• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제19권5호
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• pp.1115-1144
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• 2015

Current climate conditions along with advances in technology make further design and verification methods for structural strength and reliability of wind turbine towers imperative. Along with the growing interest for "green" energy, the wind energy sector has been developed tremendously the past decades. To this end, the improvement of wind turbine towers in terms of structural detailing and performance result in more efficient, durable and robust structures that facilitate their wider application, thus leading to energy harvesting increase. The wind tower industry is set to expand to greater heights than before and tapered steel towers with a circular cross-section are widely used as more capable of carrying heavier loads. The present study focuses on the improvement of the structural response of steel wind turbine towers, by means of internal stiffening. A thorough investigation of the contribution of stiffening rings to the overall structural behavior of the tower is being carried out. These stiffening rings are placed along the tower height to reduce local buckling phenomena, thus increasing the buckling strength of steel wind energy towers and leading the structure to a behavior closer to the one provided by the beam theory. Additionally to ring stiffeners, vertical stiffening schemes are studied to eliminate the presence of short wavelength buckles due to bending. For the purposes of this research, finite element analysis is applied in order to describe and predict in an accurate way the structural response of a model tower stiffened by internal stiffeners. Moreover, a parametric study is being performed in order to investigate the effect of the stiffeners' number to the functionality of the aforementioned stiffening systems and the improved structural behavior of the overall wind converter.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.239-246
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• 2019

Substitution of natural fine aggregates with industrial by-products like precious slag balls (PS Balls) offers various advantages like technical, economic and environmental which are very important in the present era of sustainability in construction industry. PS balls are manufactured by subjecting steel slag to slag atomizing Technology (SAT) which imparts them the desirable characteristics of fine aggregates. The main objective of this research paper is to assess the feasibility of producing good quality concrete by using PS balls, to identify the potential benefits by their incorporation and to provide solution for increasing their utilization in concrete applications. The study investigates the effect of PS balls as partial replacement of fine aggregates in various percentages (20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%) on mechanical properties of concrete such as compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and flexural strength. The optimum mix was found to be at 40% replacement of PS balls with maximum strength of 62.89 MPa at 28 days curing. Permeability of concrete was performed and it resulted in a more durable concrete with replacement of PS balls at 40% and 100% as fine aggregates. These two specific values were considered as optimum replacement is 40% and also the maximum possible replacement is 100%. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis was done and it was found that the PS balls in concrete were unaffected and with optimum percentage of PS balls as fine aggregates in concrete resulted in good strength and less cracks. Hence, it is possible to produce good workable concrete with low water to cement ratio and higher strength concrete by incorporating PS balls.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제17권6호
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• pp.801-814
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• 2016

An alternative type of building system with masonry units is extensively used nowadays to reduce the emission of CO2 and embodied energy. Long-term performance of such structures has become essential for sustaining the building technology. This study aims to assess the strength and durability properties of concrete prepared with unprocessed bagasse ash (BA) and silica fume (SF). A mix proportion of 1:3:3 was used to cast concrete cubes of size $100mm{\times}100mm{\times}100mm$ with various replacement levels of cement and tested. The cubes were cast with zero slump normally adopted in the manufacturing of hollow blocks. The cubes were exposed to acid attack, alkaline attack and sulphate attack to evaluate their durability. The mass loss and damages to concrete for all cases of exposures were determined at 30, 60, and 90 days, respectively. Then, the residual compressive strength for all cases was determined at the end of 90 days of durability test. The results showed that there was slight difference in mass loss before and after exposure to chemical attack in all the cases. Though the appearance was slightly different than the normal concrete the residual weight was not affected. The compressive strength of 10% bagasse ash (BA) as a replacement for cement, with 10% SF as admixture resulted in better strength than the normal concrete. Hence concrete with 10% replacement with BA along with 10% SF as admixture was considered to be durable. Besides solid concrete cubes, hollow blocks using the same concrete were casted and tested simultaneously to explore the possibility of production of masonry units.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.393-403
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• 2019

