• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제44권3호
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• pp.309-324
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• 2022

The post-fire elastic stiffness and performance of concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns containing recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) has rarely been addressed, particularly in terms of material properties. This study was conducted with the aim of assessing the modulus of elasticity of recycled aggregate concrete-filled steel tube (RACFST) stub columns following thermal loading. The test data were employed to model and assess the elastic modulus of circular RACFST stub columns subjected to axial loading after exposure to elevated temperatures. The length/diameter ratio of the specimens was less than three to prevent the sensitivity of overall buckling for the stub columns. The gene expression programming (GEP) method was employed for the model development. The GEP model was derived based on a comprehensive experimental database of heated and non-heated RACFST stub columns that have been properly gathered from the open literature. In this study, by using specifications of 149 specimens, the variables were the steel section ratio, applied temperature, yielding strength of steel, compressive strength of plain concrete, and elastic modulus of steel tube and concrete core (RAC). Moreover, parametric and sensitivity analyses were also performed to determine the contribution of different effective parameters to the post-fire elastic modulus. Additionally, comparisons and verification of the effectiveness of the proposed model were made between the values obtained from the GEP model and the formulas proposed by different researchers. Through the analyses and comparisons of the developed model against formulas available in the literature, the acceptable accuracy of the model for predicting the post-fire modulus of elasticity of circular RACFST stub columns was seen.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제43권2호
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• pp.165-183
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• 2022

Most transportation departments have recognized and developed procedures to address the ever-increasing weights of trucks traveling on bridges in a service today. Transportation agencies also recognize the issues with overheight vehicles' collisions with bridges, but few stakeholders have definitive countermeasures. Bridges are becoming more vulnerable to collisions from overheight vehicles. The exact response under lateral impact force is difficult to predict. In this paper, nonlinear impact analysis shows that the degree of deformation recorded through the modeling of the unprotected vehicle-girder model provides realistic results compared to the observation from the US-61 bridge overheight vehicle impact. The predicted displacements are 0.229 m, 0.161 m, and 0.271 m in the girder bottom flange (lateral), bottom flange (vertical), and web (lateral) deformations, respectively, due to a truck traveling at 112.65 km/h. With such large deformations, the integrity of an impacted bridge becomes jeopardized, which in most cases requires closing the bridge for safety reasons and a need for rehabilitation. We proposed different sacrificial cushion systems to dissipate the energy of an overheight vehicle impact. The goal was to design and tune a suitable energy absorbing system that can protect the bridge and possibly reduce stresses in the overheight vehicle, minimizing the consequences of an impact. A material representing a Sorbothane high impact rubber was chosen and modeled in ANSYS. Out of three sacrificial schemes, a sandwich system is the best in protecting both the bridge and the overheight vehicle. The mitigation system reduced the lateral deflection in the bottom flange by 89%. The system decreased the stresses in the bridge girder and the top portion of the vehicle by 82% and 25%, respectively. The results reveal the capability of the proposed sacrificial system as an effective mitigation system.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제45권3호
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• pp.437-454
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• 2022

Elliptic-braced simple resisting frame as a new lateral bracing system installed in the middle bay of frame in building facades has been recently introduced. This system not only creates a problem for opening space from the architectural viewpoint but also improves the structural behavior. Despite the researches on the seismic performance of lateral bracing systems, there are few studies performed on the effect of the stiffness parameters on the elastic story drift and calculation of period in simple braced steel frames. To overcome this shortcoming, in this paper, for the first time, an analytical solution is presented for calculating elastic lateral stiffness in a simple steel frame equipped with elliptic brace subjected to lateral load. In addition, for the first time, in this study, a precise formulation has been developed to evaluate the elastic stiffness variation in a steel frame equipped with a two-dimensional single-story single-span elliptic brace using strain energy and Castigliano's theorem. Thus, all the effective factors, including axial and shear loads as well as bending moments of elliptic brace could be considered. At the end of the analysis, the lateral stiffness can be calculated by an improved and innovative relation through the energy method based on the geometrical properties of the employed sections and specification of the used material. Also, an equivalent element of an elliptic brace was presented for the ease of modeling and use in linear designs. Application of the proposed relation have been verified through a variety of examples in OpenSees software. Based on the results, the error percentage between the elastic stiffness derived from the developed equations and the numerical analyses of finite element models was very low and negligible.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제47권1호
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• pp.51-69
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• 2023

