• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.171-177
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• 2014

The current collector for the molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) which has sheared protrusions is manufactured by the three-stage forming process that integrates slitting, preforming and final forming. Due to the repetition of sheared protrusions, an effective simulation method is required to predict the mechanical behavior. In the current study, a sheet with sheared protrusions was assumed to be an orthotropic plate, which has the same length, width and height. FEM simulations were conducted to evaluate the homogenized properties of the current collector, which has 4 (longitudinal direction) x 4 (transverse direction) sheared protrusions. The simulation model was constructed using hexahedral mesh coarsening. From the verification examples, it was found that the proposed simulation method was efficient within reasonable accuracy. The calculated homogenized properties can be applied to the design of a stack for molten carbonate fuel cells and the prediction of mechanical behavior for other applications.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.103-119
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• 2013

The applicability of limit analysis methods in design and assessment of concrete structures generally requires a certain plastic deformation capacity. The latter is primarily provided by the ductility of the reinforcement, being additionally affected by the bond properties between reinforcing steel and concrete since they provoke strain localization in the reinforcement at cracks. The bond strength of reinforcing bars is not only governed by concrete quality, but also by construction details such as bar ribbing, bar spacing or concrete cover thickness. For new concrete structures, a potentially unfavorable impact on bond strength can easily be anticipated through appropriate code rules on construction details. In existing structures, these requirements may not be necessarily satisfied, consequently requiring additional considerations. This two-part paper investigates in a theoretical study the impacts of the most frequently encountered construction details which may not satisfy design code requirements on bond strength, steel strain localization and plastic deformation capacity of cracked structural concrete. The first part introduces basic considerations on bond, strain localization and plastic deformation capacity as well as the fundamentals of the Tension Chord Model underlying the further investigations. It also analyzes the impacts of the hardening behavior of reinforcing steel and concrete quality. The second part discusses the impacts of construction details (bar ribbing, bar spacing, and concrete cover thickness) and of additional structure-specific features such as bar diameter and crack spacing.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제39권3호
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• pp.337-352
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• 2021

The study presented experimental and numerical investigation on the seismic performance of steel reinforced concrete (SRC) L-shaped column- reinforced concrete (RC) beam joints. Various parameters described as steel configuration form, axial compressive ratio, loading angle, and the existence of slab were examined through 4 planar joints and 7 spatial joints. The characteristics of the load-displacement response included the bearing capacity, ductility, story drift ratio, energy-dissipating capacity, and stiffness degradation were analyzed. The results showed that shear failure and flexural failure in the beam tip were observed for planar joints and spatial joint, respectively. And RC joint with slab failed with the plastic hinge in the slab and bottom of the beam. The results indicated that hysteretic curves of spatial joints with solid-web steel were plumper than those with hollow-web specimens. The capacity of planar joints was higher than that of space joints, while the opposite was true for energy-dissipation capacity and ductility. The high compression ratio contributed to the increase in capacity and initial stiffness of the joint. The elastic and elastic-plastic story deformation capacity of L-shaped column frame joints satisfied the code requirement. A design formula of joint shear resistance based on the superposition theory and equilibrium plasticity truss model was proposed for engineering application.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제71권3호
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• pp.211-221
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• 2019

To study the eccentric compression behavior of ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) columns, six UHPFRC columns and one high-strength concrete (HSC) column were tested. Variation parameters include load eccentricity, volume of steel fibers and stirrup ratio. The crack pattern, failure mode, bearing capacity, and deformation of the specimens were studied. The results showed that the UHPFRC columns had different failure modes. The large eccentric compression failure mode was the longitudinal tensile reinforcements yielded and many horizontal cracks appeared in the tension zone. The small eccentric compression failure mode was the longitudinal compressive reinforcements yielded and vertical cracks appeared in the compressive zone. Because of the bridging effect of steel fibers, the number of cracks significantly increased, and the width of cracks decreased. The load-deflection curves of the UHPFRC columns showed gradually descending without sudden dropping, indicating that the specimens had better deformation. The finite element (FE) analysis was performed to stimulate the damage process of the specimens with monotonic loading. The concrete damaged plasticity (CDP) model was adopted to characterize the behaviour of UHPFRC. The contribution of the UHPFRC tensile strength was considered in the bearing capacity, and the theoretical calculation formulas were derived. The theoretical calculation results were consistent with the test results. This research can provide the experimental and theoretical basis for UHPFRC columns in engineering applications.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제71권3호
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• pp.233-244
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• 2019

Steel jacketing technique is a retrofitting method often employed for static and seismic strengthening of existing reinforced concrete columns. When no continuity is given to angle chords as they cross the floor, the jacket is considered "indirectly loaded", which means that the load acting on the column is transferred partially to the external jacket through interface shear stresses. The evaluation of load transfer mechanism between core and jacket is not straightforward to be modeled, due to the absence of knowledge of a proper constitutive law of the concrete-to-steel interface and to the difficulties in taking into account the mechanical nonlinearities of materials. This paper presents an incremental analytical/numerical approach for evaluating the compressive response of RC columns strengthened with indirectly loaded jackets. The approach allows calculating shear stresses at the interface between core and jacket and predicting the axial capacity of retrofitted columns. A proper constitutive law is proposed for modelling the interaction between the steel and the concrete. Based on plasticity rules and the non-linear behaviour of materials, the column is divided into portions. After a detailed parametric analysis, comparisons are finally made by theoretical predictions and experimental results available in the literature, showing a good agreement.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제16권5호
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• pp.547-558
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• 2018

