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In recent times, the use of steel sections with web openings has become common as slim floor beams because they offer a reduction in weight of the steelwork, accommodate services within the floor depth and provide the composite action. The composite action in these beams is achieved either through the concrete dowels or through concrete plugs. Though these web openings offer several benefits in slim floor beams, they induce the material discontinuity in the steel web, which may affect their shear capacity and/or thermal behaviour. The purpose of this study is to investigate the thermal behaviour of slim floor beams with web openings in fire.

This research presents findings from experimental and analytical investigations conducted to study the thermal behaviour of slim floor beams with web openings in fire. For this purpose, an experimental investigation was conducted, which shows that the presence of web openings has a major influence on temperature development across the steel section as well as along the span of these beams. The behaviour of the tested slim floor beam is validated using finite element modelling. The validated finite element model is then used to conduct a sensitivity study to analyse the influence of different opening spacings, sizes and shapes on the thermal performance of slim floor beams in fire.

Test results show that the presence of web openings has a major influence on temperature development across the steel section as well as along the span of these beams. Temperatures on the web below the openings are found to be higher as compared to those recorded on the adjacent solid steel web. It is also observed that temperatures on the steel web above the openings are lesser than those on the adjacent solid steel web. Parametric studies conducted using the verified analytical modelling methods show that different opening spacings, sizes and shapes have a variable impact on the thermal behaviour of slim floor beams in fire. Closely spaced and larger opening sizes were found to have a more severe influence on their thermal behaviour in fire as compared to widely spaced and smaller openings. It was also found that the behaviour of these beams is influenced by the shape of the openings with rectangular openings resulting in more severe thermal distributions as compared to circular openings.

The findings from this research study are highly valuable as they contribute to the existing knowledge database. There is a lack of experimental and analytical investigation on performance of slim floor beams with web openings at elevated temperatures. The results and conclusions from this study will help in developing innovative designs for slim floor beams and will help in reducing the fire related risk associated with structures comprising of slim floor beams with web openings.

Due to economic development, tapered members are commonly applied in steel frames, namely, industrial halls, warehouses, exhibition centres, etc. In the design of cantilever steel beam structures in cities building design, tapering is introduced at the web profile to achieve utmost economy and suit the bending moment distributions. The cross-sectional shape of the beam is varied linearly to the moment gradient to achieve the target of higher efficiency with lower cost.

The shear deformation pattern and efficiency of the tapered steel section with perforation were investigated using finite element analysis. In addition, I-beam with web opening is studied numerically via LUSAS software for different parameters of tapering ratio, perforation shape and perforation size and perforation layout.

The highest contributing parameters for the highest shear buckling capacity and efficiency of the section were due to the small opening size and tapering ratio. Whilst the variation of perforation layout and spacing give a major effect on the shear strength and efficiency of the tapered steel section with perforation. Besides that, the highest efficiency model is found when the section is designed with 0.4 D diamond perforation in Layout 3 under a tapering ratio of 0.3. The critical shear buckling load and efficiency is reduced 14.39% and 13.91%, respectively, when perforations are added onto the tapered steel sections.

The tapered steel section with perforation has lower critical shear buckling load and efficiency compared to the tapered section without perforation but obtains a higher critical shear buckling load and efficiency compared to the uniform section without perforation.

Due to the enormous increase in economic development, structural steel material gives an advantage for the construction of stadiums, factories, bridges and cities building design. The purpose of this study is to investigate the behaviour of bending, buckling and torsion for I-beam steel section with and without web opening using non-linear finite element analysis.

The control model was simulated via LUSAS software with the four main parameters which included opening size, layout, shape and orientation. The analysis used a constant beam span which is 3.5 m while the edge distance from the centre of the opening to the edge of the beam is kept constant at 250 mm at each end.

The analysis results show that the optimum opening size obtained is 0.65 D while optimum layout of opening is Layout 1 with nine web openings. Under bending behaviour, steel section with octagon shapes of web opening shows the highest yield load, yield moment and thus highest structural efficiency as compared to other shapes of openings. Besides, square shape of web opening has the highest structural efficiency under buckling behaviour. The lower buckling load and buckling moment contribute to the higher structural efficiency.

