• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.91 no.2
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• pp.149-161
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• 2024

In the world, the construction science and technology industry has developed strongly thanks to the application of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) technology, with a strength greater than 150 Mpa and unprecedented durability. compared to previous materials. However, this technology can build special structures but has limited use in construction because it is not commercially feasible to replace regular concrete in most structural types due to material costs. high, lack of availability, limited design standards, complex manufacturing and maintenance techniques. This article examines the composition of UHPC materials and their performance in composite structures with conventional concrete, a promising choice for promoting the development of UHPC technology in construction. It is based on the combined use of UHPC as a covering layer around normal concrete or as an inner core to increase the strength of normal concrete, create a slender structure and reduce the cost and repair of construction works. Construction and transport infrastructure are degraded. Manufacturing costs are expected to be reduced with composite construction due to the advantages of combined materials.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.699-712
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• 2008

The effectiveness of wavelet transform in detecting delamination damages in multilayered composite beams and plates is studied here. The damaged composite beams and plates are modeled in finite element software ABAQUS and the first few mode shapes are obtained. The mode shapes of the damaged structures are then wavelet transformed. It is observed that the distribution of wavelet coefficients can identify the damage location of beams and plates by showing higher values of wavelet coefficients at the position of damage. The effectiveness of the method is studied for different boundary conditions, damage location and size for single as well as multiple delaminations in composite beams and plates. It is observed that both discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) can detect the presence and location of the damaged region from the mode shapes of the structures. DWT may be used to approximately evaluate the size of the delamination area, whereas, CWT is efficient to detect smaller delamination areas in composites.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.713-732
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• 2016

A novel four variable refined plate theory is proposed in this work for laminated composite plates. The theory considers a parabolic distribution of the transverse shear strains, and respects the zero traction boundary conditions on the surfaces of the plate without employing shear correction coefficient. The displacement field is based on a novel kinematic in which the undetermined integral terms are used, and only four unknowns are involved. The analytical solutions of antisymmetric cross-ply and angle-ply laminates are determined via Navier technique. The obtained results from the present model are compared with three-dimensional elasticity solutions and results of the first-order and the other higher-order theories reported in the literature. It can be concluded that the developed theory is accurate and simple in investigating the bending and buckling responses of laminated composite plates.

• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.215-224
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• 2008

The present study aims to design a multilayer microstrip antenna with composite sandwich construction and investigate fatigue behavior of this multilayer SAS (surface antenna structure) that was asymmetric sandwich structure for the next generation of structural surface technology. This term, SAS, indicates that the structural surface becomes an antenna. Constituent materials were selected considering electrical properties, dielectric constant and tangent loss as well as mechanical properties. For the antenna performance, antenna elements inserted into structural layers were designed for satellite communication at a resonant frequency of 12.2 GHz. From electrical measurements, it was shown that antenna performances were in good agreement with design requirements. In cyclic 4-point bending, flexure behavior was investigated by static and fatigue test. Fatigue life curve of the SAS was obtained. The experimental results of bending fatigue were compared with single load level fatigue life prediction equations and in good agreement. The SAS concept is can be extended to give a useful guide for manufacturers of structural body panels as well as antenna designers.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.761-775
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• 2018

In the present work, the recently developed non-polynomial shear deformation theories are assessed for thermo-mechanical response characteristics of laminated composite plates. The applicability and accuracy of these theories for static, buckling and free vibration responses were ascertained in the recent past by several authors. However, the assessment of these theories for thermo-mechanical analysis of the laminated composite structures is still to be ascertained. The response characteristics are investigated in linear and non-linear thermal gradient and also in the presence and absence of mechanical transverse loads. The laminated composite plates are modelled using recently developed six shear deformation theories involving different shear strain functions. The principle of virtual work is used to develop the governing system of equations. The Navier type closed form solution is adopted to yield the exact solution of the developed equation for simply supported cross ply laminated plates. The thermo-mechanical response characteristics due to these six different theories are obtained and compared with the existing results.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.77-89
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• 2008