Studies of soil dynamic properties in Malaysia are still very limited. This study aims to investigate the dynamic properties of two selected tropical residual soils (i.e., Sandy Clay and Sandy Silt) and a sand mining trail (Silty Sand) in Peninsular Malaysia using 1g shaking table test. The use of 1g shaking table test for soil dynamic testing is often constrained to large strain level and small confining pressure only. Three new experimental setups, namely large laminar shear box test (LLSBT), small chamber test with positive air pressure (SCT), and small sample test with suction (SSTS) are attempted with the aims of these experimental setups are capable of evaluating the dynamic properties of soils covering a wider range of shear strain and confining pressure. The details of each experimental setup are described explicitly in this paper. Experimental results show that the combined use of the LLSBT and SCT is capable of rendering soil dynamic properties covering a strain range of 0.017%-1.48% under confining pressures of 5-100 kPa. The studied tropical residual soils in Malaysia behaved neither as pure sand nor clay, but show a relatively good agreement with the dynamic properties of residual soils in Singapore. Effects of confining pressure and plasticity index on the studied tropical residual soils are found to be insignificant in this particular study.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• 제28권5호
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• pp.266-274
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• 2019

Metal sealing is used to connecting the parts between valves and fuel pipes for a FCEV which utilizes hydrogen gas of 700 bar. Instead of general carbon steel, stainless steel is the primary material used to manufacture fuel pipes due to hydrogen embrittlement. The shape of deformation between metals is an important factor on the air-tightness of the metal to metal contact. Since the stainless steel pipe is hardened using the plastic forming during the tip shaping stage, this work hardening could have an effect on the deformed shape and characteristics of contact surfaces in fastening of pipes. In this paper, the deformation history of the pipe model was considered in order to analyze the hydrogen-tightness on the metal sealing part. The contact distance and the forward displacement for fastening were compared using experimental results and the simulation results. The simulation of the effect of material change on the fitting body demonstrated that the hardness or the strength of the formed tip of the pipe was designed to a proper valued level since the characteristics of the contact surface was exhibited better when the strength of the pipe was lower than that of the fitting body.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Pressure Vessels and Piping
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.69-76
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• 2018

The paper presents preliminary investigation results for the effect of the baseline correction in the acceleration excitation method on finite element seismic analysis results (such as accumulated equivalent plastic strain, equivalent plastic strain considering cyclic plasticity, von Mises effective stress, etc) of nuclear safety Class I components. For investigation, finite element elastic-plastic time-history seismic analysis is performed for a surge line including a pressurizer lower head, a pressurizer surge nozzle, a surge piping, and a hot leg surge nozzle using the Chaboche hardening model. Analysis is performed for various seismic loading methods such as acceleration excitation methods with and without the baseline correction, and a displacement excitation method. Comparing finite element analysis results, the effect of the baseline correction is investigated. As a result of the investigation, it is identified that finite element analysis results using the three methods do not show significant difference.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.111-121
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• 2021

Large deformation and rapid pressure propagation take place inside the rock mass under the dynamic loads caused by the explosives, on quarry faces in order to extract aggregate material. The complexity of the science of rock blasting is due to a number of factors that affect the phenomenon. However, blasting engineering computations could be facilitated by innovative software algorithms in order to determine the results of the violent explosion, since field experiments are particularly difficult to be conducted. The present research focuses on the design of a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) code, for investigating in detail the behavior of limestone under the blasting effect of Ammonium Nitrate & Fuel Oil (ANFO). Specifically, the manuscript presents the FEA models and the relevant transient analysis results, simulating the blasting process for three types of limestone, ranging from poor to very good quality. The Finite Element code was developed by applying the Jones-Wilkins-Lee (JWL) equation of state to describe the thermodynamic state of ANFO and the pressure dependent Drucker-Prager failure criterion to define the limestone plasticity behavior, under blasting induced, high rate stress. A progressive damage model was also used in order to define the stiffness degradation and destruction of the material. This paper performs a comparative analysis and quantifies the phenomena regarding pressure, stress distribution and energy balance, for three types of limestone. The ultimate goal of this research is to provide an answer for a number of scientific questions, considering various phenomena taking place during the explosion event, using advanced computational tools.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제10권6호
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• pp.559-571
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• 2020

This study aimed to inspect the axial compression mechanical performance of basalt-fiber-reinforced recycled - concrete (BFRRC)-filled square steel tubular stub column. The replacement ratio of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) and the basalt fiber (BF) dosage were used as variation parameters, and the axial compression performance tests of 15 BFRRC-filled square steel tubular stub column specimens were conducted. The failure mode and the load-displacement/strain curve of the specimen were measured. The working process of the BFRRC-filled square steel tubular stub column was divided into three stages, namely, elastic-elastoplasticity, sudden drawdown, and plasticity. The influence of the design parameters on the peak bearing capacity, energy dissipation performance, and other axial compression performance indexes was discussed. A mathematical model of segmental stiffness degradation was proposed on the basis of the degradation law of combined secant-stiffness under axial compression. The full-process curve equation of axial compressive stress-strain was proposed by introducing the influencing factors, including the RCA replacement ratio and the BF dosage, and the calculated curve agreed well with the test-measured curve.