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The effect of bolt stripping failure on the ductility of steel end plate beam-column connections has received relatively little investigation to date. The objective with the present work is to establish a validated numerical model of end plate connections at elevated temperatures, which predicts the mechanical behaviour and failure modes observed in the experimental tests including the bolt stripping failure. Furthermore, the validated FE model was used to investigate the effect of stripping failure on both the rotational and load-bearing capacity of end plate connection.

The analysis was conducted on a validated numerical model of end plate connections at elevated temperatures, which predicts the mechanical behaviour and failure modes observed in the experimental tests including the bolt stripping failure. The material was modelled considering ductile damage initiation and evolution featured in ABAQUS/Standard.

This study demonstrates that thick end plates can prevent stripping failure which significantly improves the rotational capacity of the connection. This failure mode can develop readily with thin end plates; however the effect is often unrealistically mitigated through idealised experimental tests. The rotational capacity of a connection can be 5.0 times higher if stripping failure is avoided, particularly at elevated temperatures. Eurocode 3 part 1.8 does not consider the possibility of stripping failure when discussing the requirements for plastic analysis. It is concluded in the present study that by allowing for the possibility of bolt stripping, the mode of failure can often shift from end plate failure to bolt stripping, this in turn significantly reduces the connection rotational capacity.

The effect of bolt stripping failure on the ductility of steel end plate beam-column connections has received relatively little investigation to date.

This paper aims to propose a classification method for steel strip surface defects based on a mixed attention mechanism to achieve fast and accurate classification performance. The traditional method of classifying surface defects of hot-rolled steel strips has the problems of low recognition accuracy and low efficiency in the industrial complex production environment.

The authors selected min–max scaling comparison method to filter the training results of multiple network models on the steel strip surface defect data set. Then, the best comprehensive performance model EfficientNet-B0 was refined. Based on this, the authors proposed two mixed attention addition methods, which include squeeze-excitation spatial mixed module and multilayer mixed attention mechanism (MMAM) module, respectively.

With these two methods, the authors achieved 96.72% and 97.70% recognition accuracy on the steel strip data set after data augmentation for adapting to the complex production environment, respectively. Using the transfer learning method, the EfficientNet-B0 based on MMAM obtained 100% recognition accuracy.

This study not only focuses on improving the recognition accuracy of the network model itself but also considers other performance indicators of the network, which are rarely considered by many researchers. The authors further improve the intelligent production technique and address this issue. Both methods proposed in this paper can be applied to embedded equipment, which can effectively improve steel strip factory production efficiency and reduce material and time loss.

This paper aims to estimate the bearing capacity of a surface strip and circular footings lying on layered sand using numerical limit analysis.

Lower and upper bound limit analysis, as well as finite elements and second-order conic programming (SOCP), are used in this analysis. The yield criterion of Mohr-Coulomb is used to model soil behavior. Using this technique, stringent lower and upper bounds on ultimate bearing capacity can be achieved by assuming an associated flow law.

The obtained results indicate that the exact collapse load is typically being bracketed to within 6% about a mean of both the bounds. The obtained results are compared with the existing literature wherever applicable.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study has used lower and upper bound limit analysis, as well as finite elements and SOCP, to estimate the bearing capacity of a surface strip and circular footings lying on layered sand.

Damage to reinforced concrete (RC) structural elements is inevitable. Such damage can be the result of several factors, including aggressive environmental conditions, overloading, inadequate design, poor work execution, fire, storm, earthquakes etc. Therefore, repairing and strengthening is one way to improve damaged structures, so that they can be reutilized. In this research, the use of an ultra high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) layer is proposed as a strengthening material to rehabilitate damaged-RC beams. Different strengthening schemes pertaining to the structural performance of the retrofitted RC beams due to the flexural load were investigated.

A total of 13 normal RC beams were prepared. All the beams were subjected to a four-point flexural test. One beam was selected as the control beam and tested to failure, whereas the remaining beams were tested under a load of up to 50% of the ultimate load capacity of the control beam. The damaged beams were then strengthened using a UHPFRC layer with two different schemes; strip-shape and U-shape schemes, before all the beams were tested to failure.

