• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.861-871
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• 2021

This study aims at investigating the hysteretic performance of a novel composite wall panel fabricated by infilling aerated concrete blocks into a novel light-steel frame used for low-rise residential buildings. The novel light-steel frame is consisted of two thin-wall rectangular hollow section columns and a truss-beam assembled using patented U-shape connectors. Two bare light-steel frames and two composite wall panels have been tested to failure under horizontal cyclic loading. Hysteretic curves, lateral resistance and stiffness of four specimens have been investigated and analyzed. Based on the testing results, it is found that the masonry infill can significantly increase the lateral resistance and stiffness of the novel light-steel frame, about 2.3~3 and 21.2~31.5 times, respectively. Failure mode of the light-steel frame is local yielding of the column. For the composite wall panel, firstly, masonry infill is crushed, subsequently, local yielding may occur at the column if loading continues. Hysteretic curve of the composite wall panel obtained is not plump, implying a poor energy dissipation capacity. However, the light-steel frame of the composite wall panel can dissipate more energy after the masonry infill is crushed. Therefore, the composite wall panel has a much higher energy dissipation capacity compared to the bare light-steel frame.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.261-275
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• 2003

Truss members built-up with double angles back-to-back have monosymmetric cross-section and twisting always accompanies flexion upon the onset of buckling about the axis of symmetry. Approximate formulae for calculating the buckling capacity are presented in this paper for routine design purpose. For a member susceptible only to flexural buckling, its optimal cross-section should consist of slender plate elements so as to get larger radius of gyration. But, occurrence of twisting changes the situation owing to the weakness of thin plates in resisting torsion. Criteria for limiting the leg slenderness are discussed herein. Truss web members in compression are usually considered as hinged at both ends for out-of-plane buckling. In case one (or both) end of member is not supported laterally by bracing member, its adjoining members have to provide an elastic support of adequate stiffness in order not to underdesign the member. The stiffness provided by either compression or tension chords in different cases is analyzed, and the effect of initial crookedness of compression chord is taken into account. Formulae are presented to compute the required stiffness of chord member and to determine the effective length factor for inadequately constrained compressive diagonals.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.209-222
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• 2002

This paper describes the buckling phenomenon of a tubular truss with unsupported length through a full-scale test and presents a practical computational method for the design of the trusses allowing for the contribution of torsional stiffness against buckling, of which the effect has never been considered previously by others. The current practice for the design of a planar truss has largely been based on the linear elastic approach which cannot allow for the contribution of torsional stiffness and tension members in a structural system against buckling. The over-simplified analytical technique is unable to provide a realistic and an economical design to a structure. In this paper the stability theory is applied to the second-order analysis and design of the structural form, with detailed allowance for the instability and second-order effects in compliance with design code requirements. Finally, the paper demonstrates the application of the proposed method to the stability design of a commonly adopted truss system used in support of glass panels in which lateral bracing members are highly undesirable for economical and aesthetic reasons.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.485-496
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• 2017

In this paper, damage detection has been introduced as an optimization problem and a two-step method has been proposed that can detect the location and severity of damage in truss structures precisely and reduce the volume of computations considerably. In the first step, using the residual force vector concept, the suspected damaged members are detected which will result in a reduction in the number of variables and hence a decrease in the search space dimensions. In the second step, the precise location and severity of damage in the members are identified using the genetic algorithm and the results of the first step. Considering the reduced search space, the algorithm can find the optimal points (i.e. the solution for the damage detection problem) with less computation cost. In this step, the Efficient Correlation Based Index (ECBI), that considers the structure's first few frequencies in both damaged and healthy states, is used as the objective function and some examples have been provided to check the efficiency of the proposed method; results have shown that the method is innovatively capable of detecting damage in truss structures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.691-708
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• 2018

An innovative Hybrid Passive Resistive configuration for Truss Girder Frames (HPR-TGFs) is introduced in the present study. The proposed system is principally consisting of Fluid Viscous Dampers (FVDs) and Buckling Restrained Braces (BRBs) as its seismic resistive components. Concurrent utilization of these devices will develop an efficient energy dissipating mechanism which is able to mitigate lateral displacements as well as the base shear, simultaneously. However, under certain circumstances which the presence of FVDs might not be essential, the proposed configuration has the potential to incorporate double BRBs in order to achieve the redundancy of alternative load bearing paths. This study is extending the modern Direct Displacement Based Design (DDBD) procedure as the design methodology for HPR-TGF systems. Based on a series of nonlinear time history analysis, it is demonstrated that the design outcomes are almost identical to the pre-assumed design criteria. This implies that the ultimate characteristics of HPR-TGFs such as lateral stiffness and inter-story drifts are well-proportioned through the proposed design procedure.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.431-445
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• 2021

