• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.459-469
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• 2020

An external prestressed steel-bar truss unit was developed as a new strengthening technology to enhance the seismic performance of an in-plane masonry wall structure while taking advantage of the benefits of a prestressed system. The presented method consists of six steel bars: two prestressed vertical bars to introduce a prestressing force on the masonry wall, two diagonal bars to resist shear deformation, and two horizontal bars to maintain the configuration. To evaluate the effects of this new technique, four full-scale specimens, including a control specimen, were tested under combined loadings that included constant-gravity axial loads and cyclic lateral loads. The experimental results were analyzed in terms of the shear strength, initial stiffness, dissipated energy, and strain history. The efficiency of the external prestressed steel-bar truss unit was validated. In particular, a retrofitted specimen with an axial load level of 0.024 exhibited a more stable post behavior and higher energy dissipation than a control specimen with an observed complete sliding failure. The four vertical bars of the adjacent retrofitting units created a virtual column, and their strain values did not change until they reached the peak shear strength. The shear capacity of the masonry wall structure with external prestressed steel-bar truss units could be predicted using the model suggested by Yang et al.

• International journal of steel structures
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1497-1507
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• 2018

Most of previous studies on fire resistance of restrained steel beams neglected creep effect due to lack of suitable creep model. This paper presents a finite element model (FEM) for accessing the fire resistance of restrained high strength Q460 steel beams by taking high temperature Norton creep model of steel into consideration. The validation of the established model is verified by comparing the axial force and deflection of restrained beams obtained by finite element analysis with test results. In order to explore the creep effect on fire response of restrained Q460 steel beams, the thermal axial force and deflection of the beams are also analyzed excluding creep effect. Results from comparison infer that creep plays a crucial role in fire response of restrained steel beam and neglecting the effect of creep may lead to unsafe design. A set of parametric studies are accomplished by using the calibrated FEM to evaluate the governed factors influencing fire response of restrained Q460 steel beams. The parametric studies indicate that load level, rotational restraint stiffness, span-depth ratio, heating rate and temperature distribution pattern are key factors in determining fire resistance of restrained Q460 steel beam. A simplified design approach to determine the moment capacity of restrained Q460 steel beams is proposed based on the parametric studies by considering creep effect.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.483-500
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• 2022

Cold-formed steel wall panels sheathed with gypsum plasterboard have shown superior thermal and structural performance in fire. Recent damage caused by fire events in Australia has increased the need for accurate fire resistance ratings of wall systems used in low- and mid-rise construction. Past fire research has mostly focused on light gauge steel framed (LSF) walls under uniform axial compression and LSF floors under pure bending. However, in reality, LSF wall studs may be subject to both compression and bending actions due to eccentric loading at the wall to-roof or wall-to-floor connections. In order to investigate the fire resistance of LSF walls under the effects of these loading eccentricities, four full-scale standard fire tests were conducted on 3 m × 3 m LSF wall specimens lined with two 16 mm gypsum plasterboards under different combinations of axial compression and lateral load ratios. The findings show that the loading eccentricity can adversely affect the fire resistance level of the LSF wall depending on the magnitude of the eccentricity, the resultant compressive stresses in the hot and cold flanges of the wall studs caused by combined loading and the temperatures of the hot and cold flanges of the studs. Structural fire designers should consider the effects of loading eccentricity in the design of LSF walls to eliminate their potential failures in fire.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.09a
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• pp.933-943
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• 2009

Axial loads and shaft resistances can be calculated by load transfer analysis using strain data with load level. In load transfer analysis, the elastic modulus of concrete is a one of the most important parameters to consider. The elastic modulus, $E_{50}$, suggested by ACI (American Concrete Institute), has been commonly used. However, elastic modulus of concrete shows nonlinear stress-strain characteristic, so nonlinearity should be considered in load transfer analysis. In this paper, a load transfer analysis was performed by using data obtained from bi-directional pile load tests for four cases of drilled shafts. For consideration of nonlinearity, elastic modulus was calculated by both the Fellenius method and the nonlinear method, assuming the stress-strain relation of concrete to be a quadratic function, and then, the calculated elastic modulus was applied to the estimation of shaft resistance. The calculated shaft resistances were compared with the result obtained using the constant elastic modulus of ACI code. It was found that the f-w curves are similar to each method, and elastic modulus and shaft resistances decreased as strain increased. Moreover, shaft resistances estimated from elastic modulus considering nonlinearity were 5~15% different than those obtained using the constant elastic modulus.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.499-511
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• 2018

This paper aims to investigate the seismic performance of the prestressed steel strips retrofitted RC beam-column joints. Two series of joint specimens were conducted under compression load and reversed cyclic loading through quasi-static tests. Based on the test results, the seismic behavior of the strengthened joints specimens in terms of the failure modes, hysteresis response, bearing capacity, ductility, stiffness degradation, energy dissipation performance and damage level were focused. Moreover, the effects of the amount of the prestressed steel strips and the axial compression ratio on seismic performance of retrofitted specimens were analyzed. It was shown that the prestressed steel strips retrofitting method could significantly improve the seismic behavior of the RC joint because of the large confinement provided by prestressed steel strips in beam-column joints. The decrease of the spacing and the increase of the layer number of the prestressed steel strips could result in a better seismic performance of the retrofitted joint specimens. Moreover, increasing the axial compression ration could enhance the peak load, stiffness and the energy performance of the joint specimens. Furthermore, by comparison with the specimens reinforced with CFRP sheets, the specimens reinforced with prestressed steel strips was slightly better in seismic performance and cost-saving in material and labor. Therefore, this prestressed steel strips retrofitting method is quite helpful to enhance the seismic behavior of the RC beam-column joints with reducing the cost and engineering time.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.287-306
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• 2002

