive vibrations, increasing the need for accurate prediction of CFS floor modal properties. By combining experimental modal analysis of a full-scale CFS framed building and its floors and their numerical finite element (FE) modelling this paper demonstrates that the existing methods (based on the best engineering judgement) for predicting CFS floor modal properties are unreliable. They can yield over 40% difference between the predicted and measured natural frequencies for important modes of vibration. This is because the methods were adopted from other floor types (e.g., timber or standard steel-concrete composite floors) and do not take into account specific features of CFS floors. Using the adjusted and then updated FE model, featuring semi-rigid connections led to markedly improved results. The first four measured and calculated CFS floor natural frequencies matched exactly and all relevant modal assurance criterion (MAC) values were above 90%. The introduction of flexible supports and more realistic modelling of the floor boundary conditions, as well as non-structural $fa{\c{c}}ade$ walls, proved to be crucial in the development of the new more successful modelling strategy. The process used to develop 10 identified and experimentally verified FE modelling parameters is based on published information and parameter adjustment resulting from FE model updating. This can be utilised for future design of similar lightweight steel floors in prefabricated buildings when checking their vibration serviceability, likely to be their governing design criterion.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1369-1389
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• 2015

In order to investigate the behaviour of lying multi-stud connectors in cable-pylon anchorage zone, twenty-four push-out tests are carried out with different stud numbers and diameters. The effect of concrete block width and tensile force on shear strength is investigated using the developed and verified finite element model. The results show that the shear strength of the lying multi-stud connectors is reduced in comparison with the lying single-stud connector. The reduction increases with the increasing of the number of studs in the vertical direction. The influence of the stud number on the strength reduction of the lying multi-stud connectors is decreased under combined shear and tension loads compared with under pure shear. Yet, due to multi-stud effect, they still can't be ignored. The concrete block width has a non-negligible effect on the shear strength of the lying multi-stud connectors and therefore should be chosen properly when designing push-out specimens. No obvious difference is observed between the strength reductions of the studs with 22 mm and 25 mm diameters. The shear strengths obtained from the tests are compared with those predicted by AASHTO LRFD and Eurocode 4. Eurocode 4 generally gives conservative predictions of the shear strength, while AASHTO LRFD overestimates the shear strength. In addition, the lying multi-stud connectors with the diameters of 22 m and 25 mm both exhibit adequate ductility according to Eurocode 4. An expression of load-slip curve is proposed for the lying multi-stud connectors and shows good agreement with the test results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.497-516
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• 2014

The ultimate carrying capacity of axially loaded welded square box section members made of medium and high strength steels (nominal yield stresses varying from 345 MPa to 460 MPa), with large width-to-thickness ratios ranging from 35 to 70, is analyzed by finite element method (FEM). At the same time, the numerical results are compared with the predicted results using Direct Strength Method (DSM), modified DSM and Effective Yield Strength Method (EYSM). It shows that curve a, rather than curve b recommended in Code for design of steel structures GB50017-2003, should be used to check the local-overall interaction buckling strength of welded square section columns fabricated from medium and high strength steels when using DSM, modified DSM and EYSM. Despite all this, EYSM is conservative. Compared to EYSM and modified DSM, DSM provides a better prediction of the ultimate capacities of welded square box compression members with large width-thickness ratios over a wide range of width-thickness ratios, slenderness ratios and steel grades. However, for high strength steels (nominal yield strength greater than 460 MPa), the numerical and existent experimental results indicate that DSM overestimates the load-carrying capacities of the columns with width-thickness ratio smaller than 45 and slenderness ratio less than 80. Further, for the purpose of making it suitable for a wider scope, DSM has been modified (called proposed modified DSM). The proposed modified DSM is in excellent agreement with the numerical and existing experimental results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.577-598
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• 2018

