Stiffness Degradation of Shear Wall with Frame Column and its Influence to Structural Performance

The shear wall with frame column has a wide application prospect in practical engineering for it has better ductility, bearing capacity and stiffness degradation than the shear wall with unframed column. In this paper, the finite element model of shear wall with frame column for an experiment was established in ABAQUS software firstly, Then on the base of proving the model’s precision, the axial compression ratio and the stiffness ratio of shear wall with frame column were adjusted, the influence of different axial compression ratio and stiffness ratio on the stiffness degradation coefficient was analyzed and the corresponding formulas were fitted. At last, by changing the axial compression ratio and the stiffness ratio of shear wall with frame column, The influence of stiffness degradation on the maximum displacement amplification coefficient and the bottom shear amplification coefficient were studied and the relevant formulas were fitted.

Modeling Stiffness Degradation of Fiber-Reinforced Polymers Based on Crack Densities Observed in Off-Axis Plies

A model that predicts the stiffness degradation in multidirectional reinforced laminates due to off-axis matrix cracks is proposed and evaluated using data from fatigue experiments. Off-axis cracks are detected in images from the fatigue tests with automated crack detection to compute the crack density of the off-axis cracks which is used as the damage parameter for the degradation model. The purpose of this study is to test the effect of off-axis cracks on laminate stiffness for different laminate configurations. The hypothesis is that off-axis cracks have the same effect on the stiffness of a ply regardless of the acting stress components as long as the transverse stress is positive. This hypothesis proves to be wrong. The model is able to predict the stiffness degradation well for laminates with a ply orientation similar to the one used for calibration but deviates for plies with different in-plane shear stress. This behavior can be explained by the theory that off-axis cracks develop by two different micro damage modes depending on the level of in-plane shear stress. It is found that besides influencing the initiation and growth of off-axis cracks, the stiffness degradation is also mode dependent.

Empirical Models to Formulate the Nonlinear Response of Rocking Shallow Foundations

This paper aims to introduce a simplified moment-rotation backbone model for exploring the nonlinear behavior of shallow foundations subjected to rocking. The model is developed based on parametric numerical investigations of rectangular footings on dense dry sand, taking advantage of a nonlinear macro-element model verified based on a set of experimental results. Empirical expressions are proposed for rocking stiffness degradation due to gravity loads and foundation rotation as a function of the factor of safety against vertical loads and aspect ratio of foundations. Similar to previous researches, the uplift reference rotation was introduced to explore a new closedform expression appropriate for normalizing the foundation response in a non-dimensional form. The proposed approach for stiffness degradation and nonlinear backbone model of rocking foundations aims to be simple, to minimize the dependence on the variable parameters, and to provide physically sound selections for engineering applications.

Investigation of the Effects of Environmental Fatigue on the Mechanical Properties of GFRP Composite Constituents Using Nanoindentation

Background Fatigue failure criteria for fibre reinforced polymer composites used in the design of marine structures are based on the micromechanical behaviour (e.g. stiffness properties) of their constituents. In the literature, there is a lack of information regarding the stiffness degradation of fibres, polymer matrix and fibre/matrix interface regions affected by environmental fatigue. Objective The aim of present study is to characterize the stiffness properties of composite constituents using the nanoindentation technique when fatigue failure of composites is due to the combined effect of sea water exposure and cyclic mechanical loads. Methods In the present study, the nanoindentation technique was used to characterize the stiffness properties of composite constituents where the effects of neighbouring phases, material pile up and viscoplasticity properties of the polymer matrix are corrected by finite element simulation. Results The use of finite element simulation in conjunction with nanoindentation test data, results in more accurate estimation of projected indented area which is required for measuring the properties of composite constituents. In addition, finite element simulation provides a greater understanding of the stress transfer between composite constituents during the nanoindentation process. Conclusions Results of nanoindentation testing on the composite microstructure of environmentally fatigue failed composite test coupons establish a strong link to the stiffness degradation of the fiber/matrix interface regions, verifying the degradation of composite constituents identified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis.

Seismic Performances of SRC Special-Shaped Columns and RC Beam Joints Under Double-Direction Low-Cyclic Reversed Loading

Steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) special-shaped column and beam frame structure is a special structural form that can meet the requirements of high bearing capacity and satisfy the esthetic requirement of buildings. In this study, a new joint design approach is adopted to focus on the seismic behavior of SRC special-shaped column and reinforced concrete (RC) beam joints under low-cyclic double-directional reactions through pseudo-static tests with a controlled stirrup distance. The joints of SRC specimens were compared with those of RC specimens by controlling the area of steel and reinforcement, and hysteresis cycle skeleton curves and load and strain hysteresis cycles were analyzed. The specimen with profiled steel was found to have better energy dissipation capacity. The energy dissipation capacity and stiffness degradation of the nodes were analyzed. The test results showed that the energy dissipation capacity of the SRC joints was better than that of the conventional concrete column joints, and the stiffness degradation of RC joints was more significant than that of SRC joints.

Experimental Study On Hysteretic Behavior of Concrete Filled Square CFRP Steel Tubular Beam-Column

In order to study the hysteretic behavior of concrete filled square CFRP steel tubular Beam-Column under different influence factors, 12 specimens were designed, and the failure mode, middle section lateral force-deflection(P-Δ) curve, middle section bending moment-curvature(M-φ) curve and middle section deflection-deformation(Δ−Δ') curve were studied. Axial compression ratio and longitudinal CFRP reinforcement coefficient as influencing factors, the effects of axial compression ratio and longitudinal CFRP reinforcement coefficient on P-Δ skeleton curve, M-φ skeleton curve, strength and stiffness degradation, ductility, cumulative energy consumption and other indexes were studied; the P-Δ curve and deformation mode of the specimens were simulated by ABAQUS, and the effects of axial compression ratio, slenderness ratio and other main parameters on the hysteretic performance of the members were studied. The test results show that CFRP has good lateral restraint and longitudinal reinforcement effect on CFST, and the local buckling of CFST is delayed. The P-Δ curve and M-φ curve of all specimens are full. In addition, the steel tube and CFRP have good synergy in both longitudinal and transverse directions. The change of axial compression ratio and longitudinal CFRP reinforcement coefficient has no significant effect on the strength degradation. The increase of axial compression ratio and longitudinal CFRP reinforcement coefficient can improve the flexural capacity and stiffness of the specimens, and slow down the stiffness degradation, but reduce the ductility and cumulative energy consumption of the specimens. The finite element software ABAQUS is used to simulate the P-Δ curve and deformation mode of specimens. It is found that the simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results. Based on the model analysis of the main parameters, it is found that the increase of steel yield strength and CFRP layers can improve the bearing capacity of the specimens, and the axial compression ratio has the most significant effect on the specimens.