Further, the square web opening with counter clockwise has the highest structural efficiency under torsion behaviour.

Tapered steel sections are widely used in house building design due to their structural efficiency and aesthetic appearance. Due to the practical usage of web tapering specifications in the metal building industry, fabrication and material expenses are analyzed to achieve geometric and economic productivity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of utilizing web profiles with openings in reducing the weight of steel beams.

In this paper, the nonlinear analysis of the bending behavior of a tapered steel section with an opening was studied by finite element analysis. The results were then compared with those of the tapered steel section without an opening in terms of displacement and yield moment.

The bending capacity of a tapered steel section was analyzed using finite element analysis. Results showed that the tapered steel section without openings had a higher bending capacity compared to the section with various sizes of web openings. The results also showed that decreasing the number of openings would increase the bending capacity, whereas increasing the size of the opening would decrease it. The difference in the yield moment between the tapered steel section with and without openings was only 15.818%. A total of 60 nonlinear analyses were conducted to investigate the effect of the number and size of web openings, flange thickness and web thickness on the bending behavior. However, this study showed that web opening with octagon shape and 0.6D size of web opening, where D is the depth of section, showed the best section in terms of yield moment and volume reduction compared to other opening size and shape.

It is also found that tapered steel section has better moment resistance in thicker flange and web. The study is valuable for engineers and designers who work with steel structures and need to optimize the performance of tapered steel sections with web openings.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a solution procedure to minimize/eliminate voiding and spattering defects in the assembly of 0201 chip components with micro via‐in pads and 95 wt.%Sn‐5 wt.%Sb solder alloy.

In total, four different micro via‐in pad designs were compared (via‐hole opening size): ultra small via‐in pads (d: 10 μm), small via‐in pads (d: 20 μm), and large via‐in pads (d: 60 μm), as well as designs with no via‐in pads and capped via‐in pads. Two process variables were also evaluated for the goal of achieving a high‐yield assembly solution in micro via‐in pad and lead‐free solder systems. Potential factors, such as the preheat conditions of the reflow profile and stencil aperture size, which might affect voiding and spattering in solder joints with micro via‐in pad, were investigated. Solder voiding frequency and size were also determined from X‐ray inspection and sample cross‐section analysis.

The results indicated that larger via‐holes were seen to create bigger voiding than smaller via‐holes. For smaller via‐holes, spattering is a greater problem than voiding in solder joints. Ultra small via‐in pads generated higher spattering compared to no via‐in pads and capped via‐in pads. Capped via‐in pads exhibited the best results in preventing voiding and flux spattering, and provided a wide process window for the selection of process parameters. It is also indicated that spattering was found to rapidly reduced with both increasing stencil opening size and use of reflow profile with long‐preheat conditions.

The findings provide certain process guidelines for surface‐mount assembly with via‐in pad substrate design. The strategy is to prevent voiding and spattering by adopting capped via‐in pads, if possible, when applying micro via with the 95 wt.%Sn‐5 wt.%Sb solder alloy system.

High head gates are commonly used in hydropower plants for flow regulation and emergence closure. Hydrodynamic downpull can be a critical parameter in design of the lifting mechanism. The purpose of this paper is to show that a simplified two-dimensional (2D) computational fluid dynamics solution can be used in the prediction of the downpull force on the gate lip by comparison of computed results to experimentally measured data.

In this study, ANSYS FLUENT CFD software was used to obtain 2D numerical solution for the flow field around a generic gate model located in a power intake structure which was previously used in an experimental study. Description of the flow domain, computational grid resolution, requirements on setting appropriate boundary conditions and methodology in describing downpull coefficient are discussed. Total number of 245 simulations for variable gate lip geometry and gate openings were run. The downpull coefficient evaluated from the computed pressure field as function of gate opening and lip angle are compared with the experimental results.

The computed downpull coefficient agrees well with the previous experimental results, except one gate with small lip angle where a separation bubble forms along the lip, which is responsible from this deviation. It is observed that three-dimensional (3D) effects are confined to the large gate openings where downpull is minimum or even reversed.

