• Composites Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2004

The present paper is concerned with the optimum design of taper spring, in which the static spring rate of the fiber-reinforcement composite material spring is fitted to that of the steel leaf spring. The thickness and width of springs were selected as design variables. The object functions of the regression model were obtained through the analysis with a common analytic program. After regression coefficients were calculated to get functions of the regression model, optimal solutions were calculated with DOT. E-glass/epoxy and carbon/epoxy were used as fiber reinforcement materials in the design, which were compared and analyzed with the steel leaf spring. The result of the static spring rates show that optimized composite leaf springs agree with steel leaf spring within 1%.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.737-765
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• 2005

This paper presents a theoretical model for the behavior of partially confined axi-symmetric reinforced concrete members subjected to axial load. The analysis uses the theories of elasticity and plasticity to cover the full range of the concrete behavior. Analysis of the elastic range of the problem involves boundary conditions that are defined along a relatively simple geometry. However, extending the analysis into the plastic range involves difficulties that arise from the irregular geometry of the boundary between the plastic zone and the elastic zone, a boundary which is also changing as the axial load increases. The solution is derived by replacing the discrete steel ties with an equivalent tube of thickness $t_{eq}$ and by analyzing the concrete cylinder, which is uniformly confined by the equivalent tube. The equivalency criterion initiates from a theoretical analysis of the problem in its elastic range where further finite element analysis shows that this criterion is valid also for the plastic range of the cylinder material. According to the proposed model, the efficiency of the lateral reinforcement can be evaluated by the equivalent thickness $t_{eq}$. Comparison with published test results of confined reinforced concrete stress-strain curves shows good agreement between the test and the analytical results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.147-166
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• 2016

The paper presents comprehensive quasi-static stability analysis results for a real funnel-flow cylindrical steel silo composed of horizontally corrugated sheets strengthened by vertical thin-walled column profiles. Linear buckling and non-linear analyses with geometric and material non-linearity were carried out with a perfect and an imperfect silo by taking into account axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric loads imposed by a bulk solid following Eurocode 1. Finite element simulations were carried out with 3 different numerical models (single column on the elastic foundation, 3D silo model with the equivalent orthotropic shell and full 3D silo model with shell elements). Initial imperfections in the form of a first eigen-mode for different wall loads and from 'in-situ' measurements with horizontal different amplitudes were taken into account. The results were compared with Eurocode 3. Some recommendations for the silo dimensioning were elaborated.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.323-330
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• 2020

The surface region of a sheet metal may have different characteristics from the inner region because the surface region is less restricted than the interior. In addition, the grains on the free surface are less hardened because of surface adsorption of the dislocations, rather than piling up. In the case of bulk or thick sheet metals, this effect is negligible because the fraction of the surface region is much smaller than that of the inner region. However, this surface effect is important in the case of ultra-thin sheet metals. In order to evaluate the surface effect, tensile and bending tests were performed for the SS304 stainless steel with a thickness of 0.39 mm. The bending force predicted using the tensile behavior is higher than the measurement because of the surface effect. To account for the surface effect, the surface layer model was developed by dividing the sheet section into surface and inner layers. The mechanical behaviors of the two regions were calibrated using the tensile and bending properties. The surface layer model reproduced the bending behavior of the ultra-thin sheet metal.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.122-128
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• 2012

Water model experiments were carried out to understand the mixing behavior of reducing agents in molten slag through vortex stirrer, which makes use of a gravitational energy to mix reducing agent in the molten slag without imparting artificial energy. At a water flow rate of 6 L/min vortex was not generated, and a stable vortex was formed when the water flow rate was 7 L/min or higher with the present experimental apparatus. Water level increased linearly with increasing the water flow rate. In the upper vortex region, the vertical and horizontal velocities slightly decreased with increasing the water flow rate, whereas those in the lower vortex region increased remarkably. Accordingly, strong mixing behavior was obtained in the lower vortex region. Owing to the strong centrifugal force, particles move downwards with approaching the funnel wall. When 40 grams of polypropylene particles added to the lower vortex, they were instantaneously mixed well.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.71 no.4
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• pp.417-432
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• 2019

Seismic performance analysis of steel-brace reinforced concrete (RC) frame using topology optimization in highly seismic region was discussed in this research. Topology optimization based on truss-like material model was used, which was to minimum volume in full-stress method. Optimized bracing systems of low-rise, mid-rise and high-rise RC frames were established, and optimized bracing systems of substructure were also gained under different constraint conditions. Thereafter, different structure models based on optimized bracing systems were proposed and applied. Last, structural strength, structural stiffness, structural ductility, collapse resistant capacity, collapse probability and demolition probability were studied. Moreover, the brace buckling was discussed. The results show that bracing system of RC frame could be derived using topology optimization, and bracing system based on truss-like model could help to resolve numerical instabilities. Bracing system of topology optimization was more effective to enhance structural stiffness and strength, especially in mid-rise and high-rise frames. Moreover, bracing system of topology optimization contributes to increase collapse resistant capacity, as well as reduces collapse probability and accumulated demolition probability. However, brace buckling might weaken beneficial effects.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.70 no.2
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• pp.221-231
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• 2019

