• Computers and Concrete
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.159-167
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• 2010

This paper demonstrates numerical techniques for complex large-scale modeling with microplane constitutive theories for reinforced high strength concrete, which for these applications, is defined to be around the 7000 psi (48 MPa) strength as frequently found in protective structural design. Applications involve highly impulsive loads, such as an explosive detonation or impact-penetration event. These capabilities were implemented into the authors' finite element code, ParaAble and the PRONTO 3D code from Sandia National Laboratories. All materials are explicitly modeled with eight-noded hexahedral elements. The concrete is modeled with a microplane constitutive theory, the reinforcing steel is modeled with the Johnson-Cook model, and the high explosive material is modeled with a JWL equation of state and a programmed burn model. Damage evolution, which can be used for erosion of elements and/or for post-analysis examination of damage, is extracted from the microplane predictions and computed by a modified Holmquist-Johnson-Cook approach that relates damage to levels of inelastic strain increment and pressure. Computation is performed with MPI on parallel processors. Several practical analyses demonstrate that large-scale analyses of this type can be reasonably run on large parallel computing systems.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.1333-1344
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• 2019

An integrated approach of model simplification for high burnup spent nuclear fuel is proposed based on material calibration using optimization. The spent fuel rods are simplified into a beam with a homogenous isotropic material. The proposed approach of model simplification is applied to fuel rods with two kinds of interfacial configurations between the fuel pellets and cladding. The differences among the generated models and the effects of interfacial bonding efficiency are discussed. The strategy of model simplification adopted in this work is to force the simplified beam model of spent fuel rods to possess the same compliance and failure characteristics under critical loads as those that result in the failure of detailed fuel rod models. It is envisioned that the simplified model would enable the assessment of fuel rod failure through an assembly-level analysis, without resorting to a refined model for an individual fuel rod. The effective material properties of the simplified beam model were successfully identified using the integrated optimization process. The feasibility of using the developed simplified beam models in dynamic impact simulations for a horizontal drop condition is examined, and discussions are provided.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 2019

Chloride corrosion has become the main factor of reducing the service life of reinforced concrete structures. The object of this paper is to propose a theoretical model that predicts the service life of chloride-corrosive concrete under fatigue load. In the process of modeling, the concrete is divided into two parts, microcrack and matrix. Taking the variation of mcirocrack area caused by fatigue load into account, an equation of chloride diffusion coefficient under fatigue load is established, and then the predictive model is developed based on Fick's second law. This model has an analytic solution and is reasonable in comparison to previous studies. Finally, some factors (chloride diffusion coefficient, surface chloride concentration and fatigue parameter) are analyzed to further investigate this model. The results indicate: the time to pit-to-crack transition and time to crack growth should not be neglected when predicting service life of concrete in strong corrosive condition; the type of fatigue loads also has a great impact on lifetime of concrete. In generally, this model is convenient to predict service life of chloride-corrosive concrete with different water to cement ratio, under different corrosive condition and under different types of fatigue load.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.220-225
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• 2018

Resilient pads play a major role in reducing the impact of loads on a rail in a rail-fastening system, which is essentially used for a concrete track. Although a compression set test is commonly used to measure the durability of a resilient pad, the static spring constant is often observed to be different from the fatigue test. In this study, a modified compression set test method was proposed to monitor the variations in the compression set and static spring constant of a resilient pad with respect to temperature and time. In addition, the life of the resilient pad was predicted by performing an acceleration test based on the Arrhenius equation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.111-121
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• 2021

Large deformation and rapid pressure propagation take place inside the rock mass under the dynamic loads caused by the explosives, on quarry faces in order to extract aggregate material. The complexity of the science of rock blasting is due to a number of factors that affect the phenomenon. However, blasting engineering computations could be facilitated by innovative software algorithms in order to determine the results of the violent explosion, since field experiments are particularly difficult to be conducted. The present research focuses on the design of a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) code, for investigating in detail the behavior of limestone under the blasting effect of Ammonium Nitrate & Fuel Oil (ANFO). Specifically, the manuscript presents the FEA models and the relevant transient analysis results, simulating the blasting process for three types of limestone, ranging from poor to very good quality. The Finite Element code was developed by applying the Jones-Wilkins-Lee (JWL) equation of state to describe the thermodynamic state of ANFO and the pressure dependent Drucker-Prager failure criterion to define the limestone plasticity behavior, under blasting induced, high rate stress. A progressive damage model was also used in order to define the stiffness degradation and destruction of the material. This paper performs a comparative analysis and quantifies the phenomena regarding pressure, stress distribution and energy balance, for three types of limestone. The ultimate goal of this research is to provide an answer for a number of scientific questions, considering various phenomena taking place during the explosion event, using advanced computational tools.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.447-458
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• 2022

