Investigating the in-plane flexibility of steel-deck composite floors in steel structures

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 705-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehsan Bazarchi ◽  
Yousef Hosseinzadeh ◽  
Parinaz Panjebashi Aghdam

Purpose It is common practice in structural engineering to assume floor diaphragms infinitely stiff in their own plane. But, most of the code provisions lack clarity and unity in categorising floor diaphragms and discussing their behaviour based on the seismic response of the structures. Besides, although many of these code provisions have presented simple techniques and formulations for determining the level of flexibility in floor diaphragms, the implementation of these techniques on more complex floor systems such as the steel-deck composite floors is still under question. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach In this study, an equivalent concrete floor is employed as a representative of in-plane diaphragm action of steel-deck composite floor, using simple modelling techniques in SAP2000 and the results are validated by complex structural models developed in ABAQUS. Afterwards, the equivalent floor is inserted to 3, 5 and 7 storey steel structures with 2, 3 and 5 plan aspect ratios in two categories of structures with rigid diaphragms and analogous structures with flexible diaphragms and the responses are compared to each other. Findings The results show that the proposed technique is an effective method for evaluating the diaphragm action of steel-deck composite floors. Additionally, it is concluded that, the boundary values of plan aspect ratio equal to 3 and λ coefficient equal to 0.5 in steel-deck composite floors, mentioned in code provisions for categorising diaphragms, are not always conservative and need to be scrutinised. Originality/value The proposed methodology provides simple framework for assessing the effects of in-plane flexibility of steel-deck composite on seismic response of steel structures.

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 661-677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toufiq Ouzandja ◽  
Mohamed Hadid

Purpose This paper aims to present the investigation of the linear and nonlinear seismic site response of a saturated inhomogeneous poroviscoelastic soil profile for different soil properties, such as pore-water saturation, non-cohesive fines content FC, permeability k, porosity n and coefficient of uniformity Cu. Design/methodology/approach The inhomogeneous soil profile is idealized as a multi-layered saturated poroviscoelastic medium and is characterized by the Biot’s theory, with a shear modulus varying continuously with depth according to the Wichtmann’s model. Seismic response analysis has been evaluated through a computational model, which is based on the exact stiffness matrix method formulated in the frequency domain assuming that the incoming seismic waves consist of inclined P-SV waves. Findings Unlike the horizontal seismic response, the results indicate that the vertical one is strongly affected by the pore water saturation. Moreover, in the case of fully saturated soil profile, the same vertical response spectra are found for the two cases of soil behavior, linear and nonlinear. Originality/value This research is a detailed study of the geotechnical soil properties effect on the bi-directional seismic response of saturated inhomogeneous poroviscoelastic soil profile, which has not been treated before; the results are presented in terms of the peak acceleration ratio, as well as the free-field response spectra and the spectral ratio (V/H).


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 575-583
Author(s):  
Ka Yee Kok ◽  
Hieng Ho Lau ◽  
Thanh Duoc Phan ◽  
TIina Chui Huon Ting

Purpose This paper aims to present the design optimisation using genetic algorithm (GA) to achieve the highest strength to weight (S/W) ratio, for cold-formed steel residential roof truss. Design/methodology/approach The GA developed in this research simultaneously optimises roof pitch, truss configurations, joint coordinates and applied loading of typical dual-pitched symmetrical residential roof truss. The residential roof truss was considered with incremental uniform distributed loading, in both gravitational and uplift directions. The structural analyses of trusses were executed in this GA using finite element toolbox. The ultimate strength and serviceability of trusses were checked through the design formulation implemented in GA, according to the Australian standard, AS/NZS 4600 Cold-formed Steel Structures. Findings An optimum double-Fink roof truss which possess highest S/W ratio using GA was determined, with optimum roof pitch of 15°. The optimised roof truss is suitable for industrial application with its higher S/W ratio and cost-effectiveness. The combined methodology of multi-level optimisation and simultaneous optimisation developed in this research could determine optimum roof truss with consistent S/W ratio, although with huge GA search space. Research limitations/implications The sizing of roof truss member is not optimised in this paper. Only single type of cold-formed steel section is used throughout the whole optimisation. The design of truss connection is not considered in this paper. The corresponding connection costs are not included in the proposed optimisation. Practical implications The optimum roof truss presented in this paper is suitable for industrial application with higher S/W ratio and lower cost, in either gravitational or uplift loading configurations. Originality/value This research demonstrates the approaches in combining multi-level optimisation and simultaneous optimisation to handle large number of variables and hence executed an efficient design optimisation. The GA designed in this research determines the optimum residential roof truss with highest S/W ratio, instead of lightest truss weight in previous studies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooriya Ayough ◽  
Sara Mohamadi ◽  
Seyed Ali Haj Seiyed Taghia

