• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.377-390
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• 2024

Analyzing thermoelastic, elastoplastic, and residual stresses is pivotal for deepening our insights into material characteristics, particularly in the engineering of advanced materials like functionally graded materials (FGM). This research delves into these stress types within a thick-walled sphere composed of Al-SiC FGM, employing a detailed successive approximation method (SAM) to pinpoint stress distributions under varied loading scenarios. Our investigation centers on how the sphere's structure responds to different magnitudes of internal pressure. We discover that under various states-thermoelastic, elastoplastic, and residual-the radial stresses are adversely impacted, manifesting negative values due to the compressive nature induced by internal pressures. Notably, the occurrence of reverse yielding, observed at pressures above 410 MPa, merits attention due to its significant implications on the sphere's structural integrity and operational efficacy. Employing the SAM allows us to methodically explore the nuanced shifts in material properties across the sphere's thickness. This study not only highlights the critical behaviors of Al-SiC FGM spheres under stress but also emphasizes the need to consider reverse yielding phenomena to maintain safety and reliability in their application. We advocate for ongoing refinement of analytical techniques to further our understanding of stress behaviors in various FGM configurations, which could drive the optimized design and practical application of these innovative materials in diverse engineering fields.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.91 no.3
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• pp.263-277
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• 2024

The primary aim of this study is to introduce an innovative configuration for stirrup hooks in reinforced concrete beams and analyze the impact of factors such as stirrup spacing, placement, and hook lengths on the structural performance of reinforced concrete beam elements. A total of 18 specimens were produced and subjected to reversed cyclic loading, with two specimens serving as reference specimens and the remaining 16 specimens utilizing a specifically developed stirrup hook configuration. The experiment used reinforced concrete beams scaled down to half their original size. These beams were built with a shear span-to-depth ratio of 3 (a/d=3). The experimental samples were divided into two distinct groups. The first group comprises nine test specimens that consider the contribution of concrete to shear strength, while the second group consists of nine test specimens that do not consider this contribution. The preparation of reference beam specimens for both groups involved the utilization of standard hooks. The stirrup hooks in the test specimens are configured with a 90-degree angle positioned at the midpoint of the bottom section of the beam. The criteria considered in this study included the distance between hooks, hook angle, stirrup spacing, hook orientation, and hook length. In the experimental group examining the contribution of concrete on shear strength, it was noted that the stirrup hooks of both the R1 reference specimen and specific test specimens displayed indications of opening. However, when the contribution of concrete on shear strength was not considered, it was observed that none of the stirrup hooks proposed in the R0 reference specimen and test specimens showed any indications of opening. Neglecting the contribution of concrete in the assessment of shear strength yielded more favorable outcomes regarding structural robustness. The study found that the strength values obtained using the suggested alternative stirrup hook were similar to those of the reference specimens. Furthermore, all the test specimens successfully achieved the desired strengths.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.91 no.3
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• pp.315-324
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• 2024

An expansive soil in 4970 special railway line in Dangyang City, China, has encountered a series of landslides due to the expansion characteristics of expansive soil over the past 50 years. Thereafter, a sheet-pile retaining structure was adopted to fortify the expansive soil slope after a comprehensive discussion. In order to evaluate the efficacy of engineering measure of sheet-pile retaining structure, the field test was carried out to investigate the lateral pressure and pile bending moment subjected to construction and service conditions, and the local daily rainfall was also recorded. It took more than 500 days to carry out the field investigation, and the general change laws of lateral pressure and pile bending moment versus local daily rainfall were obtained. The results show that the effect of rainfall on the moisture content of backfill behind the wall decreases with depth. The performance of sheet-pile retaining structure is sensitive to the intensity of rainfall. The arching effect is reduced significantly by employing a series of sheet behind piles. The lateral pressure behind the sheet exhibits a single-peak distribution. The turning point of the horizontal swelling pressure distribution is correlated with the self-weight pressure distribution of soil and the variation of soil moisture content. The measured pile bending moment is approximately 44% of the ultimate pile capacity, which indicates that the sheet-pile retaining structure is in a stable service condition with enough safety reserve.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.273-284
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• 2024

