Mei Ni Su

Testing and Design of Aluminum Alloy Cross Sections in Compression

AbstractAluminum alloys are used in a wide range of engineering applications and are gaining increasing usage in the construction sector, offering high strength-to-weight ratios and good durability. In this paper, a series of stub-column tests on aluminum alloy box sections with and without internal cross stiffeners is carried out to investigate cross-section capacity and to explore the possible exploitation of strain hardening in design. All existing stub-column test results from the literature were also collected. A database containing the results from 346 tests on aluminum alloy stub columns of box, channel, and angle sections, with a wide range of cross-section slendernesses, was formed. The test strengths were compared with the design strengths predicted by the current American, Australian/New Zealand, and European specifications. Furthermore, the test strengths were compared with those predicted by the deformation-based continuous strength method (CSM). Following reliability analyses, the design str...

Continuous beams of aluminum alloy tubular cross sections. I: Tests and FE model validation

AbstractThe aims of this study are to generate experimental data and develop numerical models for aluminum alloy continuous beams, and to utilize the results to underpin the development of revised design methods for indeterminate structures. This paper presents an experimental program and finite-element (FE) analyses for two-span continuous beams (i.e.,xa0five-point bending) of square and rectangular hollow sections (SHSs and RHSs). The experimental program comprised 27 five-point bending tests with three different positioning of loads. The testing procedures and key results are reported. The test specimens were manufactured by extrusion, with 18 of grade 6061-T6 and 9 of grade 6063-T5 heat-treated aluminum alloys. The test specimens were nonslender sections, and mostly of Class 1 proportions. Generally, the specimens failed by the formation of a collapse mechanism comprising three plastic hinges. The distances between the supports and the loading points were varied in order to form the first plastic hinge ...

Continuous Beams of Aluminum Alloy Tubular Cross Sections. II: Parametric Study and Design

AbstractAluminum alloys are employed in a range of structural engineering applications, supported by many international design standards, but plastic design methods are generally not permitted. In the second part of this study, an extensive numerical parametric study is conducted to assess the effect of key parameters, such as cross section slenderness, cross section aspect ratio, and moment gradient on the strength, strain hardening, and moment redistribution behavior of aluminum alloy continuous beams. The key input parameters and findings are reported herein. Based on both the experimental and parametric numerical results, the design provisions of the American, Australian/New Zealand, and European specifications as well as the traditional plastic design method, the plastic hinge method, and the continuous strength method (CSM) for indeterminate structures, the scope of which is extended in the present study, have been evaluated. The design strengths predicted by the three specifications were found to b...