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As far as steel‐rod structures are concerned the yield‐hinge theory is a very efficient approach of the ultimate‐load theory. Unfortunately, most of the published strategies suffer from considerable deficiencies which depend on two main reasons: first, the yield condition is not approximated very well, and, second, a flow rule is not incorporated at all. This may significantly affect the calculated load‐carrying behaviour and as a consequence the elasto‐plastic failure prediction. In the present paper a consistent formulation of a refined numerical method based on the yield‐hinge theory is consistently developed from the theory of plasticity. The derivation is carried out in the framework of a geometrically nonlinear Timoshenko beam theory discretized for the displacement based finite element method. The plastic deformations can be interpreted as three‐dimensional eccentric yield‐hinges (generalized yield‐hinges). The presented numerical xamples show the efficiency of the proposed method.

In order to reduce the impact of bridge construction on traffic under the bridge, the construction of bridges for some important traffic nodes usually adopts the swivel construction method. The spherical hinge is a rotating mechanism located between the bottom of the pier and the bridge cap, and is subjected to tremendous vertical pressure. According to the mechanical characteristics of the spherical hinges, this paper applies the ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) material to the spherical hinge. The spherical hinge is subjected to a compression test to test its mechanical behavior. This paper aims to discuss this issue.

In order to test the mechanical behavior of the UHPC spherical hinge, multiple sets of 100 mm UHPC spherical hinge specimens were prefabricated. Through the universal testing machine to measure the compressive strength of specimens, draw the force-displacement curve to analyze the failure mechanism and establish the stress calculation formula of the spherical hinge at each point along the radial direction.

Through the test, the compressive strength of UHPC spherical hinge is obtained, and the influencing factors of UHPC spherical hinge strength are found: reducing water–cement ratio, increasing steel fiber content and length and changing steel fiber arrangement direction can effectively improve the compression strength of UHPC spherical hinge.

For the first time, UHPC materials were applied to the spherical hinge structure, the UHPC spherical hinge diameter is 1/3 of the diameter of the reinforced concrete spherical hinge, which is equivalent to the diameter of the steel spherical hinge. By applying the UHPC spherical hinge, the manufacturing cost is reduced, the process is simple, and the construction difficulty is reduced.

Swivel construction is a new bridge construction method, which can minimize the impact on railway and highway traffic. Previous studies were based on single factor and static analysis, which cannot reflect the real state of structures. The purpose of this paper is to establish a dynamic model of the structure and to analyze the situation under multi-variable coupling effects to accurately simulate the real state of the structure.

Finite element software ANSYS was used to establish dynamic model of turntable structure and then to analyze the effects of multiple factors on total stress, friction stress and slipping distance of the turntable structure.

It is concluded that the unbalanced weight and radius of spherical hinges have great influence on the turntable structure, so the design should be strictly considered. Friction stress and angular acceleration have little effect on the turntable structure.

This paper provides simulation of the whole process of swivel construction method. Whereas previous studies focused on static analysis, this paper focuses on the dynamic analysis of swivel construction method. The mechanics of the swivel structure under multiple factors was analyzed. According to the analysis results, the design parameters of the turntable structure are optimized.

THE continual development of helicopter rotor systems has so far resulted in the use of about six main types, and it will be of value briefly to recapitulate their advantages and disadvantages in order to obtain a balanced picture against which the stiff‐hinged rotor can be judged.

As a first example of the application of the cut‐out procedure to fuselage problems and the selection of appropriate cut systems, the elimination of a complete ring is discussed in detail. ‘Minimal’, ‘maximal’ and ‘dismembering’ techniques are all applied to singly and doubly connected rings, and attention is drawn to some inadmissible and critical combinations of cuts in order to guide the most effective choice. The second fuselage example treats similarly the removal of a portion only of the ring.

ONE of the most troublesome problems associated with the development of rotary‐wing systems in which flapping hinges are utilized to compensate for the aero‐dynamic dissymmetry of forward flight has been the rotational oscillation of the blades. To accommodate the horizontal plane dissymmetry (Fig. 4, Ref. 42) due to flapping, vertical “drag hinges” are usually provided, but an alternating bending moment is produced at the blade root due partly to the displacement of the blade about its drag hinge being out of phase with the displacing moment and partly to the necessity for some form of restraint to prevent instability of the oscillating motion of the blade about this hinge.

