• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.461-472
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• 2015

The existence of initial imperfections in manufacturing or assembly of double-layer space structures having hundreds or thousands of members is inevitable. Many of the imperfections, such as the initial curvature of the members and residual stresses in members, are all random in nature. In this paper, the probabilistic effect of initial curvature imperfections in the load bearing capacity of double-layer grid space structures with different types of supports have been investigated. First, for the initial curvature imperfection of each member, a random number is generated from a gamma distribution. Then, by employing the same probabilistic model, the imperfections are randomly distributed amongst the members of the structure. Afterwards, the collapse behavior and the ultimate bearing capacity of the structure are determined by using nonlinear push down analysis and this procedure is frequently repeated. Ultimately, based on the maximum values of bearing capacity acquired from the analysis of different samples, structure's reliability is obtained by using Monte Carlo simulation method. The results show the sensitivity of the collapse behavior of double-layer grid space structures to the random distribution of initial imperfections and supports type.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.121-133
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• 2015

The aluminum dome has been widely used in natatorium, oil storage tank, power plant, coal, as well as other industrial buildings and structures. However, few research has focused on the structural behavior and design method of this dome. At present, most designs of aluminum alloy domes have referred to theories and methods of steel spatial structures. However, aluminum domes and steel domes have many differences, such as elasticity moduli, roof structures, and joint rigidities, which make the design and analysis method of steel spatial structures not fully suitable for aluminum alloy dome structures. In this study, a stability analysis method, which can consider structural imperfection, member initial curvature, semi-rigid joint, and skin effect, was presented and used to study the stability behavior of aluminum dome structures. In addition, some meaningful conclusions were obtained, which could be used in future designs and analyses of aluminum domes.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.755-772
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• 2014

A simplistic approach towards evaluation of complete load deflection response of Reinforced Concrete (RC) flexural members under post fire (residual) scenario is presented in this paper. The cross-section of the RC flexural member is divided into a number of sectors. Thermal analysis is performed to determine the temperature distribution across the section, for given fire duration. Temperature-dependent stress-strain curves for concrete and steel are then utilized to perform a moment-curvature analysis. The moment-curvature relationships are obtained for beams exposed to different fire durations. These are then utilized to obtain the load-deflection plots following pushover analysis. Moreover one of the important issues of modeling the initial stiffness giving due consideration to stiffness degradation due to material degradation and thermal cracking has also been addressed in a rational manner. The approach is straightforward and can be easily programmed in spreadsheets. The presented approach has been validated against the experiments, available in literature, on RC beam subjected to different fire durations viz. 1hr, 1.5hrs and 2hrs. Complete load-deflection curves have been obtained and compared with experimentally reported counterparts. The results also show a good match with the results obtained using more complicated approaches such as those involving Finite element (FE) modeling and conducting a transient thermal stress analysis. Further evaluation of the beams during fire (at elevated temperatures) was performed and a comparison of the mechanical behavior of RC beams under post fire and during fire scenarios is made. Detailed formulations, assumptions and step by step approach are reported in the paper. Due to the simplicity and ease of implementation, this approach can be used for evaluation of global performance of fire affected structures.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.687-694
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• 2014

This study established a displacement ductility ratio model for ductile design for the boundary element of shear walls. To determine the curvature distribution along the member length and displacement at the free end of the member, the distributions of strains and internal forces along the shear wall section depth were idealized based on the Bernoulli's principle, strain compatibility condition, and equilibrium condition of forces. The confinement effect at the boundary element, provided by transverse reinforcement, was calculated using the stress-strain relationship of confined concrete proposed by Razvi and Saatcioglu. The curvatures corresponding to the initial yielding moment and 80% of the ultimate state after the peak strength were then conversed into displacement values based on the concept of equivalent hinge length. The derived displacement ductility ratio model was simplified by the regression approach using the comprehensive analytical data obtained from the parametric study. The proposed model is in good agreement with test results, indicating that the mean and standard deviation of the ratios between predictions and experiments are 1.05 and 0.19, respectively. Overall, the proposed model is expected to be available for determining the transverse reinforcement ratio at the boundary element for a targeted displacement ductility ratio.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.16 no.6 s.73
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• pp.759-768
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• 2004

The parametric analysis of vertically braced steel pipe arch ribs was performed to evaluate their in-plane buckling strengths and ultimate load-carrying capacities. The elastic and plastic behavior of braced arch ribs, unlike those of the usual single arch ribs, are affected by such factors as the flexural rigidity of the brace member, brace and pipe ribs spacing, loading situation, and arch curvature. To analyze these effects, several parameters were included, such as the rise-to-span ratio, the second moment of the inertia ratio of the rib to the brace member, the space ratio of the brace, the space ratio of the upper and lower ribs, the initial crookedness, the slenderness ratios of the braced arch ribs, and the loading conditions were considered with live-load-to-dead-load ratios. Based on the results of the parametric analyses, a proper profile of the braced arch rib was proposed. A large-scale structural experiment was also performed to evaluate the ultimate strength of the braced arch rib. The test results were determined to reasonably coincide with the analytical ones.