• International journal of steel structures
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1639-1653
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• 2018

Bolted connections are suitable due to high quality prefabrication in the factory and erection in the workplace. Prefabrication and modularization cause high speed of erection and fabrication, high quality and quick return of investment. Their technical hitches transportation can be removed by prefabrication of joints and small fabrication of components. Box-columns are suitable members for bolted structures such as welded steel structures with moment frames in two directions etc., but their continual fabrication in multi-story buildings and performing the internal continuity plate in them will cause some practical dilemmas. The details of the proposal technique introduced here, is to remove such problems from the box columns. Besides, some other advantages include new prefabricated bolted beam-to-column connections referred to BBCC. This connection is a set of plates joined to columns, beams, support, and bolts. For a better understanding of its fabrication and erection techniques, two connection and one structural maquettes are made. The present work aims to study the cyclic behavior of connection numerically. To verify the accuracy of model, a similar tested connection was modelled. Its verification was then made through comparison with test results. The behavior of connection was evaluated for an exterior connection using three different support shapes. The effects of support shapes on rigidity, ductility, rotation capacity, maximum strength, four rad rotation strength were compared to those of the AISC seismic provision requirements. It was found that single beams support has all the AISC seismic provision requirements for special moment frames with and without a continuity plate, and box with continuity plate is the best support in the BBCC connection.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.33-47
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• 2022

This paper presents a finite element model for predicting the monotonic behaviour of bolted endplate joints connecting steel-concrete composite walls and steel beams. The demountable Hollo-bolts are utilised to facilitate the quick installation and dismantling for replacement and reuse. In the developed model, material and geometric nonlinearities were included. The accuracy of the developed model was assessed by comparing the numerical results with previous experimental tests on hollow/composite column-to-steel beam joints that incorporated endplates and Hollo-bolts. In particular, the Hollo-bolts were modelled with the expanded sleeves involved, and different material properties of the Hollo-bolt shank and sleeves were considered based on the information provided by the manufacture. The developed models, therefore, can be applied in the present study to simulate the wall-to-beam joints with similar structural components and characteristics. Based on the validated model, the authors herein compared the behaviour of wall-to-beam joints of two commonly utilised composite walling systems (Case 1: flat steel plates with headed studs; Case 2: lipped channel section with partition plates). Considering the ease of manufacturing, onsite erection and the pertinent costs, composite walling system with flat steel plates and conventional headed studs (Case 1) was the focus of present study. Specifically, additional headed studs were pre-welded inside the front wall plates to enhance the joint performance. On this basis, a series of parametric studies were conducted to assess the influences of five design parameters on the behaviour of bolted endplate wall-to-beam joints. The initial stiffness, plastic moment capacity, as well as the rotational capacity of the composite wall-to-beam joints based on the numerical analysis were further compared with the current design provision.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.83 no.5
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• pp.693-707
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• 2022

Bonded joints have proven their performance against conventional joining processes such as welding, riveting and bolting. The single-lap joint is the most widely used to characterize adhesive joints in tensile-shear loadings. However, the high stress concentrations in the adhesive joint due to the non-linearity of the applied loads generate a bending moment in the joint, resulting in high stresses at the adhesive edges. Geometric optimization of the bonded joint to reduce this high stress concentration prompted various researchers to perform geometric modifications of the adhesive and adherends at their free edges. Modifying both edges of the adhesive (spew) and the adherends (bevel) has proven to be an effective solution to reduce stresses at both edges and improve stress transfer at the inner part of the adhesive layer. The majority of research aimed at improving the geometry of the plate and adhesive edges has not considered the effect of temperature and water absorption in evaluating the strength of the joint. The objective of this work is to analyze, by the finite element method, the stress distribution in an adhesive joint between two 2024-T3 aluminum plates. The effects of the adhesive fillet and adherend bevel on the bonded joint stresses were taken into account. On the other hand, degradation of the mechanical properties of the adhesive following its exposure to moisture and temperature was found. The results clearly showed that the modification of the edges of the adhesive and of the bonding agent have an important role in the durability of the bond. Although the modification of the adhesive and bonding edges significantly improves the joint strength, the simultaneous exposure of the joint to temperature and moisture generates high stress concentrations in the adhesive joint that, in most cases, can easily reach the failure point of the material even at low applied stresses.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.102-110
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• 2022