The imperfect steel-concrete interface bonding is an important deficiency of the concrete-filled double skin tubular (CFDST) columns that led to separating concrete and steel surfaces under lateral loads and triggering buckling failure of the columns. To improve this issue, it is proposed in this study to use longitudinal and transverse steel stiffeners in CFDST columns. CFDST columns with different patterns of stiffeners embedded in the interior or exterior surfaces of the inner or outer tubes were analyzed under constant axial force and reversed cyclic loading. In the finite element modeling, the confinement effects of both inner and outer tubes on the compressive strength of concrete as well as the effect of discrete crack for concrete fracture were incorporated which give a realistic prediction of the seismic behavior of CFDST columns. Lateral strength, stiffness, ductility and energy absorption are evaluated based on the hysteresis loops. The results indicated that the stiffeners had determinant role on improving pinching behavior resulting from the outer tube's local buckling and opening/closing of the major tensile crack of concrete. The lateral strength, initial stiffness and energy absorption capacity of longitudinally stiffened columns with fixed-free end condition were increased by as much as 17%, 20% and 70%, respectively. The energy dissipation was accentuated up to 107% for fixed-guided end condition. The use of transverse stiffeners at the base of columns increased energy dissipation up to 35%. Axial load ratio, hollow ratio and concrete strength affecting the initial stiffness and lateral strength, had negligible effect of the energy dissipation of the columns. It was also found that the longitudinal stiffeners and transverse stiffeners have, respectively, negative and positive effects on ductility of CFDST columns. The conclusions, drawn from this study, can in turn, lead to the suggestion of some guidelines for the design of CFDST columns.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.439-447
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• 2018

The structural behaviors of cylindrical barns as a specific engineering structure have been considered as a complicated computing process. The structure design against the earthquake load, to protect by using the code, is an urgency avoiding unexpected damages. The situation has been subjected to the applied design method if there would be no failure across the construction procedures. The purpose of the current study is to clarify the behaviors of cylindrical reinforced concrete barns through the analytic methods across the mass and Lagrangian approaches through the whole outcomes comparison indicating that the isoparametric element obtained from the Lagrangian approach has been successfully applied in the barns earthquake analysis when the slosh effects have been discarded. The form of stress distributions is equal with $s_z$ closed distributions to one another.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.335-340
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• 2018

The behavior of concrete slabs in composite beam with C and L shaped angle shear connectors has been studied in this paper. These two types of angle shear connectors' instalment have been commonly utilized. In this study, the finite element (FE) analysis and soft computing method have been used both to present the shear connectors' push out tests and providing data results used later in soft computing method. The current study has been performed to present the aforementioned shear connectors' behavior based on the variable factors aiming the study of diverse factors' effects on C and L shaped angle in shear connectors. ANFIS (Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System), has been manipulated in providing the effective parameters in shear strength forecasting by providing input-data comprising: height, length, thickness of shear connectors together with concrete strength and the respective slip of shear connectors. ANFIS has been also used to identify the predominant parameters influencing the shear strength forecast in C and L formed angle shear connectors.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.625-641
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• 2020

The realistic modeling of the beam-column semi-rigid connection in steel frames attracted the attention of many researchers in the past for the seismic analysis of semi-rigid frames. Comparatively less studies have been made to investigate the behavior of steel frames with semi-rigid connections under different types of earthquake. Herein, the seismic behavior of semi-rigid steel frames is investigated under both far and near-field earthquakes. The semi-rigid connection is modeled by the multilinear plastic link element consisting of rotational springs. The kinematic hysteresis model is used to define the dynamic behavior of the rotational spring, describing the nonlinearity of the semi-rigid connection as defined in SAP2000. The nonlinear time history analysis (NTHA) is performed to obtain response time histories of the frame under scaled earthquakes at three PGA levels denoting the low, medium and high-level earthquakes. The other important parameters varied are the stiffness and strength parameters of the connections, defining the degree of semi-rigidity. For studying the behavior of the semi-rigid frame, a large number of seismic demand parameters are considered. The benchmark for comparison is taken as those of the corresponding rigid frame. Two different frames, namely, a five-story frame and a ten-story frame are considered as the numerical examples. It is shown that semi-rigid frames prove to be effective and beneficial in resisting the seismic forces for near-field earthquakes (PGA ≈ 0.2g), especially in reducing the base shear to a considerable extent for the moderate level of earthquake. Further, the semi-rigid frame with a relatively weaker beam and less connection stiffness may withstand a moderately strong earthquake without having much damage in the beams.