• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.1453-1461
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• 2015

In this article the non-linear behavior of the shear wall with low yield stress retrofitted with Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) is investigated under pushover loading. The models used in this study are in ${\frac{1}{2}}$ scale of one story frame and simple steel plates with low yield stress filled the frame span. The models used were simulated and analyzed using finite elements method based on experimental data. After verification of the experimental model, various parameters of the model including the number of GFRP layers, fibers positioning in one or two sides of the wall, GFRP angles in respect to the wall and thickness of the steel plate were studied. The results have shown that adding the GFRP layers, the ultimate shear capacity is increased and the amount of energy absorbed is decreased. Besides, the results showed that using these fibers in low-thickness plates is effective and if the positioning angle of the fibers on the wall is diagonal, its behavior will improve.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.261-279
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• 2010

Generally, a box tube, which is used for an existing square CFT structure, is made by welding four plates. The manufacturing efficiency of this steel tube is poor, and it also needs special welding technology to weld its internal diaphragm and the through diaphragm. Therefore, an interior-anchor-type square steel tube was developed using the method of cold-forming thin plates to prevent welding of the stress concentration position, and to maximize the section efficiency. And, considering of the flow of beam flange load, the efficiency of erection and the weldability of the diaphragm to thin walled steel column, the external diaphragm connection was selected as the suitable type for the welded built-up square CFT column to beam connection. And, an analytical study and tests were conducted to evaluate the structural performance of the suggested connection details and to verify the suggested equations for the connection details. Through this study, the composite effect of the internal anchor to concrete, the resistance and stress distribution of the connections before and after the existing column is welded to the beam, the effective location of welding in connection were analyzed.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.473-484
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• 2017

The objective of this paper is to report on a study of the use of unstiffened thin steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) for the seismic performance improvement of reinforced concrete frames with deficient lateral rigidity. The behaviour of reinforced concrete frames during seismic activities was rehabilitated with an alternative and occupant-friendly retrofitting scheme. The study involved tests of eight 1/3 scale, one bay, two storey test specimens under cyclic quasi-static lateral loadings. The first specimen, tested in previous test program, was a reference specimen, and in seven other specimens, steel infill plates were used to replace the conventional infill brick or the concrete panels. The identification of the load-deformation characteristics, the determination of the level of improvement in the overall strength, and the elastic post-buckling stiffness were the main issues investigated during the quasi-static test program. With the introduction of the SPSWs, it was observed that the strength, stiffness and energy absorption capacities were significantly improved. It was also observed that the experimental hysteresis curves were stable, and the composite systems showed excellent energy dissipation capacities due to the formation of a diagonal tension field action along with a diagonal compression buckling of the infill plates.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.793-808
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• 2014

The goal of this study is to evaluate and design steel plates with optimal material distributions achieved through a specific material topology optimization by using a CCARAT (Computer Aided Research Analysis Tool) as an optimizer, topologically optimally updating node densities as design variables. In typical material topology optimization, optimal topology and layouts are described by distributing element densities (from almost 0 to 1), which are arithmetic means of node densities. The average element densities are employed as material properties of each element in finite element analysis. CCARAT may deal with material topology optimization to address the mean compliance problem of structural mechanical problems. This consists of three computational steps: finite element analysis, sensitivity analysis, and optimality criteria optimizer updating node densities. The present node density based design via CCARAT using node densities as design variables removes jagged optimal layouts and checkerboard patterns, which are disadvantages of classical material topology optimization using element densities as design variables. Numerical applications that topologically optimize reinforcement material distribution of steel plates of a cantilever type are studied to verify the numerical superiority of the present node density based design via CCARAT.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.251-271
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• 2011

To make direct comparisons regarding the cyclic behavior of thin steel plate shear walls (TSPSWs) with different infill-to-boundary frame connections, two TSPSWs were tested under quasi-static conditions, one having the infill plate attached to the boundary frame members on all edges and the other having the infill plate connected only to the beams. Also, the bare frame that was used in the TSPSW specimens was tested to provide data for the calibration of numerical models. The connection of infill plates to surrounding frames was achieved through the use of self-drilling screws to fish plates that were welded to the frame members. The behavior of TSPSW specimens are compared and discussed with emphasis on the characteristics important in seismic response, including the initial stiffness, ultimate strength and deformation modes observed during the tests. It is shown that TSPSW specimens achieve significant ductility and energy dissipation while the ultimate failure mode resulted from infill plate fracture at the net section of the infill plate-to-boundary frame connection after substantial infill plate yielding. Experimental results are compared to monotonic pushover predictions from computer analysis using strip models and the models are found to be capable of approximating the monotonic behavior of the TSPSW specimens.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.279-287
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• 2021

