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Article
Publication date: 20 June 2023

Kei Kimura, Takeshi Onogi and Fuminobu Ozaki

This work examines the effects of strain rate on the effective yield strength of high-strength steel at elevated temperatures, through tensile coupon tests at various strain…

Abstract

Purpose

This work examines the effects of strain rate on the effective yield strength of high-strength steel at elevated temperatures, through tensile coupon tests at various strain rates, to propose appropriate reduction factors considering the strain rate effect.

Design/methodology/approach

The stress–strain relationships of 385 N/mm2, 440 N/mm2 and 630 N/mm2-class steel plates at elevated temperatures are examined at three strain rate values (0.3%/min, 3.0%/min and 7.5%/min), and the reduction factors for the effective yield strength at elevated temperatures are evaluated from the results. A differential evolution-based optimization is used to produce the reduction-factor curves.

Findings

The strain rate effect enhances with an increase in the standard design value of the yield point. The effective yield strength and standard design value of the yield point exhibit high linearity between 600 and 700 °C. In addition to effectively evaluating the test results, the proposed reduction-factor curves can also help determine the ultimate strength of a steel member at collapse.

Originality/value

The novelty of this study is the quantitative evaluation of the relationship between the standard design value of yield point at ambient temperature and the strain-rate effect at elevated temperatures. It has been observed that the effect of the strain rate at elevated temperatures increases with the increase in the standard design value of the yield point for various steel strength grades.

Details

Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-2317

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 September 2022

Amal A. Farahat, Ahmed A. Elansary and Hany A. Abdalla

Punching can trigger catastrophic failures in flat slabs because of its sudden nature resulting from exceeding the shear capacity of slabs. Effect of using recycled aggregate, as…

Abstract

Purpose

Punching can trigger catastrophic failures in flat slabs because of its sudden nature resulting from exceeding the shear capacity of slabs. Effect of using recycled aggregate, as an environmental-friendly alternative to traditional RC structures, on punching behavior of these slabs was not sufficiently investigated in the literature. Hence, this paper aims to experimentally study the effect of using recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) on the punching shear capacity (PSC) of RC flat slabs. The RCA is produced by crushing of waste of concrete standard cubes obtained from compression tests.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 12 slab-column connection specimens with different slab thicknesses (140, 160 and 200 mm) and different RCA percentages (0%, 30% and 70%) were prepared and tested under a central point load, to test its effect on the behavior of flat slabs. The punching failure loads of the tested specimens were compared with those obtained according to the provisions of different international building codes.

Findings

Compared with natural aggregate concrete, mixes with 30% and 70% RCA experienced reductions in the compressive that did not exceed 4% and 21%, while reductions of 4% and 13% were observed for the tensile strength, respectively. The increase in the amount of RCA reduced the PSC by 0%–7%, 0%–4% and 4%–10% for slabs with a thickness of 140, 160 and 200 mm, respectively. For slabs with punching shear reinforcement (PSR), ACI 318 provided the closest estimation for the PSC by 9%, whereas EURO 2 overestimated the PSC by 25% and ECP 203 underestimated the PSC by 41%.

Research limitations/implications

The provided conclusions are obtained from the conducted experimental work where a constant W/C ratio, aggregate type and a maximum aggregate size of 19 mm for the RCA were adopted.

Originality/value

Enhancement in the behavior of flat slabs with various thicknesses and amounts of RCA because of introducing PSR is experimentally evaluated. The failure loads of the tested slabs with recycled and normal coarse aggregates were compared against different code provisions.

Details

World Journal of Engineering, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1708-5284

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 March 2024

Y. Sun

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of stainless steel (SS) in reinforced concrete (RC) structures due to its distinctive corrosion resistance and…

Abstract

Purpose

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of stainless steel (SS) in reinforced concrete (RC) structures due to its distinctive corrosion resistance and excellent mechanical properties. To ensure effective synergy between SS and concrete, it is necessary to develop a time-saving approach to accurately determine the ultimate bond strength τu between the two materials in RC structures.

