• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.819-838
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• 2013

This paper summarises the results of an experimental study to investigate the flexural behaviour of reinforced concrete beams strengthened using carbon-fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminate in four-point bending. The experimental parameters included are the reinforcing bar ratio ${\rho}_s$ and preload level. Four bar ratios were selected (${\rho}_s=0.13$ to 0.86%), representing the section of two longitudinal tensile reinforcements, with diameters of 8, 14, 16, and 20 mm in order to reveal the effect of bar ratio on failure load and failure mode. Eight beams that could be considered "full-scale" in size, measuring 200 mm in width, 400 mm in total height and 2300 mm in length, were tested. Three beams were selected with different bar ratios (${\rho}_1$, ${\rho}_2$, ${\rho}_3$), and considered as control specimens (without ), while three other beams identical to the control beams with the same CFRP laminates ratio and a seventh beam with ${\rho}_{min}$ (the lowest bar ratio) were also used. In the second part of the study, two beams with the bar ratio ${\rho}_2$ were preloaded at two levels, 50 and 100% of their ultimate loads, and then repaired. This experimental investigation was consolidated using an analytical model. The experimental and analytical results indicate that the flexional capacity and stiffness of strengthened and repaired beams using CFRP laminate were increased compared to those of control beams, and the behaviour of repaired beams was nearly similar to the undamaged and strengthened beams; unlike the ductility of strengthened beams, which was greatly reduced compared to the control.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.125-145
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• 2011

Pushover analysis has gained significant popularity as an analytical tool for realistic determination of the inelastic behaviour of RC structures. Though significant work has been done to evaluate the demands realistically, the evaluation of capacity and realistic failure modes has taken a back seat. In order to throw light on the inelastic behaviour and capacity evaluation for the RC framed structures, a 3D Reinforced concrete frame structure was tested under monotonically increasing lateral pushover loads, in a parabolic pattern, till failure. The structure consisted of three storeys and had 2 bays along the two orthogonal directions. The structure was gradually pushed in small increments of load and the corresponding displacements were monitored continuously, leading to a pushover curve for the structure as a result of the test along with other relevant information such as strains on reinforcement bars at critical locations, failure modes etc. The major failure modes were observed as flexural failure of beams and columns, torsional failure of transverse beams and joint shear failure. The analysis of the structure was by considering all these failure modes. In order to have a comparison, the analysis was performed as three different cases. In one case, only the flexural hinges were modelled for critical locations in beams and columns; in second the torsional hinges for transverse beams were included in the analysis and in the third case, joint shear hinges were also included in the analysis. It is shown that modelling and capturing all the failure modes is practically possible and such an analysis can provide the realistic insight into the behaviour of the structure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.503-527
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• 2009

This paper presents experimental results on the behaviour and ultimate load of fifteen pipes and six roof panels made of ferrocement. Additional results from three roof panels, carried out by others, are also compared with this research results. OPC cement, natural sand and galvanised iron wire mesh were used for the construction of 20 mm thick specimens. The pipe length was 2 m and roof panel length was 2.1 m. The main variables studied were the number of wire mesh layers which were 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 layers, the inner pipe diameter which were 105, 210 and 315 mm, cross sectional shape of the panel which were channel and box sections and the depth of the edge beam which were 95 mm and 50 mm. All specimens were simply supported and tested for pure bending with test span of 600 mm at mid-span. Tests revealed that increasing the number of wire mesh layers increases the flexural strength and stiffness. Increasing the pipe diameter or depth of edge beam of the panel increases the cracking and ultimate moments. The change in the pipe diameter led to larger effect on ultimate moment than the effect of change in the number of wire mesh layers. The box section showed behaviour and strength similar to that of the channel with same depth and number of wire mesh layers.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.127-145
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• 2016

Composite column design is strongly influenced by the computation of the critical buckling load, which is very sensitive to the effective flexural stiffness (EI) of the column. Because of this, the behaviour of a composite column under lateral loading and its response to deflection is largely determined by the EI of the member. Thus, prediction models used for composite member design should accurately mirror this behaviour. However, EI varies due to several design parameters, and the implementation of high-strength materials, which are not considered by the current composite design codes of practice. The reliability of the design methods from six codes of practice (i.e., AS 5100, AS/NZS 2327, Eurocode 4, AISC 2010, ACI 318, and AIJ) for composite columns is studied in this paper. Also, the reliability of these codes of practice against a serviceability limit state criterion are estimated based on the combined use of the test-based statistical procedure proposed by Johnson and Huang (1997) and Monte Carlo simulations. The composite columns database includes 100 tests of circular concrete-filled tubes, rectangular concrete-filled tubes, and concrete-encased steel composite columns. A summary of the reliability analysis procedure and the evaluated reliability indices are provided. The reasons for the reliability analysis results are discussed to provide useful insight and supporting information for a possible revision of available codes of practice.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.81-93
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• 2014

Corrosion is one of the primary reasons why structures have limited durability. The present investigation is carried out to study the behavior of RC (Reinforced Concrete) structural members subjected to corrosion. Experimental investigations were carried out on National Bureau of Standard (NBS), RC beam specimens made of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) concrete. Load versus deflection behaviour was studied for different levels of corrosion i.e., 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10%. It is observed that for every percentage increase in corrosion level, there is about 1.6% decrease in load carrying capacity. Also as the amount of corrosion increases there is a reduction in bond stress.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.317-334
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• 2014

