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Fatigue crack growth models based on elastic‐plastic stress‐strain histories at the crack tip region and strain‐life damage models have been proposed. The UniGrow model fits this particular class of fatigue crack propagation models. The residual stresses developed at the crack tip play a central role in these models, since they are applied to assess the actual crack driving force. This paper aims to assess the performance of the UniGrow model based on available experimental constant amplitude crack propagation data, derived for several metallic materials from representative Portuguese bridges. It also aims to discuss key issues in fatigue crack growth prediction, using the UniGrow model, in particular the residual stress computation and the suitability of fatigue damage rules.

The UniGrow model is assessed using data derived by the authors for materials from Portuguese riveted metallic bridges. Strain‐life data, from fatigue tests on smooth specimens, are used to propose a convenient fatigue damage model. Predicted crack growth rates are compared with experimental crack propagation data obtained by authors using fatigue tests on compact tension specimens. Since the UniGrow model is a residual stress‐based propagation model, elastoplastic finite element analysis is proposed for comparison with the analytical approach implemented in the original UniGrow model.

The use of the Smith‐Watson‐Topper damage parameter overestimates the stress R‐ratio effects on crack propagation rates, mainly if the material shows crack propagation rates with small to moderate sensitivity to stress R‐ratio, which is the case of the materials under investigation in this paper. Alternatively, the application of the Coffin‐Manson damage law leads to consistent fatigue crack growth predictions for the investigated range of positive stress R‐ratios. The stress R‐ratios effects may be solely attributed to the residual stresses. Their estimation, using an analytical approach, may lead to inconsistent results, which is demonstrated by an alternative elastoplastic finite element analysis.

Contributions for more accurate predictions of fatigue crack propagation rates, for several stress ratios, using a strain‐based approach is proposed. This approach is valuable since it may be used to reduce the time consuming and costly fatigue crack propagation tests. Furthermore, the proposed approach shows potential for an unified crack initiation and propagation approach.

The purpose of this paper is to deal with the springback problems of channel cross-section bars of linear and non-linear work-hardening materials under torsional loading. Using the deformation theory of plasticity, a numerical scheme based on the finite difference approximation has been proposed. The growth of the elastic-plastic boundary and the resulting stresses while loading, and the springback and the residual stresses after unloading are calculated.

The numerical method which has been described in this paper for obtaining the solution of elasto-plastic solution can also be used for other sections. The only care that needs to be taken is to decrease the mesh size near points of stress concentration. The advantage of this technique is that it automatically takes care of all plastic zones developing over the section at different loads and gives a solution satisfying the elastic and plastic torsion equations in their respective regions.

As expected, elastic recovery is found to be more with decreasing values of n and λ. The difference in springback becomes more and more with increasing values of angle of twist. The material will approach an elastic ideally plastic behavior with increasing values of λ and n.

It seems that no attempt has been made to study residual stresses in elasto-plastic torsion of a work-hardening material for a channel cross-section.

Recently, a new class of fatigue crack growth models based on elastoplastic stress‐strain histories at the crack tip region and strain‐life fatigue damage models have been proposed. The fatigue crack propagation is understood as a process of continuous crack initializations, over elementary material blocks, which may be governed by strain‐life data of the plain material. The residual stresses developed at the crack tip play a central role in these models, since they are used to assess the actual crack driving force, taking into account mean stresses and loading sequential effects. The UniGrow model fits this particular class of fatigue crack propagation models. The purpose of this paper is to propose an extension of the UniGrow model to derive probabilistic fatigue crack propagation data, in particular the derivation of the P–da/dN–ΔK–R fields.

An existing deterministic fatigue crack propagation model, based on local strain‐life data is first assessed. In particular, an alternative methodology for residual stress computation is proposed, based on elastoplastic finite element analysis, in order to overcome inconsistencies found in the analytical approximate approaches often used in literature. Then, using probabilistic strain‐life fields, a probabilistic output for the fatigue crack propagation growth rates is generated. A new probabilistic fatigue field is also proposed to take mean stress effects into account, using the Smith‐Watson‐Topper (SWT) damage parameter. The proposed models are assessed using experimental data available for two materials representative from old Portuguese bridges.

A new method to generate probabilistic fatigue crack propagation rates (P–da/dN–ΔK–R fields) is proposed and verified using puddle iron from old Portuguese bridges, usually characterized by significant scatter in fatigue properties. Also, a new probabilistic fatigue field for plain material is proposed to deal with mean stress effects.

A relation between the P–ε–N and the P–da/dN–ΔK–R fields is firstly proposed in this research. Furthermore, a new P–SWT–N field is proposed to deal with mean stress effects.

The purpose of this paper is to develop the method for the calculation of residual stress and enduring deformation of helical springs.

For helical compression or tension springs, a spring wire is twisted. In the first case, the torsion of the straight bar with the circular cross-section is investigated, and, for derivations, the StVenant’s hypothesis is presumed. Analogously, for the torsion helical springs, the wire is in the state of flexure. In the second case, the bending of the straight bar with the rectangular cross-section is studied and the method is based on Bernoulli’s hypothesis.

For both cases (compression/tension of torsion helical spring), the closed-form solutions are based on the hyperbolic and on the Ramberg–Osgood material laws.

The method is based on the deformational formulation of plasticity theory and common kinematic hypotheses.

The advantage of the discovered closed-form solutions is their applicability for the calculation of spring length or spring twist angle loss and residual stresses on the wire after the pre-setting process without the necessity of complicated finite-element solutions.

The formulas are intended for practical evaluation of necessary parameters for optimal pre-setting processes of compression and torsion helical springs.

