Finite element analysis of mechanical performance of PEC column bundle shear wall structure under unidirectional loading

Lateral performance of hybrid RC frame-corrugated steel shear walls with opening

Axial Compression Behavior of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Rubber Concrete-Filled Double-Skin GFRP Tubular Stub Columns

The FRP–concrete–steel double-skin tubular column (DSTC) is a novel composite column designed to meet the structural demands for high strength, exceptional durability, and lightweight characteristics. To investigate the axial compression performance of DSTCs, this study conducted axial compression tests on 16 circular DSTCs and three circular fully filled columns (FCSCs). This research focused on analyzing the effects of steel tube wall thickness, void ratio, rubber content, steel fiber content, and GFRP tube wall thickness on stub columns’ failure modes, load–displacement curves, load–strain curves, and stress–strain relationships of concrete. The results demonstrated that GFRP tube wall thickness is the most critical parameter influencing the bearing capacity and deformation capacity of the column. The ultimate bearing capacity of all specimens ranged from 1606.9 to 3447.9 kN; the peak displacement of the specimens ranged from 7.49 to 17.77 mm. Increased void ratios decrease bearing capacity but enhance ductility, whereas steel tube wall thickness and steel fiber content have relatively minor effects. Based on the experimental results, models for the ultimate bearing capacity, ultimate strain, and stress–strain relationship of short columns were proposed, taking into account rubber content. The average predicted-to-experimental capacities ratio is 0.97 and the predicted load–displacement curves match well with the experimental curves, indicating the very high accuracy of the proposed models.

Seismic Performance of Assembled Composite Shear Walls with C-Shaped and Rectangular Steel Frame: A Parametric Numerical Analysis

To systematically investigate the effects of C-shaped and rectangular steel frames on the seismic performance of assembled composite shear walls, this paper, based on the validation of existing pseudo-static test results, employs ABAQUS software to establish refined finite element models, and carries out parametric analyses on C-shaped steel-frame composite shear walls (CSCSWs) and rectangular steel-frame composite shear walls (RSCSWs). With shear-span ratio, axial-load ratio, boundary frame steel plate thickness, and concrete strength grade as variables, a total of 28 numerical models are designed to systematically examine the influence laws of each parameter on bearing capacity, ductility, energy dissipation capacity, and failure modes, and to reveal the performance differences in the confinement mechanisms of the two cross-sectional types. The results indicate that: as the shear-span ratio decreases from 3.0 to 1.0, the bearing capacity increases by up to 171%, but the ductility drops by up to 43%, and the failure mode shifts from flexure-dominated to shear-dominated; increasing the steel plate thickness can simultaneously enhance bearing capacity and ductility, with the peak load increasing by up to 52% and cumulative energy dissipation by over 110%, the mechanism being the synergistic enhancement of the flexural contribution of the boundary frame and the passive confinement effect on the core concrete; increasing the axial-load ratio can improve bearing capacity by about 24%, but significantly impairs ductility and energy dissipation capacity, and it is recommended that the design axial-load ratio be controlled between 0.26 and 0.43; the concrete strength grade has a limited effect on bearing capacity, and as the strength increases, brittle characteristics emerge, leading to a ductility decrease of about 12%; therefore, provided that the strength requirements are met, enhancing the concrete strength grade should not be taken as the primary technical approach for improving the seismic performance of such structures. Comparing the two cross-sectional types, the rectangular cross-section, by providing more uniform and effective lateral confinement, exhibits superior bearing capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation to the C-shaped cross-section across the entire parameter domain, and its performance advantages are more pronounced under conditions of high axial-load ratio and large shear-span ratio.

