• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.333-347
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• 2017

Masonry infill walls are unavoidable parts of any building to create a separation between internal space and external environment. In general, there are some prevalent openings in the infill wall due to functional needs, architectural considerations or aesthetic concerns. In current design practice, the strength and stiffness contribution of infill walls is not considered. However, the presence of infill walls may decisively influence the seismic response of structures subjected to earthquake loads and cause a different behavior from that predicted for a bare frame. Furthermore, partial openings in the masonry infill wall are significant parameter affecting the seismic behavior of infilled frames thereby decreasing the lateral stiffness and strength. The possible effects of openings in the infill wall on seismic behavior of RC frames is analytically studied by means of pushover analysis of several bare, partially and fully infilled frames having different bay and story numbers. The stiffness loss due to partial opening is introduced by the stiffness reduction factors which are developed from finite element analysis of frames considering frame-infill interaction. Pushover curves of frames are plotted and the maximum base shear forces, the yield displacement, the yield base shear force coefficient, the displacement demand, interstory drift ratios and the distribution of story shear forces are determined. The comparison of parameters both in terms of seismic demand and capacity indicates that partial openings decisively influences the nonlinear behavior of RC frames and cause a different behavior from that predicted for a bare frame or fully infilled frame.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.327-351
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• 2023

This article explores how multi-objective optimization techniques can be used to design cost-effective and structurally optimal spatial steel structures, highlighting that optimizing performance can be as important as minimizing costs in real-world engineering problems. The study includes the minimization of maximum horizontal displacement, the maximization of the first natural frequency of vibration, the maximization of the critical load factor concerning the first global buckling mode of the structure, and weight minimization as the objectives. Additionally, it outlines a systematic approach to selecting the best design by employing four different evolutionary algorithms based on differential evolution and a multi-criteria decision-making methodology. The paper's contribution lies in its comprehensive consideration of multiple conflicting objectives and its novel approach to simultaneous consideration of bracing system, column orientation, and commercial profiles as design variables.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제44권4호
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• pp.503-517
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• 2022

This paper presents the mechanical buckling of bi-directional functionally graded sandwich beams (BFGSW) with various boundary conditions employing a quasi-3D beam theory, including an integral term in the displacement field, which reduces the number of unknowns and governing equations. The beams are composed of three layers. The core is made from two constituents and varies across the thickness; however, the covering layers of the beams are made of bidirectional functionally graded material (BFGSW) and vary smoothly along the beam length and thickness directions. The power gradation model is considered to estimate the variation of material properties. The used formulation reflects the transverse shear effect and uses only three variables without including the correction factor used in the first shear deformation theory (FSDT) proposed by Timoshenko. The principle of virtual forces is used to obtain stability equations. Moreover, the impacts of the control of the power-law index, layer thickness ratio, length-to-depth ratio, and boundary conditions on buckling response are demonstrated. Our contribution in the present work is applying an analytical solution to investigate the stability behavior of bidirectional FG sandwich beams under various boundary conditions.