Thin-Walled Structures最新文献

{"title":"Distribution optimization of NES cells on pipes conveying fluid","authors":"Yu-Fei Shao,&nbsp;Hu Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114680","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114680","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To control multi-mode nonlinear vibrations in fluid-conveying pipe systems subjected to fluid-structure interaction and external excitations, this paper proposes a synergistic vibration reduction strategy based on multiple nonlinear energy sink (NES) cells. By integrating Euler-Bernoulli beam theory with nonlinear dynamics, a fluid-structure interaction dynamic model incorporating multiple NES cells is established. The system response is analyzed using the Galerkin truncation method (GTM) and the harmonic balance method (HBM). To circumvent the high computational cost of traditional nonlinear dynamic optimization, a novel “modal contribution degree” (MCD) index is proposed. Combined with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, this index quantifies the potential of NESs to capture energy from specific modes, thereby facilitating rapid optimization of their spatial layout. The results indicate that the optimized NES cells exhibit a spontaneous clustering characteristic towards modal antinodes, achieving efficient synergistic suppression of the first two vibration modes, with vibration reduction efficiencies exceeding 70 % and 60 %, respectively. Parametric analysis further confirms that the optimal NES configuration demonstrates excellent robustness against variations in fluid velocity and external excitation intensity. Notably, the proposed MCD strategy increases computational efficiency by four orders of magnitude compared to the traditional HBM approach while maintaining high accuracy, providing solid theoretical support for the multi-mode vibration control of fluid-conveying pipe systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114680"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nonlinear vibrations of a novel three-phase cross-ply titanium fiber and FG-GPLRC aluminum-based laminated conical half-shells with varying thickness under combined excitations","authors":"Z.Q. Wang ,&nbsp;W. Zhang ,&nbsp;Y.F. Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114705","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114705","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Compared with the conventional two-phase composites, three-phase titanium fiber and functionally graded graphene platelet reinforced composite (FG-GPLRC) aluminum-based structures can comprehensively enhance the structural mechanical properties and can be applied in more complex environments. This paper explores the nonlinear vibrations of a novel three-phase cross-ply titanium fiber and FG-GPLRC aluminum-based varying thickness laminated conical half-shell under the combined excitations and different boundary conditions. The thickness varies exponentially along the generatrix of three-phase conical half-shell. The equivalent mechanical properties of three-phase titanium fiber and FG-GPLRC conical half-shells are identified by the mixing rule, improved Halpin-Tsai approach and Mori-Tanaka approach. Utilizing the higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT) and Galerkin procedure, the nonlinear ordinary differential formulations of three-phase varying thickness conical half-shells are investigated. The comparisons and convergence of the natural frequencies and nonlinear vibration responses of the conical half-shells are provided to ensure the accuracy of the theoretical formulations by employing the experiment, literature and Abaqus. The frequency-amplitude responses, chaotic dynamics and bifurcation characteristics are investigated by applying the experiment and Runge-Kutta procedure. The effects of various excitations, boundary conditions, materials and structural parameters on the nonlinear vibrations are examined. The experimental study about nonlinear forced vibration is given to explore and validate the nonlinear vibration characteristics of varying thickness conical half-shells. The results indicate that the presence of the GPLs enhances the rigidities and frequencies of three-phase varying thickness conical half-shells, while the presence of low content titanium fibers reduces the frequencies of three-phase varying thickness conical half-shells. This study guides the modeling and nonlinear vibration analysis of three-phase titanium fiber and FG-GPLRC structures with varying thickness, and offers an excellent alternative material for aerospace fairings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114705"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Topology optimization of multi-material structures exhibiting distinct tensile and compressive moduli","authors":"Jiyan Huang ,&nbsp;Xiaolei Yan ,&nbsp;Dengfeng Huang ,&nbsp;Hui Wang ,&nbsp;Haiyan Hua ,&nbsp;Xiaodong Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114727","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114727","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Composite structures possess lightweight and multifunctional characteristics, and are extensively utilized in engineering applications. However, the associated design and manufacturing technologies remain under development, particularly