• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.38 no.5
• /
• pp.5-17
• /
• 2022

A pile is a type of medium for constructing superstructures in weak geotechnical conditions. A pretensioned spun high-strength concrete (PHC) pile is composed of high-strength concrete with a specified strength greater than 80 MPa. Therefore, it has advantages in resistance to axial and bending moments and quality control and management since it is manufactured in a factory. However, the skin friction of a pile, which accounts for a large portion of the pile bearing capacity, is only approximated using empirical equations or standard penetration test (SPT) N-values. Particularly, there are some poor research results on the pile-soil interface under the seismic loads in Korea. Additionally, some studies do not consider geoenvironmental elements, such as groundwater pH values. This study performs sets of cyclic simple shear tests using submerged concrete specimens for 1 month to consider pH values of groundwater and clay specimens composed of kaolinite to generate a pile-soil interface. 0.2 and 0.4 MPa of normal stress conditions are considered in the case of pH values. The disturbed state concept is employed to express the dynamic behavior of the interface, and the disturbed function parameters are newly suggested. Consequently, the largest disturbance increase under basic conditions is observed, and an early approach to the failure under low normal stress conditions is presented. The disturbance function parameters are also suggested to express this disposition quantitatively.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.445-462
• /
• 2022

To investigate and evaluate the seismic damage behaviors of steel reinforced recycled concrete (SRRC) filled circular steel tube composite columns, in this study, the cyclic loading tests of 11 composite columns was carried out by using the load-displacement joint control method. The seismic damage process, hysteretic curves and performance indexes of composite columns were observed and obtained. The effects of replacement rates of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA), diameter thickness ratio, axial compression ratio, profile steel ratio and section form of profile steel on the seismic damage behaviors of composite columns were also analyzed in detail. The results show that the failure model of columns is a typical bending failure under the combined action of horizontal loads and vertical loads, and the columns have good energy dissipation capacity and ductility. In addition, the replacement rates of RCA have a certain adverse effect on the seismic bearing capacity, energy consumption and ductility of columns. The seismic damage characteristics of composite columns are revealed according to the failure modes and hysteretic curves. A modified Park-Ang seismic damage model based on the maximum displacement and cumulative energy consumption was proposed, which can consider the adverse effect of RAC on the seismic damage of columns. On this basis, the performance levels of composite columns are divided into five categories, The interlayer displacement angle and damage index are used as the damage quantitative indicators of composite columns, and the displacement angle limits of composite columns at different performance levels under 80% assurance rate are calculated as 1/105, 1/85, 1/65, 1/28, and 1/25 respectively. On this basis, the damage index limits corresponding to each performance level are calculated as 0.045, 0.1, 0.48, 0.8, and 1.0 respectively. Finally, the corresponding relations among the performance levels, damage degrees, interlayer displacement angles and damage indexes of composite columns are established. The conclusions can provide reference for the seismic design of SRRC filled circular steel tube composite columns, it fills the vacancy in the research on seismic damage of steel reinforced recycled concrete (SRRC) filled circular steel tube composite columns.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.24 no.10
• /
• pp.51-58
• /
• 2023

The dynamic behavior of the group piles supporting the superstructure in an earthquake is influenced by different complex dynamic mechanisms by the inertia force of the superstructure and the kinematic force of the ground. In an earthquake, The dynamic p-y curve is used to analyze the dynamic behavior of the pile foundation in consideration of the interaction of the ground, pile foundation, and superstructure due to the inertia force and the kinematic force. Most of the research has been conducted in order to confirm the dynamic p-y curve of the pile foundation by applying to the pile foundation installed on the single layered ground consisting of sand and clay, but the research for the multiple layered ground is insufficient. In this study, 1g shaking table tests were conducted to analyze the effect of the strata ratio of the top and bottom ground of the two layered sandy ground which has different relative densities on the dynamic behavior of group piles supporting the superstructure. The result shows that the maximum acceleration in the ground, the pile cap, and the superstructure increases as the strata ratio increases, and the location of the maximum bending moment of the pile foundation is changed. In addition, it was confirmed that the slope of the dynamic p-y curve of the pile foundation increased and decreased according to the strata ratio.

