• International Journal of Automotive Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.329-336
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• 2006

The resistance spot-welded region in most current finite element crash models is characterized as a rigid beam at the location of the welded spot. The region is modeled to fail with a failure criterion which is a function of the axial and shear load at the rigid beam. The calculation of the load acting on the rigid beam is important to evaluate the failure of the spot-weld. In this paper, numerical simulation is carried out to evaluate the calculation of the load at the rigid beam. At first, the load on the spot-welded region is calculated with the precise finite element model considering the residual stress due to the thermal history during the spot welding procedure. And then, the load is compared with the one obtained from the model used in the crash analysis with respect to the element size, the element shape and the number of imposed constraints. Analysis results demonstrate that the load acting on the spot-welded element is correctly calculated by the change of the element shape around the welded region and the location of welded constrains. The results provide a guideline for an accurate finite element modeling of the spot-welded region in the crash analysis of vehicles.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.497-521
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• 2021

In this study, an effective numerical method is introduced for nonlinear inelastic analyses of rectangular concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) frames for the first time. A steel-concrete composite fiber beam-column element model is developed that considers material, and geometric nonlinearities, and residual stresses. This is achieved by using stability functions combined with integration points along the element length to capture the spread of plasticity over the composite cross-section along the element length. Additionally, a multi-spring element with a zero-length is employed to model the nonlinear semi-rigid beam-to-column connections in CFST frame models. To solve the nonlinear equilibrium equations, the generalized displacement control algorithm is adopted. The accuracy of the proposed method is firstly verified by a large number of experiments of CFST members subjected to various loading conditions. Subsequently, the proposed method is applied to investigate the nonlinear inelastic behavior of rectangular CFST frames with fully rigid, semi-rigid, and hinged connections. The accuracy of the predicted results and the efficiency pertaining to the computation time of the proposed method are demonstrated in comparison with the ABAQUS software. The proposed numerical method may be efficiently utilized in practical designs for advanced analysis of the rectangular CFST structures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.70 no.2
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• pp.221-231
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• 2019

This paper performs for the first time a simultaneous optimization for members sections along with semi-rigid beam-to-column connections for space steel frames with fixed, semi-rigid, and hinged bases using a biogeography-based optimization algorithm (BBO) and a genetic algorithm (GA). Furthermore, a member's sections optimization for a fully fixed space frame is carried out. A real and accurate simulation of semi-rigid connection behavior is considered in this study, where the semi-rigid base connections are simulated using Kanvinde and Grilli (2012) nonlinear model, which considers deformations in different base connection components under the applied loads, while beam-to-column connections are modeled using the familiar Frye and Morris (1975) nonlinear polynomial model. Moreover, the $P-{\Delta}$ effect and geometric nonlinearity are considered. AISC-LRFD (2016) specification constraints of the stress and displacement are considered as well as section size fitting constraints. The optimization is applied to two benchmark space frame examples to inspect the effect of semi-rigidity on frame weight and drift using BBO and GA algorithms.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2016

A hybrid precast concrete beam system with a simple rigid connection was proposed to compensate the limitations and shortcomings of the conventional bolt connection associated with the H-beams embedded into concrete beams. Three beam specimens with fixed both ends were tested under one-point top cyclic loading to explore the effectiveness of the developed hybrid beam system in transferring externally applied flexure to a column. The main parameter considered was the length ($L_s$) of H-beam, which was selected to be $0.25L_I$, $0.5L_I$, and $1.0L_I$, where $L_I$ is the distance from the support to the point of inflection. All beam specimens showed a better displacement ductility ratio than the reinforced concrete beams with the same longitudinal reinforcement index, indicating that the cyclic load-deflection curve and ductility were insignificantly affected by $L_s$. The continuous strain distribution along the beam length and the prediction of the ultimate load based on the collapse mechanism ascertained the structural adequacy of the developed rigid connection.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.10 no.4 s.37
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• pp.741-748
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• 1998

Experimental studies were carried out with test parameters: diaphragm yield type and beam yield type, the opening hole size of inner steel diaphragm, and the existence of slab in order to understand the behavior of beam-to-concrete filled steel tube column rigid connections under cyclic loading condition. Test results show that the connections have good rotational capacity when the beam yields first and the joints should be designed such that the beam yields prior to the inner diaphragms.