concerning the topology design of multi-material structures exhibiting distinct tensile and compressive material properties. This paper develops a multi-material topology optimization framework for addressing the rational allocation of multiple materials involving distinct tensile and compressive moduli. To address the challenges posed by the discontinuity between tensile and compressive moduli, a smooth constitutive model for materials with distinct moduli is introduced. By introducing multi-material design variables for each element, a linear multi-material interpolation scheme is proposed. Subsequently, an updating scheme for these multi-material variables is constructed based on optimality criteria (OC). The multi-material topology layouts with clear and smooth interfaces are achieved through the application of multiple floating projection constraints that gradually push the design variables towards values of 0 or 1. Finally, 2D and 3D numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the capability and effectiveness and advantages of the proposed topology optimization algorithm in exploiting material potentials and enhancing structural performances.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114727"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shear resistance of continuous steel beams with thin webs","authors":"Gábor Hajdú ,&nbsp;Hartmut Pasternak","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114731","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114731","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The shear buckling and post-buckling behaviour of welded plated I girders with slender webs plays a critical role in the safety and economy of steel bridge and building structures. However, experimental data and validated numerical models for multi-span girders with slender webs remain limited, and the accuracy of current design provisions is not yet fully established. This paper presents the results of an experimental and numerical investigation on ten two-span welded plated I girders with transversely stiffened webs. By placing transverse stiffeners on both sides, the web panels were divided into four or eight rectangular segments with an aspect ratio of <em>a/h</em>=2.5. The web slenderness ratios <em>h/t</em> ranged from 175 to 350, while the flange slenderness ratios <em>b/t</em> varied between 8 and 40. The specimens exhibited shear failure governed by tension-field action near the internal support or flange buckling in the middle of the span. To further examine the shear buckling behaviour, geometrically and materially nonlinear analyses with imperfections were performed using advanced full-shell finite element models. The validated numerical models were then employed in a comprehensive parametric study covering a wide range of geometric configurations. The numerical results were used to assess the accuracy of the shear strength formula specified in EN 1993-1-5:2024 and AISC 360-22. Based on the results of the numerical simulations new formulas are proposed for the contribution of the web and flanges to determine the shear strength of plated I girders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114731"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Machine learning for predicting and optimizing energy absorption characteristics of hollow variable cross-section lattice metamaterials","authors":"Sicong Zhou ,&nbsp;Hua Liu ,&nbsp;Delin Yang ,&nbsp;Bo Li ,&nbsp;Wei-Hsin Liao ,&nbsp;Jialing Yang ,&nbsp;Xianfeng Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114650","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114650","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Enhancing the energy absorption performance of mechanical metamaterials while reducing their weight has long been a sought-after topic in the field of impact protection. Lattice structures with hollow struts demonstrate superior energy absorption performance compared to those with solid struts due to the enhancement of the fully plastic bending moment. However, the energy absorption capacity can be further improved by optimizing the geometric configuration to adjust the distribution of the fully plastic bending moment. It is imperative to investigate the design guidelines for the hollow variable cross-section body-centered cubic (HVCB) lattice to enhance its energy absorption. In this work, a new database containing geometric and energy absorption information of 10,000 HVCB lattices was constructed to train the convolutional neural network models which can predict the energy absorption of the HVCB lattices. By combining the convolutional neural network models with the genetic algorithm, an optimization flow can be established to refine the structural configuration of the HVCB lattice, enabling the first systematic exploration of the relationship between complex geometric configurations and nonlinear mechanical properties. The strut shape of the HVCB lattice forms a concave curve when it achieves the highest specific energy absorption (SEA) under limited peak force or mass. However, the energy absorption capacity diminishes significantly when the strut shape of the HVCB lattice resembles a spindle. The energy absorption mechanism of the HVCB lattice with the highest SEA mainly attributes to enhanced compression force and plastic deformation regions. The optimization approach presented in this study efficiently improves the SEA of the HVCB lattice with the highest SEA being up to 2.59 times greater than that of the hollow uniform cross-section BCC lattice with the same mass.