• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.473-479
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• 2020

In this study, the structural experiment was conducted with two types of specimens to investigate the mechanical behavior of the column-rafter-purlin connection of an arch-type greenhouse under monotonic loading. Based on the experimental results, the flexural performance was analyzed for two types of connections, and connection classification was attempted. Type B showed 77% of flexural performance compared to Type A, and both types showed that the rigidity and flexural strength did not reach the level of the full rigid. The behavior of the column-rafter-purlin connection was dominated by local buckling due to deformation of the weld and fasteners. As a result of connection classification by AISC standard, both Type A and B connections showed a result that did not meet the rigid connection performance assumed during design, and were classified as simple connection. Therefore, the connection performance evaluation and classification results show that the greenhouse design should be made in consideration of connection performance and in order to design a reliable greenhouse structure, a study on establishing clear design standards for the greenhouse connection is necessary.

• 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.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.791-804
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• 2022

As a type of semi-rigid connection, the top and seat angle connections are popular in current structures owing to their good cyclic performance and simple erection. However, their stiffness and load bearing capacity are relatively insufficient. This study proposes two strengthening methods to further increase the stiffness and strength of bolted-angle joints while maintaining satisfactory energy dissipation capacity (EDC) and ductility. Cyclic loading tests were conducted on six joint specimens with different strengthened angle components. Based on the test results, the influence of the following important factors on the cyclic behavior of steel joint specimens was investigated: the position of the rib stiffeners (edge rib stiffeners and middle rib stiffener), steel strength grade of rib stiffeners (Q345 and Q690), and additional stiffeners or not. In addition, the finite element models of these specimens were built and validated through a comparison of experimental and numerical results. The stiffness and bearing capacity of the bolted-angle joints could be improved significantly by utilizing the novel strengthened joints proposed in this study. Moreover, this can be achieved with almost no increase in the amount of steel required, and the EDC of this joint could also satisfy the requirements of seismic codes from various countries.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.21-32
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• 2018

Prefabricated structures are constructed by bolted connections of separated members. The design and analysis of these structures are generally performed by defining fully hinges for the connection of separated members at the joint of junction. In practice, these connections are not fully hinged. Therefore, the assumption of semi-rigid connections (restrained or partially fixity) instead of fully hinge connections is a more realistic approach for bolted connections used in the prefabricated elements. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of semi-rigid connections on seismic performance of prefabricated structures. Nonlinear static analysis (pushover analysis) of a selected RC prefabricated structure is performed with SAP2000 structural analysis program by considering various partially fixity percentages for bolted connections. The target values of roof displacements obtained from the analyses according to ATC-40, FEMA-356, FEMA-440, and TEC-2007 codes are compared each other. The numerical results are given in tables and figures comparatively and discussed. The results show that the effects of semi-rigid connections should be considered in design and analysis of the prefabricated structures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1215-1237
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• 2015

The majority of connections in moment resisting frames are considered as being fully-rigid. Consequently, the real behavior of the connection, which has some level of flexibility, is ignored. This may result in inaccurate predictions of structural response. This study investigates the influence of flexibility of the extended end-plate connections in the steel moment frames. This is done at two levels. First, the actual micro-behavior of extended end-plate moment connections is explored with respect to joint flexibility. Then, the macro-behavior of frames with end-plate moment connections is investigated using modal, nonlinear static pushover and incremental dynamic analyses. In all models, the P-Delta effects along with material and geometrical nonlinearities were included in the analyses. Results revealed considerable differences between the behavior of the structural frame with connections modeled as fully-rigid versus those when flexibility was incorporated, specifically difference occurred in the natural periods, strength, and maximum inter-story drift angle.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.82 no.6
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• pp.735-745
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• 2022

The suspension thyristor valve can generate tremendous vertical acceleration responses in layers and large tension forces in hangers. A shaking table test of a scaled-down model of thyristor valves suspended on a hall building is performed to qualify the risk of vertical uplift of two representative types of valves, the chain valve and the rigid valve. Besides, an analytical model is established to investigate the source of the slackening of hangers. The test results show that the valves frequently experience a large vertical acceleration response. The soft spring joint can significantly reduce acceleration, but is still unable to prevent vertical uplift of the chain valve. The analytical model shows a stiffer roof and inter-story connection both contribute to a higher risk of vertical uplift for a rigid valve. In addition, the planar eccentricity and short hangers, which result in torsional motion of the valve, increase the possibility of vertical uplift for a chain valve. Therefore, spring joints with additional viscous dampers and symmetric layout in each layer are recommended for the rigid and chain valve, respectively, to prevent the uplift of valves.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.307-310
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• 2005