It is shown that a reduction of the bending moments in a helicopter rotor blade may be achieved by replacing an elastic beam‐type flapping hinge by a stack of leaf‐springs having the same overall bending stiffness but no shear stiffness. This reduction becomes more pronounced when the tensile load on the flapping hinge is increased.

This research study focuses on investigating the seismic performance of non-straight beams in steel structures and exploring the mechanism by which plastic hinges are formed within these beams. The findings contribute to the understanding of their behaviour under seismic loads and offer insights into their potential for enhancing the lateral resistance of the structure. The abstract of the study highlights the significance of corners in structural plans, where non-coaxial columns, diagonal elements or beams deviating from a straight path are commonly observed. Typically, these non-straight beams are connected to the columns using pinned connections, despite their unknown seismic behaviour. Recognizing the importance of generating plastic hinges in special moment resisting frames and the lack of previous research on the involvement of these non-straight beams, this study aims to address this knowledge gap.

This study examines the seismic behaviour and plastic hinge formation of non-straight beams in steel structures. Non-straight beams are beams that connect non-coaxial columns and diagonal elements, or deviate from a linear path. They are usually pinned to the columns, and their seismic contribution is unknown. A critical case with a 12-m non-straight beam is analysed using Abaqus software. Different models are created with varying cross-section shapes and connection types between the non-straight beams. The models are subjected to lateral monotonic and cyclic loads in one direction. The results show that non-straight beams increase the lateral stiffness, strength and energy dissipation of the models compared to disconnected beams that act as two cantilevers.

The analysis results reveal several key findings. The inclusion of non-straight beams in the models leads to increased lateral stiffness, strength and energy dissipation compared to the scenario where the beams are disconnected and act as two cantilever beams. Plastic hinges are formed at both ends of the non-straight beam when a 3% drift is reached, contributing to energy damping and introducing plasticity into the structure. These results strongly suggest that non-straight beams play a significant role in enhancing the lateral resistance of the system. Based on the seismic analysis results, this study recommends the utilization of non-straight beams in special moment frames due to the formation of plastic hinges within these beams and their effective participation in resisting lateral seismic loads. This research fills a critical gap in understanding the behaviour of non-straight beams and provides valuable insights for structural engineers involved in the design and analysis of steel structures.

The authors believe that this research will greatly contribute to the knowledge and understanding of the seismic performance of non-straight beams in steel structures.

Nonlinear dynamic analyses are employed for seismic collapse risk evaluation of existing steel moment frame buildings. The standards, such as ASCE 41-17, often define collapse thresholds based on plastic deformations; however, the collapse process involves several factors, and plastic deformation is only one of them. An energy-based approach employs deformation and resistance responses simultaneously, so it can consider various factors such as excessive deformation, stiffness and resistance degradation, and low-cycle fatigue as cumulative damage for seismic assessment. In this paper, an efficient energy-based methodology is proposed to estimate the collapse threshold responses of steel moment frame buildings.

This methodology uses a new criterion based on the energy balance concept and computes the structural responses for different seismic hazard levels. Meanwhile, a pre-processing phase is introduced to find the records that lead to the collapse of buildings. Furthermore, the proposed methodology can detect failure-prone hinges with a straightforward probability-based definition.

The findings show that the proposed methodology can estimate reasonably accurate responses against the results of the past experiment on the collapse threshold. Based on past studies, ASCE 41-17 results differ from experimental results and are even overly conservative in some cases. The authors believe that the proposed methodology can improve it. In addition, the failure-prone hinges detected by the proposed methodology are similar to the predicted collapse mechanism of three mid-rise steel moment frame buildings.

In the proposed methodology, new definitions based on energy and probability are employed to find out the structural collapse threshold and failure-prone hinges. Also, comparing the proposed methodology results against the experimental outcomes shows that this methodology efficiently predicts the collapse threshold responses.

An elastoplastic hinge model for transient beam response analysis has been developed. A variety of monotonic curves as well as hystereutic cycles can be constructed. Special models for unstable cycles of constitutive relationships are offered by this model. Practical cases such as impact of a hollow section or cracking of a reinforced concrete beam can be handled. The application to the analysis of the impact of a rectangular hollow section is shown. Good performance is obtained and comparison is made with the use of an explicit impact code.