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114650"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ballistic fracture quantification in ceramic-foam laminates by numerical manifold method","authors":"Rui Yue ,&nbsp;Yuansen Gu ,&nbsp;Youjun Ning ,&nbsp;Xuezhen Zhai ,&nbsp;Liuchen Shu ,&nbsp;Ge Kang ,&nbsp;Baoqiao Guo ,&nbsp;Pengwan Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114742","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114742","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ceramic laminated structures are widely used in protective armor systems owing to their outstanding combination of light weight and ballistic resistance. The dynamic fracture mechanisms of ceramic cores under high-velocity impact remain unclear, limiting structural optimization and performance improvement. The numerical manifold method (NMM) is extended with capabilities for multi-crack initiation and evolution, as well as fragment interactions under dynamic loading without predefined paths. A series of ballistic experiments were conducted on 100 mm multiply 100 mm multiply 34 mm alumina ceramic-aluminum foam laminates with ceramic cores of 6, 8, 10 and 12 mm, impacted by 12.7 mm armor-piercing incendiary projectiles at 440 m/s. Configurations 3 and 4 prevented penetration, whereas configurations 1, 2, and 5 were penetrated. The NMM analysis shows good agreement with experiments, predicting residual velocity for penetrated laminates with errors of 2%–12% and back-face deflection for non-penetrated laminates with errors of 6%–16%. Crack evolution, along with crack density and fragment-size distribution, was revealed by the NMM simulations and found consistent with the recovered ceramic cores from experiments. Further PDF analysis reveal that successful protection shows nearly twice the probability density of small-sized fragments compared with penetrated cases. The developed NMM framework offers reliable predictive capability for multi-crack evolution in ceramic laminates under dynamic loading, providing new insights and valuable guidance for armor design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114742"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Behaviour and design of 6082-T6 aluminium lap joints at ambient temperature and post-fire","authors":"Michaela Gkantou ,&nbsp;Manuela Cabrera ,&nbsp;Marina Bock ,&nbsp;Marios Theofanous","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114686","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114686","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Structural aluminium alloys are commonly heat-treated to enhance their strength for load-bearing applications, but exposure to fire can degrade or completely eliminate these benefits. Even if a component withstands the fire, it may no longer meet design load requirements, making post-fire performance assessment essential. This study presents 16 material coupons tests and 12 experimental tests on 6082-T6 aluminium lap joints exposed to elevated temperatures (200 °C, 300 °C, and 400 °C) prior to testing. Three joint configurations with varying bolt spacing were investigated, resulting in different failure modes: net section fracture, end bearing, and mixed failure. One unheated specimen per configuration served as a benchmark sample. Additionally, tensile tests on flat and flat grooved coupons were conducted to characterise the stress-strain and fracture behaviour after thermal exposure. The findings of the lap joint tests include load-displacement behaviour, as well as evaluations of failure loads and failure modes, and are reported in detail. Subsequently, numerical models were developed and validated against the experimental results. A parametric study was also carried out to investigate the influence of the bolt hole end and edge distance on the joint performance. The experimental and numerical results were used to evaluate the accuracy of existing design standards for predicting the resistance of aluminium alloy connections, including AS/NZS 1664.1, EN 1999-1-1 (Eurocode 9), and the provisions available in the literature. Based on the experimental and numerical data, a modified design equation for the bearing resistance factor is proposed to improve the prediction accuracy, and enable post-fire design that accounts for temperature-induced degradation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114686"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deep learning coupled finite element method for efficient multiscale damage analysis of 3D braided composites","authors":"Zewen Gao ,&nbsp;Jun Liu ,&nbsp;Guofan Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiaohua Nie ,&nbsp;Liang Chang ,&nbsp;Shuang Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114644","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114644","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In classical multiscale computational methods, high-precision finite element calculations at the mesoscale have emerged as the primary bottleneck restricting overall computational efficiency. The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technology, particularly data-driven and