• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.103-116
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• 2024

Based on the consistent couple stress theory (CCST), we develop a unified formulation for analyzing the static bending and free vibration behaviors of functionally graded (FG) microscale beams (MBs). The strong forms of the CCST-based Euler-Bernoulli, Timoshenko, and Reddy beam theories, as well as the CCST-based sinusoidal, exponential, and hyperbolic shear deformation beam theories, can be obtained by assigning some specific shape functions of the shear deformations varying through the thickness direction of the FGMBs in the unified formulation. The above theories are thus included as special cases of the unified CCST. A comparative study between the results obtained using a variety of CCST-based beam theories and those obtained using their modified couple stress theory-based counterparts is carried out. The impacts of some essential factors on the deformation, stress, and natural frequency parameters of the FGMBs are examined, including the material length-scale parameter, the aspect ratio, and the material-property gradient index.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.5
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• pp.549-563
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• 2008

The ability of an electroactive polymer, IPMC (Ionic Polymer Metal Composites,) to produce electric charge under mechanical deformations may be exploited for the development of next generation of energy harvesters. Two different electrode types (gold and platinum) were employed for the experiments. The sample was tested under dynamic conditions, produced through programmed shaking. In order to evaluate the potential of IPMC for dry condition, these samples were treated with ionic liquid. Three modes of mechanical deformations (bending, tension and shear) were analyzed. Experimental results clearly indicate that IPMCs are attractive applicants for energy harvesting, with inherent advantages like flexibility, low cost, negligible maintenance and virtually infinite longevity. Besides, preliminary energy harvesting model of IPMC has been formulated based upon the work of previous investigators (Newbury 2002, Newbury and Leo 2002, Lee, et al. 2005, Konyo, et al. 2004) and the simulation results reciprocate experimental results within acceptable error.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.84 no.4
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• pp.453-464
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• 2022

Thin plates are the most common spatially stressed members in engineering structures that bear out-of-plane loads. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the deformation performance characteristics of thin plates for structural design. By constructing 12 basic displacement and deformation basis vectors of the four-node square thin plate element, a deformation decomposition method based on the complete orthogonal mechanical basis matrix is proposed in this paper. Based on the deformation decomposition method, the deformation properties of the thin plate can be quantitatively analyzed, and the areas dominated by each basic deformation can be visualized. In addition, the method can not only obtain more deformation information of the structure, but also identify macroscopic basic deformations, such as bending, shear and warping deformations. Finally, the deformation properties of the bidirectional thin plates with different sizes of central holes are analyzed, and the changing rules are obtained.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.141-173
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• 2010

In this paper a boundary element method is developed for the general flexural-torsional buckling analysis of Timoshenko beams of arbitrarily shaped cross section. The beam is subjected to a compressive centrally applied concentrated axial load together with arbitrarily axial, transverse and torsional distributed loading, while its edges are restrained by the most general linear boundary conditions. The resulting boundary value problem, described by three coupled ordinary differential equations, is solved employing a boundary integral equation approach. All basic equations are formulated with respect to the principal shear axes coordinate system, which does not coincide with the principal bending one in a nonsymmetric cross section. To account for shear deformations, the concept of shear deformation coefficients is used. Six coupled boundary value problems are formulated with respect to the transverse displacements, to the angle of twist, to the primary warping function and to two stress functions and solved using the Analog Equation Method, a BEM based method. Several beams are analysed to illustrate the method and demonstrate its efficiency and wherever possible its accuracy. The range of applicability of the thin-walled theory and the significant influence of the boundary conditions and the shear deformation effect on the buckling load are investigated through examples with great practical interest.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.68 no.1
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• pp.67-80
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• 2018

Recently, U-section decks have been more and more used in metro and light rail bridges as an innovative concept in bridge deck design and a successful alternative to conventional box girders because of their potential advantages. U-section may be viewed as a single vent box girder eliminating the top slab connecting the webs, with the moving vehicles travelling on the lower deck. U-section bridges thus solve many problems like limited vertical clearance underneath the bridge lowest point, besides providing built-in noise barriers. Beam theory in mechanics assumes that plane section remains plane after bending, but it was found that shearing forces produce shear deformations and the plane section does not remain plane. This phenomenon leads to distortion of the cross section. For a box or a U section, this distortion makes the central part of the slab lagging behind those parts closer to the webs and this is known as shear lag effect. A sample real-world double-track U-section metro bridge is modelled in this paper using a commercial finite element analysis program and is analysed under various loading conditions and for different geometric variations. The three-dimensional finite element analysis is used to demonstrate variations in the transverse bending moments in the deck as well as variations in the longitudinal normal stresses induced in the cross section along the U-girder's span thus capturing warping and shear lag effects which are then compared to the stresses calculated using conventional beam theory. This comparison is performed not only to locate the distortion, warping and shear lag effects typically induced in U-section bridges but also to assess the main parameters influencing them the most.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2000.04b
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• pp.100-110
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• 2000