Cold-formed steel (CFS) has a great potential to meet the global challenge of fast-track and durable construction. CFS members undergo large buckling instabilities due to their small wall thickness. CFS beams with corrugated webs have shown great resistance towards web buckling under flexure, when compared to the conventional I-sections. However, the magnitude of global imperfections significantly affects the performance of CFS members. This paper presents the first attempt made to experimentally study the effect of global imperfections on the structural efficiency of various strengthening schemes implemented in CFS beams with corrugated webs. Different strengthening schemes were adopted for two types of beams, one with large global imperfections and the other with small imperfections. Strength and stiffness characteristics of the beams were used to evaluate the structural efficiency of the various strengthening schemes adopted. Six tests were performed with simply supported end conditions, under four-point loading conditions. The load vs. mid-span displacement response, failure loads and modes of failure of the test specimens were investigated. The test results would compensate the lack of experimental data in this area of research and would help in developing numerical models for extensive studies for the development of necessary guidelines on the same. Strengthening schemes assisted in enhancing the member performance significantly, both in terms of strength and stiffness. Hence, providing an economic and time saving solution to such practical structural engineering problems.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제39권1호
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• pp.95-107
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• 2021

In this work, the dynamic response of functionally graded beams on variable elastic foundations is studied using a novel higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT). Unlike the conventional HSDT, the present one has a new displacement field which introduces undetermined integral variables. The FG beams were assumed to be supported on Winkler-Pasternak type foundations in which the Winkler modulus is supposed to be variable in the length of the beam. The variable rigidity of the elastic foundation is assumed to be linear, parabolic and sinusoidal along the length of the beam. The material properties of the FG porous beam vary according to a power law distribution in terms of the volume fraction of the constituents. The equations of motion are determined using the virtual working principle. For the analytical solution, Navier method is used to solve the governing equations for simply supported porous FG beams. Numerical results of the present theory for the free vibration of FG beams resting on elastic foundations are presented and compared to existing solutions in the literature. A parametric study will be detailed to investigate the effects of several parameters such as gradient index, thickness ratio, porosity factor and foundation parameters on the frequency response of porous FG beams.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제85권2호
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• pp.275-287
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• 2023

The use of environmental-friendly building materials is becoming increasingly popular worldwide. Compared to the normal concrete, rubber-based concrete is considered more durable, environmentally friendly, socially and economically viable. In this investigation, M20 grade concrete was designed and the fine aggregates were replaced with crumb rubber of two different micron sizes (0.221 mm and 0.350 mm). Fly ash (FA) and silica fume (SF) replaces the binder as supplementary cementitious materials at a rate of 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% by weight. The mechanical properties of concrete including compressive strength, tensile, and flexural strength were determined. The polynomial work expectation validates the response surface approach (RSM) concept for optimizing SF and FA substitution. The maximum compressive strength (22.53 MPa) can be observed for the concrete containing 10% crumb rubber, 15% fly ash and 15% silica fume. The reduced unit weight of the rubberized concrete may be attributed to the lower specific gravity of the rubber particles. Two-way ANOVA with a significance criterion of less than 0.001 has been utilized with modest residual error from the lack of fit and the pure error. The predictive model accurately forecasts the variable-response relationship. Since, the crumb rubber is obtained from wasted tires incorporating FA and SF as a cementitious ingredient, it helps to significantly improve mechanical properties of concrete and reduce environmental degradation.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.29-42
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• 2022

In mountainous areas of China, concrete poles with connectors are widely employed in power transmission due to its convenience of manufacture and transportation. The bearing capacity of the poles must have degenerated over time, and most of the steel connectors have been corroded. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) offers a durable, light-weight alternative in strengthening those poles that have served for many years. In this paper, the bearing capacity and failure mechanism of CFRP sheet strengthened existing reinforced concrete poles with corrosion steel connectors were investigated. Four poles were selected to conduct flexural capacity test. Two poles were strengthened by single-layer longitudinal CFRP sheet, one pole was strengthened by double-layer longitudinal CFRP sheets and the last specimen was not strengthened. Results indicate that the failure is mainly bond failure between concrete and the external CFRP sheet, and the specimens fail in a brittle pattern. The cross-sectional strains of specimens approximately follow the plane section assumption in the early stage of loading, but the strain in the tensile zone no longer conforms to this assumption when the load approaches the failure load. Also, bearing capacity and stiffness of the strengthened specimens are much larger than those without CFRP sheet. The bearing capacity, initial stiffness and elastic-plastic stiffness of specimen strengthened by double-layer CFRP are larger than those strengthened by single-layer CFRP. Weighting the cost-effective effect, it is more economical and reasonable to strengthen with single-layer CFRP sheet. The results can provide a reference to the same type of poles for strengthening design.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.85-95
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• 2023

