• Computers and Concrete
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.97-110
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• 2005

Rheological behaviour of fresh concrete is an important factor in controlling concrete quality. It is recognized that the measurement of the slump is not a sufficient test method to adequately characterize the rheology of fresh concrete. To further understand the slump measurement and its relationship to the rheological properties, an elasto-viscoplastic, 2-D axisymmetric finite element (FE) model is developed. The FE model employs the Bingham material model to simulate the flow of a slump test. An experimental program is carried out using the Slump Rate Machine (SLRM_II) to evaluate the finite element simulation results. The simulated slump-versus-time curves are found to be in good agreement with the measured data. A sensitivity study is performed to evaluate the effects of yield stress, plastic viscosity and cone withdrawal rate on the measured flow curve using the FE model. The results demonstrate that the computed yield stress compares well with reported experimental data. The flow behaviour is shown to be influenced by the yield stress, plastic viscosity and the cone withdrawal rate. Further, it is found that the value of the apparent plastic viscosity is different from the true viscosity, with the difference depending on the cone withdrawal rate. It is also confirmed that the value of the final slump is most influenced by the yield stress.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.11-17
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• 2021

In recent years, there has been a tendency towards renewable energy sources considering the damages caused by non-renewable energy resources to nature and humans. One of the renewable energy sources is wind and energy is obtained with the help of wind turbines. To determine the behavior of wind turbines under earthquake loads, dynamic characteristics are required. In this study, the differential transformation method is proposed to determine the free vibration analysis of wind turbines with a variable cross-section. The wind turbine is modeled as an equivalent variable continuous flexural beam and blade weight is considered as a point mass at the top of the structures. The differential equation representing the free vibration of the wind turbine is transformed into an algebraic equation with the help of differential transformation method and the angular frequencies and the mode shapes of the wind turbine are obtained by the help of the differential transformation method. In the study, a sample taken from the literature was solved with the presented method and the suitability of the method was investigated. The same wind turbine example also modeled by finite element modelling software, ABAQUS. Results of the finite element model and differential transformation method are compared with each other and the results are in good agreement.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.281-298
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• 2013

Composite special moment frame is one of the systems that are utilized in areas with low to high seismicity to deal with earthquake forces. Composite moment frames are composed of reinforced concrete columns (RC) and steel beams (S); therefore, the connection region is a combination of steel and concrete materials. In current study, a three dimensional finite element model of composite connections is developed. These connections are used in special composite moment frame, between reinforced concrete columns and steel beams (RCS). Finite element model is discussed as a most reliable and low cost method versus experimental procedures. Based on a tested connection model by Cheng and Chen (2005), the finite element model has been developed under cyclic loading and is verified with experimental results. A good agreement between finite element model and experimental results was observed. The connection configuration contains Face Bearing Plates (FBPs), Steel Band Plates (SBPs) enveloping around the RC column just above and below the steel beam. Longitudinal column bars pass through the connection with square ties around them. The finite element model represented a stable response up to the first cycles equal to 4.0% drift, with moderately pinched hysteresis loops and then showed a significant buckling in upper flange of beam, as the in test model.

• Korean Journal of Computational Design and Engineering
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.189-202
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• 1996

Complex geometric shapes can be defined simply and efficiently by combining and operating various surface primitives. These primitives and their intersection curves are used in finite element mesh generation to form an easy and intuitive procedure for finite element modelling of curved surfaces. This paper proposes techniques of automatic mesh generation on surface primitives with arbitrarily shaped boundaries and control curves, which may be created by surface to surface intersection. A method of automatic mesh generation on plane, which was previously developed by the author, has been modified for application to the surface mesh generation. Owing to the mesh generation-wise differences between planes and surfaces, the surfaces should be transformed into conceptual plane so that the modified plane mesh generation method can be applied. Surface development, mapping and mesh reconstruction are the key techniques suggested in this paper. The selection of the technique to apply can be determined automatically on the basis of the developability, existence of singularity and other characteristics of the surfaces on which the mesh is to be generated. The suggested techniques were implemented into parts of mesh generation functions of the finite element software, MacTran. Their validity and practicality were manifested by the actual use of this software.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.241-254
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• 2019

