• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.359-372
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• 2008

The moisture absorption behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) and its effect on dimensional stability were examined. Moisture diffusivity in CFRP was determined by measuring a specimen's weight during the moisture absorption test. Three types of CFRP specimens were prepared: a unidirectionally reinforced laminate, a quasi-isotropic laminate and woven fabric. Each CFRP was processed into two geometries - a thin plate for determination of diffusivity and a rod with a square cross-section for the discussion of two-dimensional diffusion behavior. By solving Fick's law expanded to 3 dimensions, the diffusivities in the three orthogonal directions were obtained and analyzed in terms of the anisotropy of CFRP moisture diffusion. Coefficients of moisture expansion (CMEs) were also obtained from specimen deformation caused by moisture absorption. During moisture absorption, the specimen surfaces showed larger deformation near the edges due to the distribution of moisture contents. This deformation was reasonably predicted by the finite element analysis using experimentally determined diffusivities and CMEs. For unidirectional CFRP, the effect of the fiber alignment on CME was analyzed by micromechanical finite element analysis (FEA) and discussed.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.397-406
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• 2017

The use of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) for torsional strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) single cell box beams has been analyzed considerably by researchers worldwide. However, little attention has been paid to torsional strengthening of multicell box girders in terms of both experimental and numerical research. This paper reports the experimental work in an overall investigation for torsional strengthening of multicell box section RC girders with externally-bonded Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer CFRP strips. Numerical work was carried out using non-linear finite element modeling (FEM). Good agreement in terms of torque-twist behavior, steel and CFRP reinforcement responses, and crack patterns was achieved. The unique failure modes of all the specimens were modeled correctly as well.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.57-78
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• 2010

A novel flexibility-based 1D element that captures the material nonlinearity and second order P-$\Delta$ effects within a reinforced concrete frame member is developed. The formulation is developed for 2D planar frames in the modified fiber element framework but can readily be extended to 3D cases. The nonlinear behavior of concrete including cracking and crushing is taken into account through a modified hypo-elastic model. A parabolic and a constant shear stress distribution are used at section level to couple the normal and tangential tractions at material level. The lack of objectivity due to softening of concrete is addressed and objectivity of the response at the material level is attained by using a technique derived from the crack band approach. Finally the efficiency and accuracy of the formulation is compared with experimental results and is demonstrated by some numerical examples.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.165-176
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• 2021

Existing research on confined concrete filled steel tubular (CCFT) columns has been mainly focused on static or cyclic loading. In this paper, square section CCFT and CFT columns were tested under both static and impact loading, using a 10,000 kN capacity compression test machine and a drop weight testing equipment. Research parameters included bonded and unbonded fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) wraps, with carbon, basalt and glass FRPs (or CFRP, BFRP, and GFRP), respectively. Time history curves for impact force and steel strain observed are discussed in detail. Experimental results show that the failure modes of specimens under impact testing were characterized by local buckling of the steel tube and cracking at the corners, for both CCFT and CFT columns, similar to those under static loading. For both static and impact loading, the FRP wraps could improve the behavior and increase the loading capacity. To analyze the dynamic behavior of the composite columns, a finite element, FE, model was established in LS-DYNA. A simplified method that is compared favorably with test results is also proposed to predict the impact load capacity of square CCFT columns.

• Proceeding of EDISON Challenge
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• 2016.03a
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• pp.175-182
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• 2016

Recently, carbon fiber-reinforced composite is widely used in many aerospace applications. Among most of the aerospace vehicles, human-powered aircraft essentially uses it for minimizing the weight of the vehicle and gaining high stiffness to increase its efficiency. In this paper, main wing spar of the human-powered aircraft is investigated. Finite element models were created based on the baseline model built in 2013 to make analysis of cross-section of the spar with varying ply angles of each layer of the spar. Objective function, which is affected from bending rigidity, torsional rigidity, and strength ratio, was evaluated for every cases. The model of 2013 and present cases were put into comparison by values evaluated from objective function. From the comparison, it was concluded that there are more chances to improve the baseline model to make the vehicle better in stiffness and weight than the model of 2013.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.455-466
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• 2023

To investigate the load bearing capacity of axially preloaded circular hollow section (CHS) stub columns strengthened by carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), theoretical analysis is carried out. The yield strength and the ultimate strength of a CFRP strengthened preloaded CHS stub column are determined at the yielding of the CHS tube and at the CFRP fracture, respectively. Theoretical models are proposed and corresponding equations for calculating the static strengths, including the yield strength and the ultimate strength, are presented. Through comparison with reported experimental results, the theoretical predictions on the static strengths are proved to be accurate. Through finite element (FE) analyses, parametric studies for 258 models of CFRP strengthened preloaded CHS stub columns are conducted by considering different values of tube diameter, tube thickness, CFRP layer and preloading level. The static strengths of the 258 models predicted from presented equations are proved to be in good agreement with FE simulations when the diameter-to-thickness ratio is less than 90ε². The parametric study indicates that the diameter and the thickness of the steel tube have great effects on CFRP strengthening efficiency, and the recommended ranges of the diameter and the thickness are proposed.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.403-417
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• 2022

