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Steel Construction Published the List of Highly Influential Articles of 2020
Current Issue
2026, Volume 41, Issue 1
Display Method:
2026,
41(1):
1-11.
doi: 10.13206/j.gjgS25092201
Abstract
PDF (2690KB)
Abstract:
W-beam guardrails play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of vehicles traveling on expressways. However， due to factors such as increased vehicle speeds and additional pavement layers， many guardrails constructed according to older standards no longer meet current safety requirements and urgently require upgrading. This study made full use of the existing structure of legacy guardrails designed under previous regulations and proposed an upgrade method involving sleeve heightening and the addition of “C”-shaped crossbeams. Dynamic simulation models of three vehicle types impacting guardrails were developed using HyperMesh and LS-DYNA software to systematically analyze the guardrail’s crashworthiness—including guiding， buffering， and restraining functions—during vehicle collisions. The study further investigated the deformation mechanisms of the upgraded guardrail and the vehicle rollover characteristics under the impact of different vehicle types. Full-scale vehicle impact tests were also conducted to evaluate the safety performance of the upgraded guardrail. The results showed that the discrepancy between experimental and simulation outcomes was less than 10%， indicating high consistency. The upgraded guardrail met the Level IV （SB） protection standard specified in the new regulations and notably enhanced crashworthiness.
W-beam guardrails play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of vehicles traveling on expressways. However， due to factors such as increased vehicle speeds and additional pavement layers， many guardrails constructed according to older standards no longer meet current safety requirements and urgently require upgrading. This study made full use of the existing structure of legacy guardrails designed under previous regulations and proposed an upgrade method involving sleeve heightening and the addition of “C”-shaped crossbeams. Dynamic simulation models of three vehicle types impacting guardrails were developed using HyperMesh and LS-DYNA software to systematically analyze the guardrail’s crashworthiness—including guiding， buffering， and restraining functions—during vehicle collisions. The study further investigated the deformation mechanisms of the upgraded guardrail and the vehicle rollover characteristics under the impact of different vehicle types. Full-scale vehicle impact tests were also conducted to evaluate the safety performance of the upgraded guardrail. The results showed that the discrepancy between experimental and simulation outcomes was less than 10%， indicating high consistency. The upgraded guardrail met the Level IV （SB） protection standard specified in the new regulations and notably enhanced crashworthiness.
2026,
41(1):
12-20.
doi: 10.13206/j.gjgS25072701
Abstract:
The guardrail transition section plays a crucial role in connecting concrete and steel guardrails. However， traditional transition designs incorporating concrete wing walls have disadvantages such as prolonged construction duration， high cost， and difficulty in retrofitting. To address these issues， this research proposes a wing-wall-free SB-level guardrail transition structure. This design replaces traditional wing walls by using triple W-beam guardrails， anti-blocking plates， and variably spaced posts to connect the steel and concrete guardrails， with supporting blocks ensuring a smooth stiffness change. Finite element analysis was conducted using HyperMesh and LS-DYNA， and full-scale vehicle impact tests were carried out involving a small passenger car， a medium passenger bus， and a large truck to evaluate the transition section’s containment， redirection， and energy absorption capabilities. The simulation and experimental results were consistent and met all regulatory requirements in Design Specifications for Highway Safetey Facilities（JTG D81-2017）， demonstrating that the proposed design satisfies SB-level crashworthiness standards. This study provides a design concept for wing-wall-free guardrail transition sections.
The guardrail transition section plays a crucial role in connecting concrete and steel guardrails. However， traditional transition designs incorporating concrete wing walls have disadvantages such as prolonged construction duration， high cost， and difficulty in retrofitting. To address these issues， this research proposes a wing-wall-free SB-level guardrail transition structure. This design replaces traditional wing walls by using triple W-beam guardrails， anti-blocking plates， and variably spaced posts to connect the steel and concrete guardrails， with supporting blocks ensuring a smooth stiffness change. Finite element analysis was conducted using HyperMesh and LS-DYNA， and full-scale vehicle impact tests were carried out involving a small passenger car， a medium passenger bus， and a large truck to evaluate the transition section’s containment， redirection， and energy absorption capabilities. The simulation and experimental results were consistent and met all regulatory requirements in Design Specifications for Highway Safetey Facilities（JTG D81-2017）， demonstrating that the proposed design satisfies SB-level crashworthiness standards. This study provides a design concept for wing-wall-free guardrail transition sections.