machine learning (ML), has provided novel approaches for addressing traditional mechanics problems. A deep learning (DL) enhanced multiscale framework has been developed in this manuscript to study the progressive damage behavior in composites . The mesoscale surrogate model in this framework has been constructed based on deep learning techniques (Convolutional Neural Networks(CNNs), Long Short-Term Memory networks(LSTMs), Attention Mechanism(AM) and Transfer Learning (TL)). CNNs extract spatial features of microstructures, LSTMs capture temporal damage evolution, AM focuses on critical failure stages, and TL enhances generalization to new material configurations. The mesoscale surrogate model can be applied to obtain damage state for updating the material tangent modulus at the macroscale under certain stress and strain state, which can replace mesoscale simulation in composites. To validate the proposed framework, a 3D braided composites structure was subjected to multiscale numerical simulation. It is verified that the predicted strength and progressive damage evolution of the braided composites structure obtained by the proposed method are in good agreement with the experimental results. Meanwhile, the proposed multiscale framework can not only improve computational efficiency but exhibits good consistency in accuracy as well.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114644"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of flange fabrication process on residual stresses of welded I-section members","authors":"Maxime Lebastard ,&nbsp;Dénes Kollár ,&nbsp;András Horváth ,&nbsp;Alain Bureau ,&nbsp;Maël Couchaux ,&nbsp;Balázs Kövesdi","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2025.114424","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2025.114424","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The present paper investigates the influence of flange fabrication processes, such as plasma-cutting, flame-cutting and hot-rolling on the residual stress distribution in welded I-section members. Therefore, an extensive residual stress measurements programme is conducted on 22 welded I-section members varying flange fabrication methods and cross-sectional dimensions to overcome the lack of available experimental results. In addition, residual stress measurements are carried out on flame- and plasma-cut constituent plates, before welding. The studied welded specimens were composed of S355 structural steel, except for the flanges of two specimens, constituted by S235 steel. The experimental results highlight the substantial effect of the flange fabrication process on the residual stress distribution in welded I-section members. At the flange ends, flame-cutting yields high-magnitude tensile stresses and plasma-cutting generally yields low-magnitude tensile stresses while hot-rolled flanges exhibit high magnitude compressive stresses. The experimental results are further employed to develop novel residual stress models for thermal-cut constituent plates and welded I-sections, incorporating (i) the manufacturing specialties of thermal-cutting and welding and (ii) the thermophysical properties of the base material.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114424"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Numerical investigation of hydrodynamic and kinematic behaviors of a large-scale thin-walled wind turbine blade during water entry","authors":"Yingying Lin ,&nbsp;Di Wang ,&nbsp;Ningge Fan ,&nbsp;Binyi Liang ,&nbsp;Gong Chen ,&nbsp;Tinh Quoc Bui ,&nbsp;Shunhua Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114661","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114661","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Due to rough sea conditions and the complexity of blade hoisting, large offshore wind turbine blades are at risk of falling into the water during offshore lifting operations. The prediction of the water entry trajectory of a blade helps to guide the positioning and layout of offshore installations, thereby reducing the risk of collisions during water entry. However, the dynamic behaviors of thin-walled wind turbine blades during water entry remain largely unexplored. In light of this, the present work aims to present a comprehensive investigation of hydrodynamic and kinematic behaviors of a large-scale wind turbine blade during water entry via computational fluid dynamics simulations. The overset mesh technique in the context of the finite volume framework is employed to capture the motion of the blade involving large displacements and complex curved boundaries. The accuracy and effectiveness of the numerical methods are validated using a water entry case of a circular cylinder. A trajectory analysis method is presented to comprehensively characterize the horizontal trajectory envelope of the large-scale blade. Afterwards, a parametric study is conducted to numerically investigate the effects of vertical velocity and attitude angle on the calm water entry behaviors of the blade. The present work further investigates the effects of wave and wind loadings on the water entry behaviors of the blade. The results of this study offer important physical insight into the water entry behaviors of large-scale airfoil-shaped structures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114661"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}