• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.747-759
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• 2021

Built-up Double-I (BD-I) columns have been commonly used for mid-rise steel-frame structures in Iran. These columns consist of two hot rolled IPE sections which are connected by two cover plates and fillet welds. Until 2017, BD-I columns were employed in intermediate moment resisting frames (MRF) using welded flange plate (WFP) connections. To evaluate the seismic behavior of the connections, four samples were made and tested based on cyclic loading according to AISC 341-16. It was concluded that typical samples cannot satisfy the seismic provisions related to intermediate MRFs. In contrast, the proposed connections retrofitted with two-part external diaphragms were able to satisfy not only the seismic requirements related to intermediate MRFs but also those related to special MRFs according to AISC. The numerical modeling of these samples was performed using ABAQUS finite element software. This study compared the hysteresis moment-rotation curves, plastic strains, and behavior modes in both experimental samples and numerical models.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.637-648
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• 2021

Nowadays, one of the practical, fast and easy ways to strengthen steel elements is the use of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP). Most previous research in the CFRP strengthening of steel members has carried out on straight steel members. The main difference between horizontal curved beams and straight beams under vertical load is the presence of torsional moment in the horizontal curved beams. In the other words, the horizontal curved beams are analyzed and designed for simultaneous internal forces included bending moment, torsional moment, and shear force. The horizontal curved steel beams are usually used in buildings, bridges, trusses, and others. This study explored the effect of the CFRP strengthening on the behavior of the horizontal curved square hollow section (SHS) steel beams. Four specimens were analyzed, one non-strengthened curved steel beam as a control column and three horizontal curved steel beams strengthened using CFRP sheets (under concentrated load and uniform distributed load). To analyze the horizontal curved steel beams, three dimensional (3D) modeling and nonlinear static analysis methods using ANSYS software were applied. The results indicated that application of CFRP sheets in some specific locations of the horizontal curved steel beams could increase the ultimate capacity of these beams, significantly. Also, the results indicated when the horizontal curved steel beams were under distributed load, the increase rate in the ultimate capacity was more than in the case when these beams were under concentrated load.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.443-459
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• 2023

This paper investigates the stability of a bi-directional functionally graded (BD-FG) cylindrical beam made of imperfect concrete, taking into account size-dependency and the effect of geometry on its stability behavior. Both buckling and dynamic behavior are analyzed using the modified coupled stress theory and the classical beam theory. The BD-FG structure is created by using porosity-dependent FG concrete, with changing porosity voids and material distributions along the pipe radius, as well as uniform and nonuniform radius functions that vary along the beam length. Energy principles are used to generate partial differential equations (PDE) for stability analysis, which are then solved numerically. This study sheds light on the complex behavior of BD-FG structures, and the results can be useful for the design of stable cylindrical microstructures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.657-669
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• 2022

Structural materials can experience large plastic deformation under extreme cyclic loading that is caused by events like earthquakes. To evaluate the seismic safety of a structure, accurate numerical material models should be used. For a steel structure, the cyclic strain hardening behavior of structural steel should be correctly modeled. In this study, a combined hardening model, consisting of one isotropic hardening model and three nonlinear kinematic hardening models, was used. To determine the values of the combined hardening model parameters efficiently and accurately, the improved opposition-based particle swarm optimization (iOPSO) model was adopted. Low-cycle fatigue tests were conducted for three steel grades commonly used in Korea and their modeling parameters were determined using iOPSO, which was first developed in Korea. To avoid expensive and complex low cycle fatigue (LCF) tests for determining the combined hardening model parameter values for structural steel, empirical equations were proposed for each of the combined hardening model parameters based on the LCF test data of 21 steel grades collected from this study. In these equations, only the properties obtained from the monotonic tensile tests are required as input variables.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.66.1-66.1
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• 2021

Extinction curves observed toward individual Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) usually show a steep rise toward Far-Ultraviolet (FUV) wavelengths and can be described by the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC)-like dust model. This feature suggests the dominance of small dust grains of size a < 0.1 ㎛ in the local environment of AGN, but the origin of such small grains is unclear. In this paper, we aim to explain this observed feature by applying the RAdiative Torque Disruption (RATD) to model the extinction of AGN radiation from FUV to Mid-Infrared (MIR) wavelengths. We find that in the intense radiation field of AGN, large composite grains of size a > 0.1 ㎛ are significantly disrupted to smaller sizes by RATD up to dRATD > 100 pc in the polar direction and dRATD ~ 10 pc in the torus region. Consequently, optical-MIR extinction decreases, whereas FUV-near-Ultraviolet extinction increases, producing a steep far-UV rise extinction curve. The resulting total-to selective visual extinction ratio thus significantly drops to RV < 3.1 with decreasing distances to AGN center due to the enhancement of small grains. The dependence of RV with the efficiency of RATD will help us to study the dust properties in the AGN environment via photometric observations. In addition, we suggest that the combination of the strength between RATD and other dust destruction mechanisms that are responsible for destroying very small grains of a <0.05 ㎛ is the key for explaining the dichotomy observed "SMC" and "gray" extinction curve toward many AGN.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.569-585
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• 2023