Design/methodology/approach

Three robust machine learning (ML) models, including support vector regression (SVR), random forest (RF) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), are employed to predict τu between ribbed SS and concrete. Model hyperparameters are fine-tuned using Bayesian optimization (BO) with 10-fold cross-validation. The interpretable techniques including partial dependence plots (PDPs) and Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) are also utilized to figure out the relationship between input features and output for the best model.

Findings

Among the three ML models, BO-XGBoost exhibits the strongest generalization and highest accuracy in estimating τu. According to SHAP value-based feature importance, compressive strength of concrete fc emerges as the most prominent feature, followed by concrete cover thickness c, while the embedment length to diameter ratio l/d, and the diameter d for SS are deemed less important features. Properly increasing c and fc can enhance τu between ribbed SS and concrete.

Originality/value

An online graphical user interface (GUI) has been developed based on BO-XGBoost to estimate τu. This tool can be utilized in structural design of RC structures with ribbed SS as reinforcement.

Details

Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1573-6105

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 January 2023

Fabio Parisi, Valentino Sangiorgio, Nicola Parisi, Agostino M. Mangini, Maria Pia Fanti and Jose M. Adam

Most of the 3D printing machines do not comply with the requirements of on-site, large-scale multi-story building construction. This paper aims to propose the conceptualization of…

Abstract

Purpose

Most of the 3D printing machines do not comply with the requirements of on-site, large-scale multi-story building construction. This paper aims to propose the conceptualization of a tower crane (TC)-based 3D printing controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) as the first step towards a large 3D printing development for multi-story buildings. It also aims to overcome the most important limitation of additive manufacturing in the construction industry (the build volume) by exploiting the most important machine used in the field: TCs. It assesses the technology feasibility by investigating the accuracy reached in the printing process.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is composed of three main steps: firstly, the TC-based 3D printing concept is defined by proposing an aero-pendulum extruder stabilized by propellers to control the trajectory during the extrusion process; secondly, an AI-based system is defined to control both the crane and the extruder toolpath by exploiting deep reinforcement learning (DRL) control approach; thirdly the proposed framework is validated by simulating the dynamical system and analysing its performance.

Findings

The TC-based 3D printer can be effectively used for additive manufacturing in the construction industry. Both the TC and its extruder can be properly controlled by an AI-based control system. The paper shows the effectiveness of the aero-pendulum extruder controlled by AI demonstrated by simulations and validation. The AI-based control system allows for reaching an acceptable tolerance with respect to the ideal trajectory compared with the system tolerance without stabilization.

Originality/value

In related literature, scientific investigations concerning the use of crane systems for 3D printing and AI-based systems for control are completely missing. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the proposed research demonstrates for the first time the effectiveness of this technology conceptualized and controlled with an intelligent DRL agent.

Practical implications

The results provide the first step towards the development of a new additive manufacturing system for multi-storey constructions exploiting the TC-based 3D printing. The demonstration of the conceptualization feasibility and the control system opens up new possibilities to activate experimental research for companies and research centres.

Details

Construction Innovation , vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 March 2024

Hesam Ketabdari, Amir Saedi Daryan, Nemat Hassani and Mohammad Safi

In this paper, the seismic behavior of the gusset plate moment connection (GPMC) exposed to the post-earthquake fire (PEF) is investigated.

Abstract

Purpose

In this paper, the seismic behavior of the gusset plate moment connection (GPMC) exposed to the post-earthquake fire (PEF) is investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

For this purpose, for the sake of verification, first, a numerical model is built using ABAQUS software and then exposed to earthquakes and high temperatures. Afterward, the effects of a series of parameters, such as gusset plate thickness, gap width, steel grade, vertical load value and presence of the stiffeners, are evaluated on the behavior of the connection in the PEF conditions.

