• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.41-58
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• 2016

The study deals with physical modeling of a typical building frame resting on pile raft foundation and embedded in cohesive soil mass using finite element based software ETABS. Both- the elements of superstructure and substructure (i.e., foundation) including soil is assumed to remain in elastic state at all the time. The raft is modelled as a thin plate and the pile and soils are treated as interactive springs. Both- the resistance of the piles as well as that of raft base - are incorporated into the model. Interactions between raft-soil-pile are computed. The proposed method makes it possible to solve the problems of uniformly and large non-uniformly arranged piled rafts in a time saving way using finite element based software ETABS. The effect of the various parameters of the pile raft foundation such as thickness of raft and pile diameter is evaluated on the response of superstructure. The response included the displacement at the top of the frame and bending moment in columns. The soil-structure interaction effect is found to increase displacement and increase the absolute maximum positive and negative moments. The effect of the soil- structure interaction is observed to be significant for the type of foundation and soil considered in the present study.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.323-352
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• 2016

The results of a series of finite element (FE) simulations and experimental studies are used to develop strength and stiffness models that predict the failure capacity and response characteristics of unstiffened extended endplate connections with circular and rectangular bolt configurations associated with deep girders. The proposed stiffness models are composed of multi-linear springs which model the overall extended endplate/column flange system deformation and strength of key-components. Comparison of model predictions with FE and experimental results available in the literature show that the proposed models accurately predict the strength and the response of extended endplate/column system with circular and rectangular bolt configurations. The effect of the bolt configuration (circular and rectangular) on the prying phenomenon encountered in the unstiffened extended endplate/column system was investigated. Based on FE results, extended endplate with circular bolt configuration has a more ductile behavior and exhibits higher total prying forces. The proposed models can be used to design connections that cover all possible failure modes for extended endplate with circular bolt configuration. This study provides guidelines for engineers to account for the additional forces induced in the tension bolts and for the maximum rotational capacity demand in the connection which are required for seismic analysis and design.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.661-678
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• 2013

In this paper, a wireless sensing system for structural field evaluation and rating of bridges is presented. The system uses a wireless platform integrated with traditional analogue sensors including strain gages and accelerometers along with the operating software. A wireless vehicle position indicator is developed using a tri-axial accelerometer node that is mounted on the test vehicle, and was used for identifying the moving truck position during load testing. The developed software is capable of calculating the theoretical bridge rating factors based on AASHTO Load and Resistance Factor Rating specifications, and automatically produces the field adjustment factor through load testing data. The sensing system along with its application in bridge deck rating was successfully demonstrated on the Evansville Bridge in West Virginia. A finite element model was conducted for the test bridge, and was used to calculate the load distribution factors of the bridge deck after verifying its results using field data. A confirmation field test was conducted on the same bridge and its results varied by only 3% from the first test. The proposed wireless sensing system proved to be a reliable tool that overcomes multiple drawbacks of conventional wired sensing platforms designed for structural load evaluation of bridges.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.269-278
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• 2018

In the recent decades, the application of composite materials, due to their desirable properties, has increased dramatically. In the present study, a quasi-encased trapezoidal section composite steel beam encased with concrete is thoroughly examined. Calculation of the load bearing capacity is carried out by finite element modeling of concrete and FRP beams with trapezoidal section under the effect of controlled displacement loading. The results are then validated comparing to the existing experimental results obtained from similar studies. Further on, the materials are changed to steel and concrete, and the section is de-signed in such a way that both concrete and steel reach a high percent-age of their load bearing capacity. In the last step, the parameters affecting the bending capacity and the behavior of the semi-confined composite beam are investigated. Results revealed that the beam diagonal web thickness plays the most effective role in load bearing capacity amongst other studied parameters. Furthermore, by analyzing the results on the effect of different parameters, an optimal model for primary beam section is presented, which exhibits a greater load bearing capacity compared to the initial design with the same amount of materials used for both sections.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.42 no.11
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• pp.919-926
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• 2014

In this paper, the effect of material properties on fracture behavior was studied using cohesive zone model and extended finite element method. The rectangular tensile specimen with a central inclined initial crack was modeled by plane stress elements. In the CZM modeling, cohesive elements were inserted between every bulk elements in the predicted crack propagation region before analysis, while in the XFEM the enrichment to the elements was added as needed during analysis. The crack propagation behavior was examined for brittle and ductile materials. For thin specimen configuration, wrinkle deformation was accounted for by geometrically nonlinear post-buckling analysis and the effect of wrinkling on the crack propagation was investigated.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.55-80
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• 2014