This paper proposes an efficient approach for the structural topology optimization of bi-directional functionally graded structures by incorporating popular radial basis functions (RBFs) into an implicit level set (ILS) method. Compared to traditional element density-based methods, a level set (LS) description of material boundaries produces a smoother boundary description of the design. The paper develops RBF implicit modeling with multiquadric (MQ) splines, thin-plate spline (TPS), exponential spline (ES), and Gaussians (GS) to define the ILS function with high accuracy and smoothness. The optimization problem is formulated by considering RBF-based nodal densities as design variables and minimizing the compliance objective function. A LS-RBF optimization method is proposed to transform a Hamilton-Jacobi partial differential equation (PDE) into a system of coupled non-linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) over the entire design domain using a collocation formulation of the method of lines design variables. The paper presents detailed mathematical expressions for BiDFG beams topology optimization with two different material models: continuum functionally graded (CFG) and mechanical functionally graded (MFG). Several numerical examples are presented to verify the method's efficiency, reliability, and success in accuracy, convergence speed, and insensitivity to initial designs in the topology optimization of two-dimensional (2D) structures. Overall, the paper presents a novel and efficient approach to topology optimization that can handle bi-directional functionally graded structures with complex geometries.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.293-318
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• 2023

This study aims to examine the elastic stiffness properties of Elliptic-Braced Moment Resisting Frame (EBMRF) subjected to lateral loads. Installing the elliptic brace in the middle span of the frames in the facade of a building, as a new lateral bracing system not only it can improve the structural behavior, but it provides sufficient space to consider opening it needed. In this regard, for the first time, an accurate theoretical formulation has been developed in order that the elastic stiffness is investigated in a two-dimensional single-story single-span EBMRF. The concept of strain energy and Castigliano's theorem were employed to perform the analysis. All influential factors were considered, including axial and shearing loads in addition to the bending moment in the elliptic brace. At the end of the analysis, the elastic lateral stiffness could be calculated using an improved relation through strain energy method based on geometric properties of the employed sections as well as specifications of the utilized materials. For the ease of finite element (FE) modeling and its use in linear design, an equivalent element was developed for the elliptic brace. The proposed relation was verified by different examples using OpenSees software. It was found that there is a negligible difference between elastic stiffness values derived by the developed equations and those of numerical analysis using FE method.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.731-744
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• 2023

Vehicle load information is an important role in operating and ensuring the structural health of cable-stayed bridges. In this regard, an efficient and economic method is proposed for vehicle load detection based on the observed cable tension and vehicle position using a graph neural network (GNN). Datasets are first generated using the practical advanced analysis program (PAAP), a robust program for modeling and considering both geometric and material nonlinearities of bridge structures subjected to vehicle load with low computational costs. With the superiority of GNN, the proposed model is demonstrated to precisely capture complex nonlinear correlations between the input features and vehicle load in the output. Four popular machine learning methods including artificial neural network (ANN), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), and support vector machines (SVM) are refereed in a comparison. A case study of a cable-stayed bridge with the typical truck is considered to evaluate the model's performance. The results demonstrate that the GNN-based model provides high accuracy and efficiency in prediction with satisfactory correlation coefficients, efficient determination values, and very small errors; and is a novel approach for vehicle load detection with the input data of the existing monitoring system.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.769-788
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• 2022

In this paper a mathematical model for the prediction of the fire resistance of slim-floor steel beams based on an Artificial Neural Network modeling procedure is presented. The artificial neural network models are trained and tested using an analytical database compiled for this purpose from analytical results based on FEM. The proposed model was selected as the optimum from a plethora of alternatives, employing different activation functions in the context of Artificial Neural Network technique. The performance of the developed model was compared against analytical results, employing several performance indices. It was found that the proposed model achieves remarkably improved predictions of the fire resistance of slim-floor steel beams. Moreover, based on the optimum developed AN model a closed-form equation for the estimation of fire resistance is derived, which can prove a useful tool for researchers and engineers, while at the same time can effectively support the teaching of this subject at an academic level.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.605-619
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• 2022

The tensile behavior of the Thread-fixed One-side Bolt (TOB) at high temperatures was studied using the Finite Element Modeling (FEM) to explore the structural responses that could not be measured in tests. The accuracy of the FEM was verified using the test results from the failure mode, load-displacement curve as well as yielding load. Three typical failure modes of TOB connected T-stubs were observed, which were the Flange Yielding (FY), the Bolt Failure (BF) and the Coupling Failure mode (CF). The influence of the flange thickness tb and the temperature θ on the tensile behavior of the T-stub were discussed. The initial stiffness and the yielding load decreased with the increase of the temperature. The T-stubs almost lost their resistance when the temperature exceeded 700℃. The failure modes of T-stubs were mainly decided by the flange thickness, which relates to the anchorage of the hole threads and the bending resistance of flange. The failure mode could also be changed by the high temperature. Design equations in EN 1993-1-8 were modified and verified by the FEM results. The results showed that these equations could predict the failure mode and the yielding load at different temperatures with satisfactory accuracy.