The assessment of structural performance of transfer structures under potential seismic actions is presented. Various seismic assessment methodologies are used, with particular emphasis on the accurate modelling of the higher mode effects and the potential development of a soft storey effect in the mega-columns below the transfer plate (TP) level. Those methods include response spectrum analysis (RSA), manual calculation, pushover analysis (POA) and equivalent static load analysis (ESA). The capabilities and limitations of each method are highlighted. The paper aims, firstly, to determine the appropriate seismic assessment methodology for transfer structures using these different approaches, all of which can be undertaken with the resources generally available in a design office. Secondly, the paper highlights and discusses factors influencing the response behaviour of transfer structures, and finally provides a general indication of their seismic vulnerability. The representative Hong Kong building considered in this paper utilises a structural system with coupled shear walls and moment resisting portal-frames, above and below the TP, respectively. By adopting the wind load profile stipulated in the Code of Practice on Wind Effects: Hong Kong-1983, all the structural members are sized and detailed according to the British Standards BS8110 and the current local practices. The seismic displacement demand for the structure, when built on either rock or deep soil sites, was determined in a companion paper. The lateral load-displacement characteristic of the building, determined herein from manual calculation, has indicated that the poor ductility (brittle nature) of the mega-columns, due mainly to the high level of axial pre-compression as found from the analysis, cannot be effectively alleviated solely by increasing the quantity of confinement stirrups. The interstorey drift demands at lower and upper zones caused by seismic actions are found to be substantially higher than those arising from wind loads. The mega-columns supporting the TP and the coupling beams at higher zones are identified to be the most vulnerable components under seismic actions.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.427-440
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• 2001

The growing use of unprotected or partially protected steelwork in buildings has caused a lively debate regarding the safety of this form of construction. A good deal of recent research has indicated that steel members have a substantial inherent ability to resist fire so that additional fire protection can be either reduced or eliminated completely. A performance based philosophy also extends the study into the effect of structural continuity and the performance of the whole structural totality. As part of the structural system, thermal expansion during the heating phase or contraction during the cooling phase in most beams is likely to be restrained by adjacent parts of the whole system or sub-frame assembly due to compartmentation. This has not been properly addressed before. This paper describes an experimental programme in which unprotected steel beams were tested under load while it is restrained between two columns and additional horizontal restraints with particular concern on the effect of catenary action in the beams when subjected to large deflection at very high temperature. This paper also presents a three-dimensional mathematical modelling, based on the finite element method, of the series of fire tests on the part-frame. The complete analysis starts with an evaluation of temperature distribution in the structure at various time levels. It is followed by a detail 3-D finite element analysis on its structural response as a result of the changing temperature distribution. The principal part of the analysis makes use of an existing finite element package FEAST. The effect of columns being fire-protected and the beam being axially restrained has been modelled adequately in terms of their thermal and structural responses. The consequence of the beam being restrained is that the axial force in the restrained beam starts as a compression, which increases gradually up to a point when the material has deteriorated to such a level that the beam deflects excessively. The axial compression force drops rapidly and changes into a tension force leading to a catenary action, which slows down the beam deflection from running away. Design engineers will be benefited with the consideration of the catenary action.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.158-163
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• 2009

Many longitudinal pipes in ships are subject to considerable loads, caused by hull girder bending in the ships and/or thermal loads in some special pipes through which fluids with highly abnormal temperatures are conveyed. As these loads may cause failure in the pipes or their supporting structures, loops have been widely adopted to prevent such failure, based on the idea that they can lower the stress level in a pipe byabsorbing some portion of these loads. But as the loops also have some negative effects, such as causing extra manufacturing cost, deteriorating the function of the pipe, and occupying extra space, the number and dimensions of these loops need to be minimized. This research developed design formulas for pipe loops, modeling them as a spring element, for which the axial stiffness is calculated based on the beam theory, incorporating the flexibility effect of the straight portion of the pipe. The accuracy of the proposed design formulas was verified by comparing two results obtained from the proposed formulas and MSC/NASTRAN. This paper concludes with a sample application of the proposed formulas, showing their efficiency.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.637-644
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• 2009

We have analyzed the biomechanical characteristics of cervical spine after total disc replacement using finite element analysis. A finite element model of C2-C7 spinal motion segment was developed and validated by other experimental studies. Two types of artificial discs, semi-constraint and un-constraint, were inserted at C6-C7 segments. Inferior plane of C7 vertebra was fixed and 1Nm of moment were applied on superior plane of C2 vertebra with 50N of compressive load along follower load direction. Mobility of the cervical spine in which each artificial disc inserted was higher than that of intact one in all loading conditions. Also, high mobility at the surgical level after total disc replacement could lead higher facet joint force and ligaments axial stresses. The results of present study could be used to evaluate surgical option and validate the biomechanical characteristics of the implant in total disc replacement in cervical spine.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.91-99
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• 2009

Many longitudinally arranged pipes in ships are subject to considerable displacement loads caused by the hull girder bending of ships and/or thermal loads in some special pipes through which fluids with highly abnormal temperatures are conveyed. As these loads may cause failure in the pipes or their supporting structures, loops have been widely adopted as a measure to prevent such failure, with the idea that they can lower the stress level in a pipe by absorbing some portion of these loads. But since such loops have some negative effects, such as causing extra manufacturing cost and occupying extra space, the number and dimensions of the loops need to be minimized. This research developed design formulas for pipe loops, modeling them as a spring element, for which the axial stiffness is calculated based on the beam theory, incorporating the effects of the curvature of loop corners and the flexibility of the straight portion of the pipe. The accuracy of the proposed design formulas was verified by comparing two results respectively obtained by the proposed formulas and MSC/NASTRAN. The paper ends with a sample application of the proposed formulas showing their efficiency.