• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.611-620
• /
• 2007

The beam-column connection is the critical design section of general steel frame structures owing to the behavioral characteristics of the structural system. As most members of a frame structure are composed of rolled section beams, the cross-section of the beam members is governed by the negative bending moment near beam-column connections. Such a design concept leaves a redundant load-carrying capacity at the positive bending regions of the beam members leading to design inefficiency. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to redistribute the beam end moments and reduce the stresses at the beam-column connections for a more efficient design of steel frame structures. In this study, reaction-moment prestressing method (RMPM) was proposed for the innovative design and construction of steel frame structures. The RMPM is a prestressing method utilizing the elastic bending deformation of a beam member induced by temporary prestressing for the distribution of a relatively large bending moment to other sections for the efficient use of the beam section. By the application of the RMPM, the negative bending moment at the beam-column connections can be significantly reduced, ultimately leading to possible use of smaller beam sections. Through a series of model tests and numerical analyses of steel frame structures, the moment distributing effect and feasibility of the RMPM was verified.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.327-347
• /
• 2015

This paper investigates the effects of Reynolds number (Re) on the aerodynamic characteristics of a twin-deck bridge. A 1:36 scale sectional model of a twin girder bridge was tested using the Wall of Wind (WOW) open jet wind tunnel facility at Florida International University (FIU). Static tests were performed on the model, instrumented with pressure taps and load cells, at high wind speeds with Re ranging from $1.3{\times}10^6$ to $6.1{\times}10^6$ based on the section width. Results show that the section was almost insensitive to Re when pitched to negative angles of attack. However, mean and fluctuating pressure distributions changed noticeably for zero and positive wind angles of attack while testing at different Re regimes. The pressure results suggested that with the Re increase, a larger separation bubble formed on the bottom surface of the upstream girder accompanied with a narrower wake region. As a result, drag coefficient decreased mildly and negative lift coefficient increased. Flow modification due to the Re increase also helped in distributing forces more equally between the two girders. The bare deck section was found to be prone to vortex shedding with limited dependence on the Re. Based on the observations, vortex mitigation devices attached to the bottom surface were effective in inhibiting vortex shedding, particularly at lower Re regime.