Findings

Based on the results obtained from the parametric study, all parameters effectively played a role against the seismic loads, although, when exposed to fire, it was found that the vertical load value and presence of the stiffener revealed a great contribution and the other parameters could not significantly affect the connection performance. Finally, to develop the modeling and further study the performance of the connection, the 4 and 8-story frames are subjected to 11 accelerograms and 3 different fire scenarios. The findings demonstrate that high temperatures impose rotations on the structure, such that the story drifts were changed compared to the post-earthquake drift values.

Originality/value

The obtained results can be used by engineers to design the GPMC for the combined action of earthquake and fire.

Details

Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-2317

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 29 March 2024

Xingwen Wu, Zhenxian Zhang, Wubin Cai, Ningrui Yang, Xuesong Jin, Ping Wang, Zefeng Wen, Maoru Chi, Shuling Liang and Yunhua Huang

This review aims to give a critical view of the wheel/rail high frequency vibration-induced vibration fatigue in railway bogie.

Abstract

Purpose

This review aims to give a critical view of the wheel/rail high frequency vibration-induced vibration fatigue in railway bogie.

Design/methodology/approach

Vibration fatigue of railway bogie arising from the wheel/rail high frequency vibration has become the main concern of railway operators. Previous reviews usually focused on the formation mechanism of wheel/rail high frequency vibration. This paper thus gives a critical review of the vibration fatigue of railway bogie owing to the short-pitch irregularities-induced high frequency vibration, including a brief introduction of short-pitch irregularities, associated high frequency vibration in railway bogie, typical vibration fatigue failure cases of railway bogie and methodologies used for the assessment of vibration fatigue and research gaps.

Findings

The results showed that the resulting excitation frequencies of short-pitch irregularity vary substantially due to different track types and formation mechanisms. The axle box-mounted components are much more vulnerable to vibration fatigue compared with other components. The wheel polygonal wear and rail corrugation-induced high frequency vibration is the main driving force of fatigue failure, and the fatigue crack usually initiates from the defect of the weld seam. Vibration spectrum for attachments of railway bogie defined in the standard underestimates the vibration level arising from the short-pitch irregularities. The current investigations on vibration fatigue mainly focus on the methods to improve the accuracy of fatigue damage assessment, and a systematical design method for vibration fatigue remains a huge gap to improve the survival probability when the rail vehicle is subjected to vibration fatigue.

Originality/value

The research can facilitate the development of a new methodology to improve the fatigue life of railway vehicles when subjected to wheel/rail high frequency vibration.

Details

Railway Sciences, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2755-0907

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 January 2024

Seyfe Nigussie Adamu, Temesgen Wondimu Aure and Tesfaye Alemu Mohammed

From the factors that affect shear strength of reinforced concrete (RC) beams, the study examines the effect of controversial parameters, width-to-depth (b/d) and effective…

Abstract

Purpose

From the factors that affect shear strength of reinforced concrete (RC) beams, the study examines the effect of controversial parameters, width-to-depth (b/d) and effective length-to-depth (leff/d) ratio on shear strength of RC slender beams.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers utilized a database of 676 experimental test results from ACI-DAfStb database, Conducted regression analysis to examine relationship between b/d and leff/d ratios and shear strength, compare and analyze sensitivity to changes in b/d and leff/d ratios for the selected 12 shear models for RC beams.

Findings

Increasing b/d ratio enhanced shear strength until b/d ˜ 3, but further increases had limited impact and increasing leff/d ratio resulted in decreased shear strength. From comparative analysis, the models provided by various design standards were found to be safe, with EC-2 and JSCE models being conservative. From considered research models, Campione and Arslan models were conservative, while Kim and White model were observed to be unsafe. Sensitivity analysis indicated ACI318-19, JSCE, CEB-FIP-90 and Arslan models were sensitive to changes in b/d and leff/d ratios. National code models generally captured shear strength characteristics well. Certain models suggested a constant/decreasing b/d effect despite observed shear strength enhancement. Most models indicated improved shear strength with an increasing leff/d ratio, contrary to experimental findings while TS500 and Hwang models aligned with experimental results.