For application in nuclear decommissioning, underwater laser cutting studies were conducted on thick stainless-steel plates for various cutting directions using a 6 kW fiber laser. For cutting along the horizontal direction with horizontal laser irradiation, the maximum cutting speed was 110 mm·min^-1 for a 48 mm thick stainless-steel plate. For cutting along the vertical direction with horizontal laser irradiation, a maximum speed of 120 mm·min^-1 was obtained for the same thickness, which confirmed that the cutting performance was similar but slightly better. Moreover, when cutting with vertically downward laser irradiation, the maximum cutting speed was 120 mm·min^-1 for a plate of the same thickness. Thus, the cutting performance for vertical irradiation was nearly identical to that for horizontal irradiation. In conclusion, it was possible to cut thick stainless-steel plates regardless of the laser irradiation and cutting directions, although the assist gas rose up due to buoyancy. These observations are expected to benefit laser cutting procedures during the actual dismantling of nuclear facilities.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Structure & Construction
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.137-146
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• 2020

In this study, an experimental research was performed to find the characteristics of the lateral load resistance of perforated steel plates which could be developed to retrofit existing RC framed buildings. The Specimens are tested with variables such as aspect ratio of plate, the ratio of perforation area, and the ratio of perforated diameter to strip which is more than 0.6. The lateral load was applied with displacement control until to reach 3.5% drift ratio. Through the experimental results, it was shown that the maximum strength of all specimens were reached at around 0.5% drift ratio and maintained until 3.5% drift ratio. From results, the modified strength prediction formula was derived with the variable ratio of the perforated diameter to strip. To evaluate seismic retrofit performance of RC frames using perforated steel plate, a simple design process was presented.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.363-371
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• 2022

Traditional metal dampers have disadvantages such as a higher yield point and inadequate adjustability. The experimental results show that the low yield point steel has superior energy dissipation hysteretic capacity and can be applied to seismic structures. To overcome these deficiencies, a novel compound metal damper comprising both low yield point steel plates and common steel plates is presented. The optimization objectives, including "maximum rigidity" and "full stress state", are proposed to obtain the optimal edge shape of a compound metal damper. The numerical results show that the optimized composite metal damper has the advantages such as full hysteresis curve, uniform stress distribution, more sufficient energy consumption, and it can adjust the yield strength of the damper according to the engineering requirements. In view of the mechanical characteristics of the compound metal damper, the equivalent model of eccentric cross bracing is established, and the approximate analytical solution of the yield strength and the yield displacement is proposed. A nonlinear simulation analysis is carried out for the overall aseismic capacity of three-layer-frame structures with a compound metal damper. It is verified that a compound metal damper has better energy dissipation capacity and superior seismic performance, especially for a damper with double-objective optimized shape.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.88 no.5
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• pp.501-519
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• 2023

This paper introduces a new hybrid structural connection joint that combines shear walls with section steel beams, fundamentally resolving the construction complexity issue of requiring pre-embedded connectors in the connection between shear walls and steel beams. Initially, a quasi-static loading scheme with load-deformation dual control was employed to conduct low-cycle repeated loading experiments on five new connection joints. Data was acquired using displacement and strain gauges to compare the energy dissipation coefficients of each specimen. The destruction process of the new connection joints was meticulously observed and recorded, delineating it into three stages. Hysteresis curves and skeleton curves of the joint specimens were plotted based on experimental results, summarizing the energy dissipation performance of the joints. It's noteworthy that the addition of shear walls led to an approximate 17% increase in the energy dissipation coefficient. The energy dissipation coefficients of dog-bone-shaped connection joints with shear walls and cover plates reached 2.043 and 2.059, respectively, exhibiting the most comprehensive hysteresis curves. Additionally, the impact of laminated steel plates covering composite concrete floors on the stiffness of semi-rigid joint ends under excessive stretching should not be disregarded. A comparison with finite element analysis results yielded an error of merely 2.2%, offering substantial evidence for the wide-ranging application prospects of this innovative joint in seismic performance.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.183-199
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• 2024

In this paper, a closed-form rigorous solution for interfacial stress in continuous steel beam with variable section strengthened with bonded prestressed FRP plates and subjected to a uniformly distributed load is developed using linear elastic theory and including the variation of fiber volume fractions with a longitudinal orientation of the fibers of the FRP plates. The results show that there exists a high concentration of both shear and normal stress at the ends of the laminate, which might result in premature failure of the strengthening scheme at these locations. The theoretical predictions are compared with other existing solutions. Overall, the predictions of the different solutions agree closely with each other. A parametric study has been conducted to investigate the sensitivity of interface behavior to parameters such as laminate and adhesive stiffness, the thickness of the laminate and the fiber volume fractions where all were found to have a marked effect on the magnitude of maximum shear and normal stress in the composite member. This research gives a numerical precision in relating to the others studies which neglect the effect of prestressed plate and the shear lag impact. The physical and geometric properties of materials are taken into account, and that may play an important role in reducing the interfacial stresses magnitude.