2026· EPJ Web of Conferences· Vol 376, pp. 03006· 0 citations· 15 references
Abstract
Lightweight and structural efficient floor system is critical in enhancing the performance, fuel efficiency and the payload capacity of the modern passenger buses. This paper demonstrates a numerical exploration of the bus floor thickness optimization and efficiency in terms of metallic and composite materials under practical service loading. An SML compliant S7 bus platform (BS-VI) was taken as a reference model and a simplified ladder frame supported floor domain, which symbolizes realistic seating areas, was created in ANSYS Workbench. To simulate realistic load transfer, static structural simulations were conducted with a gravity-based passenger loading with the use of seat-support locations. Candidate materials were tested within the range of 10 to 50 mm thickness. Performance was measured in terms of the total deformation and equivalent stress. The findings imply that the thickness was a very significant factor on the stiffness response and high-modulus carbon-fiber laminates offer great reduction in weight and acceptable levels of deformation relative to traditional metallic floors. The methodology combines realistic geometry, support conditions, passenger loading, and thickness variation within a single finite element model. The results help identify lightweight, strong, and cost-effective materials for bus floor design.
The skin panel of the fuselage is one of the main parts of a transport plane's semi-monocoque airframe that bears the weight of the plane and must be as lightweight as possible while still withstanding cabin pressurization loads, inertia loads while in flight, and compressive loading caused by the plane bending without buckling. Using the same loading and support configuration, this paper compares the static structural and free-vibration (modal) response of three candidate metallic materials: structural steel, grey cast iron, and titanium alloy. The evaluation is based on finite element modeling of a representative fuselage skin panel. A distributed pressure load, which represents in-service aerodynamic and cabin loads, was applied to the panel's boundary and the geometry was created in CATIA V5. The analysis was conducted in ANSYS Workbench. Out of the three contenders, titanium alloy had the best dynamic performance and stiffnessto-weight ratio, with the lowest maximum total deformation (14.657 mm) and maximum equivalent elastic strain (6.83 × 10⁻³ mm/mm). It also had the highest natural frequencies across all six extracted modes. Grey cast iron had the most deformation (70.844 mm) and strain, making it the least suited for this application, while structural steel exhibited the greatest peak equivalent (von Mises) stress (1358.1 MPa) and the second-highest deformation (25.762 mm). Later on, the panel was subjected to an additional linear buckling test with Aluminium Alloy 7075 at a maximum cabin design pressure of 4000 kPa and an inertia load factor of 7 grams. The peak stress that resulted was 2.1696 MPa, which was well within the elastic limit of the material. The eigenvalue buckling solution verified a load-multiplier margin that was significantly higher than the design requirement. Aluminum Alloy 7075 was found to be structurally adequate against both pressurization stress and buckling instability for the load case under consideration, and titanium alloy was found to be the most suitable of the three metallic systems tested for stiffness-critical fuselage panel applications.
K. Vaibhav, B. Rani· International Journal of AI...· 0 citations
Lightweight steel floor systems are increasingly being adopted in modern buildings, where vibration serviceability under human-induced loading often governs structural design. This study presents an experimental–numerical investigation to clarify the dynamic mechanisms and serviceability performance of a nontraditional all-steel modular floor system. Two floor modules with identical geometry but different beam and plate sizes were tested to quantify the influence of mass and stiffness on dynamic response. Each module was evaluated in both bare-steel and raised access floor (RAF) configurations, resulting in four experimental cases. Experimental modal analysis was performed using an electrodynamic shaker and a high-resolution measurement grid to identify natural frequencies, damping ratios, and governing mode shapes. Results demonstrate that the low-frequency response of the all-steel modules is dominated by plate-controlled and coupled plate–beam vibration modes and that the primary beam-bending mode does not necessarily occur as the fundamental frequency, in contrast to common assumptions for conventional composite floor systems. Measured damping ratios were low for bare modules, indicating heightened sensitivity to vibration serviceability, while installation of the RAF consistently increased damping and produced mode-dependent shifts in natural frequencies. Calibrated finite-element models were developed to reproduce the experimental modal characteristics and provide a validated framework for evaluating walking-induced vibration response. In addition, the modeling approach explicitly captures plate–beam interaction mechanisms that govern the response of lightweight all-steel floor systems. The primary contribution of this work is the combined experimental characterization and validated modeling of an all-steel modular floor concept, together with the identification of the governing vibration mechanisms and the influence of architectural floor layers on damping behavior. These findings provide new insights into the dynamic behavior and serviceability performance of all-steel floor systems and offer a foundation for evaluating and designing nontraditional modular floor systems where traditional composite floor assumptions may not be applicable.