Research limitations/implications

The study's limitations include the dependence on the available database, which may not encompass all possible experimental scenarios. Further research should aim to expand the database and investigate additional parameters that may influence shear strength in RC beams.

Practical implications

The findings of this study have practical implications for the design and analysis of RC beams by suggesting that the width-to-depth and length-to-depth ratios should be carefully considered to optimize shear strength. The identified models can assist engineers in selecting appropriate shear strength prediction models based on specific design scenarios.

Social implications

The study contributes to the advancement of knowledge in the field of reinforced concrete beam design, which has implications for the safety and reliability of structural systems. By understanding the factors influencing shear strength, engineers can design more efficient and robust structures, ensuring the safety of buildings and infrastructure.

Originality/value

This study provides valuable insights into the influence of the width-to-depth and effective length-to-depth ratios on shear strength in reinforced concrete beams. It contributes to the understanding of these factors and their impact on shear strength, addressing the lack of consensus among researchers. The comparative analysis of shear models and the sensitivity analyses add value by identifying the models that align better with experimental observations. The study emphasizes the need for accurate models that account for these factors and highlights the importance of further research to refine and develop improved predictive models.

Details

Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1573-6105

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2024

Andrea Lucherini and Donatella de Silva

Intumescent coatings are nowadays a dominant passive system used to protect structural materials in case of fire. Due to their reactive swelling behaviour, intumescent coatings…

Abstract

Purpose

Intumescent coatings are nowadays a dominant passive system used to protect structural materials in case of fire. Due to their reactive swelling behaviour, intumescent coatings are particularly complex materials to be modelled and predicted, which can be extremely useful especially for performance-based fire safety designs. In addition, many parameters influence their performance, and this challenges the definition and quantification of their material properties. Several approaches and models of various complexities are proposed in the literature, and they are reviewed and analysed in a critical literature review.

Design/methodology/approach

Analytical, finite-difference and finite-element methods for modelling intumescent coatings are compared, followed by the definition and quantification of the main physical, thermal, and optical properties of intumescent coatings: swelled thickness, thermal conductivity and resistance, density, specific heat capacity, and emissivity/absorptivity.

Findings

The study highlights the scarce consideration of key influencing factors on the material properties, and the tendency to simplify the problem into effective thermo-physical properties, such as effective thermal conductivity. As a conclusion, the literature review underlines the lack of homogenisation of modelling approaches and material properties, as well as the need for a universal modelling method that can generally simulate the performance of intumescent coatings, combine the large amount of published experimental data, and reliably produce fire-safe performance-based designs.

Research limitations/implications

Due to their limited applicability, high complexity and little comparability, the presented literature review does not focus on analysing and comparing different multi-component models, constituted of many model-specific input parameters. On the contrary, the presented literature review compares various approaches, models and thermo-physical properties which primarily focusses on solving the heat transfer problem through swelling intumescent systems.

Originality/value

The presented literature review analyses and discusses the various modelling approaches to describe and predict the behaviour of swelling intumescent coatings as fire protection for structural materials. Due to the vast variety of available commercial products and potential testing conditions, these data are rarely compared and combined to achieve an overall understanding on the response of intumescent coatings as fire protection measure. The study highlights the lack of information and homogenisation of various modelling approaches, and it underlines the research needs about several aspects related to the intumescent coating behaviour modelling, also providing some useful suggestions for future studies.

Details

Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-2317

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 May 2023

Abbas Rezaeian, Mona Mansoori and Amin Khajehdezfuly

Top-seat angle connection is known as one of the usual uncomplicated beam-to-column joints used in steel structures. This article investigates the fire performance of welded…

Abstract

Purpose

Top-seat angle connection is known as one of the usual uncomplicated beam-to-column joints used in steel structures. This article investigates the fire performance of welded top-seat angle connections.