• Composites Research
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.281-287
• /
• 2023

Environmental pollution from waste and the climate crisis, due to rising global average temperatures, are reaching critical levels threatening human survival. Research is ongoing across various fields to solve this problem, with a key focus on developing eco-friendly, carbon-neutral materials. Our study aimed to integrate natural fibers, known for their environmentally friendly properties and lower carbon emissions, with carbon fibers. In general, combining high-strength and low-strength materials results in intermediate properties. However, we found that certain properties in our study exceeded those of typical carbon fiber composite materials. To validate this, we produced both carbon fiber composite materials and carbon fiber/natural fiber hybrid composite materials. We then compared their mechanical properties using a range of specific tests. Our results revealed that the hybrid composite material exhibited superior bending strength and fracture toughness compared to the carbon fiber composite material. We also identified the underlying mechanisms contributing to this strength enhancement. This breakthrough suggests that the use of hybrid composite materials may allow the production of stronger structures. Moreover, this can play a significant role in mitigating environmental pollution and the climate crisis by reducing carbon emissions, a major contributing factor to these global challenges.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.455-475
• /
• 2023

The present study investigates the non-linear soil-pile interaction using three-dimensional (3D) non-linear finite element models. The numerical models were validated by using the results of extensive pile load and shaking table tests. The pile performance in liquefiable and non-liquefiable soil has been studied by analyzing the liquefaction ratio, pile lateral displacement (LD), pile bending moment (BM), and frictional resistance (FR) results. The pile models have been developed for the different ground conditions. The study reveals that the results obtained during the pile load test and shaking cycles have good agreement with the predicted pile and soil response. The soil density, peak ground acceleration (PGA), slenderness ratio (L/D), and soil condition (i.e., dry and saturated) are considered during modeling. Four ground motions are used for the non-linear time history analyses. Consequently, design charts are proposed depended on the analysis results to be used for design practice. Eleven models have been used to validate the capability of these charts to capture the soil-pile response under different seismic intensities. The results of the present study demonstrate that L/D ratio slightly affects the lateral displacement when compared with other parameters. Also, it has been observed that the increasing in PGA and decreasing L/D decreases the excess pore water pressure ratio; i.e., increasing PGA from 0.1 g to 0.82 g of loose sand model, decrease the liquefaction ratio by about 50%, and increasing L/D from 15 to 75 of the similar models (under Kobe earthquake), increase this ratio by about 30%. This study reveals that the lateral displacement increases nonlinearly under both dry and saturated conditions as the PGA increases. Similarly, it is observed that the BM increases under both dry and saturated states as the L/D ratio increases. Regarding the acceleration histories, the pile BM was reduced by reducing the acceleration intensity. Hence, the pile BM decreased to about 31% when the applied ground motion switched from Kobe (PGA=0.82 g) to Ali Algharbi (PGA=0.10 g). This study reveals that the soil conditions affect the relationship pattern between the FR and the PGA. Also, this research could be helpful in understanding the threat of earthquakes in different ground characteristics.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.29 no.6A
• /
• pp.625-639
• /
• 2009

Experimental and analytical studies are performed on the mechanical behavior of concrete-filled tubular(CFT) truss girders for different f/L ratios. Bending tests are conducted on two CFT truss girder specimens to determine fundamental structural characteristics such as the strength and deformation properties. Nonlinear material models for CFT members subjected to an axial compressive force are compared in this paper by using the nonlinear finite element program, ABAQUS. Previous researchers have proposed several nonlinear stress-strain models of confined concrete. In this study, the nonlinear analyses are performed applying several stress-strain models for confined concrete proposed by Mander, Sakino, Han, Susantha and Ellobody, and the results are compared with the experimental results in terms of load-deflection and load-strain relationships. Based on the comparisons of the load-deflection relationships, the models proposed by Mander and Susantha provide a maximum load about 12.0~13.8% higher and that by Sakino gives a maximum load about 7.6% higher than the experimental results. The models proposed by Han and Ellobody give a maximum load only about 0.2~1.2% higher than the test results, showing the best agreement among the proposed stress-strain models. However, the load-strain relations predicted by the existing models generally provide conservative results exhibiting larger strains than the experimental data.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.39 no.12
• /
• pp.93-102
• /
• 2023

