• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.335-343
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• 2017

The Newman-Raju formula and contour integral-based finite element analyses(FEAs) have been widely used to assess crack growth rates and residual lives at crack locations in ships or offshore structures, but the Newman-Raju formula is known to be less accurate for the complicated weld details and the conventional FEA-based contour integral approach needs concentrated efforts to construct FEA models. Recently, an extended finite element method(XFEM) has been proposed to reduce those modeling efforts with reliable accuracy. Stress intensity factors(SIFs) from the approaches such as the Newman-Raju formula, conventional FEA-based J-integral, and XFEM-based J-integral were compared for an infinitely long plate with a propagating elliptic crack. It was concluded that the XFEM approach was far reliable in terms of prediction ability of SIFs. Assuming a 25 year-aged coast guard patrol ship had the prescribed cracks at the bracket toes attached to longitudinal stiffeners in way of deck and bottom, SIFs were derived based on the three approaches. To obtain axial tension loads acting on the longitudinal stiffeners, long term hull girder bending moments were assumed to obey Weibull distribution of which two parameters were decided from a reference (DNV, 2014). For the complicated weld details, it was concluded that the XFEM approach could cost-effectively and accurately estimate the crack growth rates and residual lives of ship structures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.443-456
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• 2019

Although numerous researchers demonstrated the significant difference in performance between the various beam-to-column connection types, most of the previous studies in the area of infilled steel frames focused on the behaviour of frames with welded connections. Therefore, there is a need for conducting studies on infilled steel frames with other common connection types (extended endplate with and without rib stiffeners, flush endplate and shear connections). In this paper, firstly, a two-dimensional finite-element model simulating the cyclic response of infilled steel frames was presented. The infill-frame interaction, as well as the interactions between connections' components, were properly modelled. Using the previously-validated model, a parametric study on infilled steel frames with five different beam-to-column connection types, under cyclic loading, was carried out. Several parameters, including infill material, fracture energy of masonry and infill thickness, were investigated. The results showed that the infilled frames with welded connections had the highest initial stiffness and load-carrying capacity. However, the infilled frames with extended endplate connections (without rib stiffeners) showed the greatest energy dissipation capacity and about 96% of the load-carrying capacity of frames with welded connections which indicates that this type of connection could have the best performance among the studied connection types. Finally, a simplified analytical model for estimating the stiffness and strength of infilled steel frames (with different beam-to-column connection types) subjected to lateral cyclic loading, was suggested.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.391-399
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• 2020

In this study, the behaviors of a suction cap shaped as an arch were analyzed using finite element models. The fundamental structural behaviors of both flat- and arch-type caps were compared, and the advantages of the arch-shaped cap were explained. Moreover, the effects of geometric parameters and stiffener arrangements on the stress and deformation of the arch-shaped caps were investigated by comparisons of the changes in the behaviors of the caps. Additionally, the effects of boundary condition at the edge of the cap were analyzed to study the interactions between the cap and cofferdam walls; these results were used to derive the fundamental structural design of stiffened arch caps. Unlike flat caps, the results showed that ring stiffeners could improve the structural behaviors of arch caps remarkably, while the contributions of the radial stiffeners to the structural behaviors of the caps are dependent on constraints at the edges of the caps.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.4A
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• pp.457-463
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• 2008

The longitudinal stiffener performs its role to increase the local buckling strength by making simple support upon compression flange. In the recent researches, it is investigated that compression flange with point supports on certain arrangement reveals the same strength with longitudinal stiffeners. From this results, it is predictable that shear stud could perform the role of longitudinal stiffener if shear stud embedded in concrete satisfies the requirement to point-support under yield stress of the compression flange. In this study, the researches were performed to investigate the optimally required arrangement space of longitudinal point-support for which the shear stud replacing the longitudinal stiffeners and simultaneously determine the required numbers and space of shear stud for completely composite behavior between compression bottom flange and bottom concrete on the double composite girder system.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2022

In cold-formed steel (CFS) structures, such as trusses, transmission towers and portal frames, the use of back-to-back built-up CFS unequal angle sections are becoming increasingly popular. In such an arrangement, intermediate welds or screw fasteners are required at discrete points along the length, preventing the angle sections from buckling independently. Limited research is available in the literature on axial strength of back-to-back built-up CFS unequal angle sections. The issue is addressed herein. This paper presents an experimental investigation reported by the authors on back-to-back built-up CFS unequal angle sections with intermediate stiffeners under axial compression. The load-axial shortening behaviour along with the deformed shapes at failure are reported. A nonlinear finite element (FE) model was then developed, which includes material non-linearity, geometric imperfections and modelling of intermediate fasteners. The FE model was validated against the experimental test results, which showed good agreement, both in terms of failure loads and deformed shapes at failure. The validated finite element model was then used for the purpose of a parametric study comprising 96 models to investigate the effect of longer to shorter leg ratios, stiffener provided in the longer leg, thicknesses and lengths on axial strength of back-to-back built-up CFS unequal angle sections. Four different thicknesses and seven different lengths (stub to slender columns) with three overall widths to the overall depth (B/D) ratios were investigated in the parametric study. Axial strengths obtained from the experimental tests and FE analyses were used to assess the performance of the current design guidelines as per the Direct Strength Method (DSM); obtained comparisons show that the current DSM is conservative by only 7% and 5% on average, while predicting the axial strengths of back-to-back built-up CFS unequal angle sections with and without the stiffener, respectively.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.383-401
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• 2024