Sahabeddin Rifai, Onur Avcı· Journal of Architectural Eng...· 1 citation
Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP), as an advanced lightweight structural material, exhibits significant application potential in the protection of electronic devices under extreme vehicle-mounted conditions due to its excellent specific strength and specific stiffness, superior energy absorption capacity, and unique damping and vibration reduction properties. This study closely integrates the characteristics of the complex and variable service environment in vehicles and adheres to the principle of equivalent stiffness matching to conduct innovative design explorations for electronic enclosures made of CFRP. To comprehensively evaluate the dynamic strength performance of CFRP vehicle-mounted enclosures under vibration and impact conditions, in-depth and detailed analyses were conducted using ANSYS software to simulate the power spectral density curves of random vibrations and the loading of post-peak sawtooth waveforms. The results indicate that the carbon fiber enclosure not only achieves remarkable weight reduction but also fully meets the requirements of environmental adaptability standards for automotive equipment. This achievement provides theoretical support and technical guidance for the engineering application of CFRP in the field of vehicle-mounted electronic devices and holds significant engineering application value for promoting the lightweight development of transportation equipment.
Shuhui Zhang, Qihua Ma· SAE technical paper series· 0 citations
To address the insufficient load-bearing capacity and overall stiffness of timber truss roofs in brick–timber and earth–timber structures in rural areas, as well as the requirements for preserving traditional architectural characteristics, a steel–timber composite roof system was proposed. The system was developed through rational integration of timber and steel components to enhance the overall mechanical performance of the structure. At the joint level, flexural performance tests were conducted on cramp-iron joint, gusset–plate joint, and steel–timber joint. The moment–rotation relationships, failure modes, and ductility characteristics of the three joint types were systematically investigated. Based on the experimental results, a trilinear moment–rotation model was established. Furthermore, a finite element model of the roof structure was established using SAP2000 (26.2.0), and the stress distribution and load–displacement responses under horizontal static loading were analyzed through numerical simulation. The influence of different joint configurations on the mechanical performance of the roof structure was evaluated from an overall structural perspective. The results demonstrated that the peak bending moment of the steel–timber joint was increased by approximately 163.50% and 3.74% compared with those of the cramp-iron joint and gusset–plate joint, respectively. The ductility coefficient was enhanced by approximately 9.33% and 62.91%, respectively. In the finite element model of the roof structure, the peak load of the roof system with the steel–timber joint was increased by approximately 114.96% and 9.54%, while the corresponding displacement capacity was improved by approximately 76.62% and 43.41%, compared with the other two roof systems, respectively. Future studies will focus on further evaluating the seismic performance of steel–timber composite roof systems through cyclic loading experiments, dynamic response analysis, and full-scale structural validation, thereby providing a more comprehensive understanding of their long-term applicability in earthquake-prone rural buildings.
Ao Qu, Kang Yuan, Shan Chao· Buildings· 0 citations
Concrete-filled steel tube structures are widely used in industrial plants, large commercial buildings, infrastructure projects, antenna-supporting facilities, and electromagnetic-shielded spaces because of their strong mechanical performance and economic efficiency. Fire is a serious threat to structural safety. Under high temperatures, the load-bearing capacity and deformation control level of concrete-filled steel tube structures decrease significantly, while material strength loss, weakened interfacial bonding, and residual deformation develop simultaneously. These changes may not only reduce structural reliability but also affect the geometric stability required for antenna alignment and controlled electromagnetic environments. This paper focuses on the post-fire performance of concrete-filled steel tube structures and systematically discusses how high-performance fiber-reinforced composite wrapping and constraint enhancement can mitigate material degradation and preserve load-bearing capacity under extreme thermal stress. By analyzing the relationships among temperature-induced material deterioration, residual deformation, stiffness reduction, and reinforcement strategies, the study evaluates load-bearing capacity attenuation and deformation control in fire-exposed composite systems. The proposed optimization strategy provides technical support for post-disaster assessment, structural strengthening, and the safe reuse of steel–concrete composite structures in industrial buildings and electromagnetic functional facilities.
W. Li, W. Hou· Advanced Electromagnetics· 0 citations
The swift advancement of modern construction has established cold-formed steel (CFS) as a prominent structural option owing to its high strength-to-weight ratio and lightweight properties. However, CFS in open sections such as channel and zee sections is heavily restricted by susceptibility to premature instabilities such as local, distortional, and lateral-torsional buckling. The study examines the structural performance, especially the load-deformation behaviour of closed structural sections, to address and resolve these deficiencies and limitations. The main objective of the study is to experimentally determine the load-deformation behaviour of a full-scale roof truss system fabricated from a CFS hollow rectangular section and to compare it with that of a CFS channel section. A full-scale roof truss measuring 4,900 mm in span and 1,100 mm in height was constructed in a Howe configuration type and assembled using 6 mm self-drilling screws. Static vertical load experimental activity was conducted utilising a 100 kN load cell, a hydraulic jack, five linear variable deformation transducers (LVDTs), and seven strain gauges linked to a data logger to record ultimate load capacity, deformation and localised strain actions. The experimental results indicated that the CFS hollow outperforms the CFS channel section, attaining a 52.42% increase in ultimate load capacity and a 21.66% decrease in vertical mid-span deformation. The CFS channel had premature local and distortional buckling at its top chords, but the CFS hollow successfully mitigated early geometric instabilities. Ultimately, the study concludes that CFS hollow serves as a highly efficient, stiff and structurally stable system that is ideal for lightweight and sustainable long-span roofing applications.
M. Sani, C. Tan, F. Muftah· Journal of Building Material...· 0 citations
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