Natural pozzolans are used as additives in cement to develop more durable and high-performance concrete. Pozzolanic activity index (PAI) is important for assessing the performance of a pozzolan as a binding material and has an important effect on the compressive strength, permeability, and chemical durability of concrete mixtures. However, the determining of the 28 days (short term) and 90 days (long term) PAI of concrete mixtures is a time-consuming process. In this study, to reduce extensive experimental work, it is aimed to predict the short term and long term PAIs as a function of the chemical compositions of various natural pozzolans. For this purpose, the chemical compositions of various natural pozzolans from Central Anatolia were determined with X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The mortar samples were prepared with the natural pozzolans and then, the short term and the long term PAIs were calculated based on compressive strength method. The effect of the natural pozzolans' chemical compositions on the short term and the long term PAIs were evaluated and the PAIs were predicted by using multiple linear regression (MLR) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model. The prediction model results show that both reactive SiO₂ and SiO₂+Al₂O₃+Fe₂O₃ contents are the most effective parameters on PAI. According to the performance of prediction models determined with metrics such as root mean squared error (RMSE) and coefficient of correlation (R²), ANFIS models are more feasible than the multiple regression model in predicting the 28 days and 90 days pozzolanic activity. Estimation of PAIs based on the chemical component of natural pozzolana with high-performance prediction models is going to make an important contribution to material engineering applications in terms of selection of favorable natural pozzolana and saving time from tedious test processes.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.135-150
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• 2024

Nano-silica's growing use in construction, known for enhancing strength and durability by reducing porosity, drives this research's significance, especially considering Ecuador's reliance on cement in construction. A comprehensive comparative study on mortars made with General Use cement and aggregates from Pifo and San Antonio quarries has been studied. It explores the impact of incorporating nano-silica in varying proportions (0.75%, 1.00%, 1.25%) on mortar properties, contrasting them with conventional and prefabricated mortars. laboratory Testing is conducted according to standards to assess both fresh and hardened state properties, and microscopic analysis reveals the optimal nano-silica proportion's effects on mortar characteristics. Results shows that Incorporating 0.75% nano-silica resulted in a 61% increase in compressive strength at 7 days and. For a nanosilica content of 1.25%, a 14% increase in compressive strength was observed at 28 days in relation to the conventional mortar and the permeability of the mortar decreased by 30% when adding 0.75% nanosilica. It discusses economic viability and provides insights through SEM and EDS analyses. Overall, it underscores nano-silica's potential to enhance mortar properties and its relevance in creating more efficient and durable construction materials.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• 제40권3호
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• pp.164-176
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• 2012

본 연구는 현재 사용되고 있는 석유화학계 접착제를 대체하기 위하여 바이오 디젤 부산물인 유채박을 세 종류(cellulase, pectinase, protease)의 효소를 단독 또는 조합하여 개량한 후 phenol formaldehyde (PF) prepolymer와 혼합하여 접착제를 제조하였으며, 이렇게 조제된 접착제를 적용시킨 합판의 접착능 및 포름알데히드 방산량을 조사함으로써 유채박의 합판용 접착제를 위한 원료화 가능성을 확인하고자 하였다. 유채박 접착제는 효소의 종류와 PF prepolymer의 몰비에 따라 6.26~8.81의 pH와 2,980~4,610 cps 점도를 보였으며, 고형분 함량은 33% 내외인 것으로 조사되었다. 유채박 접착제로 제조된 합판의 접착능 및 포름알데히드 방산량을 조사한 결과, cellulase 또는 cellulase와 pectinase를 이용하여 순차적으로 가수분해한 유채박 가수분해물과 1.8-F/P PF prepolymer로 조제한 접착제를 적용시킨 합판의 건조 및 준내수 인장강도가 가장 높았으며, 그 값은 KS F 3101의 보통합판에 관한 최소 규정치인 0.6 N/$mm^2$를 초과하는 것으로 나타났다. 한편 유채박 접착제로 제조된 합판의 포름알데히드 방산량은 전반적으로 1.0 mg/${\ell}$를 초과하지 않았으며, 대조구인 요소수지 접착제로 제조된 합판의 포름알데히드 방산량(2.69 mg/${\ell}$)과 비교하여 상당히 낮았다. 본 연구 결과로부터 유채박 접착제가 합판용 접착제로써 사용될 수 있다는 가능성을 제시할 수 있었으며, 유채박의 가수분해에 사용된 효소의 양 및 가수분해 시간을 조절하거나, 고형분 함량을 증가시켜 열압온도와 시간을 줄이는 방안 등이 유채박 접착제의 상용화를 위하여 향후 추가 연구가 되어야 할 것으로 생각한다.