• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.287-304
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• 2014

A computer based iterative numerical procedure has been developed to analyse reinforced high strength concrete columns subjected to horizontal wave loads and eccentric vertical load by taking the material, geometrical and wave load non-linearity into account. The behaviour of the column has been assumed, to be represented by Moment-Thrust-Curvature relationship of the column cross-section. The formulated computer program predicts horizontal load versus deflection behaviour of a column up to failure. The developed numerical model has been applied to analyse several column specimens of various slenderness, structural properties and axial load ratios, tested by other researchers. The predicted values are having a better agreement with experimental results. A simplified user friendly hydrodynamic load model has been developed based on Morison equation supplemented with a wave slap term to predict the high frequency non-linear impulsive hydrodynamic loads arising from steep waves, known as ringing loads. A computer program has been formulated based on the model to obtain the wave loads and non-dimensional wave load coefficients for all discretised nodes, along the length of column from instantaneous free water surface to bottom of the column at mud level. The columns of same size and material properties but having different slenderness ratio are analysed by the developed numerical procedure for the simulated wave loads under various vertical thrust. This paper discusses the results obtained in detail and effect of slenderness in resisting wave loads under various vertical thrust.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.5 no.2_3
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• pp.235-246
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• 2005

Local buckling is a major consideration in the design of thin-walled cold-formed steel sections. The main effect of local buckling in plate elements under longitudinal compressive stresses is to cause a redistribution of the stresses in which the greatest portion of the load is carried near the supporting edges of the plate junctions. The redistribution produces increased stresses near the plate junctions and high bending stresses as a result of plate flexure, leading to ultimate loads below the squash load of the section. In singly symmetric cross-sections, the redistribution of longitudinal stress caused by local buckling also produces a shift of the line of action of internal force (shift of effective centroid). The fundamentally different effects of local buckling on the behaviour of pin-ended and fixed-ended singly symmetric columns lead to inconsistencies in traditional design approaches. The paper describes local buckling and shift of effective centroid of thin-walled cold-formed steel channel columns. Tests of channel columns have been described. The experimental local buckling loads were compared with the theoretical local buckling loads obtained using an elastic finite strip buckling analysis. The shift of the effective centroid was also compared with the shift predicted using the Australian/New Zealand and American specifications for cold-formed steel structures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.131-140
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• 2014

This study focuses on seismic behaviour of tall piers characterized by high slender ratio. Two analysis models were developed based on elastic-plastic hinged beam element and elastic-plastic fiber beam element, respectively. The effect of the division density of elastic-plastic hinged beam element on seismic demand was discussed firstly to seek a rational analysis model for tall piers. Then structural seismic behaviour such as the formation of plastic hinges, the development of plastic zone, and the displacement at the top of the tall piers were investigated through incremental dynamic analysis. It showed that the seismic behaviour of a tall pier was quite different from that of a lower pier due to higher modes contributions. In a tall pier, an additional plastic zone may occur at the middle height of the pier with the increase of seismic excitation. Moreover, the maximum curvature reaction at the bottom section and maximum lateral displacement at the top turned out to be seriously out of phase for a tall pier due to the higher modes effect, and thus pushover analysis can not appropriately predict the local displacement capacity.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.153-177
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• 2013

Pendulums can be used as passive vibration control devices in several structures and machines. In the present work, the nonlinear behavior of a pendulum-tower system is studied. The tower is modeled as a bar with variable cross-section with concentrated masses. First, the vibration modes and frequencies of the tower are obtained analytically. The primary structure and absorber together constitute a coupled system which is discretized as a two degrees of freedom nonlinear system, using the normalized eigenfunctions and the Rayleigh-Ritz method. The analysis shows the influence of the geometric nonlinearity of the pendulum absorber on the response of the tower. A parametric analysis also shows that, with an appropriate choice of the absorber parameters, a pendulum can decrease the vibration amplitudes of the tower in the main resonance region. The results also show that the pendulum nonlinearity cannot be neglected in this type of problem, leading to multiplicity of solutions, dynamic jumps and instability. In order to improve the effectiveness of the control during the transient response, a hybrid control system is suggested. The added control force is implemented as a non-linear variable stiffness device based on position and velocity feedback. The obtained results show that this strategy of nonlinear control is attractive, has a good potential and can be used to minimize the response of slender structures under various types of excitation.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.705-717
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• 2018

This paper presents a numerical investigation on the mechanical performance of concrete-filled dual steel tubular columns of circular section subjected to concentric axial load. A three-dimensional numerical model is developed and validated against a series of experimental tests. A good agreement is obtained between the experimental and numerical results, both in the peak load value and in the ascending and descending branches of the load-displacement curves. By means of the numerical model, a parametric study is carried out to investigate the influence of the main parameters that determine the axial capacity of double-tube columns, such as the member slenderness, inner and outer steel tube thicknesses and the concrete grade - of both the outer concrete ring and inner core -, including ultra-high strength concrete. A total number of 163 numerical simulations are carried out, by combining the different parameters. Specific indexes are defined (Strength Index, Concrete-Steel Contribution Ratio, Inner Concrete Contribution Ratio) to help rating the relative mechanical performance of dual steel tubular columns as compared to conventional concrete-filled steel tubular columns, and practical design recommendations are subsequently given.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.225-241
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• 1998