In practical design of girder bridges or reinforced concrete slab bridges with T-type piers, it is usually assumed that vertical movements of superstructures are completely restrained at the locations of bearings(shoes) on a cap beam of the pier, The resulting vertical reactions are applied to the bearing for the calculation of bending moments and shear forces in the cap beam. However, in reality, the overhang parts of the cap beam will deform under the dead load of superstructures and the live load so that it may act as an elastic foundation. Due to the settlement of the elastic foundation, the actual distribution of the reactions at the bearings along the cap beam may be different from that obtained under the assumption that the vertical movements are fixed at the bearings. In the present study, investigated is the effects of elastic deformations of the T-type pier on the distribution of reactions at the bearings along the cap beam through 3-dimensional finite element analysis. Herein, for this purpose the whole structural system including the superstructure and piers as well is analyzed. It appears that the conventional practice which neglects the elastic deformations of the cap beam exhibits considerably different distributions of the reactions as compared with those obtained from the present finite element analysis. It is, therefore, recommended that in order to assess the reactions at bearings correctly the whole structural system be analyzed using 3-dimensional finite element analysis.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.402-407
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• 2008

We suggest a linear elastic flat shell element based on the HT(hybrid Trefftz) method. We formulate the membrane part of the proposed element as an HT plane element with the drilling DOF. For the bending part, we developed a thick HT plate element that can represent transverse shear deformations accurately. Because we derive both the membrane and the bending parts consistently using the HT functional, we can easily construct the triangular and the quadrilateral elements in a unified way. In addition, warping of quadrilateral element is compensated by force and moment equilibrium equations. We evaluate the performance of the new element in terms of accuracy and convergence.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.441-452
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• 2020

Within the French CIFRE research project COMINO, an innovative type of composite beam was developed for buildings that need fire resistance with no additional supports in construction stage. The developed solution is composed of a steel U-shaped beam acting as a formwork in construction stage for a reinforced concrete part that provides the fire resistance. In the exploitation stage, the steel and the reinforced concrete are acting together as a composite beam. This paper presents the investigation made on the load bearing capacity of this new developed steel-concrete composite section. A full-scale test has been carried out at the Laboratory of Structural Engineering of the University of Luxembourg. The paper presents the configuration of the specimen, the fabrication process and the obtained test results. The beam behaved compositely and exhibited high ductility and bending resistance. The shear connection in the tension zone was effective. The beam failed by a separation between the slab and the beam at high deformations, excessive shear forces conducted to a failure of the stirrups in this zone. The test results are then compared with good agreement to analytical methods of design based on EN 1994 and design guidelines are given.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.607-622
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• 1999

Being a significant mode of deformation, shear effect in addition to the other modes of stretching and bending have been considered to develop two finite element models for the analysis of beams on elastic foundation. The first beam model is developed utilizing the differential-equation approach; in which the complex variables obtained from the solution of the differential equations are used as interpolation functions for the displacement field in this beam element. A single element is sufficient to exactly represent a continuous part of a beam on Winkler foundation for cases involving end-loadings, thus providing a benchmark solution to validate the other model developed. The second beam model is developed utilizing the hybrid-mixed formulation, i.e., Hellinger-Reissner variational principle; in which both displacement and stress fields for the beam as well as the foundation are approxmated separately in order to eliminate the well-known phenomenon of shear locking, as well as the newly-identified problem of "foundation-locking" that can arise in cases involving foundations with extreme rigidities. This latter model is versatile and indented for utilization in general applications; i.e., for thin-thick beams, general loadings, and a wide variation of the underlying foundation rigidity with respect to beam stiffness. A set of numerical examples are given to demonstrate and assess the performance of the developed beam models in practical applications involving shear deformation effect.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.79-91
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• 2017

Free vibrations of steel-concrete composite beams are analyzed by using the dynamic stiffness approach. The coupled equations of motion of the composite beams are derived with help of the Hamilton's principle. The effects of the shear deformation and rotary inertia of the two beams as well as the transverse and axial deformations of the stud connectors are included in the formulation. The dynamic stiffness matrix is developed on the basis of the exact general solutions of the homogeneous governing differential equations of the composite beams. The use of the dynamic stiffness method to determine the natural frequencies and mode shapes of a particular steel-concrete composite beam with various boundary conditions is demonstrated. The accuracy and effectiveness of the present model and formulation are validated by comparison of the present results with the available solutions in literature.