Cold-formed steel (CFS) sections are thin-walled, therefore, more susceptible to different types of geometric imperfections. Global type of geometric imperfections has a significant impact on the load-carrying capacity of flexural members. This paper reports an experimental study that discusses the influence of global imperfections on the flexural response of CFS built-up I-beams composed of two lipped channels, with simply supported ends, under four-point loading. Global imperfections of magnitude over eight times the maximum permissible ones were induced in the specimens, leading to their distress. Using various simple stiffening schemes, the capacity and stiffness of the distressed specimens were improvised. The performance comparisons were made based on the maximum loads resisted, flexural stiffnesses offered, and failure modes experienced by the specimens. As experimental data on such distressed specimens are currently lacking in the literature, the test results of the present study will provide the necessary data needed by future researchers to numerically extend this study further, which will help in the development of necessary design guidelines for the same. The stiffening schemes significantly improved the structural efficiency of distressed specimens in terms of strength and stiffness, by over 60%. As a result, an effective and time-saving solution to such realistic structural engineering problems is given.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.80 no.6
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• pp.677-688
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• 2021

The building design codes and standards in many countries usually are either fully or partially adopted from the international codes. However, regional conditions like the quality of construction industry and different statistical parameters of load and resistance have essential roles in the code calibration of building design codes. This paper presents a probabilistic approach to assess the reliability level of adopted national building codes by simulating design situations and considering all load combinations. The impact of the uncertainty of wind and earthquake loads, which are entirely regional condition dependent and have a high degree of uncertainty, are quantified. In this study, the design situation is modeled by generating thousands of numbers for load effect ratios, and the reliability level of steel elements for all load combinations and different load ratios is established and compared to the target reliability. This approach is applied to the Iranian structural steel code as a case study. The results indicate that the Iranian structural steel code lacks safety in some load combinations, such as gravity and earthquake load combinations, and is conservative for other load combinations. The present procedure can be applied to the assessment of the reliability level of other national codes.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.645-655
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• 2022

Granular columns have recently found widespread use in underground construction. The behaviour of granular columns under vertical loads has been extensively studied, specifically in relation to vertical load capacity obtained by bulging of the column body, including the behaviour after encasement of material. Determining the shear strength of loose soils reinforced with granular columns has received less attention. After the observations of lateral deformation near the toe of the embankment, attempts have been made to strengthen the lateral strength of granular columns. The purpose of this research is to look into the effects of different encasement conditions on the lateral load capacity of granular columns. This was accomplished by three-dimensional finite element analysis with FEM software. Various normal pressures and two different encasement configurations, namely single layer encasement and double layer encasement, with differing tensile strengths, were used in this study to determine their effect on lateral resistance. The failure envelope for a single column planted in loose sand was used to analyse the findings for three different granular column diameters, as well as the impact of different encasement conditions. According to the findings, the inclusion of a Granular Column enhanced the shear strength and overall stiffness of the loose sand bed, and the encasement of the Granular Column helped in deriving higher lateral resistance.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.84 no.6
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• pp.783-798
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• 2022

This study attempts to investigate the impact of thickness stretching and nonlinear hygro-thermo-mechanical loading on the bending behavior of FG beams. Young's modulus, thermal expansion, and moisture concentration coefficients vary gradually and continuously according to a power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituent materials. In addition, the interaction between the thermal, mechanical, and moisture loads is involved in the governing equilibrium equations. Using the present developed analytical model and Navier's solution technique, the numerical results of non-dimensional stresses and displacements are compared with those obtained by other 3D theories. Furthermore, the present analytical model is appropriate for investigating the static bending of FG beams exposed to intense hygro-thermo-mechanical loading used for special technical applications in aerospace, automobile, and civil engineering constructions.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2023

Reinforced concrete flat slab (RCFS) with columns is a standard gravity floor system for tall buildings in North America. Typically, RCFS-column connections are designed to resist gravity loads, and their contribution to resisting seismic forces is ignored. However, past experimental research has shown that RCFS-column connections have some strength and ductility, which may not be ignored. Advanced numerical models have been developed in the past to determine the nonlinear cyclic behavior of RCFS-column connections. However, these models are either too complicated for nonlinear dynamic analysis of an entire building or not developed to model the behavior of modern RCFS-column connections. This paper proposes a new nonlinear model suitable for modern RCFS-column connections. The numerical model is verified using experimental data of specimens with various material and reinforcement properties. A 40-story RC shear wall building was designed and analyzed to investigate the influence of RCFS on the global response of tall concrete buildings. The seismic responses of the building with and without the RCFS were modelled and compared. The results show that the modelling of RCFS has a significant impact on the inter-story drifts and force demands on both the seismic force-resisting and gravity elements.