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures with low-strength RC columns are rampant in several countries, especially those constructed during the early 1960s and 1970s. The weakness of these structures due to overloading or some natural disasters such as earthquakes and building age effects are some of the main reasons to collapse, particularly with the scarcity of data on the impact of aspect ratio and corner radius on the confinement effectiveness. Hence, it is crucial to investigate if these columns (with different aspect ratios) can be made safe by strengthening them with carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP) sheets. Therefore, experimental and numerical studies of CFRP-strengthened low-strength reinforced concrete short rectangular, square, and circular columns were studied. In this investigation, a total of 6 columns divided into three sets were evaluated. The first set had two circular cross-sectional columns, the second set had two square cross-section columns, and the third set has two rectangular cross-section columns. Furthermore, FEM validation has been conducted for some of the experimental results obtained from the literature. The experimental results revealed that the confinement equations for RC columns as per both CSA and ACI codes could give incorrect results for low-strength concrete. The control specimen (unstrengthened ones) displayed that both ACI and CSA equations overestimate the ultimate strength of low-strength RC columns by order of extent. For strengthened columns with CFRP, the code equations of CSA and ACI code overestimate the maximum strength by around 6 to 13% and 23 to 29%, respectively, depending on the cross-section of the column (i.e., square, rectangular, or circular). Results of finite element models (FEMs) showed that increasing the layer number of new commonly CFRP type (B) from one to 3 for circular columns can increase the column's ultimate loads by around eight times compared to unjacketed columns. However, in the case of strengthened square and rectangular columns with CFRP, the increase of the ultimate loads of columns can reach up to six times and two times, respectively.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.175-186
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• 2018

The plastic hinge method and the plastic zone method are extensively adopted in displacement-based elements and force-based elements respectively for second-order inelastic analysis. The former enhances the computational efficiency with relatively less accurate results while the latter precisely predicts the structural behavior but generally requires more computer time. The displacement-based elements receive criticism mainly on plasticity dominated problems not only in accuracy but also in longer computer time to redistribute the forces due to formation of plastic hinges. The multi-element-per-member model relieves this problem to some extent but will induce a new problem in modeling of member initial imperfections required in design codes for direct analysis. On the contrary, a force-based element with several integration points is sufficient for material yielding. However, use of more integration points or elements associated with fiber section reduces computational efficiency. In this paper, a new force-based element equipped with stress-resultant plasticity model with minimal computational cost is proposed for second-order inelastic analysis. This element is able to take the member initial bowing into account such that one-element-per-member model is adequate and complied with the codified requirements of direct analysis. This innovative solution is new and practical for routine design. Finally, several examples demonstrate the validity and accuracy of the proposed method.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.681-692
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• 2020

Conventional Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters (CPEH) have been extensively studied for maximizing their electrical output through material selection, geometric and structural optimization, and adoption of efficient interface circuits. In this paper, the performance of Stepped Piezoelectric Energy Harvester (SPEH) under harmonic base excitation is studied analytically, numerically and experimentally. The motivation is to compare the energy harvesting performance of CPEH and SPEHs with the same characteristics (resonant frequency). The results of this study challenge the notion of achieving higher voltage and power output through incorporation of geometric discontinuities such as step sections in the harvester beams. A CPEH consists of substrate material with a patch of piezoelectric material bonded over it and a tip mass at the free end to tune the resonant frequency. A SPEH is designed by introducing a step section near the root of substrate beam to induce higher dynamic strain for maximizing the electrical output. The incorporation of step section reduces the stiffness and consequently, a lower tip mass is used with SPEH to match the resonant frequency to that of CPEH. Moreover, the electromechanical coupling coefficient, forcing function and damping are significantly influenced because of the inclusion of step section, which consequently affects harvester's output. Three different configurations of SPEHs characterized by the same resonant frequency as that of CPEH are designed and analyzed using linear electromechanical model and their performances are compared. The variation of strain on the harvester beams is obtained using finite element analysis. The prototypes of CPEH and SPEHs are fabricated and experimentally tested. It is shown that the power output from SPEHs is lower than the CPEH. When the prototypes with resonant frequencies in the range of 56-56.5 Hz are tested at 1 m/s2, three SPEHs generate power output of 482 μW, 424 μW and 228 μW when compared with 674 μW from CPEH. It is concluded that the advantage of increasing dynamic strain using step section is negated by increase in damping and decrease in forcing function. However, SPEHs show slightly better performance in terms of specific power and thus making them suitable for practical scenarios where the ratio of power to system mass is critical.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.175-182
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• 2013

A damage-based approach for the performance-based seismic assessment of reinforced concrete frame structures is proposed. A new methodology for structural damage assessment is developed that utilizes response information at the material level in each section fiber. The concept of the damage evolution is analyzed at the section level and the computed damage is calibrated with observed experimental data. The material level damage parameter is combined at the element, story and structural level through the use of weighting factors. The damage model is used to compare the performance of two typical 12-story frames that have been designed for different seismic requirements. A series of nonlinear time history analyses is carried out to extract demand measures which are then expressed as damage indices using the proposed model. A probabilistic approach is finally used to quantify the expected seismic performance of the building.