Presence of high degree of orthotropy enhances shear lag phenomenon in laminated composite box-beams and it persists till failure. In this paper three key parameters governing shear lag behavior of laminated composite box beams are identified and defined by simple expressions. Uniqueness of the identified key parameters is proved with the help of finite element method (FEM) based studies. In addition to this, for the sake of generalization of prediction of shear lag effect in symmetrical laminated composite box beams a feed forward back propagation neural network (BPNN) model is developed. The network is trained and tested using the data base generated by extensive FEM studies carried out for various b/D, b/tF, tF/tW and laminate configurations. An optimum network architecture has been established which can effectively learn the pattern. Computational efficiency of the developed ANN makes it suitable for use in optimum design of laminated composite box-beams.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.537-548
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• 2019

This paper introduces an improved numerical model which can consider the bond-slip effect in steel-concrete composite structures without taking double nodes to minimize the complexity in constructing a finite element model. On the basis of a linear partial interaction theory and the use of the bond link element, the slip behavior is defined and the equivalent modulus of elasticity and yield strength for steel is derived. A solution procedure to evaluate the slip behavior along the interface of the composite flexural members is also proposed. After constructing the transfer matrix relation at an element level, successive application of the constructed relation is conducted from the first element to the last element with the compatibility condition and equilibrium equations at each node. Finally, correlation studies between numerical results and experimental data are conducted with the objective of establishing the validity of the proposed numerical model.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.549-557
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• 2019

The use of shear studs usually placed in the form of mechanical shear connectors makes it possible to adopt composite steel-concrete structures in various structures, and steel-concrete plate composite (SCP) is being seriously considered for the installation of storage tanks exposed to harsh environments. However, manufacturing of SCP must be based on the application of existing design guidelines which require very close arrangement of shear studs. This means that the direct application of current design guidelines usually produces very conservative results and close arrangement of shear studs precludes pouring concrete within exterior steel faceplates. In this light, an improved guideline to determine the stud spacing should be introduced, and this paper proposes an improved ratio of the stud spacing to the thickness of steel plate on the basis of numerous parametric studies to evaluate the relative influence of the stud spacing on the stability of the SCP.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.89 no.6
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• pp.571-578
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• 2024

The bistable thin cylindrical shell is developable structure with the ability to transition between its two stable configurations. This structure offers significant potential applications due to its excellent deformability. In this paper, the composite thin cylindrical shell consisting of the composite layer and the piezoelectric layer was investigated. The material and geometric parameters of the shell were found to influence its stable characteristics. The analysis model of the composite thin cylindrical shell incorporating the piezoelectric layer was developed, and the expressions for its strain energy were derived. By applying the minimum energy principle, the impact of the electric field intensity on the bi-stable behaviors of the cylindrical shell was analyzed. The results showed that the shell exhibited the bistability only under the appropriate electric field strength. And the accuracy of the theoretical prediction was verified by simulation experiments. This study provides an important reference for the application of deployable structures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.31-46
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• 2019

In the present study, the various dynamic properties of MWCNT embedded fiber reinforced polymer uniform and tapered composite (MWCNT-FRP) plates are investigated. Various configurations of a tapered composite plate with ply-drop off and uniform composite plate have been considered for the development of the finite element formulation and experimental investigations. First order shear deformation theory (FSDT) has been used to derive the kinetic and potential energy equations of the hybrid composite plates by including the effect of rotary inertia, shear deformation and non-uniformity in thickness of the plate. The governing equations of motion of FRP composite plates without and with MWCNT reinforcement are derived by considering a nine- node rectangular element with five degrees of freedom (DOF) at each node. The effectiveness of the developed finite element formulation has been demonstrated by comparing the natural frequencies and damping ratio of FRP composite plates without and with MWCNT reinforcement obtained experimentally. Various parametric studies are also performed to study the effect of CNT volume fraction and CNT aspect ratio of the composite plate on the natural frequencies of different configurations of CNT reinforced hybrid composite plates. Further the forced vibration analysis is performed to compare the dynamic response of the various configurations of MWCNT-GFRP composite plate with GFRP composite plate under harmonic excitations. It was observed that the fundamental natural frequency and damping ratio of the GFRP composite plate increase approximately 8% and 37% respectively with 0.5wt% reinforcement of MWCNT under CFCF boundary condition. The natural frequencies of MWCNT-GFRP hybrid composite plates tend to decrease with the increase of MWCNT volume fraction beyond 2% due to agglomeration of CNT's. It is also observed that the aspect ratio of the CNT has negligible effect on the improvement of dynamics properties due to randomly orientation of CNT's.