This paper proposes a solution to the problems of manufacturing cost and processability by applying discrete material and thickness optimization (DMTO) and minimizing the use of high-strength, lightweight materials in the optimization process. A simple infant pop-up seat model was selected as the application target, and the weight reduction effect and variation in strength according to the optimization results were observed. In this study, a simplified finite element model of an infant pop-up seat frame was first constructed. The model was used to perform a static structural analysis to verify the weight and strength of each part. The D-optimal design of the experimental method was then used to observe the influence of each part on the weight and strength. This process was applied using discrete thickness optimization (DTO) (which applies high-strength, lightweight materials and optimizes only the thickness) and DMTO (which considers both the material and thickness). The DTO and DMTO results were compared to verify the design method that determines the major parts and simultaneously considers the material and thickness. Accordingly, in this study, an optimal lightweight design that satisfied the strength standards of the seat frame was derived. Furthermore, discretization parameters were used to minimize the application of high-strength, lightweight materials.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.87 no.6
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• pp.529-540
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• 2023

A novel laminated-hybrid-composite-beam (LHCB) of glass-epoxy infused with flyash and graphene is constructed for this study. The conventional mixture-rule and constitutive-relationship are modified to incorporate filler and lamina orientation. Eringen's non-local-theory is used to include the filler effect. Hamilton's principle based on fifth-order-layer-wise-shear-deformation-theory is applied to formulate the equation of motion. The analogous shear-spring-models for LHCB with multiple-cracks are employed in finite-element-analysis (FEA). Modal-experimentations are conducted (B&K-analyser) and the findings are compared with theoretical and FEA results. In terms of dimensionless relative-natural-frequencies (RNF), the dynamic-response in cantilevered support is investigated for various relative-crack-severities (RCSs) and relative-crack-positions (RCPs). The increase of RCS increases local-flexibility in LHCB thus reductions in RNFs are observed. RCP is found to play an important role, cracks present near the end-support cause an abrupt drop in RNFs. Further, multiple cracks are observed to enhance the nonlinearity of LHCB strength. Introduction of the first to third crack in an intact LHCB results drop of RNFs by 8%, 10%, and 11.5% correspondingly. Also, it is demonstrated that the RNF varies because of the lamina-orientation, and filler addition. For 0° lamina-orientation the RNF is maximum. Similarly, it is studied that the addition of graphene reduces weight and increases the stiffness of LHCB in contrast to the addition of flyash. Additionally, the response of LHCB to moving mass is accessed by appropriately modifying the numerical programs, and it is noted that the successive introduction of the first to ninth crack results in an approximately 40% to 120% increase in the dynamic-amplitude-ratio.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.86 no.2
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• pp.261-276
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• 2023

The use of the ordinary double nut (i.e., ODN) composed of a master nut (i.e., M-nut) and a slave nut (i.e., S-nut) is a highly efficient method to prevent bolts loosening. A novel double nut (i.e., FODN) composed of a master nut (i.e., M-nut) and flat slave nut (i.e., FS-nut) is proposed to save raw materials. The bolt fastening tests with single nut, ODN and FODN are performed to investigate the preload and counterbalance forces. Corresponding finite element analysis (FEA) models are established and validated by comparing the preload with the experimental results. The load-bearing capacity, the extrusion effect, and the contact stress of each engaged thread for ODN and FODN are observed by FEA. The experimental and simulated results revealed that the bolt fastening with double-nut has different load-transferring mechanisms from single-nut. Nevertheless, for double-nut/bolt assemblies, the FS-nut can provide load transfer that is like that of the S-nut, and the FODN is a reasonable and reliable fastening method. Furthermore, based on the theory of Yamamoto, a formula considering the extrusion effect is proposed to calculate the preload distribution of the double-nut, which is applicable to varying thicknesses of slave-nuts in double-nut/bolt assemblies.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.276-281
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• 2023

With the high design freedom of the additive manufacturing process, there is a growing interest in multi-dimensional lattice structures among researchers, who are studying intricate structural modeling that is challenging to produce using conventional manufacturing processes. In the case of titanium alloy implants for human insertion, a multi-dimensional lattice structure is employed to ensure compatibility with bones, adjusting strength and elastic modulus to levels similar to those of bones. Therefore, securing a database on the mechanical properties based on lattice structure design variables and the development of related simulation techniques are believed to efficiently facilitate the customization of implants. In this study, lattice structures were additively manufactured using Ti-6Al-4V alloy, and the elastic modulus was measured based on design parameters. The results were compared with simulations, and an approach to finite element analysis for accurate prediction of the elastic modulus was proposed.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.90 no.2
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• pp.159-175
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• 2024