2026,
41(1):
21-30.
doi: 10.13206/j.gjgS25110502
Abstract:
This study addresses the low ductility and limited shear resistance of conventional rock bolts by developing a high-ductility anchorage system using S32001 duplex stainless steel. Through double-shear tests and numerical simulations， the shear deformation behavior and load-transfer mechanism were systematically analyzed. Results show that the S32001 bolt exhibits approximately 80% higher shear capacity than HRB400 steel and achieves an axial mobilization ratio of 58.22%， maintaining stable resistance under large deformation. Numerical results reveal a coupled tension-bending failure mode with plastic hinge formation along the joint surface. The findings confirm the feasibility of S32001 as a high-ductility bolt material and provide new insights for slope stabilization under complex geological conditions.
This study addresses the low ductility and limited shear resistance of conventional rock bolts by developing a high-ductility anchorage system using S32001 duplex stainless steel. Through double-shear tests and numerical simulations， the shear deformation behavior and load-transfer mechanism were systematically analyzed. Results show that the S32001 bolt exhibits approximately 80% higher shear capacity than HRB400 steel and achieves an axial mobilization ratio of 58.22%， maintaining stable resistance under large deformation. Numerical results reveal a coupled tension-bending failure mode with plastic hinge formation along the joint surface. The findings confirm the feasibility of S32001 as a high-ductility bolt material and provide new insights for slope stabilization under complex geological conditions.
2026,
41(1):
31-38.
doi: 10.13206/j.gjgS25110201
Abstract:
Bolt reinforcement technology has been widely used in supporting structures for slope engineering. However， traditional bolts are difficult to balance high strength and high ductility under complex conditions， such as those encountered in high and steep slopes. This study employed Twinning-Induced Plasticity （TWIP） steel as the material for the compression-bearing anchorage section， introduced a tension-compression composite bolt system， and developed a new type of anchorage structure with both high bearing capacity and large deformation capacity. Through pull-out tests， the mechanical properties of three types of bolts were compared and analyzed： TWIP steel tension-type bolts， traditional HRB400 tension-type bolts， and TWIP/HRB400 tension-compression composite bolts. The results showed that all tension-compression composite bolts experienced fracture of the TWIP steel rod， with an ultimate load ranging from 260.89 to 265.82 kN， which was twice that of HRB400 tension-type bolts. In terms of deformation capacity， the displacement at the ultimate load was approximately 207 mm， 3.25 times that of HRB400 tension-type bolts and 51 times that of TWIP steel tension-type bolts. The strain rate in the parallel section of the TWIP steel reached 53.7%， demonstrating significant high-ductility characteristics. The shear stress distribution in tension-compression composite bolts was more reasonable. The shear stress at the bearing plate did not reach the ultimate bond strength， and no slippage occurred. In the initial loading stage， the load was primarily borne by the compression-bearing anchorage section. After the displacement reached 80 mm， it transferred to the tension-bearing anchorage section， with the two sections working together in good synergy. These research findings provide theoretical support for the application of tension-compression composite bolts in complex geotechnical engineering.
Bolt reinforcement technology has been widely used in supporting structures for slope engineering. However， traditional bolts are difficult to balance high strength and high ductility under complex conditions， such as those encountered in high and steep slopes. This study employed Twinning-Induced Plasticity （TWIP） steel as the material for the compression-bearing anchorage section， introduced a tension-compression composite bolt system， and developed a new type of anchorage structure with both high bearing capacity and large deformation capacity. Through pull-out tests， the mechanical properties of three types of bolts were compared and analyzed： TWIP steel tension-type bolts， traditional HRB400 tension-type bolts， and TWIP/HRB400 tension-compression composite bolts. The results showed that all tension-compression composite bolts experienced fracture of the TWIP steel rod， with an ultimate load ranging from 260.89 to 265.82 kN， which was twice that of HRB400 tension-type bolts. In terms of deformation capacity， the displacement at the ultimate load was approximately 207 mm， 3.25 times that of HRB400 tension-type bolts and 51 times that of TWIP steel tension-type bolts. The strain rate in the parallel section of the TWIP steel reached 53.7%， demonstrating significant high-ductility characteristics. The shear stress distribution in tension-compression composite bolts was more reasonable. The shear stress at the bearing plate did not reach the ultimate bond strength， and no slippage occurred. In the initial loading stage， the load was primarily borne by the compression-bearing anchorage section. After the displacement reached 80 mm， it transferred to the tension-bearing anchorage section， with the two sections working together in good synergy. These research findings provide theoretical support for the application of tension-compression composite bolts in complex geotechnical engineering.