Most seismic regulations are usually associated with fixed-base structures, assuming that elimination of this phenomenon leads to conservative results and engineers are not obliged to use near-fault earthquakes. This study investigates the effect of soil–structure interaction on the inelastic response of MDOF steel structures by using well known Cone method. In order to achieve this, three dimensional multi-storey steel structures with moment and braced frame are analysed using non-linear time history method under the action of 40 near-fault records. Seismic response parameters, such as base shear, performance of structures, ductility demand and displacement demand ratios of structures subjected to different frequency-contents of near-fault records including pulse type and high-frequency components are investigated. The results elucidate that the flexibility of soil strongly affects the seismic response of steel frames. Soil–structure interaction can increase seismic demands of structures. Also, soil has approximately increasing and mitigating effects on structural responses subjected to the pulse type and high frequency components. A threshold period exists below which can highly change the ductility demand for short period structures subjected to near-fault records.


2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (17-18) ◽  
pp. 1067-1076 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Sandun De Silva ◽  
David P. Thambiratnam

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donia Salman ◽  
Rabab Allouzi ◽  
Nasim Shatarat

PurposeThe main goal is to investigate the effect of size and location of opening and column size on the punching shear strength. Openings are often needed in order to install mechanical and electrical services. This process takes away part of the concrete volume which is responsible for resisting the shear forces and any unbalanced moment. Furthermore, the application of rectangular columns in flat slabs is commonly used in practice as they provide lateral stiffness to the building. They are also utilised in garages and multi-storey buildings where these elongated cross-sectional columns reduce the effective span length between adjacent columns.Design/methodology/approachThis research is a numerical-based investigation that is calibrated based on a thirteen previously tested and numerically calibrated slab specimens with no openings. A parametric study is conducted in this study to consider the effect of other parameters, which are the size and location of opening and the rectangularity ratio of column in order to evaluate their effect on the punching shear capacity. A total of 156 models are developed to study these factors. Additionally, the predicted shear carrying capacity of the simulated slabs is calculated using the ACI318–19 and Eurocode (EC2-04) equation.FindingsThe presence of openings reduced the punching shear capacity. The small opening's location and orientation have almost no effect except for one slab. For slabs of large openings, the presence of openings reduced the punching capacity. The punching capacity is higher when the openings are farther from the column. The numerically obtained results of slabs with rectangular columns show lower punching capacity compared to slabs of squared columns with the same length of the punching shear control perimeter. The punching capacity for all slabs is predicted by ACI318–19 and Eurocode (EC2-04) and it is found that Eurocode (EC2-04) provided a closer estimation.Originality/valueThe slabs considered for calibration were reinforced with four different punching shear reinforcement configurations, namely; ordinary closed rectangular stirrups, rectangular spiral stirrups, advanced rectangular spiral stirrups and circular spiral. Generally, there has been limited research on concrete flat slabs with openings in comparison with other subjects related to structural engineering (Guan, 2009) and no research on punching shear with openings of slabs reinforced with these reinforcement schemes. The available research focussed on the effects of openings on the flexural behaviour of reinforced concrete slabs includes Casadei et al. (2003), Banu et al. (2012) and Elsayed et al. (2009). In addition, experimental tests that examined slabs supported on rectangular columns are very limited.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Ángel Caminero ◽  
Ana Romero ◽  
Jesús Miguel Chacón ◽  
Pedro José Núñez ◽  
Eustaquio García-Plaza ◽  
...  

