• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.725-739
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• 2007

In recent years there are many plate bending elements that emerged for solving both thin and thick plates. The main features of these elements are that they are based on mix formulation interpolation with discrete collocation constraints. These elements passed the patch test for mix formulation and performed well for linear analysis of thin and thick plates. In this paper a member of this family of elements, namely, the Discrete Reissner-Mindlin (DRM) is further extended and developed to analyze both thin and thick plates with geometric nonlinearity. The Von K$\acute{a}$rm$\acute{a}$n's large displacement plate theory based on Lagrangian coordinate system is used. The Hu-Washizu variational principle is employed to formulate the stiffness matrix of the geometrically Nonlinear Discrete Reissner-Mindlin (NDRM). An iterative-incremental procedure is implemented to solve the nonlinear equations. The element is then tested for plates with simply supported and clamped edges under uniformly distributed transverse loads. The results obtained using the geometrically NDRM element is then compared with the results of available analytical solutions. It has been observed that the NDRM results agreed well with the analytical solutions results. Therefore, it is concluded that the NDRM element is both reliable and efficient in analyzing thin and thick plates with geometric non-linearity.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.411-427
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• 2016

In this study, by using finite element non-linear static analysis and comparing it with experimental models, the buckling and post-buckling behavior of bracing gusset plates has been investigated. The effects of such parameters as dimension and thickness of the gusset plate and the influence of position of the bracing member on the behavior of gusset plate have been examined. The results of the analyses clearly suggest that capacity, buckling and post-buckling behaviors of gusset plates depend on the position of the bracing splice plate with respect to the free bending line as well as on the size and thickness of the gusset plate. Also, with respect to numerical analysis results, some practical graphs for the calculation of buckling capacity of gusset plate connections are presented. For steel structures, the proposed method is apparently more accurate than available code procedures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.277-296
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• 2009

The paper investigates the dynamic behaviour of stiffened panels. The coupled differential equations for eccentric stiffening configuration are first derived. Then a semi-analytical procedure for dynamic analysis of stiffened panels is presented. Unlike finite element or finite strip methods, where the plate is discretized into a set of elements or strips, the plate in this procedure is treated as a single element. The potential energy of the structure is first expressed in terms generalized functions that describe the longitudinal and transverse displacement profiles. The resulting non-linear strain energy functions are then transformed into unconstrained optimization problem in which mathematical programming techniques are employed to determine the magnitude of the lowest natural frequency and the associated mode shape for pre-selected plate/stiffener geometric parameters. The described procedure is verified with other numerical methods for several stiffened panels. Results are then presented showing the variation of the natural frequency with plate/stiffener geometric parameters for various stiffening configurations.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.443-465
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• 2015

In this paper, an efficient and simple trigonometric shear deformation theory is presented for thermal buckling analysis of functionally graded plates. It is assumed that the plate is in contact with elastic foundation during deformation. The theory accounts for sinusoidal distribution of transverse shear stress, and satisfies the free transverse shear stress conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of the plate without using shear correction factor. Unlike the conventional trigonometric shear deformation theory, the proposed sinusoidal shear deformation theory contains only four unknowns. It is assumed that the mechanical and thermal non-homogeneous properties of functionally graded plate vary smoothly by distribution of power law across the plate thickness. Using the non-linear strain-displacement relations, the equilibrium and stability equations of plates made of functionally graded materials are derived. The boundary conditions for the plate are assumed to be simply supported on all edges. The elastic foundation is modelled by two-parameters Pasternak model, which is obtained by adding a shear layer to the Winkler model. The effects of thermal loading types and variations of power of functionally graded material, aspect ratio, and thickness ratio on the critical buckling temperature of functionally graded plates are investigated and discussed.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.84 no.1
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• pp.129-141
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• 2022

It has previously been proposed that the yield-line method of analysis for reinforced concrete slabs could be automated via the use of rigid finite elements, assuming all deformations occur along element edges. However, the solutions obtained using this approach can be observed to be highly sensitive to mesh topology. To address this, a revised formulation that incorporates modified yield criteria to account for the presence of non-zero shear forces at interfaces between elements is proposed. The resulting formulation remains simple, with linear programming (LP) still used to obtain solutions for problems involving Johansen's square yield criteria. The results obtained are shown to agree well with literature solutions for various slab problems involving uniform loading and a range of geometries and boundary conditions.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2017

