Search results

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.

This study aims to investigate the dual solutions for axisymmetric flow and heat transfer due to a permeable radially shrinking disk in copper oxide (CuO) and silver (Ag) hybrid nanofluids with radiation effect.

The partial differential equations that governed the problem will undergo a transformation into a set of similarity equations. Following this transformation, a numerical solution will be obtained using the boundary value problem solver, bvp4c, built in the MATLAB software. Later, analysis and discussion are conducted to specifically examine how various physical parameters affect both the flow characteristics and the thermal properties of the hybrid nanofluid.

Dual solutions are discovered to occur for the case of shrinking disk (λ < 0). Stronger suction triggers the critical values’ expansion and delays the boundary layer separation. Through stability analysis, it is determined that one of the solutions is stable, whereas the other solution exhibits instability, over time. Moreover, volume fraction upsurge enhances skin friction and heat transfer in hybrid nanofluid. The hybrid nanofluid’s heat transfer also heightened with the influence of radiation.

Flow over a shrinking disk has received limited research focus, in contrast to the extensively studied axisymmetric flow problem over a diverse set of geometries such as flat surfaces, curved surfaces and cylinder. Hence, this study highlights the axisymmetric flow due to a shrinking disk under radiation influence, using hybrid nanofluids containing CuO and Ag. Upon additional analysis, it is evidently shows that only one of the solutions exhibits stability, making it a physically dependable choice in practical applications. The authors are very confident that the findings of this study are novel, with several practical uses of hybrid nanofluids in modern industry.

The objective of this paper is to quantitatively assess shear band evolution by using two-dimensional discrete element method (DEM).

The DEM model was first calibrated by retrospectively modelling existing triaxial tests. A series of DEM analyses was then conducted with the focus on the particle rotation during loading. An approach based on particle rotation was developed to precisely identify the shear band region from the surrounding. In this approach, a threshold rotation angle ω₀ was defined to distinguish the potential particles inside and outside the shear band and an index g(ω₀) was introduced to assess the discrepancy between the rotation response inside and outside shear band. The most distinct shear band region can be determined by the ω₀ corresponding to the peak g(ω₀). By using the proposed approach, the shear band development of two computational cases with different typical localised failure patterns were successfully examined by quantitatively measuring the inclination angle and thickness of shear band, as well as the microscopic quantities.

The results show that the shear band formation is stress-dependent, transiting from conjugated double shear bands to single shear band with confining stress increasing. The shear band evolution of two typical localised failure modes exhibits opposite trends with increasing strain level, both in inclination angle and thickness. Shear band featured a larger volumetric dilatancy and a lower coordination number than the surrounding. The shear band also significantly disturbs the induced anisotropy of soil.

This paper proposed an approach to quantitatively assess shear band evolution based on the result of two-dimensional DEM modelling.