Based on the test results, the control beam and all strengthened beams failed in the flexural mode. Compared to the control beam, the damaged-RC beams strengthened using the strip-shape scheme provided an increase in the ultimate load capacity ranging from 14.50% to 43.48% (or an increase of 1.1450 to 1.4348 times), whereas for the U-shape scheme beams ranged from 48.70% to 149.37% (or an increase of 1.4870–2.4937 times). The U-shape scheme was more effective in rehabilitating the damaged-RC beams. The UHPFRC mixtures are workable, as well easy to place and cast into the formworks. Furthermore, the damaged-RC beams strengthened using strip-shape scheme and U-shape scheme generated ductility factors of greater than 4 and 3, respectively. According to Eurocode8, these values are suitable for seismically active regions. Therefore, the strengthened damaged-RC beams under this study can quite feasibly be used in such regions.

Observations of crack patterns were not accompanied by measurements of crack widths due to the unavailability of a microcrack meter in the laboratory. The cost of the strengthening system application were not evaluated in this study, so the users should consider wisely related to the application of this method on the constructions.

Rehabilitation of the damaged-RC beams exhibited an adequate structural performance, where all strengthened RC beams fail in the flexural mode, as well as having increment in the failure load capacity and ductility. So, the used strengthening system in this study can be applied for the building construction in the seismic regions.

Aside from equipment, application of this strengthening system need also the labours.

The use of sand blasting on the surfaces of the damaged-RC beams, as well as the application of UHPFRC layers of different thicknesses and shapes to strengthen the damaged-RC beams, provides a novel innovation in the strengthening of damaged-RC beams, which can be applicable to either bridge or building constructions.

This paper aims to investigate the experimental behavior and the reliability of concrete columns repaired using fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) under axial compression loading. The expression of the ultimate axial resistance was assessed from the experimental data of damaged concrete cylinders repaired by externally bonded double-FRP spiral strips.

The tested columns bearing capacity mainly depends of the elasticity modulus of both damaged and undamaged concrete have been considered in addition to the applied load and the cylinder diameter as random variables in the expression of the failure criterion. The reliability indicators were assessed using first order second moment method.

The emphasized test results, statistically fitted show that the strength has been retrofitted for all repaired specimens whatever the degree of initial damage. However, the gain in axial strength is inversely proportional to the degree of damage.

The efficiency of a new FRP repair procedure using double-spiral strips was studied. This research provides a technical and economical solution for retrofitting existing concrete columns. Finally, the random character of the variables that govern the studied system shows the accuracy and safety of the proposed original design.

Because the nanocrystalline core is widely used in power electronic equipment, and the excitation waveform of its working mode is complex, the vibration at medium and high frequencies cannot be ignored. Therefore, this study aims to study the vibration mechanism of nanocrystalline strip and the vibration characteristics of nanocrystalline magnetic ring under different excitation waveforms.

First, the electromagnetic vibration mechanism between nanocrystalline strips is analyzed by finite element analysis, and the force of the magnetic ring with and without air gap is compared and analyzed. Then, the vibration of nanocrystalline magnetic ring under different excitation waveforms such as sine wave, triangular wave, symmetric rectangular wave and asymmetric rectangular wave is analyzed by experimental method. The acceleration time domain waveform measured by the experiment is analyzed by fast Fourier transform, and the vibration is analyzed according to the spectrum.

Because of the increase of magnetic flux leakage, the volume force density and the Maxwell force on the surface of the nanocrystalline magnetic ring will increase after the air gap is opened, resulting in the intensification of vibration. Under symmetric/asymmetric rectangular wave excitation, the vibration acceleration varies with the duty cycle. Due to the influence of harmonic excitation, the relationship between the main frequency of vibration and the excitation frequency is not two times, and its multiple decreases with the increase of excitation frequency.

The research and analysis of this paper can promote the application of new magnetic materials in electrical equipment in small and medium-sized and medium- to high-frequency fields.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the process of fused filament fabrication (FFF) of a compliant gripper (CG) using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material. The paper studies the applicability of different CG designs and the efficiency of some design parameters.