This paper presents the findings of experimental and numerical investigations on failure analysis and structural behavior of notched steel I-beams reinforced by bonded Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) plates under static load. To find solutions for preventing or delaying the failures, understanding the CFRP failure modes is beneficial. One non-strengthened control beam and four specimens with different deficiencies (one side and two sides) on flexural flanges in both experimental test and simulation were studied. Two additional notched beams were investigated just numerically. In the experimental test, four-point bending method with static gradual loading was employed. To simulate the specimens, ABAQUS software in full three dimensional (3D) case and non-linear analysis method was applied. The results show that the CFRP failure modes in strengthening of deficient steel I-beams include end-debonding, below point load debonding, splitting and delamination. Strengthening schedule is important to the occurrences and sequences of CFRP failure modes. Additionally, application of CFRP plates in the deficiency region prevents crack propagation and brittle failure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.453-464
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• 2018

In this paper, an efficient higher-order shear deformation theory is presented to analyze thermomechanical bending of temperature-dependent functionally graded (FG) plates resting on an elastic foundation. Further simplifying supposition are made to the conventional HSDT so that the number of unknowns is reduced, significantly facilitating engineering analysis. These theory account for hyperbolic distributions of the transverse shear strains and satisfy the zero traction boundary conditions on the surfaces of the plate without using shear correction factors. Power law material properties and linear steady-state thermal loads are assumed to be graded along the thickness. Nonlinear thermal conditions are imposed at the upper and lower surface for simply supported FG plates. Equations of motion are derived from the principle of virtual displacements. Analytical solutions for the thermomechanical bending analysis are obtained based on Fourier series that satisfy the boundary conditions (Navier's method). Non-dimensional results are compared for temperature-dependent FG plates and validated with those of other shear deformation theories. Numerical investigation is conducted to show the effect of material composition, plate geometry, and temperature field on the thermomechanical bending characteristics. It can be concluded that the present theory is not only accurate but also simple in predicting the thermomechanical bending responses of temperature-dependent FG plates.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.357-386
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• 2016

In this research work, an exact analytical solution for thermal stability of solar functionally graded rectangular plates subjected to uniform, linear and non-linear temperature rises across the thickness direction is developed. It is assumed that the plate rests on two-parameter elastic foundation and its material properties vary through the thickness of the plate as a power function. The neutral surface position for such plate is determined, and the efficient hyperbolic plate theory based on exact neutral surface position is employed to derive the governing stability equations. The displacement field is chosen based on assumptions that the in-plane and transverse displacements consist of bending and shear components, and the shear components of in-plane displacements give rise to the quadratic distribution of transverse shear stress through the thickness in such a way that shear stresses vanish on the plate surfaces. Therefore, there is no need to use shear correction factor. Just four unknown displacement functions are used in the present theory against five unknown displacement functions used in the corresponding ones. The non-linear strain-displacement relations are also taken into consideration. The influences of many plate parameters on buckling temperature difference will be investigated. Numerical results are presented for the present theory, demonstrating its importance and accuracy in comparison to other theories.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.457-469
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• 2019

In this paper, a numerical solution is presented for supersonic flutter analysis of cantilever non-symmetric functionally graded (FG) sandwich plates. The plate is considered to be composed of two different functionally graded face sheets and an isotropic homogeneous core made of ceramic. Based on the first order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and linear piston theory, the set of governing equations and boundary conditions are derived. Dimensionless form of the governing equations and boundary conditions are derived and solved numerically using generalized differential quadrature method (GDQM) and critical velocity and flutter frequencies are calculated. For various values of the yaw angle, effect of different parameters like aspect ratio, thickness of the plate, power law indices and thickness of the core on the flutter boundaries are investigated. Numerical examples show that wings and tail fins with larger length and shorter width are more stable in supersonic flights. It is concluded for FG sandwich plates made of Al-Al₂O₃ that increase in volume fraction of ceramic (Al₂O₃) increases aeroelastic stability of the plate. Presented study confirms that improvement of aeroelastic behavior and weight of wings and tail fins of aircrafts are not consistent items. It is shown that value of the critical yaw angle depends on aspect ratio of the plate and other parameters including thickness and variation of properties have no considerable effect on it. Results of this paper can be used in design and analysis of wing and tail fin of supersonic airplanes.

• Computational Structural Engineering
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 1994

In this study, the finite element analysis using joint elements, bolt elements, and shell elements is presented to investigate the behavior of bolted connections. The contact of plates and the high-strength, pretensioned bolts are simply idealized by joint elements and bolt elements, respectively. The initial stiffness is determined through the presented method and the non-linear analysis is archived by a constant-arc-length method based on Newton-Raphson method. The analysis results of a semi-rigid connection(web & flange angles) and a moment connection (shear & moment plates) demonstrate the exactness and applicability of the presented method. And the results indicates that the consideration of slip and 3-dimensional deformation is needed for an accurate prediction of bolted connections.