• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.195-204
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• 2022

As a brittle failure mode, punching-shear failure can be widely found in traditional RC slab-column connections, which may lead to the entire collapse of a flat plate structure. In this paper, a novel RC slab-column connection with inner steel truss was proposed to enhance the punching strength. In the proposed connection, steel trusses, each of which was composed of four steel angles and a series of steel strips, were pre-assembled at the periphery of the column capital and behaved as transverse reinforcements. With the aim of exploring the punching behavior of this novel RC slab-column connection, a static punching test was conducted on two full-scaled RC slab specimens, and the crack patterns, failure modes, load-deflection and load-strain responses were thoroughly analyzed to explore the contribution of the applied inner steel trusses to the overall punching behavior. The test results indicated that all the test specimens suffered the typical punching-shear failure, and the higher punching strength and initial stiffness could be found in the specimen with inner steel trusses. The numerical models of tested specimens were analyzed in ABAQUS. These models were verified by comparing the results of the tests with the results of the analyzes, and subsequently the sensitivity of the punching capacity to different parameters was studied. Based on the test results, a modified critical shear crack theory, which could take the contribution of the steel trusses into account, was put forward to predict the punching strength of this novel RC slab-column connection, and the calculated results agreed well with the test results.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.651-661
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• 2017

A truss-braced wing (TBW) aircraft has recently received increasing attention due to higher aerodynamic efficiency compared to conventional cantilever wing aircraft. For conceptual TBW aircraft design, we developed a propulsion-and-airframe integrated design environment by replacing a semi-empirical turbofan engine model with a thermodynamic cycle-based one built upon the numerical propulsion system simulation (NPSS). The constructed NPSS model benefitted TBW aircraft design study, as it could handle engine installation effects influencing engine fuel efficiency. The NPSS model also contributed to broadening TBW aircraft design space, for it provided turbofan engine design variables involving a technology factor reflecting progress in propulsion technology. To effectively consolidate the NPSS propulsion model with the TBW airframe model, we devised a rapid, approximate substitute of the NPSS model by reduced-order modeling (ROM) to resolve difficulties in model integration. In addition, we formed an artificial neural network (ANN) that associates engine component attributes evaluated by object-oriented weight analysis of turbine engine (WATE++) with engine design variables to determine engine weight and size, both of which bring together the propulsion and airframe system models. Through propulsion-andairframe design space exploration, we optimized TBW aircraft design for fuel saving and revealed that a simple engine model neglecting engine installation effects may overestimate TBW aircraft performance.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.635-649
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• 2006

The static and dynamic responses of guyed telecommunication towers can be determined by using two models, the space truss element model, and the equivalent beam-column element model. The equivalent beam-column analysis is based on the determination of the equivalent shear, torsion, and bending rigidities as well as the equivalent area of the guyed mast. In the literature, two methods are currently available to determine the equivalent properties of lattice structures, namely: the unit load method, and the energy approach. In this study, an equivalent beam-column analysis is introduced based on an equivalent thin plate approach for lattice structures. A finite-element modeling, using suitably modified ABAQUS software, is used to investigate the accuracy of utilizing the different proposed methods in determining the static and dynamic responses of a guyed tower of 364.5-meter high subjected to static and seismic loading conditions. The results from these analyses are compared to those obtained from a finite-element modeling of the actual structure using 3-D truss and beam elements. Good agreement is shown between the different proposed beam-column models, and the model of the actual structure. However, the proposed equivalent thin plate approach is simpler to apply than the other two approaches.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.19-40
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• 2014

Reinforced concrete deep beams are structural beams with low shear span-to-depth ratio, and hence in which the strain distribution is significantly nonlinear and the conventional beam theory is not applicable. A strut-and-tie model is considered one of the most rational and simplest methods available for shear strength prediction and design of deep beams. The strut-and-tie model approach describes the shear failure of a deep beam using diagonal strut and truss mechanism: The diagonal strut mechanism represents compression stress fields that develop in the concrete web between diagonal cracks of the concrete while the truss mechanism accounts for the contributions of the horizontal and vertical web reinforcements. Based on a database of 406 experimental observations, this paper proposes a new strut-and-tie-model for accurate prediction of shear strength of reinforced concrete deep beams, and further improves the model by correcting the bias and quantifying the scatter using a Bayesian parameter estimation method. Seven existing deterministic models from design codes and the literature are compared with the proposed method. Finally, a limit-state design formula and the corresponding reduction factor are developed for the proposed strut-andtie model.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.697-702
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• 2017