The research comprehensively studies the axial compression performance of T-shaped concrete-filled thin-walled steel tubular (CTST) long columns after fire exposure. Initially, a series of tests investigate the effects of heating time, load eccentricity, and stiffeners on the column's performance. Furthermore, Finite Element (FE) analysis is employed to establish temperature and mechanical field models for the T-shaped CTST long column with stiffeners after fire exposure, using carefully determined key parameters such as thermal parameters, constitutive relations, and contact models. In addition, a parametric analysis based on the numerical models is conducted to explore the effects of heating time, section diameter, material strength, and steel ratio on the axial compressive bearing capacity, bending bearing capacity under normal temperature, as well as residual bearing capacity after fire exposure. The results reveal that the maximum lateral deformation occurs near the middle of the span, with bending increasing as heating time and eccentricity rise. Despite a decrease in axial compressive load and bending capacity after fire exposure, the columns still exhibit desirable bearing capacity and deformability. Moreover, the obtained FE results align closely with experimental findings, validating the reliability of the developed numerical models. Additionally, this study proposes a simplified design method to calculate these mechanical property parameters, satisfying the ISO-834 standard. The relative errors between the proposed simplified formulas and FE models remain within 10%, indicating their capability to provide a theoretical reference for practical engineering applications.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.111-122
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• 2017

In this paper, the applicability of a 1900mm-deep concrete-filled U-shaped composite beam to composite ordinary moment frames (C-OMFs) was investigated based on existing test results from smaller-sized specimens and supplemental numerical studies since full-scale seismic testing of such a huge sized beam is practically impossible. The key issue was the web local buckling of concrete-filled U section under negative bending. Based on 13 existing test results compiled, the relationship between web slenderness and story drift capacity was obtained. From this relationship, a 1900mm-deep mega beam, fabricated with 25mm-thick plate was expected to experience the web local buckling at 2% story drift and eventually reach a story drift over 3%, thus much exceeding the requirements of C-OMFs. The limiting width to thickness ratio according to the 2010 AISC Specification was shown to be conservative for U section webs of this study. The test-validated supplemental nonlinear finite element analysis was also conducted to further investigate the effects of the horizontal stiffeners (used to tie two webs of a U section) on web local buckling and flexural strength. First, it is shown that the nominal plastic moment under negative bending can be developed without using the horizontal stiffeners, although the presence of the stiffeners can delay the occurrence of web local buckling and restrain its propagation. Considering all these, it is concluded that the 1900mm-deep concrete-filled U-shaped composite beam investigated can be conservatively applied to C-OMFs. Finally, some useful recommendations for the arrangement and design of the horizontal stiffeners are also recommended based on the numerical results.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.245-262
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• 2002

The free vibration analysis of stiffened laminated composite plates has been performed using the layered (zigzag) finite element method based on the first order shear deformation theory. The layers of the laminated plate is modeled using nine-node isoparametric degenerated flat shell element. The stiffeners are modeled as three-node isoparametric beam elements based on Timoshenko beam theory. Bilinear in-plane displacement constraints are used to maintain the inter-layer continuity. A special lumping technique is used in deriving the lumped mass matrices. The natural frequencies are extracted using the subspace iteration method. Numerical results are presented for unstiffened laminated plates, stiffened isotropic plates, stiffened symmetric angle-ply laminates, stiffened skew-symmetric angle-ply laminates and stiffened skew-symmetric cross-ply laminates. The effects of fiber orientations (ply angles), number of layers, stiffener depths and degrees of orthotropy are examined.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.5 no.2_3
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• pp.141-158
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• 2005

The new version of Code for Design of Steel Structures (GB50017-2003) and other design standards in China were released over the last two years. Comparing with the previous version (GBJ17-88), many clauses covering the connection design have been revised. A number of additional provisions are supplemented to specify the design requirements for beam-column moment connections, as well as gusset plates for truss joints. In this paper, a summary on the design rules on connections specified in the current Chinese code is presented, and relevant commentary and background information is provided whenever appropriate. The design criteria governing weld and bolt resistance is examined and reviewed. Moreover, several issues such as detailing requirements for stiffeners and end-plate connections are discussed.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1023-1044
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• 2015

Concrete-filled tubes (CFT), formed by an outer steel tube filled with plain or reinforced concrete inside, have been increasingly used these recent decades as columns or beam-columns, especially for tall buildings in seismic areas due to their excellent structural response. This improved behavior is derived from the effect of confinement provided by the tube, since the compressive strength of concrete increases when being subjected to hydrostatic pressure. In circular CFTs under compression, the whole tube is uniformly tensioned due to the radial expansion of concrete. Contrarily, in rectangular and square-shaped CFTs, the lateral flanges become subjected to in-plane bending derived from this volumetric expansion, and this fact implies a reduction of the confinement effect of the core. This study presents a numerical analysis of different configurations of CFT stub columns with inner stiffening plates, limited to the study of the influence of these plates on the compressive behavior without eccentricity. The final purpose is to evaluate the efficiency in terms of strength and ductility of introducing stiffeners into circular and square CFT sections under large deformation axial loading.