• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.521-536
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• 2019

The mechanical response of concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns subjected to pure compression or uniaxial bending was studied in depth over the last decades. However, the available research results on CFST columns under biaxial bending are still scarce and the lack of experimental tests for this loading situation is evident. At the same time, the design provisions in Eurocode 4 Part 1.1 for verifying the stability of CFST columns under biaxial bending make use of a simplistic interaction curve, which needs to be revised. This paper presents the outcome of a numerical investigation on slender CFST columns subjected to biaxial bending. Eccentricities differing in minor and major axis, as well as varying end moment ratios are considered in the numerical model. A parametric study is conducted for assessing the current design guidelines of EN1994-1-1. Different aspect ratios, member slenderness, reinforcement ratios and load eccentricities are studied, covering both constant and variable bending moment distribution. The numerical results are subsequently compared to the design provisions of EN1994-1- 1, showing that the current interaction equation results overly conservative. An alternative interaction equation is developed by the authors, leading to a more accurate yet conservative proposal.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.233-242
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• 2019

Early detection of damage bonding state such as insufficient bonding strength and interface partial contact defect for the explosive clad pipe is crucial in order to avoid sudden failure and even catastrophic accidents. A generalized and efficient model of the explosive clad pipe can reveal the relationship between bonding state and vibration characteristics, and provide foundations and priory knowledge for bonding state detection by signal processing technique. In this paper, the slender explosive clad pipe is regarded as two parallel elastic beams continuously joined by an elastic layer, and the elastic layer is capable to describe the non-uniform bonding state. By taking the characteristic beam modal functions as the admissible functions, the Rayleigh-Ritz method is employed to derive the dynamic model which enables one to consider inhomogeneous system and any boundary conditions. Then, the proposed model is validated by both numerical results and experiment. Parametric studies are carried out to investigate the effects of bonding strength and the length of partial contact defect on the natural frequency and forced response of the explosive clad pipe. A potential method for identifying the bonding quality of the explosive clad pipe is also discussed in this paper.

• International journal of steel structures
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1723-1740
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• 2018

This paper presents a Finite Element (FE) study on Lean Duplex Stainless Steel stub column with built-up sections subjected to pure axial compression with column web spacing varied at different position across the column flanges. The thicknesses of the steel sections were from 2 to 7 mm to encompass a range of section slenderness. The aim is to study and compare the strength and deformation capacities as well as the failure modes of the built-up stub columns. The FE results have been compared with the un-factored design strengths predicted through EN1993-1-4 (2006) + A1 (2015) and ASCE8-02 standards, Continuous Strength Method (CSM) and Direct Strength Method (DSM). The results showed that the design rules generally under predict the bearing capacities of the specimens. It's been observed that the CSM method offers improved mean resistance and reduced scatter for both classes of cross-sections (i.e. slender and stocky sections) compared to the EN1993-1-4 (2006) + A1 (2015) and ASCE 8-02 design rules which are known to be conservative for stocky cross-sections.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.78 no.5
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• pp.519-528
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• 2021

One of the most efficient designs of solar trackers for photovoltaic panels is the single-axis tracker, which holds the panels along a torque tube that is driven by a motor at the central section. These trackers have evolved to become extremely slender structures due to mechanical optimization against static load and the need of cost reduction in a very competitive market. Owing to the corresponding decrease in mechanical resistance, some of these trackers have suffered aeroelastic instability even at moderate wind speeds, leading to catastrophic failures. In the present work, an analytical and experimental approach has been developed to study that phenomenon. The analytical study has led to identify the dimensionless parameters that govern the motion of the panel-tracker structure. Also, systematic wind tunnel experiments have been carried out on a 3D aeroelastic scale model. The tests have been successful in reproducing the aeroelastic phenomena arising in real-scale cases and have allowed the identification and a close characterization of the phenomenon. The main results have been the determination of the critical velocity for torsional galloping as a function of tilt angle and a calculation methodology for the optimal sizing of solar tracker shafts.

• Advances in materials Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.59-73
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• 2022

In the construction industry, thin-walled frame elements with very slender open cross-sections and low torsional stiffness are often subjected to a complex loading condition where axial, bending, shear and torsional stresses are present simultaneously. Hence, these often fail in instability even before the yield capacity is reached. One of the most common instability conditions associated with thin-walled structures is Lateral Torsional Buckling (LTB). In this study, a first order Generalized Beam Theory (GBT) formulation and numerical analysis of cold-formed steel lipped channel beams (C80×40×10×1, C90×40×10×1, C100×40×10×1, C80×40×10×1.6, C90×40×10×1.6 and C100×40×10×1.6) subjected to uniform moment is carried out to predict pure Lateral Torsional Buckling (LTB). These results are compared with the Finite Element Analysis of the beams modelled with shell elements using ABAQUS and analytical results based on Euler's buckling formula. The mode wise deformed shape and modal participation factors are obtained for comparison of the responses along with the effect of varying the length of the beam from 2.5 m to 10 m. The deformed shapes of the beam for different modes and GBTUL plots are analyzed for comparative conclusions.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.653-663
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• 2022

