• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.569-590
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• 2022

This paper presents a combined experimental and numerical study on stainless steel end-plate connections, with an emphasis placed on their ultimate behaviour and rotation capacity. In the experimental phase, six connection specimens made of austenitic and lean duplex stainless steels are tested under monotonic loads. The tests are specifically designed to examine the close-to-failure behaviour of the connections at large deformations. It is observed that the rotation capacity is closely related to fractures of the stainless steel bolts and end-plates. In the numerical phase, an advanced finite element model suitable for fracture simulation is developed. The incorporated constitutive and fracture models are calibrated based on the material tests of stainless steel bolts and plates. The developed finite element model exhibits a satisfactory accuracy in predicting the close-to-failure behaviour of the tested connections. Finally, the moment resistance and rotation capacity of stainless steel end-plate connections are assessed based on the experimental tests and numerical analyses.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.141-156
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• 2019

This paper presents the flexural behaviour of stainless steel beam-to-tubular column joints with extended endplates subjected to static loading. Moment-rotation relationships were investigated numerically by using Abaqus software with geometric and material nonlinearity considered. The prediction of damages among components was achieved through ductile damage models, and the influence of initial geometric imperfections and residual stresses was evaluated in large fabricated stainless steel joints involving hollow columns and concrete-filled columns. Parametric analysis was subsequently conducted to assess critical factors that could affect the flexural performance significantly in terms of the initial stiffness and moment resistance. A comparison between codes of practice and numerical results was thereafter made, and design recommendations were proposed for further applications. Results suggest that the finite element model can predict the structural behaviour reasonably well with the component damage consistent with test outcomes. Initial geometric imperfections and residual stresses are shown to have little effect on the moment-rotation responses. A series of parameters that can influence the joint behaviour remarkably include the strain-hardening exponents, stainless steel strength, diameter of bolts, thickness of endplates, position of bolts, section of beams and columns. AS/NZS 2327 is more reliable to predict the joint performance regarding the initial stiffness and moment capacity compared to EN 1993-1-8.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.281-298
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• 2024

Stainless steel bolts (SSB) are increasingly utilized in bolted steel connections due to their good mechanical performance and excellent corrosion resistance. Fire accidents, which commonly occur in engineering scenarios, pose a significant threat to the safety of steel frames. The post-fire behavior of SSB has a significant influence on the structural integrity of steel frames, and neglecting the effect of temperature can lead to serious accidents in engineering. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the performance of SSB at elevated temperatures and their residual strength after a fire incident. To investigate the mechanical behavior of SSB after fire, 114 bolts with grades A4-70 and A4-80, manufactured from 316L austenitic stainless steel, were subjected to elevated temperatures ranging from 20℃ to 1200℃. Two different cooling methods commonly employed in engineering, namely cooling at ambient temperatures (air cooling) and cooling in water (water cooling), were used to cool the bolts. Tensile tests were performed to examine the influence of elevated temperatures and cooling methods on the mechanical behavior of SSB. The results indicate that the temperature does not significantly affect the Young's modulus and the ultimate strength of SSB. Up to 500℃, the yield strength increases with temperature, but this trend reverses when the temperature exceeds 500℃. In contrast, the ultimate strain shows the opposite trend. The strain hardening exponent is not significantly influenced by the temperature until it reaches 500℃. The cooling methods employed have an insignificant impact on the performance of SSB. When compared to high-strength bolts, 316L austenitic SSB demonstrate superior fire resistance. Design models for the post-fire mechanical behavior of 316L austenitic SSB, encompassing parameters such as the elasticity modulus, yield strength, ultimate strength, ultimate strain, and strain hardening exponent, are proposed, and a more precise stress-strain model is recommended to predict the mechanical behavior of 316L austenitic SSB after a fire incident.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.553-568
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• 2022

This paper explored the viability of utilising titanium alloy bolts in the construction industry through an experimental programme, where a total of sixty-six titanium alloy (Ti/6Al/4V) bolts were tested under axial tension, pure shear and combined tension and shear. In addition, a series of Charpy V-notch specimens machined from titanium alloy bolts, conventional high-strength steel bolts, austenitic and duplex stainless steel bolts were tested for impact toughness comparisons. The obtained experimental results demonstrated that the axial tensile and pure shear capacities of titanium alloy bolts can be reasonably estimated by the current design standards for steel structures (Eurocode 3, AS 4100 and AISC 360). However, under the combined tension and shear loading conditions, significant underestimation by Eurocode 3 and unsafe predictions through AS 4100 and AISC 360 indicate that proper modifications are necessary to facilitate the safe and economic use of titanium alloy bolts. In addition, numerical models were developed to calibrate the fracture parameters of the tested titanium alloy bolts. Furthermore, a design-based selection process of titanium alloy bolts in the structural applications was proposed, in which the ultimate strength, ductility performance and corrosion resistance (including galvanic corrosion) of titanium alloy bolts was mainly considered.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.143-162
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• 2019

