• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.517-539
• /
• 2004

Many types of passive control devices have been recognized as effective tools for improving the seismic resistance of structures. A lot of past research has been carried out to study the response of structures equipped with energy-absorbing devices by assuming that the behavior of the beam-column systems are linearly elastic. However, linear theory may not be adequate for beams and columns during severe earthquakes. This paper presents the results of research on the nonlinear responses of structures with and without added passive devices under earthquakes. A new material model based on the plasticity theory and the two-surface model for beams and columns under six components of forces is proposed to predict the nonlinear behavior of beam-column systems. And a new nonlinear beam element in consideration of shear deformation is developed to analyze the beams and columns of a structure. Numerical results reveal that linear assumption may not be appropriate for beams and columns under seismic loadings, especially for unexpectedly large earthquakes. Also, it may be necessary to adopt nonlinear beam elements in the analysis and design process to assure the safety of structures with or without the control of devices.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.15-30
• /
• 2004

In this study, a design process for reinforced concrete structures using the nonlinear FEM analysis is developed. Instead of using the nonlinear analysis to evaluate the required performance after design process, the nonlinear analysis is applied before designing the reinforcement arrangement inside the RC structures. An automatic reinforcement generator for computer aided reinforcement agreement is developed for this purpose. Based on a nonlinear FEM program for analyzing the reinforced concrete structure, a smart fictitious material model of steel, is proposed which can self-adjust the reinforcement to the required amount at the cracking location according to the load increment. Using this tool, the reinforcement ratio required at design load level can be decided automatically. In this paper, an example of RC beam with opening is used to verify the proposed process. Finally, a trial design process for a real size underground RC LNG tank is introduced.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.49 no.6
• /
• pp.727-743
• /
• 2014

Geometrically nonlinear analysis of planar beam and frame structures made of functionally graded material (FGM) by using the finite element method is presented. The material property of the structures is assumed to be graded in the thickness direction by a power law distribution. A nonlinear beam element based on Bernoulli beam theory, taking the shift of the neutral axis position into account, is formulated in the context of the co-rotational formulation. The nonlinear equilibrium equations are solved by using the incremental/iterative procedure in a combination with the arc-length control method. Numerical examples show that the formulated element is capable to give accurate results by using just several elements. The influence of the material inhomogeneity in the geometrically nonlinear behavior of the FGM beam and frame structures is examined and highlighted.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.593-606
• /
• 2010

This paper presents a formulation to include the prestressing effects in available numerical models for the nonlinear material, instantaneous and long-term analysis of prestressed concrete shell structures, based on the displacement formulation of the finite element method. A four-node flat shell element is adopted for nonlinear analysis of prestressed concrete shells. This element was incorporated into an existing general-purpose finite element analysis program. A distinctive characteristic of the element is its capability to simulate the behavior of shells subjected to a variety of types of loading and drilling rotational stiffness. Consequently, the response of prestressed concrete shell structures can be predicted accurately using the proposed nonlinear finite element procedure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.315-333
• /
• 2010

The structural behaviors of circular concrete filled steel tube (CFT) structures are investigated by nonlinear finite element method. An efficient three-dimensional (3D) degenerated beam element is adopted. Based on those previous studies, a modified stress-strain relationship for confined concrete which introduces the influence of eccentricity on confining stress is presented. Updated Lagrange formulation is used to consider the geometrical nonlinearity induced by large deformation effect. The nonlinear behaviors of CFT structures are investigated, and the accuracy of the proposed constitutive model for confined concrete is mainly concerned. The results demonstrate that the confining effect in CFT elements subjected to combining action of axial force and bending moment is far sophisticated than that in axial loaded columns, and an appropriate evaluation about this effect may be important for nonlinear numerical simulation of CFT structures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.76 no.6
• /
• pp.709-724
• /
• 2020

The typical inerter system, the tuned viscous mass damper (TVMD), has been proven to be efficient. It is characterized by an energy-dissipation-enhancement effect, whereby the dashpot deformation of TVMD can be amplified for enhanced energy dissipation efficiency. However, existing studies related to TVMD have mainly been performed on elastic structures, so the working mechanism remains unclear for nonlinear structures. To deal with this, an energy-spectrum analysis framework is developed systematically for classic bilinear hysteretic structures with TVMD. Considering the soil effect, typical bedrock records are propagated through the soil deposit, for which the designed input energy spectra are proposed by considering the TVMD parameters and structural nonlinear properties. Furthermore, the energy-dissipation-enhancement effect of TVMD is quantitatively evaluated for bilinear hysteretic structures. The results show that the established designed input energy spectra can be employed to evaluate the total energy-dissipation burden for a nonlinear TVMD structure. Particularly, the stiffness of TVMD is the dominant factor in adjusting the total input energy. Compared with the case of elastic structures, the energy-dissipation-enhancement effect of TVMD for nonlinear structures is weakened so that the expected energy-dissipation effect of TVMD is replaced by the accumulated energy dissipation of the primary structure.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.409-424
• /
• 2015