Despite recent modifications to building structural standards emphasizing the seismic stability of building foundations, the current design focus remains solely on vertical support, resulting in insufficient consideration of horizontal loads during earthquakes. In this study, we evaluated the dynamic behavior of inclined tripod micropiles (ITMP), which provide additional seismic resistance against horizontal and vertical loads during earthquakes. A comparison of the dynamic characteristics, such as acceleration, displacement, bending moment, and axial force, of ITMP with a 15° installation angle and normal vertical micropiles with a 0° installation angle was performed using dynamic centrifuge model tests. Results show that under moderate seismic loads, the proposed ITMP exhibited lower acceleration responses than the vertical micropiles. However, when subjected to a long-period strong seismic excitation, such as sine (2 Hz), ITMP showed greater responses than the vertical micropiles in terms of acceleration and settlement. These results indicate that the use of ITMP reduces the amplif ication of short-period (high-f requency) contents compared with the use of vertical micropiles. Therefore, ITMP can be used to enhance seismic performance of structures.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.12-23
• /
• 2024

In this study, a structural concrete square beam was developed using the centrifugal molding technique. In order to secure the bending stiffness of the cross section, the hollow rate of the cross section was set to 10% or less. Instead of using the current poor mixture of concrete and a concrete mixing ratio with a high slump (150-200) and a design strength of 100 MPa or more was developed and applied. In order to investigate the durability of centrifugally formed PSC square beams to be used as the superstructure of the avalanch tunnel or ramen bridge, the durability performance of ultra-high-strength centrifugally formed concrete with a compressive strength of 100 MPa was evaluated in terms of deterioration and chemical resistance properties.Concrete durability tests, including chloride penetration resistance, accelerated carbonation, sulfate erosion resistance, freeze-thaw resistance, and scaling resistance, were performed on centrifugally formed square beam test specimens produced in 2022 and 2023. Considering the information verified in this study, the durability of centrifugally molded concrete, which has increased watertightness in the later manufacturing stage, was found to be superior to that of general concrete.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.5-14
• /
• 2024

PHC piles demonstrate superior resistance to compression and bending moments, and their factory-based production enhances quality assurance and management processes. Despite these advantages that have resulted in widespread use in civil engineering and construction projects, the design process frequently relies on empirical formulas or N-values to estimate the soil-pile friction, which is crucial for bearing capacity, and this reliance underscores a significant lack of experimental validation. In addition, environmental factors, e.g., the pH levels in groundwater and the effects of seawater, are commonly not considered. Thus, this study investigates the influence of vibrating machine foundations on PHC pile models in consideration of the effects of varying pH conditions. Concrete model piles were subjected to a one-month conditioning period in different pH environments (acidic, neutral, and alkaline) and under the influence of seawater. Subsequent repeated direct shear tests were performed on the pile-soil interface, and the disturbed state concept was employed to derive parameters that effectively quantify the dynamic behavior of this interface. The results revealed a descending order of shear stress in neutral, acidic, and alkaline conditions, with the pH-influenced samples exhibiting a more pronounced reduction in shear stress than those affected by seawater.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.29-34
• /
• 2024

The heating element utilizing the Joule heating generated when current flows through a conductor is widely researched and developed for various industrial applications such as moisture removal in automotive windshield, high-speed train windows, and solar panels. Recently, research utilizing heating elements with various nanostructures has been actively conducted to develop flexible heating elements capable of maintaining stable heating even under mechanical deformation conditions. In this study, flexible polyurethane possessing excellent flexibility was selected as the substrate, and silver (Ag) thin films with low electrical resistivity (1.6 μΩ-cm) were fabricated as the heating layer using magnetron sputtering. The 2D heating structure of the Ag thin films demonstrated excellent heating reproducibility, reaching 95% of the target temperature within 20 seconds. Furthermore, excellent heating characteristics were maintained even under mechanically deforming environments, exhibiting outstanding flexibility with less than a 3% increase in electrical resistance observed in repetitive bending tests (10,000 cycles, based on a curvature radius of 5 mm). This demonstrates that polyurethane/Ag planar heating structure bears promising potential as a flexible/wearable heating element for curved-shaped appliances and objects subjected to diverse stresses such as human body parts.