2026,
41(1):
39-46.
doi: 10.13206/j.gjgS25120301
Abstract:
The honeycomb structures have emerged as promising anti-collision energy-absorbing core materials due to their advantages of lightweight and having high energy absorption capacity. Its application on bridge piers can reduce the impact risk of collisions from barges. Shear-reinforced honeycombs can improve the anisotropic compressive performance of traditional honeycombs and help mitigate structural damage， yet they have received limited attention. Moreover， traditional design methods often rely on repetitive finite element simulations， resulting in low computational efficiency. To address this， this paper proposed a plateau stress prediction model based on an improved Latin Hypercube Sampling （LHS） method. First， the superior performance of the shear-reinforced origami honeycomb under oblique impact was confirmed through finite element simulations. Second， the LHS method was employed to perform uniform sampling in the multi-parameter space to obtain high-fidelity sample data in conjunction with numerical simulations. Subsequently， a nonlinear plateau stress prediction model incorporating key parameters such as wall thickness， side length， and offset distance was constructed using physics-inspired functions. Finally， the model’s accuracy was validated using random samples. The results indicated that the coefficient of determination （R2） of the predictive model reached 0.997， with extrapolation errors controlled within 10%. By integrating the LHS method with surrogate modeling techniques， this study achieved rapid and accurate prediction of the plateau stress for shear-reinforced origami honeycombs， providing essential technical support for efficient forward design.
The honeycomb structures have emerged as promising anti-collision energy-absorbing core materials due to their advantages of lightweight and having high energy absorption capacity. Its application on bridge piers can reduce the impact risk of collisions from barges. Shear-reinforced honeycombs can improve the anisotropic compressive performance of traditional honeycombs and help mitigate structural damage， yet they have received limited attention. Moreover， traditional design methods often rely on repetitive finite element simulations， resulting in low computational efficiency. To address this， this paper proposed a plateau stress prediction model based on an improved Latin Hypercube Sampling （LHS） method. First， the superior performance of the shear-reinforced origami honeycomb under oblique impact was confirmed through finite element simulations. Second， the LHS method was employed to perform uniform sampling in the multi-parameter space to obtain high-fidelity sample data in conjunction with numerical simulations. Subsequently， a nonlinear plateau stress prediction model incorporating key parameters such as wall thickness， side length， and offset distance was constructed using physics-inspired functions. Finally， the model’s accuracy was validated using random samples. The results indicated that the coefficient of determination （R2） of the predictive model reached 0.997， with extrapolation errors controlled within 10%. By integrating the LHS method with surrogate modeling techniques， this study achieved rapid and accurate prediction of the plateau stress for shear-reinforced origami honeycombs， providing essential technical support for efficient forward design.
2026,
41(1):
47-55.
doi: 10.13206/j.gjgS25112401
Abstract:
With the rapid development of inland waterways， collision protection for bridge piers has become an increasingly prominent issue. However， existing forward design methods for pier protection structures largely rely on iterative finite element simulations， which limits their practical applicability. This study proposes a force-deformation-strength-based forward design method for honeycomb collision protection structures， fully leveraging the stable deformation mode and nearly constant reaction force of honeycomb materials under compression while systematically accounting for force and energy indicators during ship-bridge collisions. With only basic bridge information， target vessel parameters， and operating conditions， the method enables rapid determination of the required honeycomb layout height and compressive strength at the preliminary design stage. The structural configuration parameters are further derived using a modified Tresca yield criterion and an equivalent wall thickness conversion. Through simulation-based verification， the study demonstrates the feasibility of directly deriving protection structure design requirements from general bridge parameters， thereby simplifying traditional iterative workflows. The results show that the proposed method can effectively reduce collision forces， mitigate pier damage， and significantly improve design efficiency， providing both theoretical and practical guidance for the efficient collision protection design of inland waterway bridges.
With the rapid development of inland waterways， collision protection for bridge piers has become an increasingly prominent issue. However， existing forward design methods for pier protection structures largely rely on iterative finite element simulations， which limits their practical applicability. This study proposes a force-deformation-strength-based forward design method for honeycomb collision protection structures， fully leveraging the stable deformation mode and nearly constant reaction force of honeycomb materials under compression while systematically accounting for force and energy indicators during ship-bridge collisions. With only basic bridge information， target vessel parameters， and operating conditions， the method enables rapid determination of the required honeycomb layout height and compressive strength at the preliminary design stage. The structural configuration parameters are further derived using a modified Tresca yield criterion and an equivalent wall thickness conversion. Through simulation-based verification， the study demonstrates the feasibility of directly deriving protection structure design requirements from general bridge parameters， thereby simplifying traditional iterative workflows. The results show that the proposed method can effectively reduce collision forces， mitigate pier damage， and significantly improve design efficiency， providing both theoretical and practical guidance for the efficient collision protection design of inland waterway bridges.