Geometry-Dependent Tensile Load Capacity and Fracture Characteristics of Steel Wire Ropes: A Finite Element Parametric Study

Steel wire ropes (SWRs) are exceptional load-bearing elements. However, conventional designs often treat them as passive structures, lacking strategies to actively program their ultimate load-bearing capacity and failure behaviors. To address this gap, this study systematically investigates the tunable load capacity and fracture characteristics of SWRs by developing a simplified power-law hardening elastoplastic constitutive model and a finite element framework integrated with a ductile-damage criterion. Following material parameter calibration via single-wire tests and independent experimental validation of the baseline model using 1 × 7 strand tensile tests, comprehensive numerical parametric studies were conducted to evaluate the simulation-based influence of core diameter (dcore), overall rope diameter (D), layer count (F), and strand configuration (S) on mechanical responses. The numerical results reveal that these geometric parameters act as effective tuning knobs that govern internal stress transfer pathways and ultimate load-bearing capacity. Specifically, simulations predict that increasing the dcore to 1.00 mm elevates the peak tensile force by 9.6% while maintaining a 90.07% tensile force efficiency (TFE, defined as the ratio of mean to peak tensile force). Furthermore, implementing a hybrid multi-strand architecture (SWR-S3) achieves an optimized TFE of 99.76%. These structural modifications facilitate internal strain synchronization, which effectively buffers localized stress peaks and dictates the progressive fracture sequence. Ultimately, this study demonstrates the potential of complementing traditional material enhancement strategies with active geometric parametrization. Rather than offering immediate industrial design rules, it provides a conceptual theoretical framework for exploring custom-tailored tensile strength profiles and predictable failure behaviors. However, because these advanced structural configurations are evaluated using idealized quasi-static finite element models, further experimental validation addressing real-world manufacturing constraints, residual stresses, and dynamic loading is required before practical engineering deployment.

Experimental and numerical study of self-center steel shear wall under cyclic loading

This article examines a self-centering semi-constrained steel shear wall (SSW) proposed as a new lateral load resisting system through an experimental testing and numerical simulation. The SSW is semi-constrained, connected to the floor beam, and supported by a self-centering steel frame. The frame includes steel beams and columns and uses post-tensioned cables to provide restoring force and help the structure return to its original position after loading. Since SSWs can dissipate energy and show good ductility, integrating the wall within a self-centering frame is intended to limit residual drift and achieve a system with very small permanent deformation. To evaluate performance, cyclic loading tests were conducted on a one-story, one-bay steel frame and on a self-centering frame incorporating a steel shear wall. Key response measures including yield and ultimate strength, residual displacement, effective stiffness, equivalent viscous damping ratio, and cumulative dissipated energy were obtained and compared with results for a comparable conventional SSW. The results show that the residual drift in the proposed system is roughly two to three times lower than that in the non self-centering shear wall system. The equivalent viscous damping ratio is approximately 0.17, and at higher loading levels it becomes close to that of the conventional wall. The numerical parametric study further indicates that increasing the shear wall plate thickness directly improves load capacity, while a very stiff end stiffener with large moment of inertia can reduce the self-centering performance.

Axial Load‐Bearing Enhancement of Thin‐Walled Metal Tubes via Internal Pressurization

As a lightweight load‐bearing member for aerospace truss structures, thin‐walled metal tubes require improved buckling resistance without additional mass. To this end, this paper innovatively designs a thin‐walled metal inflatable tube structure. The axial compressive behavior of the proposed tube and the influence of internal pressure are preliminarily investigated through experiments and numerical simulations. Axial compression buckling tests were conducted on two sets of specimens under 0 and 2 bar to evaluate the pressure‐induced changes in axial stiffness, critical buckling load, and buckling mode. Concurrently, a finite element model was established using material parameters obtained from independent tensile tests. The model was validated against the experimental results at 0 and 2 bar and was subsequently employed to numerically investigate the axial compressive response over a wider pressure range. In addition, initial local dimple imperfections were introduced into the finite element model to examine the imperfection sensitivity of pressurized thin‐walled tubes. Combining experimental and numerical simulation results reveals that pressurization significantly increases the buckling critical load of thin‐walled tubes and improves buckling morphology, thereby suppressing the occurrence of abnormal deformation. The numerical results also indicate that internal pressure can reduce the sensitivity of thin‐walled tubes to local dimple imperfections.