Structural nonlinearity is a common phenomenon encountered in engineering structures under severe dynamic loading. It is necessary to localize and identify structural nonlinearities using structural dynamic measurements for damage detection and performance evaluation of structures. However, identification of nonlinear structural systems is a difficult task, especially when proper mathematical models for structural nonlinear behaviors are not available. In prior studies on nonparametric identification of nonlinear structures, the locations of structural nonlinearities are usually assumed known and all structural responses are measured. In this paper, an identification algorithm is proposed for locating and identifying model-free structural nonlinearities and systems using incomplete measurements of structural responses. First, equivalent linear structural systems are established and identified by the extended Kalman filter (EKF). The locations of structural nonlinearities are identified. Then, the model-free structural nonlinear restoring forces are approximated by power series polynomial models. The unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is utilized to identify structural nonlinear restoring forces and structural systems. Both numerical simulation examples and experimental test of a multi-story shear building with a MR damper are used to validate the proposed algorithm.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.46 no.5
• /
• pp.695-711
• /
• 2013

It is reasonable to assume that reinforced concrete (RC) structures enter the nonlinear range of response during a severe ground motion. Numerical analysis to predict the behaviour therefore must allow for the presence of nonlinear deformations if an accurate estimate of seismic response is aimed. Among the factors contributing to inelastic deformations, the influence of the degradation of the bond slip phenomenon is important. Any rebar slip generates an additional rotation at the end regions of structural members which are not accounted for in a conventional analysis. Although these deformations could affect the seismic response of RC structures considerably, they are often neglected due to the unavailability of suitable models. In this paper, the seismic response of two types of RC structures, designed according to the Iranian concrete code (ABA) and the Iranian seismic code (2800), are evaluated using nonlinear dynamic and static analyses. The investigation is performed using nonlinear dynamic and static pushover analysis considering the deformations due to anchorage slip. The nonlinear analysis results confirm that bond slip significantly influences the seismic behavior of RC structure leading to an increase of lateral deformations by up to 30% depending on the height of building. The outcomes also identify important parameters affecting the extent of this influence.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.14 no.6
• /
• pp.525-535
• /
• 2018

This study presents a new beam-column model comprising material nonlinearity and joint flexibility to predict the nonlinear response of reinforced concrete structures. The nonlinear behavior of connections has an outstanding role on the nonlinear response of reinforced concrete structures. In presented research, the joint flexibility is considered applying a rotational spring at each end of the member. To derive the moment-rotation behavior of beam-column connections, the relative rotations produced by the relative slip of flexural reinforcement in the joint and the flexural cracking of the beam end are taken into consideration. Furthermore, the considered spread plasticity model, unlike the previous models that have been developed based on the linear moment distribution subjected to lateral loads includes both lateral and gravity load effects, simultaneously. To confirm the accuracy of the proposed methodology, a simply-supported test beam and three reinforced concrete frames are considered. Pushover and nonlinear dynamic analysis of three numerical examples are performed. In these examples the nonlinear behavior of connections and the material nonlinearity using the proposed methodology and also linear flexibility model with different number of elements for each member and fiber based distributed plasticity model with different number of integration points are simulated. Comparing the results of the proposed methodology with those of the aforementioned models describes that suggested model that only uses one element for each member can appropriately estimate the nonlinear behavior of reinforced concrete structures.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.423-437
• /
• 2007

The empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method is well-known for its ability to decompose a multi-component signal into a set of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). The method uses a sifting process in which local extrema of a signal are identified and followed by a spline fitting approximation for decomposition. This method provides an effective and robust approach for decomposing nonlinear and non-stationary signals. On the other hand, the IMF components do not automatically guarantee a well-defined physical meaning hence it is necessary to validate the IMF components carefully prior to any further processing and interpretation. In this paper, an attempt to use the EMD method to identify properties of nonlinear elastic multi-degree-of-freedom structures is explored. It is first shown that the IMF components of the displacement and velocity responses of a nonlinear elastic structure are numerically close to the nonlinear normal mode (NNM) responses obtained from two-dimensional invariant manifolds. The IMF components can then be used in the context of the NNM method to estimate the properties of the nonlinear elastic structure. A two-degree-of-freedom shear-beam building model is used as an example to illustrate the proposed technique. Numerical results show that combining the EMD and the NNM method provides a possible means for obtaining nonlinear properties in a structure.