2026,
41(1):
56-66.
doi: 10.13206/j.gjgS25112002
Abstract:
As China’s inland waterway bridge construction grows， ship collisions frequently damage piers. Honeycomb structures—lightweight， high-strength， and effective at absorbing energy—are promising for pier collision protection. However， traditional straight hexagonal honeycombs have weak in-plane performance and require additional guides for oblique ship impacts； while existing origami honeycombs enhance in-plane strength， they lack out-of-plane strength， failing to meet practical needs. This study used the mid-plane offset method to develop a parametric modeling framework for origami honeycombs. The framework classified the structures into three types （A， B， and C）， defined their three-dimensional morphologies as being governed by five core parameters， and investigated the influence of key parameters on structural performance. Finite element simulations were conducted to compare the in-plane and out-of-plane compressive performance between origami honeycombs and traditional straight honeycombs. A detailed analysis of the parameter influence on mechanical properties was further performed for the superior configuration. The results indicated that Type B origami honeycomb offers the optimal overall performance by effectively balancing “peak force reduction” and energy absorption requirements. Moreover， specific parameter combinations were identified to achieve a balance between structural performance and cost-effectiveness. This research provides a critical reference for parameter optimization and engineering application of origami honeycombs in the field of bridge collision protection， holding significant practical value for enhancing the safety of inland waterway bridge piers against ship impacts.
As China’s inland waterway bridge construction grows， ship collisions frequently damage piers. Honeycomb structures—lightweight， high-strength， and effective at absorbing energy—are promising for pier collision protection. However， traditional straight hexagonal honeycombs have weak in-plane performance and require additional guides for oblique ship impacts； while existing origami honeycombs enhance in-plane strength， they lack out-of-plane strength， failing to meet practical needs. This study used the mid-plane offset method to develop a parametric modeling framework for origami honeycombs. The framework classified the structures into three types （A， B， and C）， defined their three-dimensional morphologies as being governed by five core parameters， and investigated the influence of key parameters on structural performance. Finite element simulations were conducted to compare the in-plane and out-of-plane compressive performance between origami honeycombs and traditional straight honeycombs. A detailed analysis of the parameter influence on mechanical properties was further performed for the superior configuration. The results indicated that Type B origami honeycomb offers the optimal overall performance by effectively balancing “peak force reduction” and energy absorption requirements. Moreover， specific parameter combinations were identified to achieve a balance between structural performance and cost-effectiveness. This research provides a critical reference for parameter optimization and engineering application of origami honeycombs in the field of bridge collision protection， holding significant practical value for enhancing the safety of inland waterway bridge piers against ship impacts.
2026,
41(1):
67-71.
doi: 10.13206/j.gjgS25120725
Abstract:
An analysis was conducted to determine the equivalent bending moment factor for out-of-plane flexural-torsional buckling of frame columns in multi-story buildings with reinforced concrete floor slabs. These columns are characterized by permitted lateral sway but zero twist angles at both ends. The equilibrium differential equations and boundary conditions were derived based on the exact total potential energy principle. The model accounted for the lateral out-of-plane displacement stiffness at the column top， with its elastic energy included in the total potential energy. The derivation showed that the simply-supported ends and zero-twist-angle boundary conditions necessitated zero lateral displacement at the column top. Consequently， the sway spring term was eliminated from the simplified total potential energy expression， confirming that lateral sway stiffness does not affect the out-of-plane stability of columns under pure bending. With a three-term sine series as the trial function， the simplified total potential energy was solved to obtain the equivalent bending moment factor， and the corresponding buckling modes were also presented. The result indicated that this factor was identical to that for frame columns in a non-sway buckling scenario. The conclusion was further validated by finite element buckling analysis and supported by discussions referencing earlier research findings presented in the paper.
An analysis was conducted to determine the equivalent bending moment factor for out-of-plane flexural-torsional buckling of frame columns in multi-story buildings with reinforced concrete floor slabs. These columns are characterized by permitted lateral sway but zero twist angles at both ends. The equilibrium differential equations and boundary conditions were derived based on the exact total potential energy principle. The model accounted for the lateral out-of-plane displacement stiffness at the column top， with its elastic energy included in the total potential energy. The derivation showed that the simply-supported ends and zero-twist-angle boundary conditions necessitated zero lateral displacement at the column top. Consequently， the sway spring term was eliminated from the simplified total potential energy expression， confirming that lateral sway stiffness does not affect the out-of-plane stability of columns under pure bending. With a three-term sine series as the trial function， the simplified total potential energy was solved to obtain the equivalent bending moment factor， and the corresponding buckling modes were also presented. The result indicated that this factor was identical to that for frame columns in a non-sway buckling scenario. The conclusion was further validated by finite element buckling analysis and supported by discussions referencing earlier research findings presented in the paper.