A number of desirable characteristics concerning excellent durability, aesthetics, recyclability, high ductility and fire resistance have made stainless steel a preferred option in engineering practice. However, the relatively high initial cost has greatly restricted the application of stainless steel as a major structural material in general construction. This drawback can be partially overcome by introducing composite stainless steel-concrete structures, which provides a cost-efficient and sustainable solution for future stainless steel construction. This paper presents a preliminary numerical study on stainless steel-concrete composite beam-to-column joints with bolted flush endplates. In order to ensure a consistent corrosion resistance within the whole structural system, all structural steel components were designed with austenitic stainless steel, including beams, columns, endplates, bolts, reinforcing bars and shear connectors. A finite element model was developed using ABAQUS software for composite beam-to-column joints under monotonic and symmetric hogging moments, while validation was performed based on independent test results. A parametric study was subsequently conducted to investigate the effects of several critical factors on the behaviour of composite stainless steel joints. Finally, comparisons were made between the numerical results and the predictions by current design codes regarding the plastic moment capacity and the rotational stiffness of the joints. It was concluded that the present codes of practice generally overestimate the rotational stiffness and underestimate the plastic moment resistance of stainless steel-concrete composite joints.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.35-43
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• 1987

The effect of post weld heat treatment (P.W.H.T) on the propagation rate of stress corrosion cracking(S.C.C) and threshold stress intensity factor ($K_{IC}.c.c$) for stress corrosion cracking of 304 stainless steel has been investigated in boiling 45% $MgCl_2$ solutions with W.O.L specimens. Specimens were precracked by turning a pair of Cr-Mo steel bolts into a machined slot at the end of the specimen. The fracture surface was examined fractographically by Scanning Electron Microscope(S.E.M.)

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.55-63
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• 2018

Recently, the use of duplex stainless steel which with a two-phase microstructure (equal mixture of ferrite and austenite) has been increased in a variety of industrial fields due to higher strength leading to weight saving, greater corrosion resistance(particularly, stress corrosion cracking) and lower price. However, currently, stainless steels are not included in the structural materials of Korean Building Code and corresponding design standards are not specified. In this paper, experimental studies have been performed to investigate the structural behaviors of duplex stainless steel (STS329FLD) bolted connection with two bolts for providing the design data. Main variables are shear connection type (single shear and double shear) and end distance parallel to the direction of applied force. Fracture modes at the final step of test were classified into typical block shear fracture, tensile fracture and curling. Curling occurrence in single shear connection led to ultimate strength drop by up to 20%. Test strengths were compared with those by current design specifications such as AISC/AISI/KBC, EC3 and AIJ and proposed equations by existing studies. For specimens with no curling, Clement & Teh's equation considering the active shear plane provided a higher strength estimation accurancy and for specimens with curling, Kim & Lim's equation considering strength reduction by curling was also overly unconservative to predict the ultimate strength of curled connections.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.291-298
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• 2003

The KN-12 transport cask has been designed to transport 12 PWR spent nuclear fuel assemblies and to comply with the regulatory requirements for a Type B(U) package. The containment boundary of the cask is defined by a cask body, a cask lid, lid bolts with nuts, O-ring seals and a bolted closure lid. The containment vessel for the cask consists of a forged thick-walled carbon steel cylindrical body with an integrally-welded carbon steel bottom and is closed by a lid made of stainless steel, which is fastened to the cask body by lid bolts with nuts and sealed by double elastomer O-rings. In the cask lid an opening is closed by a plug with an O-ring seal and covered by the bolted closure lid sealed with an O-ring. The cask must maintain a radioactivity release rate of not more than the regulatory limit for normal transport conditions and for hypothetical accident conditions, as required by the related regulations. The containment requirements of the cask are satisfied by maintaining a maximum air reference leak rate of $2.7{\times}10^{-4}ref.cm^3s^{-1}$ or a helium leak rate of $3.3{\times}10^{-4}cm^3s^{-1}$ for normal transport conditions and for hypothetical accident conditions.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.659-669
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate the ultimate strength and curling influence using finite element analysis based on the previous test results of ferritic stainless steel bolted connections. Results obtained from finite element analysis (FEA) were compared with those of test results and the validity of numerical modeling was verified. The conditions of curing occurrence for edge/end distance were investigated and ultimate strength reduction ratio caused by curling was estimated quantitatively. Moreover, the ultimate behaviors such as fracture mode and ultimate strength by FEA were compared with those predicted by current design specifications such as AISC, KBC2009, AIJ and AISI.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.383-388
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• 2013

Metal flow of the beam blank during H-beam rolling was examined in order to correlate the rolling defects with the beam blank configuration. For this purpose, H-beam rolling was performed on the beam blank where stainless steel bolts were inserted as the marker at the web and flange. The positional variation of the marker was monitored at each rolling pass, and the result was compared with the 3D FEM simulation employing the point tracking function. The simulation results were reasonably agreed with the experimental within the error of 0.5~1mm on both web and flange of the H-beam. It is anticipated that the 3D FEM simulation employing the point tracking function provides the guidance information on analyzing the correlation between the rolling defects and the beam blank configuration in H-beam rolling.