The high-rise supporting towers of long-span suspension and cable-stayed bridges commonly comprise a pair of slender prisms of roughly square cross-section with a center-to-centre spacing of from perhaps 2 to 6 widths and connected by one or more cross-ties. The tower columns may have a constant spacing as common for suspension bridges or the spacing may reduce towards the top of the tower. The present paper is concerned with the aerodynamics of such towers and describes an experimental investigation of the overall aerodynamic forces acting on a pair of square cylinders in two-dimensional flow. Wind tunnel pressure measurements were carried out in smooth flow and with a longitudinal intensity of turbulence 0.10. Different angles of attack were considered between $0^{\circ}$ and $90^{\circ}$, and separations between the two columns from twice to 13 times the side width of the column. The mean values of the overall forces proved to be related to the bias introduced in the flow by the interaction between the two cylinders; the overall rms forces are related to the level of coherence between the shedding-induced forces on the two cylinders and to their phase. Plots showing the variation of the force coefficients and Strouhal number as a function of the separation, together with the force coefficients spectra and lift cross-correlation functions are presented in the paper.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.495-511
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• 2003

New material applications and transparency are desired by contemporary architects. Its superb transparency and high strength make glass a very suitable building material -in spite of its brittleness- even for primary load bearing structures. Currently we will focus on load bearing glass beams, subjected to different loading types. Since glass beams have a very slender, rectangular cross section, they are sensitive to lateral torsional buckling. Glass beams fail under a critical buckling load at stresses that lie far below the theoretical simple bending strength, due to the complex combination of torsion and out-of-plane bending, which characterises the instability phenomenon. The critical load can be increased considerably by preventing the upper rim from moving out of the beam's plane. Different boundary conditions are examined for different loading types. The load carrying capacity of glass beams can be increased three times and more using relatively simple, cheap lateral restraints.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.683-699
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• 2015

Lighting poles and antenna masts are typically high, slender and light structures. Moreover, they are often characterized by distributed eccentricities that make very complex their shape. Experience teaches that this structural type frequently suffers severe damage and even collapses due to wind actions. To understand and interpret the aerodynamic and aeroelastic behavior of lighting poles and antenna masts, this paper presents the results of static and aeroelastic wind tunnel tests carried out on a complex prismatic element representing a segment of the shaft of such structures. Static tests are aimed at determining the aerodynamic coefficients and the Strouhal number of the test element cross-section; the former are used to evaluate the critical conditions for galloping occurrence based on quasi-steady theory; the latter provides the critical conditions for vortex-induced vibrations. Aeroelastic tests are aimed at reproducing the real behavior of the test element and at verifying the validity and reliability of quasi-steady theory. The galloping hysteresis phenomenon is identified through aeroelastic experiments conducted on increasing and decreasing the mean wind velocity.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.73-92
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• 2012

The effect of element interaction and material nonlinearity on the ultimate capacity of stainless steel plated cross-sections is investigated in this paper. The focus of the research lies in cross-sections failing by local buckling; member instabilities, distortional buckling and interactions thereof with local buckling are not considered. The cross-sections investigated include rectangular hollow sections (RHS), I sections and parallel flange channels (PFC). Based on previous finite element investigations of structural stainless steel stub columns, parametric studies were conducted and the ultimate capacity of the aforementioned cross-sections with a range of element slendernesses and aspect ratios has been obtained. Various design methods, including the effective width approach, the direct strength method (DSM), the continuous strength method (CSM) and a design method based on regression analysis, which accounts for element interaction, were assessed on the basis of the numerical results, and the relative merits and weaknesses of each design approach have been highlighted. Element interaction has been shown to be significant for slender cross-sections, whilst the behaviour of stocky cross-sections is more strongly influenced by the material strain-hardening characteristics. A modification to the continuous strength method has been proposed to allow for the effect of element interaction, which leads to more reliable ultimate capacity predictions. Comparisons with available test data have also been made to demonstrate the enhanced accuracy of the proposed method and its suitability for the treatment of local buckling in stainless steel cross-sections.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.171-185
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• 2001

The design of tall buildings has recently provided many challenges to structural engineers. One such challenge is to minimise the cross-sectional dimensions of columns to ensure greater floor space in a building is attainable. This has both an economic and aesthetics benefit in buildings, which require structural engineering solutions. The use of high strength steel in tall buildings has the ability to achieve these benefits as the material provides a higher strength to cross-section ratio. However as the strength of the steel is increased the buckling characteristics become more dominant with slenderness limits for both local and global buckling becoming more significant. To arrest the problems associated with buckling of high strength steel, concrete filling and encasement can be utilised as it has the affect of changing the buckling mode, which increases the strength and stiffness of the member. This paper describes an experimental program undertaken for both encased and concrete filled composite columns, which were designed to be stocky in nature and thus fail by strength alone. The columns were designed to consider the strength in axial compression and were fabricated from high strength steel plate. In addition to the encased and concrete filled columns, unencased columns and hollow columns were also fabricated and tested to act as calibration specimens. A model for the axial strength was suggested and this is shown to compare well with the test results. Finally aspects of further research are addressed in this paper which include considering the effects of slender columns which may fail by global instabilities.