A finite element approach is presented to examine ground vibration characteristics under various moving loads in a homogeneous half-space. Four loading modes including single load, double load, four-load, and twenty-load were simulated in a finite element analysis to observe their influence on ground vibrations. Four load moving speeds of 60, 80, 100, and 120 m/s were adopted to investigate the influence of train speed to the ground vibrations. The results demonstrated that the loading mode in a finite element analysis is reliable for train-induced vibration simulations. Additionally, a three-dimensional finite element model (3D FEM) was developed to investigate the dynamic responses of a track-ballast-embankment-ground system subjected to moving loads induced by high-speed trains. Results showed that vibration attenuations and breaks exist in the simulated wave fronts transiting through different medium materials. These tendencies are a result of the difference in the Rayleigh wave speeds of the medium materials relative to the speed of the moving train. The vibration waves induced by train loading were greatly influenced by the weakening effect of sloping surfaces on the ballast and embankment. Moreover, these tendencies were significant when the vibration waves are at medium and high frequency levels. The vibration waves reflected by the sloping surface were trapped and dissipated within the track-ballast-embankment-ground system. Thus, the vibration amplitude outside the embankment was significantly reduced.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.377-386
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• 1999

The stress distribution in a symmetrically laminated composite plate subjected to in-plane compression are evaluated using finite element analysis. Six different finite element models are created for the study of stresses in the plate after buckling. Two finite element modelling approaches are adopted to obtain the stress distribution. The first approach starts with a full model of shell elements from which sub-models of solid elements are spin-off The second approach adopts a full model of solid elements at the beginning from which sub-models of solid elements are created. All sub-models have either 1-element thickness or 14-element thickness. Both techniques show high interlaminar direct and shear stresses at the free edges. The study also provides vital information of the distribution of all components of stresses along the unloaded edges in length direction and also in the thickness direction of the plate.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.883-898
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• 2017

To eliminate the holding and gluing problems making the direct tensile strength test hard to be applied, a new method of testing specimens prepared using lathe machine to make the dog bone shape is assessed whether it could be applied to determine accurate direct tensile strength values of rock materials. A series of numerical modelling analyses was performed using finite element method to investigate the effect of different specimen and steel holder geometries. In addition to numerical modelling study, a series of direct tensile strength tests was performed on three different groups of rock materials and a rock-like cemented material to compare the results with those obtained from the finite element analyses. A proper physical property of the lathed specimens was suggested and ideal failure of the dog bone shaped specimens was determined according to the results obtained from this study.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.9 no.6 s.37
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• pp.753-760
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• 2006

This paper presents the procedure and results of the numerical modelling that was carried out to investigate the stability of reinforced soil slopes under dynamic railway load. The two-dimensional explicit dynamic finite element method (ABACUS) was used to carry out the numerical analyses. To simulate the railway load, the top surface of the embankment was excited by the uniform distributed load whose frequency and magnitude was estimated by the measured railway acceleration during train passing. The embankment displacements and geogrid axial forces were analyzed to evaluate the stability of reinforced soil slopes under the dynamic train load.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.1257-1265
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• 1998

Hertzian contact tests were used to investigate the evolution of fracturedamage in the coating layer as functions of contact load and coating thickness by studying crack patterns in porcelain on glass-infiltrated alumina bilayer system conceived to simulate the crown structure of a tooth. Cone cracks initiated at the coating top surface without delamination at interface and crack propagation to substrate. Preferentially the cracks made multi-cracks at the coating top surface rather than proceeding to interface. The cracks were highly stabilized with wide ranges between the loads to initiate first cracking and to cause final failure im-plying damage-tolerant capability. Finite element modelling was used to evaluate the stress distribution. Maximum tensile stress were responsible for the cracking at the coating layer and had a profound influence on the crack pattern and fracture damage in the layered structure materials.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.19-36
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• 2015

Modelling and analysis of a brick masonry building involves uncertainties like modelling assumptions and properties of local material. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a calibration to evaluate the dynamic properties of the structure. The response of the finite element model is improved by predicting the parameter by performing linear dynamic analysis on experimental data by comparing the acceleration. Further, a nonlinear dynamic analysis was also performed comparing the roof acceleration and damage pattern of the structure obtained analytically with the test findings. The roof accelerations obtained analytically were in good agreement with experimental roof accelerations. The damage patterns observed analytically after every shock were almost similar to that of experimental observations. Damage pattern with amplification in roof acceleration exhibit the potentiality of earthquake resistant measures in brick masonry models.