Design/methodology/approach

A finite element (FE) model, including nonlinear contact interactions, high-temperature properties of steel, and material and geometric nonlinearities was created for accomplishing the fire performance analysis. The FE model was verified by comparing its simulation results with test data. Using the verified model, 24 steel-framed top-seat angle connection assemblies are modeled. Parametric studies were performed employing the verified FE model to study the influence of critical factors on the performance of steel beams and their welded angle joints.

Findings

The results obtained from the parametric studies illustrate that decreasing the gap size and the top angle size and increasing the top angles thickness affect fire behavior of top-seat angle joints and decrease the beam deflection by about 16% at temperatures beyond 570 °C. Also, the fire-resistance rating of the beam with seat angle stiffener increases about 15%, compared to those with and without the web stiffener. The failure of the beam happens when the deflections become more than span/30 at temperatures beyond 576 °C. Results also show that load type, load ratio and axial stiffness levels significantly control the fire performance of the beam with top-seat angle connections in semi-rigid steel frames.

Originality/value

Development of design methodologies for these joints and connected beam in fire conditions is delayed by current building codes due to the lack of adequate understanding of fire behavior of steel beams with welded top-seat angle connections.

Details

Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-2317

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 May 2023

Renato Silva Nicoletti, Tawan Oliveira, Alex Sander Clemente de Souza and Silvana De Nardin

In the analysis of structures in a fire situation by simplified and analytical methods, one assumption is that the fire resistance time is greater than or equal to the required…

Abstract

Purpose

In the analysis of structures in a fire situation by simplified and analytical methods, one assumption is that the fire resistance time is greater than or equal to the required fire resistance time. Among the methodologies involving the fire resistance time, the most used is the tabular method, which associates fire resistance time values to structural elements based on minimum dimensions of the cross section. The tabular method is widely accepted by the technical-scientific community due to the fact that it is safe and practical. However, its main criticism is that it results in lower fire resistance times than advanced thermal and thermostructural analysis methods. The objective of this study was to evaluate the fire resistance time of reinforced concrete beams and compare it with the required fire resistance time recommended by the tabular method of NBR 15200 (ABNT, 2012).

Design/methodology/approach

The fire resistance time and required fire resistance time of reinforced concrete beams were evaluated using, respectively, numerical models developed based on the finite element method and the tabular method of NBR 15200 (ABNT, 2012). The influence of the following parameters was investigated: longitudinal reinforcement cover, characteristic compressive strength of concrete, beam height, longitudinal reinforcement area and arrangement of steel bars.

Findings

Among the evaluated parameters, the covering of the longitudinal reinforcement proved to be more relevant for the fire resistance time, justifying that the tabular method of NBR 15200 (ABNT, 2012) being strongly and directly influenced by this parameter. In turn, more resistant concretes, higher beams and higher steel grades have lower fire resistance time values. This is because beams in these conditions have greater resistance capacity at room temperature and, consequently, are subject to external stresses of greater magnitude. In some cases, the fire resistance time was even lower than the required fire resistance time prescribed by NBR 15200 (ABNT, 2012). Both the fire resistance time and the required fire resistance time were not influenced by the arrangement of the longitudinal reinforcements.

Originality/value

The present paper innovates by demonstrating the influence of other important design variables on the required fire resistance time of the NBR 15200 (ABNT, 2012). Among several conclusions, it was found that the load level to which the structural elements are subjected considerably affects their fire resistance time. For this reason, it was recommended that the methods for calculating the required fire resistance time consider the load level. In addition, the article quantifies the security degree of the tabular method and exposes some situations for which the tabular method proved to be unsafe. Moreover, in all the models analyzed, the relationship between the span and the vertical deflection associated with the failure of the beams in a fire situation was determined. With this, a span over average deflection relationship was presented in which beams in fire situations fail.

Details

Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-2317

Keywords

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