2023 Volume 79 Issue 15 Article ID: 22-15040
The authors have proposed a similarity law that can be applied to scaled model tests using the same materials as full-scale structures in a gravitational field by setting different dimensions for displacements and geometric lengths. The validity of the proposed similarity law was verified through experimental and numerical investigations on cantilever beams, but the theoretical basis of the proposed similarity law remained unclear. This study theoretically derived the proposed similarity law from the governing equations for beam deflection. As the load-displacement relationship of the scaled model and the full-scale structure coincide in the elastic range, the equal-energy rule relating the elastic response to the elasto-plastic response is applied to estimate the elasto-plastic deformation of the full-scale structure.