The steel-concrete composite system has been playing a vital role in the construction sector for the past two decades. By using steel and concrete together, we achieve strong load resistance with minimal deflection and bending stress. The study focuses on the numerical and analytical behaviour of concrete encased steel castellated beams and compared them with previous experiments. The study used five composite beams, including one control reinforced concrete beam (CC), one fully concrete encased steel beam (FCES), and three fully concrete encased castellated beams. The major variable is the opening configuration of the castellated beam, such as openings along the longitudinal axis, above the longitudinal axis, and below the longitudinal axis. The 150 mm × 250 mm cross section and 2000 mm in length of beams were used. Using the finite element software ANSYS, we conduct nonlinear finite element analysis for the entire beam and compare it with test data. The numerical load carrying capacity of concrete encased steel castellated beam with a hexagonal opening above the longitudinal axis (FCESCB H2) is 160 kN is closer to the experimental observation. Von Mises strain of FCESB is 0.004232, which is lower than CB and composite castellated beam. The ductility factor and energy absorption capacity of FCESB are 5.090 and 1688.47 kNm. It was observed that the configuration of the opening will influence the strength of the composite beam. Plastic moment methods were employed to estimate the ultimate load carrying capacity of the beam. In the analytical study the beams were assumed as perfectly plastic. The ultimate analytical load carrying capacity of FCESCB H2 is 21.87% higher than FCESB. It found that performing FCESCB H2 is superior to the entire specimen.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.285-292
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• 2024

In order to improve the mixing effect of slurry-foam during the preparation of foam concrete, this study takes an SK static mixer as the mixing device, establishes a three-dimensional physical model and a theoretical calculation model, and numerically simulates the effects of different parameters such as foam inlet angle and pipe inner diameter on the mixing of cement slurry and foam under the given boundary conditions, so as to optimize the structure of this mixing device. The results show that when the pipe diameter of the mixer is larger than 60 mm, the phenomenon of backflow occurs in the pipe, which affects the mixing effect. The smaller the pipe diameter, the shorter the distance required to stabilize the cross-sectional average density and density uniformity index. When the foam inlet angle is different, the average density and density uniformity index of the radial cross-section have the same rule of change along the length of the pipeline, and all of them tend to stabilize gradually. At Y = 0.5 m, the average density basically stabilizes at 964 kg/m³ and remains stable until the outlet. At Y = 0.6 m, the density uniformity index basically stabilizes above 0.995 and remains stable until the outlet. Except for the foam inlet position (Y = 0.04 m), the foam inlet angle has little effect on the cross-sectional average density and density uniformity index. Under the boundary conditions given in this study, a pipe diameter of 40 mm, a foam inlet angle of 90°, and a pipe length of 700 mm are the optimal geometries for the preparation of homogeneous foam concrete with a density of 964 kg/m³ in this static mixer.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.517-528
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• 2024

For numerous tunnelling projects implemented in urban areas due to limited space, it is crucial to take into account the interaction between the foundation, ground, and tunnel. In predicting the deformation of piled foundations and the ground during twin tunnel excavation, it is essential to consider various factors. Therefore, this study derived a prediction model for pile group settlement using machine learning to analyze the importance of various factors that determine the settlement of piled foundations during twin tunnelling. Laboratory model tests and numerical analysis were utilized as input data for machine learning. The influence of each independent variable on the prediction model was analyzed. Machine learning techniques such as data preprocessing, feature engineering, and hyperparameter tuning were used to improve the performance of the prediction model. Machine learning models, employing Random Forest (RF), eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM, LGB) algorithms, demonstrate enhanced performance after hyperparameter tuning, particularly with LGB achieving an R² of 0.9782 and RMSE value of 0.0314. The feature importance in the prediction models was analyzed and P_N was the highest at 65.04% for RF, 64.81% for XGB, and P_CTC (distance between the center of piles) was the highest at 31.32% for LGB. SHAP was utilized for analyzing the impact of each variable. P_N (the number of piles) consistently exerted the most influence on the prediction of pile group settlement across all models. The results from both laboratory model tests and numerical analysis revealed a reduction in ground displacement with varying pillar spacing in twin tunnels. However, upon further investigation through machine learning with additional variables, it was found that the number of piles has the most significant impact on ground displacement. Nevertheless, as this study is based on laboratory model testing, further research considering real field conditions is necessary. This study contributes to a better understanding of the complex interactions inherent in twin tunnelling projects and provides a reliable tool for predicting pile group settlement in such scenarios.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.223-242
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• 2024

