Heating and Compression at Elevated Temperature of Thin-Walled Titanium Channel Section Columns.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Structural Engineering

Background:

• Structural components made from titanium alloys are increasingly used in demanding environments.
• Understanding the behavior of these structures under thermomechanical loading is critical for safety and efficiency.
• Previous research has not fully explored the combined effects of compression and elevated temperatures on channel section columns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the load-carrying capacity of titanium alloy channel section columns under combined heating and compression.
• To compare numerical simulations with experimental data for thin-walled structures under thermomechanical stress.
• To evaluate the accuracy of different material hardening models in predicting structural response.

Main Methods:

• Experimental testing of simply supported titanium alloy (Grade 2) columns at temperatures ranging from 23°C to 300°C.
• Numerical simulations using Ansys® software with bilinear and multilinear isotropic hardening models.
• A three-stage research procedure: initial compression, heating under preload, and compression to failure at elevated temperatures.

Main Results:

• Elevated temperatures significantly decrease the load-carrying capacity of titanium alloy channel section columns.
• A 27°C temperature increase reduced capacity by 10%; heating to 300°C halved the nominal load-carrying capacity.
• Numerical models accurately estimated reaction forces during heating and compressive forces at elevated temperatures.

Conclusions:

• The study confirms a substantial reduction in the load-carrying capacity of titanium alloy columns as temperature increases.
• The numerical procedures and shell models employed are suitable for predicting the thermomechanical response of thin-walled structures.
• Material characteristics determined through these methods are reliable for engineering applications.