The PCS system, which consists of precast concrete column and steel beam, has been under development. Experimental test has been carried out to investigate the structural performance of the system under earthquake. Two types of test specimens of beam-column joints are designed in order to compare the performances. One is the system with reinforced concrete slab and the other is without slab. It is found that the system with slab could satisfy all of the requirements from ACI Criteria such as strength, stiffness degradation and energy dissipation capacity except initial stiffness. It is also investigated that the stiffness of the joint is belong to rigid joint type according to Bjorhovde criterion. And it is observed that the partial-composite system between beam and slab is more effective than full-composite system in the respect of the energy dissipation capacity of the system.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.579-598
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• 2020

Consideration of the panel zone (PZ) deformations in the analysis of steel moment frames (SMFs) has a substantial effect on structural response. One way to include the PZ effect on the structural response is Krawinkler's PZ model, which is one of the best and conventional models. However, modeling of Krawinkler's PZ model has its complexity, and finding an alternative procedure for PZ modeling is of interest. In this study, an efficient model is proposed to simplify Krawinkler's PZ model into an Adjusted Rigid-End Zone (AREZ). In this way, the rigid-end-zone dimensions of the beam and column elements are defined through an appropriate rigid-end-zone factor. The dimensions of this region depend on the PZ stiffness, beam(s) and columns' specifications, and connection joint configuration. Thus, to obtain a relationship for the AREZ model, which yields the dimensions of the rigid-end zone, the story drift of an SMF with Krawinkler's PZ model is equalized with the story drift of the same structure with the AREZ model. Then, the degree of accuracy of the resulting relationship is examined in several connections of generic SMFs. Also, in order to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model in SMFs, several SMFs ranging from 3- to 30-story representing low- to high-rise buildings are examined through linear static and dynamic time history analysis. Furthermore, non-linear dynamic analyses of three SMFs conducted to validate the degree of accuracy of the proposed model in the non-linear analysis of SMFs. Analytical results show that there is considerable conformity between inter-story drift ratio (IDR) results of the SMFs with Krawinkler's PZ model and those of the centerline SMFs with AREZ.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.399-408
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• 2017

This paper experimentally studies the cyclic behavior of hybrid connections between steel coupling beams and concrete shear walls with embedded steel columns. Four beam-to-wall connection specimens with short and long embedded steel columns are tested under monotonic and cyclic loads, respectively. The influence of embedment length of columns on the failure mode and performance of connections is investigated. The results show that the length of embedded steel columns has significant effect on the failure mode of connections. A connection with a long embedded column has a better stiffness, load-bearing capacity and ductility than that of a short embedded column. The former fails due to the shear yielding of column web in the joint panel, while failure of the latter is initiated by the yielding of horizontal reinforcement in the wall due to the rigid rotation of the column. It is recommended that embedded steel columns should be placed along the entire height of shear walls to facilitate construction and enhance the ductility.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.185-197
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• 2019

Considering the increasing use of tubular profiles in civil construction, this paper highlights the study on the behavior of welded connections between square hollow section column and I-beam, with emphasis on the assessment of the joint stiffness. Firstly, a theoretical analysis of the welded joints has been done focusing on prescriptions of the technical literature for the types of geometries mentioned. Then, a numerical analysis of the proposed joints were performed by the finite element method (FEM) with the software ANSYS 16.0. In this study, two models were evaluated for different parameters, such as the thickness of the cross section of the column and the sizes of cross section of the beams. The first model describes a connection in which one beam is connected to the column in a unique bending plane, while the second model describes a connection of two beams to the column in two bending planes. From the numerical results, the bending moment-rotation ($M-{\varphi}$) curve was plotted in order to determine the resistant bending moment and classify each connection according to its rotational capacity. Furthermore, an equation was established with the aim of estimating the rotational stiffness of welded I beam-to-RHS column connections, which can be used during the structure design. The results show that most of the connections are semi-rigid, highlighting the importance of considering the stiffness of the connections in the structure design.