In tied-arch bridges, a properly designed connection between the arch and the deck may become crucial, since the forces in the structure may be significantly reduced. This implies substantial material savings and, consequently, cheaper constructions. The introduction of the Nielsen cable arrangement (composed of V-shaped inclined hangers) in the last century was a milestone because it was able to reduce deflections and bending moments both in the arch and in the deck. So far, the Nielsen cable arrangement has proven to be successful in traditional vertical arch bridges. However, despite its advantages, it has not been widely applied to spatial arch bridges. Thus, this article analyses the difference between the structural behavior of spatial arch bridges with Nielsen-type cable arrangements with respect to those with classical vertical hanger configurations. The main goal is to verify whether the known effectiveness of the Nielsen cable arrangement for classical arch bridges is still preserved when applied to spatial arch bridges. In order to achieve this objective, and as the first part of our study, a set of different all-steel bridges composed of vertical and inclined arches with straight decks have been compared for both cable arrangements. As a major conclusion, for planar vertical arch bridges, the Nielsen-type cable arrangement is always the most effective. In addition, it also seems that, for spatial arch bridges composed of a straight deck and an inclined arch, it still keeps most of its effectiveness as long as the arch is moderately inclined.

• Advances in nano research
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• 제15권5호
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• pp.467-484
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• 2023

Despite the significant features of fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (FRCCs), including better mechanical, fractural, and durability performance, their high content of cement has restricted their use in the construction industry. Although ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) is considered the main supplementary cementitious material, its slow pozzolanic reaction stands against its application. The addition of nano-sized mineral modifiers, including nano-silica (NS), is an alternative to address the drawbacks of using GGBFS. The main object of this empirical and numerical research is to examine the effect of NS on the strain-hardening behavior of cementitious composites; ten mixes were designed, and five levels of NS were considered. This study proposes a new method, using a four-point bending test to assess the use of nano-silica (NS) on the flexural behavior, first cracking strength, fracture energy, and micromechanical parameters including interfacial friction bond strength and maximum bridging stress. Digital image correlation (DIC) was used for monitoring the initiation and propagation of the cracks. In addition, to attain a deep comprehension of fiber/matrix interaction, scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis was used. It was discovered that using nano-silica (NS) in cementitious materials results in an enhancement in the matrix toughness, which prevents multiple cracking and, therefore, strain-hardening. In addition, adding NS enhanced the interfacial transition zone between matrix and fiber, leading to a higher interfacial friction bond strength, which helps multiple cracking in the composite due to the hydrophobic nature of polypropylene (PP) fibers. The findings of this research provide insight into finding the optimum percent of NS in which both ductility and high tensile strength of the composites would be satisfied. As a concluding remark, a new criterion is proposed, showing that the optimum value of nano-silica is 2%. The findings and proposed method of this study can facilitate the design and utilization of green cementitious composites in structures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제50권3호
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• pp.299-318
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• 2024

The main objective of this paper is to compute the far-field acoustic radiation (sound radiation) of functionally graded plates (FGM) loaded by sinusoidally varying point load subjected to the arbitrary boundary condition is carried out. The governing differential equations for thin functionally graded plates (FGM) are derived using classical plate theory (CPT) and Rayleigh integral using the elemental radiator approach. Four cases, segregated on power-law index k=0,1,5,10, are studied. A novel approach is illustrated to compute sound fields of vibrating FGM plates using the physical neutral surface with an elemental radiator approach. The material properties of the FGM plate for all cases are calculated considering the power law indexes. An in-house MATLAB code is written to compute the natural frequencies, normal surface velocities, and sound radiation fields are analytically calculated using semi-analytical formulation. Ansys is used to validate the computed sound power level. The parametric effects of the power law index, modulus ratios, different constituent of FGM plates, boundary conditions, damping loss factor on the sound power level, and radiation efficiency is illustrated. This work is the benchmark approach that clearly explains how to calculate acoustic fields using a solid layered FGM model in ANSYS ACT. It shows that it is possible to asymptotically stabilize the structure by controlling the intermittent layers' stiffness. It is found that sound fields radiated by the elemental radiators approach in MATLAB, ANSYS and literatures are in good agreement. The main novelty of this research is that the FGM plate is analyzed in the low-frequency range, where the stiffness-controlled region governs the whole analysis. It is concluded that a clamped mono-ceramic FGM plate radiates a lesser sound power level and higher radiation efficiency than a mono-metallic or metal-rich FGM plate due to higher stiffness. It is found that change in damping loss factor does not affect the same constituents of FGM plates but has significant effects on the different constituents of FGM plates.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제50권4호
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• pp.383-401
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• 2024

The research comprehensively studies the axial compression performance of T-shaped concrete-filled thin-walled steel tubular (CTST) long columns after fire exposure. Initially, a series of tests investigate the effects of heating time, load eccentricity, and stiffeners on the column's performance. Furthermore, Finite Element (FE) analysis is employed to establish temperature and mechanical field models for the T-shaped CTST long column with stiffeners after fire exposure, using carefully determined key parameters such as thermal parameters, constitutive relations, and contact models. In addition, a parametric analysis based on the numerical models is conducted to explore the effects of heating time, section diameter, material strength, and steel ratio on the axial compressive bearing capacity, bending bearing capacity under normal temperature, as well as residual bearing capacity after fire exposure. The results reveal that the maximum lateral deformation occurs near the middle of the span, with bending increasing as heating time and eccentricity rise. Despite a decrease in axial compressive load and bending capacity after fire exposure, the columns still exhibit desirable bearing capacity and deformability. Moreover, the obtained FE results align closely with experimental findings, validating the reliability of the developed numerical models. Additionally, this study proposes a simplified design method to calculate these mechanical property parameters, satisfying the ISO-834 standard. The relative errors between the proposed simplified formulas and FE models remain within 10%, indicating their capability to provide a theoretical reference for practical engineering applications.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제89권6호
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• pp.557-570
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• 2024

