Hardwood - Softwood Combination in Glued Laminated Timber Cross-Section

Glued laminated timber (glulam), as one of the types of engineered wood products, is in our conditions most often made of coniferous, specifically spruce wood. In order to find optimal usage of material, some new configurations of cross-sections are being suggested. An advanced solution of glulam cross-section could be represented by cross-section formed from combination of hardwood (from deciduous trees) and softwood (from conifers). This paper deals with a possibility of combination of outer lamellas from a hardwood and inner lamellas from a softwood in glulam cross-section. The solution is focused on members suitable for a use in a skeleton frame. Attention is paid to two types of structural members: beam and column. Results of theoretical study are presented which arise from an analytical calculation and from a numerical modelling. For comparison, the calculations were carried out for a reference cross-section consisting of softwood lamellas only. By comparing the combined and reference crosssections, it can be stated that the use of the combined cross-section can save material for both the compression member (column) and the member subjected to bending moment (beam, girder). The combined cross-section appears to be more advantageous than the reference crosssection, especially in cases of smaller beam depth

Numerical Analysis of Influence of Axial Force on Resistance of Column Webs in Transverse Compression

Steel members of double-symmetrical open cross-sections are often used in engineering structures and structures of buildings as columns and beams. Due to connections of the members, transverse compression of the cross-section webs can occur and is subject to structural assessment. The resistance of the column web is influenced by structural solution of the joint (welded, bolted, with end plates) and possible interaction with axial force in the column or shear. The paper focuses on numerical investigation and quantification of the influence of axial force in the column on behaviour and resistance of the column web in transverse compression. The analysis was performed using finite element method based computation system and included both rolled and welded cross-sections with various values of relative slenderness of the web. The results were compared with results of transverse compression resistance calculated using actual standard for design of steel structures

Sandwich Composite Panels With Gfrp Face Sheets – Experimental Analysis, Numerical Simulation and Analytical Solution

This paper deals with the problem of analysis of beams made of SCP (sandwich composite panel) composed of GFRP face sheets and foam core. In the frame of research project, several specimens of different compositions were tested by four-point bending according to the actual standard. Nonlinear behaviour was observed in some specimens and possible reasons are discussed in the paper. SCP beams were also numerically simulated using the finite element method in ANSYS Workbench software. For practical and easy engineering design (prediction of deformations and stresses) the analytical procedure was developed for linear and nonlinear behaviour. Results represented by P-Δ and P-σ diagrams of experimental, numerical, and theoretical analysis are compared together in this paper. Based on the analytical solution the parametric study was performed to find out the optimal composition of SCP members for specific static boundary conditions