The present work pays emphasis on investigating the effect of different types of debonding on the bending behaviour of active sandwich beam, consisting of both extension and shear actuators. An active sandwich beam finite element is formulated by using Timoshenko's beam theory, characterized by first order shear deformation for the core and Euler-Bernoulli's beam theory for the top and bottom faces. The problem of debondings of extension actuator and face are dealt with by employing four-region model for inner debonding and three-region model for the edge debonding respectively. Displacement based continuity conditions are enforced at the interfaces of different regions using penalty method. Firstly, piezoelectric actuation of healthy sandwich beam is assessed through deflection analysis. Then the effect of actuators' debondings with different boundary conditions on bending behavior is computationally evaluated and experimentally clamped-free case is validated. The results generated will be useful to address the damage tolerant design procedures for smart sandwich beam structures with structural control and health monitoring applications.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.373-393
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• 2014

A finite element model for predicting the entire nonlinear behavior of reinforced high-strength concrete continuous beams is described. The model is based on the moment-curvature relations pre-generated through section analysis, and is formulated utilizing the Timoshenko beam theory. The validity of the model is verified with experimental results of a series of continuous high-strength concrete beam specimens. Some important aspects of behavior of the beams having different tensile reinforcement ratios are evaluated. In addition, a parametric study is carried out on continuous high-strength concrete beams with practical dimensions to examine the effect of tensile reinforcement on the degree of moment redistribution. The analysis shows that the tensile reinforcement in continuous high-strength concrete beams affects significantly the member behavior, namely, the flexural cracking stiffness, flexural ductility, neutral axis depth and redistribution of moments. It is also found that the relation between the tensile reinforcement ratios at critical negative and positive moment regions has great influence on the moment redistribution, while the importance of this factor is neglected in various codes.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.81-98
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• 2014

This paper presents the elastic buckling of smart lightweight column structures integrated with a pair of surface piezoelectric layers using artificial intelligence. The finite element modeling of Smart lightweight columns is found using $ANSYS^{(R)}$ software. Then, the first buckling load of the structure is calculated using eigenvalue buckling analysis. To determine the accuracy of the present finite element analysis, a compression study is carried out with literature. Later, parametric studies for length variations, width, and thickness of the elastic core and of the piezoelectric outer layers are performed and the associated buckling load data sets for artificial intelligence are gathered. Finally, the application of soft computing-based methods including artificial neural network (ANN), fuzzy inference system (FIS), and adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) were carried out. A comparative study is then made between the mentioned soft computing methods and the performance of the models is evaluated using statistic measurements. The comparison of the results reveal that, the ANFIS model with Gaussian membership function provides high accuracy on the prediction of the buckling load in smart lightweight columns, providing better predictions compared to other methods. However, the results obtained from the ANN model using the feed-forward algorithm are also accurate and reliable.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.651-674
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• 2006

The fatigue cracks initiate and propagate in the Armored Vehicle Launch Bridge (AVLB) components, especially like the splice doubler angle, splice plate, and bottom chord, due to the cyclic loading by repeated AVLB-launchings and tank-crossings. In this study, laboratory fatigue tests were conducted on six aluminum 2014-T6, four aluminum 7050-T76511, and four ASTM A36 steel compact-tension specimens to evaluate the crack growth behavior of the materials used for the components. The experimental results provide the relationship (Paris Law) between crack growth rate, da/dn, and stress intensity range, ${\Delta}K$, whose material dependent constants C and m can later be used in the life estimation of the components. Finite Element Method (FEM) was used to obtain the stress intensity factor, K, of the components with cracks. Because of the complexity of loading conditions and component geometry, several assumptions and simplifications are made in the FEM modeling. The FEM results, along with the results obtained from laboratory fatigue tests, are then utilized to estimate critical crack length and remaining life of the components.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.235-243
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• 2010

Three-dimensional structural analysis system for nuclear containment building is presented in this paper. This system includes high-performance plate/shell elements as finite element library. It also adopts numerical modeling technique for unbonded tendon as well as bonded tendon in prestressed concrete structures. This system is constructed by connecting several in-house program to a commercial program DIANA, and then is capable of performing nonlinear analysis for ultimate pressure capacity of nuclear containment building. Finally, three-dimensional structural analysis of CANDU-type containment building is carried out in order to test the reliability of this system. These numerical results are compared with reference values, which obtained from axisymmetric structural analysis.