Experimental and numerical studies of ferritic stainless steel tubular cross sections under combined compression and bending

An experimental and numerical study of ferritic stainless steel tubular cross sections under combined loading is presented in this paper. Two square hollow section (SHS) sizes—SHS 40×40×240×40×2 and SHS 50×50×250×50×2 made of Grade EN 1.4509 (AISI 441) stainless steel—were considered in the experimental program, which included 2 concentrically loaded stub column tests, 2 four-point bending tests, and 14 eccentrically loaded stub column tests. In parallel with the experimental investigation, a finite-element (FE) study was also conducted. Following validation of the FE models against the test results, parametric analyses were carried out to generate further structural performance data. The experimental and numerical results were analyzed and compared with the design strengths predicted by the current European stainless steel design code EN 1993-1-4 and American stainless steel design specification SEI/ASCE-8. The comparisons revealed that the codified capacity predictions for ferritic stainless steel cross sections under combined loading are unduly conservative. The deformation-based continuous strength method (CSM) has been extended to cover the case of combined loading. The applicability of CSM to the design of ferritic stainless steel cross sections under combined loading was also evaluated. The CSM was shown to offer substantial improvements in design efficiency over existing codified methods. Finally, the reliability of the proposals was confirmed by means of statistical analyses according to both the SEI/ASCE-8 requirements and those of EN 1990

Early aspects: aspect-oriented requirements engineering and architecture design

This paper reports on the third Early Aspects: Aspect-Oriented Requirements Engineering and Architecture Design Workshop, which has been held in Lancaster, UK, on March 21, 2004. The workshop included a presentation session and working sessions in which the particular topics on early aspects were discussed. The primary goal of the workshop was to focus on challenges to defining methodical software development processes for aspects from early on in the software life cycle and explore the potential of proposed methods and techniques to scale up to industrial applications

Influence of boundary conditions and geometric imperfections on lateral–torsional buckling resistance of a pultruded FRP I-beam by FEA

Presented are results from geometric non-linear finite element analyses to examine the lateral torsional buckling (LTB) resistance of a Pultruded fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) I-beam when initial geometric imperfections associated with the LTB mode shape are introduced. A data reduction method is proposed to define the limiting buckling load and the method is used to present strength results for a range of beam slendernesses and geometric imperfections. Prior to reporting on these non-linear analyses, Eigenvalue FE analyses are used to establish the influence on resistance of changing load height or displacement boundary conditions. By comparing predictions for the beam with either FRP or steel elastic constants it is found that the former has a relatively larger effect on buckling strength with changes in load height and end warping fixity. The developed finite element modelling methodology will enable parametric studies to be performed for the development of closed form formulae that will be reliable for the design of FRP beams against LTB failure

Fidelity of computational modelling of offshore jacket platforms

The development of oil and gas exploitation offshore has a history of about half a century. Many platforms have been built since to facilitate the production of hydrocarbons oil and gas, of which fixed offshore jacket type structures are the most commonly adopted rigs for shallow water depths. The present paper focuses on the modelling of a 4-legged X-braced jacket type platform, representative of a typical fixed platform in the North Sea using nonlinear finite element analysis. Normally, offshore platforms are conservatively designed using linear-elastic models to determine the effects of applied actions. The nonlinear effects of joint flexibility, piled foundations and geometrical imperfections on the platform behaviour are investigated in this paper. Joint flexibility is studied by modelling the jacket using beam elements and introducing rigid or flexible joints. A hybrid model, with the critically loaded leg and connected joints built using shell elements, is applied for the investigation of localised effects on increasing joint flexibility. The soil-pile interaction is modelled implicitly using sets of decoupled springs distributed along the piles. The geometrical imperfections are introduced in the compression legs of the jacket. The imperfect leg shapes are generated based on the failure modes of the platform. The platform is loaded by operational and environmental loads. The environmental loads are gradually increased until platform failure occurs. Eight load cases are considered, where the environmental loads are applied in 4 end-on and 4 broadside directions. The findings of the paper indicate that incorporation of joint flexibility and piled foundation result in the reduction of platform yielding and ultimate strength. The piled foundation affects platform stiffness severely. The imperfections increase platform deformability in the elastic rage and lead to dramatic reduction of jacket base shear capacity

Post-buckling behaviour of prestressed steel stayed columns

Imperial Users onl

Perfectionism and performance in a new basketball training task: Does striving for perfection enhance or undermine performance?