A preliminary study was carried out to investigate the feasibility of replacing honeycomb cores with pyramidal truss cores in the doors of urban transit railway vehicles. The doors in current operation are sandwich structures comprising a honeycomb core and reinforcements between two facesheets. The structural requirements of doors for urban transit vehicle are specified in the KRS and KRT and standards, according to which the deflections from three-point bending tests must be limited. To this end, two types of pyramidal truss cores with equivalent mass to a honeycomb core were designed. The structural stiffness of doors with pyramidal truss cores and honeycomb cores were numerically calculated via finite element analysis. The three-point bending models were constructed and simulated, and then the calculated deflections were compared with the requirements specified in the regulations. The results show that doors with pyramidal truss cores satisfied the stiffness requirements, although their deflections were 2.5% larger than that of the honeycomb cores. Therefore, the pyramidal truss cores could replace the aluminum honeycomb cores, and their multi-functional capability could be exploited.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.295-302
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• 2002

This paper introduces a method to determine strut-tie models in reinforced concrete (RC) structures using the evolutionary structural optimization (ESO). Even though strut-tie models are broadly adapted in design of reinforced concrete members subjected to shear and torsion, conventional methods can hardly give correct models in RC members subjected to complex loadings and geometry conditions. In this paper, the basic idea of the ESO method is used to determine more rational strut-tie models. Since an optimum topology of structures, finally obtained by the ESO method, usually represents a truss-like structure, the ESO method can effectively be used in finding the best strut-tie model in RC structures. Several example structures are provided to demonstrate the capability of the proposed method in finding the best strut-tie model of each RC structure and to verify its efficiency in application to real design problems.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.501-520
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• 2015

Presence of torsional loadings can significantly affect the flow of internal forces and deformation capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) columns. It increases the possibility of brittle shear failure leading to catastrophic collapse of structural members. This necessitates accurate prediction of the torsional behaviour of RC members for their safe design. However, a review of previously published studies indicates that the torsional behaviour of RC members has not been studied in as much depth as the behaviour under flexure and shear in spite of its frequent occurrence in bridge columns. Very few analytical models are available to predict the response of RC members under torsional loads. Softened truss model (STM) developed in the University of Houston is one of them, which is widely used for this purpose. The present study shows that STM prediction is not sufficiently accurate particularly in the post cracking region when compared to test results. An improved analytical model for RC square columns subjected to torsion with and without axial compression is developed. Since concrete is weak in tension, its contribution to torsional capacity of RC members was neglected in the original STM. The present investigation revealed that, disregard to tensile strength of concrete is the main reason behind the discrepancies in the STM predictions. The existing STM is extended in this paper to include the effect of tension stiffening for better prediction of behaviour of square RC columns under torsion. Three different tension stiffening models comprising a linear, a quadratic and an exponential relationship have been considered in this study. The predictions of these models are validated through comparison with test data on local and global behaviour. It was observed that tension stiffening has significant influence on torsional behaviour of square RC members. The exponential and parabolic tension stiffening models were found to yield the most accurate predictions.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.351-365
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• 2020

This work presents numerical and experimental analyses of the behavior of reinforced-concrete deep beams with unconventional geometries. The main goal here is to experimentally and numerically study these geometries to find possible new behaviors due to the material nonlinearity of reinforced concrete with complex geometries. Usually, unconventional geometries result from innovative designs; in general, studies of reinforced concrete structures are performed only on conventional members such as beams, columns, and labs. To achieve the goal, four reinforced-concrete deep beams with geometries not addressed in the literature were tested. The models were numerically analyzed with the Adaptive Micro Truss Model (AMTM), which is the proposed method, to address new geometries. This work also studied the main parameters of the constitutive model of concrete based on a statistical analysis of the finite element (FE) results. To estimate the ultimate loads, FE simulations were performed using the Monte Carlo method. Based on the obtained ultimate loads, a probabilistic distribution was created, and the final ultimate loads were computed.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.171-178
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• 2004

The purpose of optimum design for structures is to minimize the cost and to obtain the reasonable structural systems. This design algorithm have many objective functions including discrete variables as sections, weight, stiffness and shapes. Simulated annealing, Genetic algorithm and TABU algorithm are used search for these optimum values in the structural design. TABU algorithm is applied to many types structures to search for section and distribution optimization and compared with the results of Genetic algorithm for evaluating the efficiency of this algorithm. In this paper, the plane truss of 10 elements and the space truss of 25 element having 10 nodes, star dome and cable dome are analyzed as analytical models.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.203-214
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• 2018

Deflection control in tall buildings is a challenging issue. Connecting of the towers is an interesting idea for architects as well as structural engineers. In this paper, two reinforced concrete core-wall towers are connected by a truss bridge with buckling restrained braces. The buildings are 40 and 60-story. The effect of the location of the bridge is investigated. Response spectrum analysis of the linear models is used to obtain the design demands and the systems are designed according to the reliable codes. Then, nonlinear time history analysis at maximum considered earthquake is performed to assess the seismic responses of the systems subjected to far-field and near-field record sets. Fiber elements are used for the reinforced concrete walls. On average, the inter-story drift ratio demand will be minimized when the bridge is approximately located at a height equal to 0.825 times the total height of the building. Besides, because of whipping effects, maximum roof acceleration demand is approximately two times the peak ground acceleration. Plasticity extends near the base and also in major areas of the walls subjected to the seismic loads.