This paper presents experiments and theoretical analysis on shear behavior of eight concrete-encased square concrete-filled steel tube (CECFST) specimens and three traditional reinforced concrete (RC) specimens. A total of 11 specimens with the test parameters including the shear span-to-depth ratio, steel tube size and studs arrangement were tested to explore the shear performance of CECFST specimens. The failure mode, shear capacity and displacement ductility were thoroughly evaluated. The test results indicated that all the test specimens failed in shear, and the CECFST specimens enhanced by the interior CFST core exhibited higher shear capacity and better ductility performance than that of the RC specimens. When the other parameters were the same, the larger steel tube size, the smaller shear span-to-depth ratio and the existence of studs could lead to the more satisfactory shear behavior. Then, based on the compatible truss-arch model, a set of formulas were developed to analytically predict the shear strength of the CECFST members by considering the compatibility of deformation between the truss part, arch part and the steel tube. Compared with the calculated results based on several current design specifications, the proposed formulas could get more accurate prediction.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.519-529
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• 2022

Sandwich structures with the superior mechanical properties such as high stiffness and strength-to-weight ratio, good thermal insulation, and high energy absorption capacity are used today in aerospace, automotive, marine, and civil engineering industries. These structures are composed of moderately stiff, thin face sheets that withstand the majority of transverse and in-plane loads, separated by a thick, lightweight core that resists shear forces. In this research, the finite element technique is used to simulate a sandwich panel with a truss core under axial compressive stress using ABAQUS software. A review of past experimental studies shows that the bondline between the core and face sheets plays a vital role in the critical failure load. Therefore, this modeling analyzes the damage initiation modes and debonding between face sheet and core by cohesive surface contact with traction-separation model. According to the results obtained from the modeling, it can be observed that the adhesive stiffness has a significant influence on the critical failure load of the specimens. To achieve the full strength of the structure as a continuum, a lower limit is obtained for the adhesive stiffness. By providing this limit stiffness between the core and the panel face sheets, sudden failure of the structure can be prevented.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.169-181
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• 2011

The behavior of connections between open sandwich slabs and double steel skin composite walls in steel plate-concrete(SC) structure is investigated by a series of experimental programs to identify the roles of components in the transfer of forces. Such connections are supposed to transfer shear by the action of friction on the interface between the steel surface and the concrete surface, as well as the shear resistance of the bottom steel plate attached to the wall. Experimental observation showed that shear transfer in slabs subjected to shear in short spans is explained by direct force transfer via diagonal struts and indirect force transfer via truss actions. Shear resistance at the interface is enhanced by the shear capacity of the shear plate as well as friction caused by the compressive force along the wall plate. Shear friction resistance along the wall plate was deduced from experimental observation. Finally, the appropriate design strength of the connection is proposed for a practical design purpose.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.5 no.2_3
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• pp.141-158
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• 2005

The new version of Code for Design of Steel Structures (GB50017-2003) and other design standards in China were released over the last two years. Comparing with the previous version (GBJ17-88), many clauses covering the connection design have been revised. A number of additional provisions are supplemented to specify the design requirements for beam-column moment connections, as well as gusset plates for truss joints. In this paper, a summary on the design rules on connections specified in the current Chinese code is presented, and relevant commentary and background information is provided whenever appropriate. The design criteria governing weld and bolt resistance is examined and reviewed. Moreover, several issues such as detailing requirements for stiffeners and end-plate connections are discussed.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.139-145
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• 2019

This paper investigated the strength and stiffness of composite truss unit structures. The model used is a core-filled model combining the Kagome model and the cube truss model. The material properties used for the analysis are 304 stainless steel with elastic modulus of 193 GPa and yield stress of 215 MPa. The theoretical equation is derived from the relative elasticity relation of Gibson - Ashby ratio, the analysis was performed using Deform 3D, a commercial tool. In conclusion, the relative elasticity for this unit model correlates with 1.25 times the relative density and constant coefficient, elasticity is inversely proportional to pore size. The relative compressive strength has a correlation with relative density of 1.25 times. Proof of this is a real experiment, the derived theoretical relationship should further consider mechanical behavior such as bending and buckling. In the future, it is hoped that the research on the elasticity and the stress according to the structure of the three-dimensional space will be continued.