This study reports the results of a series of tests of pultruded glass fiber reinforced polymer (P-GFRP) box section composite profile columns, geometrically similar with/without concrete core, containing 0-1-2-3% steel fiber, with different lengths. The recycled steel wires were obtained from waste tyres. The effects of steel fiber ratio on the collapse and size effect of concrete filled P-GFRP columns under axial pressure were investigated experimentally and analytically. A total of 36 columns were tested under compression. The presence of pultruded profile and steel wire ratio were selected as the primary variable. The capacity of pultruded profiles with infilled concrete are averagely 9.3 times higher than the capacity of concrete without pultruded profile. The capacity of pultruded profiles with infilled concrete are averagely 34% higher than that of the pultruded profiles without infilled concrete. The effects of steel wire ratio are more pronounced in slender columns which exhibit buckling behavior. Moreover, the proposed analytical approach to calculate the capacity of P-GFRP columns successfully predicted the experimental findings in terms of both pure axial and buckling capacity.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.359-369
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• 2023

Servo-motor driven uniaxial shake tables have been widely used for education and research purposes in earthquake engineering. These shake tables are mostly displacement-controlled by a digital proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller; however, accurate reproduction of acceleration time histories is not guaranteed. In this study, a control strategy is proposed and verified for uniaxial shake tables driven by a servo-motor. This strategy incorporates a deep-learning algorithm named Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network into a displacement PID feedback controller. The LSTM controller is trained by using a large number of experimental data of a self-made servo-motor driven uniaxial shake table. After the training is completed, the LSTM controller is implemented for directly generating the command voltage for the servo motor to drive the shake table. Meanwhile, a displacement PID controller is tuned and implemented close to the LSTM controller to prevent the shake table from permanent drift. The control strategy is named the LSTM-PID control scheme. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed LSTM-PID improves the acceleration tracking performance of the uniaxial shake table for both bare condition and loaded condition with a slender specimen.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.473-486
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• 2023

A through-railway bridge with an inclined girder has recently been applied to optimize the cross-section of a slender bridge structure in railway bridges. To achieve the additional cross-section optimization effect by the bolted end-plate connection, it is necessary to investigate the application of the bolted end-plate tension connection between the inclined girder and the crossbeam. This basic study was conducted on the application of the bolted end-plate moment connection of crossbeams to half-through girders with inclined webs. The combined behavior of vertical deflection and rotational behavior was observed due to the effect of the web inclination in the inclined girder where the steel crossbeam was connected to the girder by the bolted end-plate moment connection. Therefore, in the experiment, the deflection of the inclined girder was 1.77-2.93 times greater than that of the vertical girder but the lateral deflection of the inclined girder was 0.4 times less than that of the vertical girder. Moreover, the tensile stress of the upper bolts in the inclined girder with low crossbeams was clearly 0.81 times lower than that of the vertical girder. According to the results, the design formula for vertical girders does not reflect the influence of the web inclination. Therefore, this study proposed the design procedures for the inclined girder to apply the bolted end-plate moment connection of the crossbeam to the inclined girder by reflecting the design change factors according to the effect of the web inclination.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.337-348
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• 2024

This paper presents a new seismic isolation design for liquid storage tank (LST). The seismic isolation system includes: LST, flexible membrane, sand mat and rolling seismic isolation devices. Based on the mechanical equilibrium theory, the symmetric concave rolling restoring force model of the isolation device is derived. Based on the elasticity theory and restoring force model of the seismic isolation, a simplified mechanical model of LST with the new seismic isolation is established. The rationality of the seismic isolation design of LST is explored. Meanwhile, the seismic response of the new seismic isolation LST is investigated by numerical simulation. The results show that the new seismic isolation tank can effectively reduce the seismic response, especially the control of base shear and overturning moment, which greatly reduces the risk of seismic damage. The seismic reduction rate of the new seismic isolation storage tanks in Class I, II, and III sites is better than that in Class IV sites. Moreover, the seismic isolation device can effectively control the ground vibration response of storage tanks with different liquid heights. The new seismic isolation LST design provides better isolation for slender LSTs than for broad LSTs.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.445-459
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• 2024

To model the aeroelasticity in vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) of slender tubular towers, this paper presents an approach where the aerodynamic damping distribution along the height of the structure is calculated not only as a function of the normalized lateral oscillation but also considering the local incoming wind velocity ratio to the critical velocity (velocity ratio). The three-dimensionality of aerodynamic damping depending on the tower's displacement and the velocity ratio has been observed in recent studies. A contour map model of aerodynamic damping is generated based on the forced vibration tests. A sectional calculation procedure based on the spectral method is developed by defining the aerodynamic damping locally at each increment of height. The proposed contour map model of aerodynamic damping and the sectional calculation procedure are validated with full-scale measurement data sets of a rotorless wind turbine tower, where good agreement between the prediction and measured values is obtained. The prediction of cross-wind response of the wind turbine tower is performed over a range of wind speeds which allows the estimation of resulting fatigue damage. The proposed model gives more realistic prediction in comparison to the approach included in current standards.