• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.325-344
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• 2015

Experimental tests on cellular beams with sinusoidal openings showed two main failure modes around the openings. They concern the formation of four plastic hinges and the local instability of the sinusoidal part of the opening. In parallel, numerical analysis of the sinusoidal part of the opening revealed the existence of an elastic rotational restraint between the intermediate web-post and the adjacent opening panel. The aim of the present study is to present an approach to quantify this rotational restraint. Through the response surface method, a mathematical model is proposed. It shows a great ability to predict the rotational restraint value as a function of the geometrical parameters of the opening. This model can be used to perform an extensive study with various geometrical configurations of beams with the aim to develop a reliable and realistic analytical model predicting the resistance of the sinusoidal openings.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.331-338
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• 2017

Cold-formed lipped channel columns (CFLCCs) have been widely used in light gauge steel constructions. The distortional buckling is one of the important buckling modes for CFLCCs and the distortional buckling critical load depends significantly on the rotational restrain stiffness generated by the web to the lipped flange. First, a simplified explicit expression for the rotational restraint stiffness of the lipped flange has been derived. Using the expression, the characteristics of the rotational restraint stiffness of the lipped flange have been investigated. The results show that there is a linear coupling relationship between the applied forces and the rotational restraint stiffness of the lipped flange. Based on the explicit expression of the rotational restraint stiffness of the lipped flange, a simplified analytical formula has been derived which can determine the elastic distortional buckling critical stress of the CFLCCs subjected to axial compression. The simplified analytical formula developed in this study has been shown to be accurate through the comparisons with results from the distortional buckling analyses using the ANSYS finite element software. The developed analytical formula is easy to apply, and can be used directly in practical design and incorporated into future design codes and guidelines.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.57-70
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• 2016

The predominant type of buckling that I-steel concrete composite beams experience in the negative moment area is distortional buckling. The key factors that affect distortional buckling are the torsional and lateral restraints by the bottom flange. This study thoroughly investigates the equivalent lateral and torsional restraint stiffnesses of the bottom flange of an I-steel concrete composite beam under negative moments. The results show a coupling effect between the applied forces and the lateral and torsional restraint stiffnesses of the bottom flange. A formula is proposed to calculate the critical buckling stress of the I-steel concrete composite beams under negative moments by considering the lateral and torsional restraint stiffnesses of the bottom flange. The proposed method is shown to better predict the critical bending moment of the I-steel composite beams. This article introduces an improved method to calculate the elastic foundation beams, which takes into account the lateral and torsional restraint stiffnesses of the bottom flange and considers the coupling effect between them. The results show a close match in results from the calculation method proposed in this paper and the ANSYS finite element method, which validates the proposed calculation method. The proposed calculation method provides a theoretical basis for further research on distortional buckling and the ultimate resistance of I-steel concrete composite beams under a variable axial force.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.383-396
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• 1996

In this paper, the behavior of plates partially restrained against rotation under stress gradient is investigated. As a first stage, an energy formulation is presented to model this boundary condition and a general expression is derived for the prediction of the elastic buckling of the plate under this general loading condition. The accuracy of the derived expression is compared numerically using the Galerkin method with other available data for the two limiting conditions of rotationally free and clamped boundaries. Results show that the prediction is within a 5% difference. The influence of rotational restraint and stress gradient upon the buckling load and the associated buckling mode is investigated. Numerical results show sensitivity of the buckling mode to the degree of rotational restraint and the variation of the buckling load with the stress gradient.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.1203-1219
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• 2015

'Distortional buckling' is one of the predominant buckling types that may occur in a steel-concrete composite box beam (SCCBB) under a negative moment. The key factors, which affect the buckling modes, are the torsional and lateral restraints of the bottom plate of a SCCBB. Therefore, this article investigates the equivalent lateral and torsional restraint rigidity of the bottom plate of a SCCBB under a negative moment; the results of which show a linear coupling relationship between the applied forces and the lateral and/or torsional restraint stiffness, which are not depended on the cross-sectional properties of a SCCBB completely. The mathematical formulas for calculating the lateral and torsional restraint rigidity of the bottom plate can be used to estimate: (1) the critical distortional buckling stress of SCCBBs under a negative moment; and (2) the critical distortional moment of SCCBBs. This article develops an improved calculation method for SCCBBs on an elastic foundation, which takes into account the coupling effect between the applied forces and the lateral and/or torsional restraint rigidity of the bottom plate. This article analyzes the accuracy of the following calculation methods by using 24 examples of SCCBBs: (1) the conventional energy method; (2) the improved calculation method, as it has been derived in this article; and (3) the ANSYS finite element method. The results verify that the improved calculation method, as it has been proved in this article, is more accurate and reliable than that of the current energy method, which has been noted in the references.

• Interaction and multiscale mechanics
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.105-114
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• 2012

The study of rigid roadway pavement under dynamic traffic loads with variable velocity is investigated in this paper. Rigid roadway pavement is modeled as a rectangular damped orthotropic plate supported by elastic Pasternak foundation. The boundary supports of the plate are the steel dowels and tie bars which provide elastic vertical support and rotational restraint. The natural frequencies of the system and the mode shapes are solved using two transcendental equations, obtained from the solution of two auxiliary Levy's type problems, known as the Modified Bolotin Method. The dynamic moving traffic load is expressed as a concentrated load of harmonically varying magnitude, moving straight along the plate with a variable velocity. The dynamic response of the plate is obtained on the basis of orthogonality properties of eigenfunctions. Numerical example results show that the velocity and the angular frequency of the loads affected the maximum dynamic deflection of the rigid roadway pavement. It is also shown that a critical speed of the load exists. If the moving traffic load travels at critical speed, the rectangular plate becomes infinite in amplitude.

• International journal of steel structures
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1363-1372
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• 2018

Recently, there have been studies about the increasing effect on the local plate buckling strength of flat plates when longitudinally stiffened with closed-section ribs and an approximate solution to quantitatively estimate these effects were suggested for flat plates. Since there are few studies to utilize such increasing effect on curved panels and a proper design method is not proposed, thus, this study aims to numerically evaluate such effect due to the rotational stiffness of closed-section ribs on curved panels and to propose an approximate method for estimating the buckling strength. Three-dimensional finite element models were set up using a general structural analysis program ABAQUS and a series of parametric numerical analyses were conducted in order to examine the variation of buckling stresses along with the rotational stiffness of closed-section ribs. By using a methodology that combine the strength increment factor due to the restraining effect by closed-section ribs and the buckling coefficient of the panel curvature, the approximate solutions for the estimation of buckling strength were suggested. The validity of the proposed methods was verified through a comparative study with the numerical analysis results.