Due to interfacial ageing, chemical action and interfacial damage, the interface debonding may appear in the interfaces of composite laminates. Particularly, the laminates display a side-dependent effect at small scale. In this work, a three-dimensional (3D) and anisotropic thick nanoplate model is proposed to investigate the effects of imperfect interface and nonlocal parameter on the bending deformation, vibrational response and buckling stability of one-dimensional (1D) hexagonal quasicrystal (QC) layered nanoplates. By combining the linear spring model with the transferring matrix method, exact solutions of phonon and phason displacements, phonon and phason stresses of bending deformation, the natural frequencies of vibration and the critical buckling loads of 1D hexagonal QC layered nanoplates are derived with imperfect interfaces and nonlocal effects. Numerical examples are illustrated to demonstrate the effects of the imperfect interface parameter, aspect ratio, thickness, nonlocal parameter, and stacking sequence on the bending deformation, the vibrational response and the critical buckling load of 1D hexagonal QC layered nanoplate. The results indicate that both the interface debonding and nonlocal effect can reduce the stiffness and stability of layered nanoplates. Increasing thickness of QC coatings can enhance the stability of sandwich nanoplates with the perfect interfaces, while it can reduce first and then enhance the stability of sandwich nanoplates with the imperfect interfaces. The biaxial compression easily results in an instability of the QC layered nanoplates compared to uniaxial compression. QC material is suitable for surface layers in layered structures. The mechanical behavior of QC layered nanoplates can be optimized by imposing imperfect interfaces and controlling the stacking sequence artificially. The present solutions are helpful for the various numerical methods, thin nanoplate theories and the optimal design of QC nano-composites in engineering practice with interfacial debonding.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제51권3호
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• pp.337-349
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• 2024

The growing quantity of tires and building trash piling up in landfills poses a serious threat to the stability of the ecosystem. Researchers are exploring ways to reduce and use such byproducts of the construction industry in an effort to promote greener building practices. Thus, using recycled crumb rubber from scrap tires in concrete manufacturing is important for the industry's long-term viability. This study examines the proportion of waste rubber in fiber form, specifically at weight percentages of 5%, 10%, and 15%. Moreover, the study examines the shear behavior of reinforced concrete beams. A total of twelve RC beam specimens, each sized 100 mm by 150 mm by 1000 mm (w × d × L), were constructed and positioned to the test. Various mixtures were designed with different levels of scrap tire rubber content (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) and Stirrup Vol. Ratio (2.10, 2.80, and 3.53) in reinforced concrete beams. The findings indicate that the inclusion of scrap rubber in concrete leads to a decrease in both the mechanical characteristics and weight of the material. This is mostly attributed to the lower strength and stiffness of the rubberized concrete. Furthermore, estimations generated by a variety of design codes were examined alongside the obtained data. In order to make a comparison between the estimates provided by the different codes such as ACI 318-14, CEB-FIB and Iranian national building codes, a calculation was done to determine the ratio of the experimental shear strength to the anticipated shear strength for each code.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제51권4호
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• pp.391-406
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• 2024

The present research investigates the combination resonance behaviors of porous FG shallow shells reinforced with oblique stiffeners and subjected to a two-term excitation. The oblique stiffeners considered in this research reinforce the shell internally and externally. To model the stiffeners, Lekhnitskii's smeared stiffeners technique is utilized. According to the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and stress functions, a nonlinear model of the oblique stiffened shallow shell is established. With regard to the FSDT and von-Kármán nonlinear geometric assumptions, the stress-strain relationships for the present shell system are developed. Also, in order to discretize the nonlinear governing equations, the Galerkin method is implemented. To obtain the required relations for investigating the combination resonance theoretically, the method of multiple scales is applied. For verifying the results of the present research, generated results are compared with previous research. Additionally, a comparison with the P-T method is conducted to increase the validity of the generated results, as this method has illustrated advantages over other numerical methods in terms of accuracy and reliability. In this method, the piecewise constant argument is used jointly with the Taylor series expansion, which is why it is named the P-T method. The effects of stiffeners with different angles, and the effects of material parameters on the combination resonance behaviors of the present system are addressed. With the findings of this research, researchers and engineers in this field may use them as benchmarks for their design and research of porous FG shallow shells.