In large gate openings, three dimensionality of the flow around gate slots plays an important role and departure from 2D solutions become more pronounced. In that case, one might need to perform a 3D solution instead.

This paper presents a very fast and accurate way to predict downpull force on high head gates in the absence of experimental data.

An extensive amount of simulations are run within the scope of this study. It is shown that knowing its limitations, 2D numerical models can be used to calculate downpull for a wide range of gate openings without the need of expensive experimental models.

TEN years ago most aeroplanes, certainly nearly all those of the R.A.F., had open cockpits and pilot's view was not the problem it is to‐day. Occasionally a pilot would be heard to murmur that “in a so‐and‐so you couldn't see a thing straight ahead when you were on the ground,” but apart from a few such complaints very few were made about the view once the aeroplane had got into the air or when it was flying in bad weather. The pilot might complain if he had to move his head out of the shelter of the front screen when travelling at, say, 70 m.p.h., but he could at all events do this when wearing goggles and thus safely approach the aerodrome and land.

The paper aims to compare traditional and contemporary architecture in terms of their environmental performance. It will demonstrate that the traditional constructions create much more stable and comfortable environments than the contemporary ones.

The case study used for the analysis is the medieval settlement of Kastro in the Island of Siphnos in Greece. Five representative houses were examined; three traditional and two contemporary. They were measured and monitored for five days in terms of temperature, air movement, illuminance, and surface temperatures; however, this paper will focus on the temperature results.

The research showed that traditional houses are primarily environmental shelters, as opposed to the contemporary constructions, which failed to provide such an optimum microclimate. The contemporary need for more spacious residences with wider openings, large facades and views to the outside cannot co‐exist with the microclimate created by the heavy mass, compact, with small openings traditional dwellings.

The paper does not suggest that architects should recreate former techniques and morphology, but argues that in the quest for the sustainable building, traditional architecture can offer valuable information.

Traditional climate responsive constructions are proving to be sustainable throughout the centuries, since even today with the new technology and knowledge they perform better than the contemporary constructions.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of an embedded crack finite element (FE) model for reinforced concrete (RC) structures, including a bond‐slip methodology to take into consideration the steel contribution in the rupture process, capable of capturing the global behavior of the structure as well as details of cracking phenomenon.

The reinforcement contribution is added in the equilibrium at element level in an embedded crack FE model, based on displacement localization lines inside the elements.

The model is able to determine the steel stress in the crack besides the volumetric average steel stress. It is shown that the steel stress in the crack can be considerable greater than the average value. Other important aspect detected is the contribution of the concrete softening in the steel stress in the crack and in the overall behavior. The number, the distribution and the opening of cracks can be estimated too.

The yield of the steel in the cracking process can be detected more precisely by this methodology, allowing a better design and understanding of RC structures. In addition, the knowledge of crack openings is an important information to predict corrosion and other degradation phenomena of the reinforcement bars.

The bond‐slip procedure is linked with the embedded crack model in an original way: sliding gives the crack width. Moreover, the inclusion of steel forces in the crack equilibrium balance was not a usual procedure and permits an understanding of reinforcement effect in both levels (macro and micro) studied in this work.

Despite worldwide climate change and the problems caused by using fossil fuels, energy consumption in the world keeps rising every year. The areas with extremely cold or scorching climates are large, and significant amounts of energy are getting used in these areas for heating, cooling, and ventilation. The general purpose of this study is to investigate the possible relationship between the climatic characteristics of the Esfahak, a village located in the hot desert region of Iran, and the physical characteristics of its built environment.

The method of this research is qualitative and somewhat descriptive-analytical. In this regard, the architectural features of Esfahak village are compared with the principles mentioned in the Mahoney tables to determine the degree of compliance of the architecture of this village with the climatic condition.

The results show that design principles have been used in all indicators discussed in the Mahoney tables. By applying these principles, not only did the acute weather conditions not prevent the initial settlement in the village location, they have not caused inhabitants to leave the site over time as well.

The impacts of bioclimatic design strategies on thermal comfort in hot desert regions are seldom studied. This research provides evidence-based and informed design recommendations that can help building designers and city authorities integrate bioclimatic design strategies at the earliest conceptual design phases in hot desert climates.