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Currently, there are different options to increase the ultimate resistance of plate girders subjected to patch loading. Some of these alternatives include the use of closely spaced transverse stiffeners and the use of longitudinal stiffeners. Nevertheless, recent investigations have demonstrated that the resistance is also improved by using delta stiffeners, which are obtained by welding two plates between the web plate and the loaded flange. This paper aims at studying the elastic buckling behavior of slender plate girders designed following AASHTO norms with delta stiffeners subjected to patch loading. The research is carried out by means of eigenvalue analysis using the finite element method. A parametric study is performed to evaluate the influence of various geometrical parameters on the buckling coefficient of the girder. Finally, design recommendations are suggested based on the obtained results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing use of stainless steel in construction has led to the need of developing resistance models for structural elements made of this material. Unlike carbon steels, stainless steel alloys exhibit stress-strain curves with a pronounced strain hardening capacity and reasonable ductility that should be considered in the design. This difference in behavior makes the formulations used for carbon steel conservative when designing with stainless steel. Therefore, this paper presents a comparative analysis of resistance models for slender austenitic stainless-steel beams subject to concentrated loads. First, the failure mechanisms of stainless-steel beams are presented using a nonlinear finite element model. From this validated numerical model, a database obtained from a parametric analysis that covers a wide range of geometries is presented. Subsequently, this database is used to perform a comparison between various resistance models available in the literature. These models correspond to both international design codes and models obtained through machine learning. Finally, the numerical results show considerable improvement in the predicted ultimate resistances for slender stainless steel plate girders subjected to patch loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, in the EN1993‐1‐5 the ultimate strength of a longitudinally stiffened webs is calculated based on a design procedure which considers the ratio between the yield resistance and the critical buckling load. In the available formulation which is based on numerical modelling, the critical load increases with the relative position of the longitudinal stiffener. This behaviour contrasts with that observed at ultimate limit state, several experimental results have shown that the ultimate strength increases when the longitudinal stiffener is placed closer to the loaded flange. To solve this problem, new hypotheses of boundaries restrictions at the stiffener location are presented to model the elastic buckling behaviour of webs subjected to patch loading. A comprehensive finite element model is presented in this study to evaluate theses hypotheses by varying the web and longitudinal stiffener dimensions. Finally, a methodology to model the buckling behaviour of stiffened webs is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the AISC Specification provides guidance for the calculation of the ultimate strength of unstiffened plate girder webs subjected to concentric edge loads. Specifications consider three categories: local web yielding, web crippling, and sideway web buckling. Based on previous studies, the presence of longitudinal stiffeners in the web has not been considered in the calculation procedures. Longitudinal stiffeners in steel plate girders are primarily used to increase bending. In the last two decades, a number of projects regarding the positive effect of longitudinal stiffening on the strength of plate girder webs to concentrated load have been conducted around the world. The results have shown that this type of stiffening enhances ultimate strength for web crippling, depending on the position of the stiffener that modifies the slenderness of the directly loaded panel and flexural and torsional rigidities of the stiffener. This paper presents a methodology for the consideration of longitudinal stiffening on the ultimate strength of plate girders webs subjected to concentrated loads. The methodology is based on the plastic collapse mechanism observed experimentally, in which plastic hinges are formed in the loaded flange and yield lines result in the portion of the web limited by the loaded flange and stiffener. Then, a closed-form solution accounting for the influence of the stiffener is developed following the current expression available in the AISC Specification. Theoretical predictions are compared with available test results, showing that the predicted ultimate loads are in good agreement with experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the finite volume method is employed to simulate the coalescence collision between water drops immersed in a continuous phase (n-heptane). For that purpose, it is chosen a range of values for the velocity of collisions for the finite volume calculations may yield different possible outcomes of the collision process. It can be seen for head-on collisions that when the velocity of collision is 0.2 m/s and 3.5 m/s, the little drop induces the formation of a hole in the bigger drop, until the surface tension forces to restore the circular form of the resulting drop. For a velocity of collision of 16.0 m/s, the little drop deforms the bigger one, and the system is converted into a thin ligament with the evolution of the dynamics. In this case, a little mass of n-heptane is trapped between the two drops, but at the end of the dynamics it drains to the continuous phase. For off-center collisions, two different values for the velocity of collisions were chosen, and the drops exhibit a lot of waves on the droplets' surface. The streamlines are calculated for the process of coalescence of drops. These streamlines allow the understanding of the dynamics of the droplets immersed on the n-heptane phase. The effect of the interfacial tension it is showed due to the oscillations that the droplet exhibits. When the coalescence has begun, the streamlines form circular patterns at the zone of contact between the drops which explain the increment of the thickness of the bridge structure of the fluid between the two drops. At the end of the dynamics, when the velocity is of 0.2 m/s, the bigger drop reaches a circular form approximately, but when the velocity is of 3.5 m/s the drop reaches an elongated form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]