The Effects of the Longitudinal Axis of Loading upon Bending, Shear and Torsion of a Thin-Walled Cantilever Channel Beam

Three aluminium channel sections of US standard extruded dimension are mounted as cantilevers with x-axis symmetry. The flexural bending and shear that arise with applied axial torsion are each considered theoretically and numerically in terms of two longitudinal axes of loading not coincident with the shear centre. In particular, the warping displacements, stiffness and stress distributions are calculated for torsion applied to longitudinal axes passing through the section’s centroid and its web centre. The stress conversions derived from each action are superimposed to reveal a net sectional stress distribution. Therein, the influence of the axis position upon the net axial and shear stress distributions is established compared to previous results for each beam when loading is referred to a flexural axis through the shear centre. Within the net stress analysis is, it is shown how the constraint to free warping presented by the end fixing modifies the axial stress. The latter can be identified with the action of a ‘bimoment’ upon each thin-walled section.

Mechanical Behavior of a Partially Encased Composite Girder with Corrugated Steel Web： Interaction of Shear and Bending

The synergistic use of partially encased concrete and composite girders with corrugated steel webs （CGCSWs） has been proposed to avoid the buckling of corrugated steel webs and compression steel flanges under large combined shear force and bending moment in the hogging area. First, model tests were carried out on two specimens with different shear spans to investigate the mechanical behavior, including the load-carrying capacity, failure modes, flexural and shear stress distribution, and development of concrete cracking. Experimental results show that the interaction of shear force and bending moment causes the failure of specimens. The bending-to-shear ratio does not affect the shear stiffness of a composite girder in the elastic stage when concrete cracking does not exist, but significantly influ- ences the shear stiffness after concrete cracking. In addition, composite sections in the elastic stage sat- isfy the assumption of the plane section under combined shear force and bending moment. However, after concrete cracking in the tension field, the normal stresses of a corrugated web in the tension area become small due to the ＂accordion effect,＂ with almost zero stress at the flat panels but recognizable stress at the inclined panels. Second, three-dimensional finite-element （FE） models considering material and geometric nonlinearity were built and validated by experiments, and parametric analyses were conducted on composite girders with different lengths and heights to determine their load-carrying capacity when subjected to combined loads. Finally, an interaction formula with respect to shear and flexural strength is offered on the basis of experimental and numerical results in order to evaluate the load- carrying capacity of such composite structures, thereby providing a reference for the design of partially encased composite girders with corrugated steel webs （PECGCSWs） under combined flexural and shear loads.

Segmental Bridges under Combined Torsion, Bending and Shear

Segmental bridges with unbonded prestressed tendons have some advantages, such as the weather independence and the corrosion protection of prestressing tendons. This paper analyzed the behavior of a prestressed segmental bridge with unbonded tendons under combined loading of torsion, bending and shear. According to the experiment research, a modified skew bending model was developed to calculate the bearing capacity of segmental bridges subjected to combined bending, shear and torsion. The finite element method was used to investigate the deflection behaviors of such structure, also to check the theoretical model. The theoretical and FEM research results were compared favorably with the test results from Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany. Finally, suggestion for the design and construction of segmental bridges with external prestressing was made.

Nano-refinement of the face-centered cubic Zr(Fe,Cr)_(2)secondary phase particles in Zircaloy-4 alloy via localized-shearing/bending-driven fracture under high-temperature compression

Nanoparticles are extensively introduced to improve the mechanical,physical,and chemical properties of alloys.In the present study,the underlying nano-refinement mechanisms of face-centered cubic Zr(Fe,Cr)_(2)secondary phase particles(SPPs)that precipitated in Zircaloy-4 alloy under high-temperature compression were investigated in detail by utilizing high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM)and conventional TEM techniques.The frequently observed Zr(Fe,Cr)_(2)SPPs were incoherent with the matrix and exhibited brittle fracture behaviors without measurable plasticity.HRTEM observations revealed two mechanisms underlying the nano-refinement of incoherent micro-sized SPPs via localized shear fracture on{11¯2}SPP and nanoprecipitate-assisted bending fracture,respectively.The latter was,for the first time,found to occur when the movements of large SPPs were blocked by nanometer-sized SPP during alloy deformation.Accordingly,two force models were proposed to visualize their potential nano-refinement processes.The knowledge attained from this study sheds new light on the deformation behaviors of Zr(Fe,Cr)_(2)SPPs and their associated size refinement mechanisms under high-temperature compression,and is expected to greatly benefit the process optimization of zirconium alloys to achieve precipitate nano-refinement.

Micro Mechanical Model of 3D Woven Composites

A combined beam model representing the periodicity of the microstructure and micro deformation of 3D woven composites is developed for predicting mechanical properties. The model considers the effects of off axial tension/compression and bending/shearing couplings as well as the mutual reactions of fiber yarns. The method determining microstructure by using woven parameters is described for a typical 3D woven composite material. An analytical cell, constructed by a minimum periodic section of yarn and interlayer matrix, is adopted. Micro stresses in the cell under in-plane tensile loading are obtained by using the proposed beam model and macro modulus is then obtained by the averaging method. Material tests and a 2D micro FEM analysis are made to evaluate this model. Analyses reveal that micro stress caused by tensile/bending coupling effect is not negligible in the stress analysis.