The work is concerned with an investigation of the advantages stemming from the use of lightweight aggregate concrete in earthquake-resistant reinforced concrete construction. As the aseismic clauses of current codes make no reference to lightweight aggregate concrete beams made of lightweight aggregate concrete but designed in accordance with the code specifications for normal weight aggregate concrete, together with beams made from the latter material, are tested under load mimicking seismic action. The results obtained show that beam behaviour is essentially independent of the design method adopted, with the use of lightweight aggregate concrete being found to slightly improve the post-peak structural behaviour. When considering the significant reduction in deadweight resulting from the use of lightweight aggregate concrete, the results demonstrate that the use of this material will lead to significant savings without compromising the structural performance requirements of current codes.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.565-573
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• 1999

Hihg Tensile Steel enables to reduce the plate thickness comparing to the case when Mild Steel is used. From the economical view points this is very preferable since the reduction in the hull weight. however to use the High Tensile Steel effectively the plate thickness may become thin so that the occurrence of buckling is inevitable and design allowing plate buckling may be necessary. If the inplane stiffness of the plating decreases due to buckling the flexural rigidity of the cross sect6ion of a ship's hull also decreases. This may lead to excessive deflection of the hull girder under longitudinal bending. In these cases a precise estimation of plate's behavior after buckling is necessary and nonliner analysis of isolated and stiffened plates is required for structural sys-tem analysis. In this connection this paper discusses nonlinear behaviour of thin plate under thrust. Based on the analytical method elastic large deflection analysis of isolated plate is perform and simple expression are derived to evaluated the inplane rigidity of plates subjected to uniaxial compression.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.239-258
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• 2012

In this paper, experimental investigations on high strength steel (HSS) stud connected steel-concrete composite (SCC) girders to understand the effect of shear connector density on their flexural behaviour is presented. SCC girder specimens were designed for three different shear capacities (100%, 85%, and 70%), by varying the number of stud connectors in the shear span. Three SCC girder specimens were tested under monotonic/quasi-static loading, while three similar girder specimens were subjected to non-reversal cyclic loading under simply supported end conditions. Details of casting the specimens, experimental set-up, and method of testing, instrumentation for the measurement of deflection, interface-slip and strain are discussed. It is found that SCC girder specimen designed for full shear capacity exhibits interface slip for loads beyond 25% of the ultimate load capacity. Specimens with lesser degree of shear connection show lower values of load at initiation of slip. Very good ductility is exhibited by all the HSS stud connected SCC girder specimens. It is observed that the ultimate moment of resistance as well as ductility gets reduced for HSS stud connected SCC girder with reduction in stud shear connector density. Efficiency factor indicating the effectiveness of high strength stud connectors in resisting interface forces is estimated to be 0.8 from the analysis. Failure mode is primarily flexure with fracturing of stud connectors and characterised by flexural cracking and crushing of concrete at top in the pure bending region. Local buckling in the top flange of steel beam was also observed at the loads near to failure, which is influenced by spacing of studs and top flange thickness of rolled steel section. One of the recommendations is that the ultimate load capacity can be limited to 1.5 times the plastic moment capacity of the section such that the post peak load reduction is kept within limits. Load-deflection behaviour for monotonic tests compared well with the envelope of load-deflection curves for cyclic tests. It is concluded from the experimental investigations that use of HSS studs will reduce their numbers for given loading, which is advantageous in case of long spans. Buckling of top flange of rolled section is observed at failure stage. Provision of lips in the top flange is suggested to avoid this buckling. This is possible in case of longer spans, where normally built-up sections are used.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.17-35
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• 2016

In this study, the dynamic behaviour of a rotating Timoshenko beam when under the actions of a variable magnitude load moving at non-uniform speed is carried out. The effect of cross-sectional dimension and damping on the flexural motions of the elastic beam was neglected. The coupled second order partial differential equations incorporating the effects of rotary and gyroscopic moment describing the motions of the beam was scrutinized in order to obtain the expression for the dynamic deflection and rotation of the vibrating system using an elegant technique called Galerkin's Method. Analyses of the solutions obtained were carried out and various results were displayed in plotted curve. It was found that the response amplitude of the simply supported beam increases with an increase in the value of the foundation reaction modulus. Effects of other vital structural parameters were also established.

• Composites Research
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.202-208
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• 2018

In this paper, mechanical and hygroscopic properties of teak sawdust and recycled polypropylene (RPP) composites are evaluated and compared with virgin polypropylene (VPP) matrix based composites. Verities of composites are prepared by variation in the plastic types, wood plastic ratio and the addition of coupling agent in the formulations. Mixing of wood sawdust and polypropylene is done by a twin screw extruder, and then sheets of wood plastic composites (WPCs) are produced by using the compression molding method. The results show that recycled matrix composites exhibit better tensile, flexural strength with low impact strength than virgin matrix based composites. Recycled composites show low water absorption and thickness of swelling than virgin matrix based composites. The results confirm that wood content in the polymer matrix affects the performance of composites while presence maleated polypropylene (MAPP) improves the properties of the composites significantly. Developed RPP matrix composites are as useful as VPP matrix composites and have the potential to replace the wood and plastics products without any adverse effect of the plastics on the environment.