This paper performs for the first time a simultaneous optimization for members sections along with semi-rigid beam-to-column connections for space steel frames with fixed, semi-rigid, and hinged bases using a biogeography-based optimization algorithm (BBO) and a genetic algorithm (GA). Furthermore, a member's sections optimization for a fully fixed space frame is carried out. A real and accurate simulation of semi-rigid connection behavior is considered in this study, where the semi-rigid base connections are simulated using Kanvinde and Grilli (2012) nonlinear model, which considers deformations in different base connection components under the applied loads, while beam-to-column connections are modeled using the familiar Frye and Morris (1975) nonlinear polynomial model. Moreover, the $P-{\Delta}$ effect and geometric nonlinearity are considered. AISC-LRFD (2016) specification constraints of the stress and displacement are considered as well as section size fitting constraints. The optimization is applied to two benchmark space frame examples to inspect the effect of semi-rigidity on frame weight and drift using BBO and GA algorithms.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.415-430
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• 2021

The effective flange width was usually introduced into elementary beam theory to consider the shear lag effect in steel-concrete composite beams. Previous studies have primarily focused on the effective width under positive moments and elastic loading, whereas it is still not clear for negative moment cases in the normal service stages. To account for this problem, this paper proposed simplified formulas for the effective flange width and reinforcement stress of composite beams under negative moments in service stages. First, a 10-degree-of-freedom (DOF) fiber beam element considering the shear lag effect and interfacial slip effect was proposed, and a computational procedure was developed in the OpenSees software. The accuracy and applicability of the proposed model were verified through comparisons with experimental results. Second, a method was proposed for determining the effective width of composite beams under negative moments based on reinforcement stress. Employing the proposed model, the simplified formulas were proposed via numerical fitting for cases under uniform loading and centralized loading at the mid-span. Finally, based on the proposed formulas, a simplified calculation method for the reinforcement stress in service stages was established. Comparisons were made between the proposed formulas and design code. The results showed that the design code method greatly underestimated the contribution of concrete under negative moments, leading to notable overestimations in the reinforcement stress and crack width.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.209-224
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• 2022

In this study, the numerical analysis model of π-beam explosion is established to compare and analyze the failure modes of the π-beam under the action of explosive loads, thus verifying the accuracy of the numerical model. Then, based on the numerical analysis of different protection forms of π beams under explosive loads, the peak pressure of π beam under different protection conditions, the law of structural energy consumption, the damage pattern of the π beam after protection, and the protection efficiency of different protective layers was studied. The testing results indicate that the pressure peak of π beam is relatively small under the combined protection of steel plate and aluminum foam, and the peak value of pressure decays quickly along the beam longitudinal. Besides, as the longitudinal distance increases, the pressure peak attenuates most heavily on the roof's explosion-facing surface. Meanwhile, the combined protective layer has a strong energy consumption capacity, the energy consumed accounts for 90% of the three parts of the π beam (concrete, steel, and protective layer). The damaged area of π beam is relatively small under the combined protection of steel plate and aluminum foam. We also calculate the protection efficiency of π beams under different protection conditions using the maximum spalling area of concrete. The results show that the protective efficiency of the combined protective layer is 45%, demonstrating a relatively good protective ability.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.507-519
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• 2021

In this study, a new procedure was proposed in order to predict the crack pattern and failure mode of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) corbels. Moreover, an experimental study was carried out in order to investigate the effect of several parameters, such as compressive strength, tensile strength, steel fiber ratio, shear span on the mechanical behavior of SFRC corbels in detail. Totally, 24 RC and SFRC corbels were prepared for the experimental study. Experimental results indicate that each investigated parameter has noticeable effect on the load capacity and failure mode of SFRC corbels. Moreover, finite element (FE) model of the tested corbels were prepared and efficiency of FE model was investigated for further studies. Comparison of FE and experimental results show that there is an acceptable fit between them regarding load capacity and crack patterns. Thereafter, parametric study was carried out via FE analyses in order to obtain a methodology for crack pattern and failure mode prediction of SFRC corbels. As a result of parametric studies, a new procedure was proposed as flowcharts in order to predict the failure mode of SFRC corbels for normal and high strength concrete class separately.