• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.197-222
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• 2006

In this paper, the non-linear time-dependent closed-form, discrete and combined solutions for the post-elastic response of a geometrically and physically non-linear suspended cable to a uniformly distributed load considering the creep effects, are presented. The time-dependent closed-form method for the particularly straightforward determination of a vertical uniformly distributed load applied over the entire span of a cable and the accompanying deflection at time t corresponding to the elastic limit and/or to the elastic region, post-elastic and failure range of a suspended cable is described. The actual stress-strain properties of steel cables as well as creep of cables and their rheological characteristics are considered. In this solution, applying the Irvine's theory, the direct use of experimental data, such as the actual stress-strain and strain-time properties of high-strength steel cables, is implemented. The results obtained by the closed-form solution, i.e., a load corresponding to the elastic limit, post-elastic and failure range at time t, enable the direct use in the discrete non-linear time-dependent post-elastic analysis of a suspended cable. This initial value of load is necessary for the non-linear time-dependent elastic and post-elastic discrete analysis, concerning incremental and iterative solution strategies with tangent modulus concept. At each time step, the suspended cable is analyzed under the applied load and imposed deformations originated due to creep. This combined time-dependent approach, based on the closed-form solution and on the FEM, allows a prediction of the required load that occurs in the post-elastic region. The application of the described methods and derived equations is illustrated by numerical examples.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.267-278
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• 2022

Pre-stressed concrete circular spun piles are widely used in various infrastructure projects around the world and offer an economical deep foundation system with consistent and superior quality compared to cast in-situ and other concrete piles. Conventional methods for measuring the lateral response of piles have been limited to conventional instrumentation, such as electrical based gauges and pressure transducers. The problem with existing technology is that the sensors are not able to assist in recording the lateral stiffness changes of the pile which varies along the length depending on the distribution of the flexural moments and appearance of tensile cracks. This paper describes a full-scale bending test of a 1-m diameter spun pile of 30 m long and instrumented using advanced fibre optic distributed sensor, known as Brillouin Optical Time Domain Analysis (BOTDA). Optical fibre sensors were embedded inside the concrete during the manufacturing stage and attached on the concrete surface in order to measure the pile's full-length flexural behaviour under the prescribed serviceability and ultimate limit state. The relationship between moments-deflections and bending moments-curvatures are examined with respect to the lateral forces. Tensile cracks were measured and compared with the peak strains observed from BOTDA data which corroborated very well. By analysing the moment-curvature response of the pile, the structure can be represented by two bending stiffness parameters, namely the pre-yield (EI) and post-yield (EI_cr), where the cracks reduce the stiffness property by 89%. The pile deflection profile can be attained from optical fibre data through closed-form solutions, which generally matched with the displacements recorded by Linear Voltage Displacement Transducers (LVDTs).