Objectives: In the psychology of sport and exercise, the question of how perfectionism affects performance is highly debated. While some researchers have identified perfectionism as a hallmark quality of elite athletes, others see perfectionism as a maladaptive characteristic that undermines, rather than helps, athletic performance. Against this background, the purpose of the present study was to investigate how different aspects of perfectionism predict performance and performance increments. Method: A study was conducted with 122 undergraduate athletes to investigate how perfectionism during training affects performance and performance increments in a series of trials with a new basketball training task. Two aspects of perfectionism were examined: striving for perfection and negative reactions to imperfection. Design: The design was a correlational prospective design. Results: Results showed that striving for perfection during training predicted higher performance in the new task. In contrast, negative reactions to imperfection predicted lower performance when athletes attempted the task for the first time, once the positive influence of striving for perfection on task performance was partialled out. However, negative reactions to imperfection did not undermine performance in the consecutive trials. On the contrary, athletes with both high levels of striving for perfection and high levels of negative reactions to imperfection showed the greatest performance increments over the series of trials. Conclusion: The findings suggest that perfectionism is not necessarily a maladaptive characteristic that generally undermines sport performance. Instead, when learning a new training task, perfectionism may enhance performance and lead to performance increments over repeated trials

Design of cylindrical plastic pipe linings to resist buckling due to collapse pressures

Flexible (non-bonded) polymeric sewer linings are used extensively to renovate both gravity and pressure pipes. Linings for both types of pipe are subject to collapse pressures, and in the case of gravity pipes this is the dominant source of loading; the efficient design of linings to sustain collapse pressures is therefore an important problem. In this paper, the buckling of an ideal thinwalled elastic lining in a rigid cylindrical cavity is first presented as a simple closed form solution, and The effect of a representative small imperfection shown to be significant. The different types of imperfection that can be encountered in practical lined pipe systems are identified, and the situations in which each can arise are discussed. A generalised procedure for obtaining the structural imperfections in, and hence buckling capacities of, practical systems is then presented and two example applications are used to illustrate its application in specific situations

Flexual buckling of structural glass columns. Initial geometrical imperfection as a base for Monte Carlo simulation

In this paper Monte Carlo simulations of structural glass columns are presented. The simulation was performed according to the analytical second order theory of compressed elastic rods. A previous research on shape and size of initial geometrical imperfections is briefly summarized. An experimental analysis of glass columns that were performed for evaluation of equivalent geometrical imperfections is mentioned too

Nonlinear dynamic Interactions between flow-induced galloping and shell-like buckling

Acknowledgement The research of J.S. is supported by EPSRC Grant EP/J010820/1.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Buckling of built-up columns of pultruded fiber-reinforced polymer C-sections

This paper presents the test results of an experimental investigation to evaluate the buckling behavior of built-up columns of pultruded profiles, subjected to axial compression. Specimens are assembled by using four (off the shelf) channel shaped profiles of E-glass fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP), having similar detailing to strut members in a large FRP structure that was executed in 2009 to start the restoration of the Santa Maria Paganica church in L’Aquila, Italy. This church had partially collapsed walls and no roof after the April 6, 2009, earthquake of 6.3 magnitude. A total of six columns are characterized with two different configurations for the bolted connections joining the channel sections into a built-up strut. Test results are discussed and a comparison is made with closed-form equation predictions for flexural buckling resistance, with buckling resistance values established from both eigenvalue and geometric nonlinear finite element analyses. Results show that there is a significant role played by the end loading condition, the composite action, and imperfections. Simple closed-form equations overestimate the flexural buckling strength, whereas the resistance provided by the nonlinear analysis provides a reasonably reliable numerical approach to establishing the actual buckling behavior