After reviewing a number of different papers, two designs were selected for a number of exploratory experiments. Using design of experiments (DOE) techniques to identify important design parameters. Finally, the efficiency of the parts was investigated.

The research finds that a simpler design sacrifices some effectiveness in exchange for a remarkable decrease in production cost. Decreasing infill percentage of previous designs and 3D printing them, out of TPU, experimenting with different parameters yields functional products. Moreover, the paper identified some key parameters for further optimization attempts of such prototypes.

The cost of conducting FFF experiments for TPU increases dramatically with product size, number of parameters studied and the number of experiments. Therefore, all three of these factors had to be kept at a minimum. Further confirmatory experiments encouraged.

This paper addresses an identified need to investigate applications of FFF and TPU in manufacturing functional efficient flexible mechanisms, grippers specifically. While most research focused on designing for increased performance, some research lacks discussion on design philosophy, as well as manufacturing issues. As the needs for flexible grippers vary from high-performance grippers to lower performance grippers created for specific functions/conditions, some effectiveness can be sacrificed to reduce cost, reduce complexity and improve applicability in different robotic assemblies and environments.

This chapter will develop an understanding of what the logical conclusion of having English football clubs primarily existing as businesses: namely, those instances where clubs are treated not as community institutions but as any other business with set assets that can be disposed of at a profit. There is an unfortunate history of clubs being owned based on the value of the assets they possess (such as their stadium or training), a trend that has only seemed to accelerate in recent decades. The various forms asset stripping takes can be explored by examining what happened to clubs like Blackpool FC and Wimbledon FC, as well as many others. This chapter is an exploration of what happens when the entity that fans assume is something more than a business is dismantled for profit, the harshest of reality checks, and a reminder that football clubs in these contexts are little more than business assets.

Under the widely used testing methods for fabric bending behavior, only one result for one direction can be obtained by using one fabric which is low efficient. To obtain fabric bending anisotropy, it is necessary to conduct a great many testing experiments. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a novel, efficient and visual method that can measure fabric bending anisotropy.

Fabrics are first cut into special shapes with eight strips including four directions, 0°(warp direction), 90°(weft direction), 45 and 135°(true bias), then are put onto the self-designed instrument. After that a camera is used to take picture from the right above the prism. New parameters, projection area, projection length, projection length, falling height and falling index (S, L, H and I in short) are obtained. Furthermore, standard deviation of them (SDS, SDL, SDH and SDI in short) are extracted for the characterization of bending anisotropy.

Results show that the new method has good feasibility and S, L and I can be used to express fabric bending property well. Of all the four new parameters, SDL has the highest correlation with SD of bending length, SDS the second and SDH the third. That is, SDL can characterize bending anisotropy best. Taken convenience of data acquisition and correlation into consideration, bending length L is the best parameter. Average L and SDL in four directions can be combined to express the comprehensive bending behavior of fabrics.

The new method can measure and characterize both the fabric bending property and bending anisotropy. Besides its high efficiency, it can display fabric bending or bending anisotropy visually and directly.

The effects of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) reinforcement form, adhesive type and pre-crack width on failure mode, shear capacity, deflection response, CFRP strain response and crack patterns of strengthened specimens were investigated.

This paper presents a geopolymer adhesive that matches the performance requirements of CFRP adhesive, which is applied to pre-cracked beams reinforced with CFRP strips.

For specimens with varying structural properties, two failure modes, the CFRP-concrete interface substrate failure and the fracture failure of CFRP, are observed. Moreover, the shear capacity, ultimate deflection and bending stiffness of the U-shaped CFRP-strengthened beams are enhanced in comparison to the complete-wrapping CFRP-strengthened beams. With an increase in pre-crack width, the increase in shear capacity of RC beams shear-strengthened with CFRP strips is less than that of non-cracked beams, resulting in a limited influence on the stiffness of CFRP-strengthened beams. The comparison of experimental results showed that the proposed finite element model (FEM) effectively evaluated the mechanical characteristics of CFRP-strengthened RC beams.

Taking into consideration the reinforcement effect and the concept of environmental protection, the geopolymer adhesive reinforcement scheme is preferable to applying epoxy resin to the CFRP-strengthened RC beams.