An elastic-plastic analysis of short-leg shear wall structures during earthquakes

Short-leg shear wall structures are a new form of building structure that combine the merits of both frame and shear wall structures. Its architectural features, structure bearing and engineering cost are reasonable. To analyze the elastic-plastic response of a short-leg shear wall structure during an earthquake, this study modified the multiple-vertical-rod element model of the shear wall, considered the shear lag effect and proposed a multiple-vertical-rod element coupling beam model with a new local stiffness domain. Based on the principle of minimum potential energy and the variational principle, the stiffness matrixes of a short-leg shear wall and a coupling beam are derived in this study. Furthermore, the bending shear correlation for the analysis of different parameters to describe the structure, such as the beam height to span ratio, short-leg shear wall height to thickness ratio, and steel ratio are introduced. The results show that the height to span ratio directly affects the structural integrity; and the short-leg shear wall height to thickness ratio should be limited to a range of approximately 6.0 to 7.0. The design of short-leg shear walls should be in accordance with the ＂strong wall and weak beam＂ principle.

Road Performances of Mesoporous Nano-silica Modified Asphalt Binders

The objective of this paper was to find new modifier to improve the aging resistance and low temperature cracking resistance of asphalt. To investigate the aging resistance of modified asphalt binders, mesoporous nano-silica（doping Ti^（4＋）） was used as a asphalt modifier. Some physical properties including penetration, ductility, and softening point of asphalt were analyzed with RTFO（Rotating thin film oven） aging and ultraviolet aging. Moreover, the performances of high and low temperature of modified asphalt binders with pressure aging were tested by dynamic shear rheometer（DSR） test and bending beam rheometer（BBR） test. These results showed that the penetration decreased, low temperature ductility, and softening point increased when adding mesoporous nano-silica to base asphalt. After ultraviolet radiation aging, the penetration loss and ductility loss of modified asphalt decreased than that of original asphalt, the increase of softening point was also significantly reduced than that of base asphalt. Furthermore, The test results of DSR and BBR showed that the G＊sinδ and creep modulus‘s＇ of pressure aged asphalt decreased, but the creep rate ‘m＇ increased. It can be concluded that the aging resistance and cracking resistance of modified asphalt are improved by adding mesoporous nano-silica, especially the doping of Ti^（4＋） could improve the aging resistance obviously.

Performance enhancement of sandwich panels with honeycomb–corrugation hybrid core

The concept of combining metallic honeycomb with folded thin metallic sheets （corrugation） to construct a novel core type for lightweight sandwich structures is proposed. The honeycomb-corrugation hybrid core is manufactured by filling the interstices of aluminum corrugations with precision-cut trapezoidal aluminum honeycomb blocks, bonded together using epoxy glue. The performance of such hybrid-cored sandwich panels subjected to out-of-plane compression, transverse shear, and three-point bending is investigated, both experimentally and numerically. The strength and energy absorption of the sandwich are dramatically enhanced, compared to those of a sandwich with either empty corrugation or honeycomb core. The enhancement is induced by the beneficial interaction effects of honeycomb blocks and folded panels on improved buckling resistance as well as altered crushing modes at large plastic deformation. The present approach provides an effective method to further improve the mechanical properties of conventional honeycomb-cored sandwich constructions with low relative densities.

BUCKLING ANALYSIS UNDER COMBINED LOADING OF THIN-WALLED PLATE ASSEMBLIES USING BUBBLE FUNCTIONS

Bubble functions are finite element modes that are zero on the boundary of the element but nonzero at the other point. The present paper adds bubble functions to the ordinary Complex Finite Strip Method(CFSM) to calculate the elastic local buckling stress of plates and plate assemblies. The results indicate that the use of bubble functions greatly improves the convergence of the Finite Strip Method(FSM) in terms of strip subdivision, and leads to much smaller storage required for the structure stiffness and stability matrices. Numerical examples are given, including plates and plate structures subjected to a combination of longitudinal and transverse compression, bending and shear. This study illustrates the power of bubble functions in solving stability problems of plates and plate structures.

Plastic wrinkling model and characteristics of shear enforced Ti-alloy thin-walled tubes under combination die constraints and differential temperature fields

Plastic wrinkling predictions and shear enforced wrinkling characteristics of Ti-alloy thin-walled tubes under combination die constraints have become key problems urgently in need of solutions in order to improve forming quality in their shear bending processes under differential temperature fields. To address this, a wrinkling wave function was developed by considering their shear bend deformation characteristics. Based on this wave function and the thin shell theory, an energy prediction model for this type of wrinkling was established. This model enables consideration of the effects of shear deformation zone ranges, material parameters, loading modes, and friction coefficients between tube and dies on the minimum wrinkling energy. Tube wrinkling sensitive zones(WSZs) can be revealed by combining this wrinkling prediction model with a thermalmechanical coupled finite element model for simulating these bending processes. The reliability of this wrinkling prediction model was verified, and an investigation into the tube wrinkling characteristics was carried out based on the experimental conditions. This found that the WSZs are located on either a single side or both sides of the maximum shear stress zone. When the friction coefficients between the tube and the various dies coincide, the WSZs are located on both sides.The larger the value of the tube inner corner radius and/or the smaller the value of the outer cornerradius, the smaller the wrinkling probability. With an increase in the value of the moving die displacement, the wrinkling probability increases at first, and then decreases.