• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.439-452
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• 2018

This paper presents experimental and numerical study on buckling behaviors and hysteretic performance of Class 1 H-shaped steel beam subjected to cyclic pure bending within the scope of ultra-low cycle fatigue (ULCF). A loading device was designed to achieve the pure bending loading condition and 4 H-shaped specimens with a small width-to-thickness ratio were tested under 4 different loading histories. The emphasis of this work is on the impacts induced by local buckling and subsequent ductile fracture. The experimental and numerical results indicate that the specimen failure is mainly induced by elasto-plastic local buckling, and is closely correlated with the plastic straining history. Compared with monotonic loading, the elasto-plastic local buckling can occur at a much smaller displacement amplitude due to a number of preceding plastic reversals with relative small strain amplitudes, which is mainly correlated with decreasing tangent modulus of the material under cyclic straining. Ductile fracture is found to be a secondary factor leading to deterioration of the load-carrying capacity. In addition, a new ULCF life evaluation method is proposed for the specimens using the concept of energy decomposition, where the cumulative plastic energy is classified into two categories as isotropic hardening and kinematic hardening correlated. A linear correlation between the two energies is found and formulated, which compares well with the experimental results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.913-930
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• 2016

It is common practice to use Reduced Web Beam Sections (RWBS) in steel moment resisting frames. Perforation of beam web in these members may cause stress and strain concentration around the opening area and facilitate ductile fracture under cyclic loading. This paper presents a numerical study on the cyclic fracture of these structural components. The considered connections are configured as T-shaped assemblies with beams of elongated circular perforations. The failure of specimens under Ultra Low Cycle Fatigue (ULCF) condition is simulated using Cyclic Void Growth Model (CVGM) which is a micromechanics based fracture model. In each model, CVGM fracture index is calculated based on the stress and strain time histories and then models with different opening configurations are compared based on the calculated fracture index. In addition to the global models, sub-models with refined mesh are used to evaluate fracture index around the beam to column weldment. Modeling techniques are validated using data from previous experiments. Results show that as the perforation size increases, opening corners experience greater fracture index. This is while as the opening size increases the maximum observed fracture index at the connection welds decreases. However, the initiation of fracture at connection welds occurs at lower drift angles compared to opening corners. Finally, a probabilistic framework is applied to CVGM in order to account for the uncertainties existing in the prediction of ductile fracture and results are discussed.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.153-174
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• 2012

Micromechanical facture models can be used to predict ductile fracture in steel structures. In order to calibrate the parameters in the micromechanical models for the largely used Q345 steel in China, uniaxial tensile tests, smooth notched tensile tests, cyclic notched bar tests, scanning electron microscope tests and finite element analyses were conducted in this paper. The test specimens were made from base metal, deposit metal and heat affected zone of Q345 steel to investigate crack initiation in welded steel connections. The calibrated parameters for the three different locations of Q345 steel were compared with that of the other seven varieties of structural steels. It indicates that the toughness index parameters in the stress modified critical strain (SMCS) model and the void growth model (VGM) are connected with ductility of the material but have no correlation with the yield strength, ultimate strength or the ratio of ultimate strength to yield strength. While the damage degraded parameters in the degraded significant plastic strain (DSPS) model and the cyclic void growth model (CVGM) and the characteristic length parameter are irrelevant with any properties of the material. The results of this paper can be applied to predict ductile fracture in welded steel connections.