Because of the discovery of closed-form solutions and analytical formulas for the pre-setting process, the numerical analysis is not necessary. The analytical solution facilitates the proper evaluation of the plastic flow in torsion, compression and bending springs and improves the manufacturing of industrial components.

The purpose of this paper is to perform a theoretical analysis of delamination fracture behaviour of the Crack Lap Shear layered beam configuration taking into account the material non-linearity. A delamination crack located arbitrarily along the beam height was considered in this study.

The beam mechanical behaviour was described by using the Ramberg-Osgood stress-strain relation. Fracture was analysed by applying the J-integral approach. Besides by using symmetric Ramberg-Osgood stress-strain curve, fracture was investigated also by Ramberg-Osgood stress-strain curve that is not symmetric with respect to tension and compression. The J-integral solutions were verified by performing elastic-plastic analyses of the strain energy release rate.

The effects of crack location and material properties on the non-linear fracture behaviour were evaluated. It was found that the material non-linearity leads to increase of the J-integral values. Therefore, the material non-linearity has to be taken into account in fracture mechanics based safety design of structural members composed by layered materials. The analytical solutions derived are very useful for parametric investigations of delamination fracture with considering the material non-linearity. The results obtained can be applied for optimisation of the beam structure with respect to fracture performance.

The present study contributes for the understanding of delamination fracture in layered beams that exhibit non-linear material behaviour.

This study aims to propose a semiempirical and semitheoretical cyclic compaction constitutive model of coarse-grained soil filler for the high-speed railway (HSR) subgrade under cyclic load.

According to the basic framework of critical state soil mechanics and in view of the characteristics of the coarse-grained soil filler for the HSR subgrade to bear the train vibration load repeatedly for a long time, the hyperbolic empirical relationship between particle breakage and plastic work was derived. Considering the influence of cyclic vibration time and stress ratio, the particle breakage correction function of coarse-grained soil filler for the HSR subgrade under cyclic load was proposed. According to the classical theory of plastic mechanics, the shearing dilatation equation of the coarse-grained soil filler for the HSR subgrade considering particle breakage was modified and obtained. A semiempirical and semitheoretical cyclic compaction constitutive model of coarse-grained soil filler for the HSR subgrade under cyclic load was further established. The backward Euler method was used to discretize the constitutive equation, build a numerical algorithm of “elastic prediction and plastic modification” and make a secondary development of the program to solve the cyclic compaction model.

Through the comparison with the result of laboratory triaxial test under the cyclic loading of coarse-grained soil filler for the HSR subgrade, the accuracy and applicability of the cyclic compaction model were verified. Results show that the model can accurately predict the cumulative deformation characteristics of coarse-grained soil filler for the HSR subgrade under the train vibration loading repeatedly for a long time. It considers the effects of particle breakage and stress ratio, which can be used to calculate and analyze the stress and deformation evolution law of the subgrade structure for HSR.

The research can provide a simple and practical method for calculating deformation of railway under cyclic loading.

The purpose of this paper is to develop an analysis of longitudinal fracture behaviour of a functionally graded non-linear-elastic circular shaft loaded in torsion. It is assumed that the material is functionally graded in both radial and longitudinal directions of the shaft (i.e. the material is bi-directional functionally graded).

The Ramberg–Osgood stress-strain relation is used to describe the non-linear mechanical behaviour of the functionally graded material. The fracture is studied in terms of the strain energy release rate by analysing the balance of the energy. The strain energy release rate is obtained also by differentiating of the complementary strain energy with respect to the crack area for verification.

Parametric studies are carried out in order to evaluate the influence of material gradients in radial and longitudinal directions, the crack location in radial direction and the crack length on the fracture behaviour of the shaft. It is found that by using appropriate gradients in radial and longitudinal directions, one can tailor the variations of material properties in order to improve the fracture performance of the non-linear-elastic circular shafts to the externally applied torsion moments.

A longitudinal cylindrical crack in a bi-directional functionally graded non-linear-elastic circular shaft loaded in torsion is analysed by using the Ramberg–Osgood stress-strain relation.

The stress analysis of structures subjected to cyclic loading requires stress—strain relations simple enough to be usable efficiently in computer program and yet adequate to describe the essential features of the plastic behaviour of the material reasonably well. The constitutive equation for cyclic plasticity incorporating the motion of the centre of the loading surface is proposed. Using the modified plastic work, the dependency of the loading history of materials is taken into account. The Ramberg—Osgood law which is applied to each stress—strain loop from the current centre of the loading surface plays an important role. This computer simulation for stress—strain relation of cyclic loading is justified from the point of view of several kinds of experiments on type 304 austenitic stainless steel.

The use of cold-formed steel members has increased significantly in the past few years; however, its design is only briefly addressed in the current design codes, such as the EN 1993-1-3. To evaluate the compressive behavior of single and built-up cold-formed steel members, at ambient and simulated fire conditions with restrained thermal elongation, experimental and numerical tests were undertaken.

Four cross-section shapes were tested, namely, one single (lipped channel), one open built-up (I) and two closed built-up (R and 2R), considering two end support conditions, pinned and fixed. Two test set-ups were specifically developed for these tests. Based on the experimental results finite element models were developed and calibrated to allow future parametric studies.

This paper showed that increasing the level of restraint to thermal elongation and the initially applied load led to lower critical temperatures. Increasing the level of restraint to thermal elongation, the failure is governed by the generated axial restraining forces, whereas for lower levels of restraint to thermal elongation, the failure is controlled by the temperature increasing.

This paper is a contribution to the knowledge on the behavior of cold-formed steel columns subjected to fire, especially on the ones with a built-up cross-section, where results on thermal restrained ones are still scarce. It presented a set of experimental and numerical results useful for the development of numerical and analytical analysis concerning the development of new simplified calculation methods.

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.