• Interaction and multiscale mechanics
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.343-363
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• 2010

The present paper is concerned with vibrations of an elastic bridge loaded by a moving elastic beam of a finite length, which is an extension of the authors' previous study where the second beam was modeled as a semi-infinite beam. The second beam, which represents a train, moves with a constant speed along the bridge and is assumed to be connected to the bridge by the limiting case of a rigid interface such that the deflections of the bridge and the train are forced to be equal. The elastic stiffness and the mass of the train are taken into account. The differential equations are developed according to the Bernoulli-Euler theory and formulated in a non-dimensional form. A solution strategy is developed for the flexural vibrations, bending moments and shear forces in the bridge by means of symbolic computation. When the train travels across the bridge, concentrated forces and moments are found to take place at the front and back side of the train.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.213-230
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• 2001

This paper presents a simplified approach for the design of semi-continuous composite beams in braced frames, where specific attention is given to the effect of joint rotational stiffness. A simple composite beam model is proposed incorporating the effects of semi-rigid end connections and the nonprismatic properties of a 'cracked' steel-concrete beam. This beam model is extended to a sub-frame in which the restraining effects from the adjoining members are considered. Parametric studies are performed on several sub-frame models and the results are used to show that it is possible to correlate the amount of moment redistribution of semi-continuous beam within the sub-frame using an equivalent stiffness of the connection. Deflection equations are derived for semi-continuous composite beams subjected to various loading and parametric studies on beam vibrations are conducted. The proposed method may be applied using a simple computer or spreadsheet program.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.11 no.2 s.39
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• pp.241-241
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• 1999

The analysis and design of steel frames are usually carried out under the assumption that the connections of beam-to-column are either fully rigid or ideally pinned. However the connections actually show semi-rigid behavior in many cases. The authors investigated the structural behavior of simi-rigid connection with reformed T-stub by using of SM490 steel. The objective of the study is to investigate the structural behavior of the beam-to-column semi-rigid connection with reformed T-stub, which is made of SS400 steel. The beam-to-column connections by using reformed T-stubs were tested under monotonic loading and cyclic loading condition. The possibility of application of semi-rigid connections with reformed T-stubs was ascertained from test results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.625-641
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• 2020

The realistic modeling of the beam-column semi-rigid connection in steel frames attracted the attention of many researchers in the past for the seismic analysis of semi-rigid frames. Comparatively less studies have been made to investigate the behavior of steel frames with semi-rigid connections under different types of earthquake. Herein, the seismic behavior of semi-rigid steel frames is investigated under both far and near-field earthquakes. The semi-rigid connection is modeled by the multilinear plastic link element consisting of rotational springs. The kinematic hysteresis model is used to define the dynamic behavior of the rotational spring, describing the nonlinearity of the semi-rigid connection as defined in SAP2000. The nonlinear time history analysis (NTHA) is performed to obtain response time histories of the frame under scaled earthquakes at three PGA levels denoting the low, medium and high-level earthquakes. The other important parameters varied are the stiffness and strength parameters of the connections, defining the degree of semi-rigidity. For studying the behavior of the semi-rigid frame, a large number of seismic demand parameters are considered. The benchmark for comparison is taken as those of the corresponding rigid frame. Two different frames, namely, a five-story frame and a ten-story frame are considered as the numerical examples. It is shown that semi-rigid frames prove to be effective and beneficial in resisting the seismic forces for near-field earthquakes (PGA ≈ 0.2g), especially in reducing the base shear to a considerable extent for the moderate level of earthquake. Further, the semi-rigid frame with a relatively weaker beam and less connection stiffness may withstand a moderately strong earthquake without having much damage in the beams.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.645-669
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• 2004

In seismic analysis of moment-resisting frames, beam-column connections are often modeled with rigid joint zones. However, it has been demonstrated that, in ductile reinforced concrete (RC) moment-resisting frames designed based on current codes (to say nothing of older non-ductile frames), the joint zones are in fact not rigid, but rather undergo significant shear deformations that contribute greatly to global drift. Therefore, the "rigid joint" assumption may result in misinterpretation of the global performance characteristics of frames and could consequently lead to miscalculation of strength and ductility demands on constituent frame members. The primary objective of this paper is to propose a rational method for estimating the hysteretic joint shear behavior of RC connections and for incorporating this behavior into frame analysis. The authors tested four RC edge beam-column-slab connection subassemblies subjected to earthquake-type lateral loading; hysteretic joint shear behavior is investigated based on these tests and other laboratory tests reported in the literature. An analytical scheme employing the modified compression field theory (MCFT) is developed to approximate joint shear stress vs. joint shear strain response. A connection model capable of explicitly considering hysteretic joint shear behavior is then formulated for nonlinear structural analysis. In the model, a joint is represented by rigid elements located along the joint edges and nonlinear rotational springs embedded in one of the four hinges linking adjacent rigid elements. The connection model is able to well represent the experimental hysteretic joint shear behavior and overall load-displacement response of connection subassemblies.