In order to solve the problem of calculating the reasonable completed bridge state of a self-anchored hybrid cable-stayed suspension bridge (SA-HCSB), this paper proposes an analytical method. This method simplifies the main beam into a continuous beam with multi-point rigid supports and solves the support reaction forces. According to the segmented catenary theory, it simultaneously solves the horizontal forces of the main span main cables and the stay cables and iteratively calculates the equilibrium force system on the main beam in the collaborative system bridge state while completing the shape finding of the main span main cable and stay cables. Then, the horizontal forces of the side span main cables and stay cables are obtained based on the balance of horizontal forces on the bridge towers, and the shape finding of the side spans are completed according to the segmented catenary theory. Next, the difference between the support reaction forces of the continuous beam with multiple rigid supports obtained from the initial and final iterations is used to calculate the load of ballast on the side span main beam. Finally, the axial forces and strains of each segment of the main beam and bridge tower are obtained based on the loads applied by the main cable and stay cables on the main beam and bridge tower, thereby obtaining analytical data for the bridge in the reasonable completed state. In this paper, the rationality and effectiveness of this analytical method are verified through a case study of a SA-HCSB with a main span of 720m in finite element analysis. At the same time, it is also verified that the equilibrium force of the main beam under the reasonably completed bridge state can be obtained through iterative calculation. The analytical algorithm in this paper has clear physical significance, strong applicability, and high accuracy of calculation results, enriching the shape-finding method of this bridge type.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.627-645
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• 2024

Punching shear is a brittle failure that occurs within the RC flat slabs where stresses are concentrated within small regions, resulting in a catastrophic and unfavorable progressive collapse. However, increasing the slab slenderness ratio is believed to significantly affect the slab's behavior by the induced strain values throughout the slab depth. This study examines the punching shear behavior of flat slabs by the nonlinear finite element analysis approach using ABAQUS software, where 72 models were investigated. The parametric study includes the effect of opening existence, opening-to-column ratio (O/C), temperature level, slenderness ratio (L/d), and flexural reinforcement rebar diameter. The behavior of the punching shear failure was fully examined under elevated temperatures which was not previously considered in detail along with the combined effect of the other sensitive parameters (opening size, slab slenderness, and reinforcement rebar size). It has been realized that increasing the slab slenderness has a major role in affecting the slab's structural behavior, besides the effect of the flexural reinforcement ratio. Reducing the slab's slenderness from 18.27 to 5.37 increased the cracking load by seven times for the slab without openings compared to nine times for the initial stiffness value. In addition, the toughness capacity is reduced up to 80% upon creating an opening, where the percentage is further increased by increasing the opening size by about an additional 10%. Finally, the ultimate deflection capacity of flat slabs with an opening is increased compared to the solid slab with the enhancement being increased for openings of larger size, larger depths, and higher exposure temperature.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.325-334
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• 2008

The standard prestressed concrete I-girder bridge (PSC I-girder bridge) is one of the most prevalent types for small and medium bridges in Korea. When determining the member forces in a section to assess the safety of girder in this type of bridge, the general practice is to use the simplified practical equations or the live load distribution factors proposed in design standards rather than the precise analysis through the finite element method or so. Meanwhile, the live load distribution factors currently used in Korean design practice are just a reflection of overseas research results or design standards without alterations. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an equation of the live load distribution factors fit for the design conditions of Korea, considering the standardized section of standard PSC I-girder bridges and the design strength of concrete. In this study, to develop an equation of the live load distribution factors, a parametric analysis and sensitivity analysis were carried out on the parameters such as width of bridge, span length, girder spacing, width of traffic lane, etc. As a result, the major variables to determine the size of distribution factors were girder spacing, overhang length and span length in case of external girders. For internal adjacent girders, the determinant factors were girder spacing, overhang length, span length and width of bridge. For internal girders, the factors were girder spacing, width of bridge and span length. Then, an equation of live load distribution factors was developed through the multiple linear regression analysis on the results of parametric analysis. When the actual practice engineers design a bridge with the equation of live load distribution factors developed here, they will determine the design of member forces ensuring the appropriate safety rate more easily. Moreover, in the preliminary design, this model is expected to save much time for the repetitive design to improve the structural efficiency of PSC I-girder bridges.