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This paper presents a comparison of theoretical and experimental deflection of a hybrid sandwich panel under four-point bending load. The paper initially presents few basic equations developed under three-point load, followed by development of model under four-point bending load and a comparative analysis between theoretical and experimental results. It was found that the proposed model for predicting the deflection of hybrid sandwich panels provided fair agreement with the experimental values. Most of the sandwich panels showed theoretical deflection values higher than the experimental values, which is desirable in the design. It was also noticed that the introduction of intermediate layer does not contribute much to reduce the deflection of sandwich panel as the main contributor for the total deflection was the shear deformation of the core that mostly determined by the geometric of the samples and the thickness of the core. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discrete-Kirchhoff Mindlin quadrilateral (DKMQ) element has recently been developed for analysis of composite laminated plates. This paper presents further development of the DKMQ for analysis of composite laminated folded plates. In this development, a local coordinate system is set up for each element at its centroid. The DKMQ stiffness matrix is superimposed with that of the standard four-node plane stress quadrilateral element to obtain a 24-by-24 folded plate stiffness matrix in the local coordinate system. To avoid singularity of the stiffness matrix, a small stiffness coefficient is added in the entries corresponding to the drilling degrees of freedom. The local stiffness matrix and force vector are then transformed to the global ones and assembled. The accuracy and convergence of the folded plate element are assessed using a number of numerical examples. The results show that the element is accurate and converge well to the reference solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improvement in torsional properties of reinforced concrete (RC) is becoming extremely important in the modern day constructions. Over the years the steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) is being used for improving cracking characteristics of RC. The present paper deals with the behaviour of over reinforced SFRC members subjected to pure torsional loading. Torsion tests on the 15 reinforced steel fiber reinforced concrete beams revealed that, fiber has noticeable effect on the cracking torque and very little effect on the ultimate torsional strength of the member. However fiber inclusion could improve the torsional toughness of the member. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]