Purpose Fused filament fabrication (FFF) technique using metal filled filaments in combination with debinding and sintering steps can be a cost-effective alternative for laser-based powder bed fusion processes. The mechanical behaviour of FFF-metal materials is highly dependent on the processing parameters, filament quality and adjusted post-processing steps. In addition, the microstructural material properties and geometric characteristics are inherent to the manufacturing process. The purpose of this study is to characterize the mechanical and geometric performance of three-dimensional (3-D) printed FFF 316 L metal components manufactured by a low-cost desktop 3-D printer. The debinding and sintering processes are carried out using the BASF catalytic debinding process in combination with the BASF 316LX Ultrafuse filament. Special attention is paid on the effects of build orientation and printing strategy of the FFF-based technology on the tensile and geometric performance of the 3-D printed 316 L metal specimens. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a toolset of experimental analysis techniques [metallography and scanning electron microcope (SEM)] to characterize the effect of microstructure and defects on the material properties under tensile testing. Shrinkage and the resulting porosity of the 3-D printed 316 L stainless steel sintered samples are also analysed. The deformation behaviour is investigated for three different build orientations. The tensile test curves are further correlated with the damage surface using SEM images and metallographic sections to present grain deformation during the loading progress. Mechanical properties are directly compared to other works in the field and similar additive manufacturing (AM) and Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) manufacturing alternatives from the literature. Findings It has been shown that the effect of build orientation was of particular significance on the mechanical and geometric performance of FFF-metal 3-D printed samples. In particular, Flat and On-edge samples showed an average increase in tensile performance of 21.7% for the tensile strength, 65.1% for the tensile stiffness and 118.3% for maximum elongation at fracture compared to the Upright samples. Furthermore, it has been able to manufacture near-dense 316 L austenitic stainless steel components using FFF. These properties are comparable to those obtained by other metal conventional processes such as MIM process. Originality/value 316L austenitic stainless steel components using FFF technology with a porosity lower than 2% were successfully manufactured. The presented study provides more information regarding the dependence of the mechanical, microstructural and geometric properties of FFF 316 L components on the build orientation and printing strategy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 313-344
Author(s):  
Vijay Kumar Polimeru ◽  
Arghadeep Laskar

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of two-dimensional (2D) cyclic softened membrane model (CSMM)-based non-linear finite element (NLFE) model in predicting the complete non-linear response of shear critical bridge piers (with walls having aspect ratios greater than 2.5) under combined axial and reversed cyclic uniaxial bending loads. The effectiveness of the 2D CSMM-based NLFE model has been compared with the widely used one-dimensional (1D) fiber-based NLFE models. Design/methodology/approach Three reinforced concrete (RC) hollow rectangular bridge piers tested under reversed cyclic uniaxial bending and sustained axial loads at the National Centre for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE) Taiwan have been simulated using both 1D and 2D models in the present study. The non-linear behavior of the bridge piers has been studied through various parameters such as hysteretic loops, energy dissipation, residual drift, yield load and corresponding drift, peak load and corresponding drift, ultimate loads, ductility, specimen stiffness and critical strains in concrete and steel. The results obtained from CSMM-based NLFE model have been critically compared with the test results and results obtained from the 1D fiber-based NLFE models. Findings It has been observed from the analysis results that both 1D and 2D simulation models performed well in predicting the response of flexure critical bridge pier. However, in the case of shear critical bridge piers, predictions from 2D CSMM-based NLFE simulation model are more accurate. It has, thus, been concluded that CSMM-based NLFE model is more accurate and robust to simulate the complete non-linear behavior of shear critical RC hollow rectangular bridge piers. Originality/value In this study, a novel attempt has been made to provide a rational and robust FE model for analyzing shear critical hollow RC bridge piers (with walls having aspect ratios greater than 2.5).


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (03) ◽  
pp. 2050014
Author(s):  
Arash Rostami ◽  
Abdolreza S. Moghadam ◽  
Mahmood Hosseini ◽  
Nima Asghari

The seismic design of the structures is carried out by technical regulations and codes in free-field conditions (regardless of underground cavities). With the availability of tunnels and the complex interaction between the tunnel and the aboveground structures, which may be contemplated wrongly, it could be dangerous for over ground buildings and structures. Consequently, the examination of the underground tunnels and their impact on the land surface and adjacent buildings seismic response seems to be significant. The present research focuses on formation of the plastic hinges in steel structures due to underground cavities and the soil–tunnel–structure interaction of underground structures. First, an existing model was verified by finite element method and the results were compared with a sample specimen. Thus, several effective parameters were considered and studied such as soil type, multi-story structures (4, 8 and 12 stories) and dynamic load type. Then the models were evaluated under real earthquake records. As a result, the seismic response of the structures and plastic conditions of plastic hinge conditions were obtained. The results indicate that the underground cavities have affected the formation of plastic hinges in the structure. They increased the input energy to the structure and had an impact on the total behavior of the structures. Also, the high-rise structures were much more vulnerable to underground tunnels. Therefore, the structures which are located above the underground cavities should be retrofitted and rehabilitated.


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