Wind comfort in cold climates is one of the most essential factors for urban planners. This issue is particularly important for sidewalks that are in line with the prevailing wind flow and surrounded by high-rise buildings. Imam Street near the University Square in Tabriz is one of the passages that struggle with uncomfortable wind speeds. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of sidewalk walls on pedestrian wind comfort. These multifunctional walls not only serve as street furniture, but also reduce wind speed at pedestrian level. In this work, all simulations are performed using the RWIND tool and validated by wind tunnel experiments at the Architectural Institute of Japan. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of the angle, height and spacing of the walls on wind attenuation at pedestrian level. The results show the effect of multifunctional walls on pedestrian-level wind mitigation. By rotating the windbreak walls from 0 to 60 degrees along the street, the average wind speed decreases by 30% to 46% compared to a situation without this type of wall. Increasing the wall height from 1.5 to 2 meters reduces the urban wind speed by 39-46%. However, increasing the distance between the sidewalk walls from 3.5-9.5 meters reduces the speed in the models from 46% to 32.7%. Finally, it has been demonstrated that sidewalk walls with a height of 2 meters, a rotation angle of 60° and a distance of 3.5 meters are the optimal choice for wind attenuation at pedestrian level.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.379-391
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• 2024

The ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) mixed with hybrid fibers has excellent mechanical properties and durability, and the hybrid fibers have a certain impact on the bearing capacity, deformation capacity, and crack propagation of beams. Many scholars have conducted a series of studies on the bending performance of prestressed UHPC beams, but there are few studies on prestressed UHPC beams mixed with hybrid fibers. In this study, five bonded post-tensioned partially prestressed UHPC beams mixed with steel fibers and macro-polyolefin fibers were poured and subjected to four-points symmetric loading bending tests. The effects of different prestressing degrees and prestressing levels on the load-deflection curves, crack propagation, failure modes and ultimate bearing capacity of beams were discussed. The results showed that flexural failure occurred in the prestressed UHPC beams with hybrid fibers, and the integrity of specimens was good. When the prestressing degree was the same, the higher the prestressing level, the better the crack resistance capacity of UHPC beams; When the prestressing level was 90%, increasing the prestressing degree was beneficial to improve the crack resistance and ultimate bearing capacity of UHPC beams. When the prestressing degree increased from 0.41 to 0.59, the cracking load and ultimate load increased by 66.0% and 41.4%, respectively, but the ductility decreased by 61.2%. Based on the plane section assumption and considering the bridging effect of short fibers, the cracking moment and ultimate bearing moment were calculated, with good agreement between the test and calculated values.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.393-408
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• 2024

In recent decades the strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) structural elements using Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) has received much attention. The behavior of RC elements can vary from axial compression to pure bending, depending on their loading. When the compressive behavior is dominant, the FRP jacket application is common, but when the flexural behavior is prevalent, the codes consider the FRP jacket ineffective. Codes suggest applying FRP bars or strips as Near-surface Mounted (NSM) or Externally Bonded (EB) in the tensile face to strengthen the beams under flexure. To strengthen the columns in tension-control mode, some researchers have suggested NSM FRP bars in both tension and compression faces alone or with the FRP jacket (hybrid). However, the number of tests that evaluate the pure bending of the strengthened columns as one of the pivotal points of the axial force-moment interaction curve is limited. In this paper, 11 RC elements strengthened using the NSM (in both tension and compression faces) or hybrid method were subjected to bending to assess the effect of the amount and material type of the FRP bar and jacket and the dimensions of the groove. The test results revealed that the NSM method increased the flexural capacity of the members between 10% to 50%. Furthermore, using the hybrid method increased the capacity between 51% to 91%. Finally, an analytical model was presented considering the effect of the NSM FRP bond in different circumstances, and its results were in good agreement with the experimental results.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.477-486
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• 2024

The process of inspecting and replacing cutting tools in a shield tunnel boring machine (TBM) is called cutterhead intervention (CHI) (Farrokh and Kim 2018). Since CHI is performed by a worker who enters the chamber in TBM, the worker is directly exposed to high water pressure and huge water inflow, especially in areas with high ground water levels, causing health problems for the worker and shortening of available working hours (Kindwall 1990). Ham et al. (2022) proposed a method of reducing the water pressure and water inflow by injecting a grout solution into the ground through the shield TBM chamber, and named it the new face grouting method (NFGM). In this study, the TBM mechanical characteristics including the injection pressure of the grout solution and the cutterhead rotation speed were determined for the best performance of the NFGM. To find the appropriate injection pressure, the water inflow volume according to the injection pressure change was measured by using a water inflow test apparatus. A model torque test apparatus was manufactured to find the appropriate cutterhead rotation speed by investigating the change in the status of the grout solution according to the rotation speed change. In addition, to prove the validity of this study, comprehensive water inflow tests were carried out. The results of the tests showed that the injection pressure equal to overburden pressure + (0.10 ~ 0.15) MPa and the cutterhead rotation speed of 0.8 to 1.0 RPM are the most appropriate. In the actual construction site, it is recommended to select an appropriate value within the proposed range while considering the economic feasibility and workability.