• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
• /
• 2005.04a
• /
• pp.644-651
• /
• 2005

The purpose of this paper is to compare the control effect of toggle brace system having amplifying displacement mechanism with that of conventional brace system when the identical MR damper is applied to each system. The force-displacement and lone-velocity relationships of MR damper are obtained using harmonic load test and the analytical model for MR damper is presented. White noise excitation tests of a single degree of freedom system with MR-toggle brace system and MR-chevron system are conducted and the transfer functions of the systems are compared. Test results show that the control effect of the toggle system is superior to that of the conventional brace system.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2005.03a
• /
• pp.421-428
• /
• 2005

In this paper, the performance of a toggle brace-MR damper system is evaluated for the control of the structure excited by earthquake load and the non-linearity of the toggle system is investigated. Considering that the control force of MR damper described by Bingham model is a function of velocity, velocity amplification factor by toggle brace system is calculated and the effect of toggle configuration on the amplification factor is also evaluated. Numerical results show that the control performance can be largely enhanced using toggle brace system especially for the case that the MR damper installed with conventional brace system such as Chevron and diagonal cannot provide enough control force under severe earthquake load.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.70 no.5
• /
• pp.591-600
• /
• 2019

Steel tubular buckling controlled braces are well known as being simple, practical and cost-effective lateral force resisting systems. Although these system features have gained the attention of the researchers over the last decade, steel tubular buckling controlled braces currently have limited application. Indeed, only a few steel tubes tightly encased within each other exist in the steel industry. In this paper, a new and practical design method is proposed in order to better promote the widespeared application for current steel tubular buckling controlled brace applications. In order to reach this goal, a holed-adapter made with polyoxymethylene adaptable to all round and square steel sections, was developed to use as infiller. The research program presents designing, producing and displacement controlled cyclic loading tests of a conventional tubular brace and a buckling controlled composite brace. In addition, numerical analysis was carried out to compare the experimental results. As a result of the experimental studies, buckling was controlled up to 0.88 % drift ratio and the energy dissipation capacity of the conventional tubular brace increased 1.46 times due to the proposed design. The main conclusion of this research is that polyoxymethylene is a highly suitable material for the production of steel tubular buckling controlled braces.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
• /
• v.25 no.6_1
• /
• pp.917-925
• /
• 2022

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of wearing a soft knee brace during balance training on paretic side foot pressure and knee joint muscle strength in stroke patients. The recruited 20 stroke patients were randomized into 10 experimental group and 10 control group. All subjects were subjected to balance training, and only the experimental group was trained in balance while wearing a soft knee brace. Experimental group and the control group before and after the intervention showed significant increases in foot pressure and knee joint muscle strength on the paralyzed side (p<0.05), experimental group showed a significant increase in foot pressure and knee joint muscle strength compared to the control group (p<0.05). This study confirmed that wearing a soft knee brace had a positive effect on paretic side foot pressure and knee joint muscle strength in stroke patients.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.89-96
• /
• 2023

The seismic retrofits of existing structures have been focused on the control of structural responses which can be achieved by providing displacement capacity through inelastic ductile action at supplemental devices. Due to their hysteretic characteristics, it is expected to sustain damage through repeated inelastic behaviors including residual deformation which might increase repair costs. To solve such drawbacks of existing yielding devices, this study proposes a self-centering disc spring brace that sustains large axial deformation without structural damage while providing stable energy dissipation capacity. The hysteretic behaviors of suggested brace are first investigated based on the quasi-static cyclic test procedure. Experimental results present the effective self-centering behavior and an analytical model is then suggested in order to reasonably capture the flag-shaped hysteretic behavior of the disc spring brace.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
• /
• v.19 no.3 s.73
• /
• pp.239-245
• /
• 2006

In this paper, the performance of a toggle brace-MR damper system is evaluated for the control of the structure excited by earthquake load and the non-linearity of the toggle system is investigated. Considering that the control force of MR damper described by Bingham model is a function of velocity, velocity amplification factor by the toggle brace system is calculated and the effect of toggle configuration on the amplification factor is also evaluated. Numerical results show that the control performance can be largely enhanced using toggle brace system especially for the case that the MR damper installed with conventional brace system such as Chevron and diagonal cannot provide enough control force under severe earthquake load.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.173-186
• /
• 2017

Conceptual configuration and seismic performance of high-rise steel frame-brace structure are studied. First, the topology optimization problem of minimum volume based on truss-like material model under earthquake action is presented, which is solved by full-stress method. Further, conceptual configurations of 20-storey and 40-storey steel frame-brace structure are formed. Next, the 40-storeystructure model is developed in Opensees. Two common configurations are utilized for comparison. Last, seismic performance of 40-storey structure is derived using nonlinear static analysis and nonlinear dynamic analysis. Results indicate that structural lateral stiffness and maximum roof displacement can be improved using brace. Meanwhile seismic damage can also be decreased. Moreover, frame-brace structure using topology optimization is most favorable to enhance lateral stiffness and mitigate seismic damage. Thus, topology optimization is an available way to form initial conceptual configuration in high-rise steel frame-brace structure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.71 no.1
• /
• pp.45-56
• /
• 2019

A modified mechanical model of pre-pressed spring self-centering energy dissipation (PS-SCED) brace is proposed, and the hysteresis band is distinguished by the indication of relevant state variables. The MDOF frame system equipped with the braces is formulated in an incremental form of linear acceleration method. A multi-objective genetic algorithm (GA) based brace parameter optimization method is developed to obtain an optimal solution from the primary design scheme. Parameter sensitivities derived by the direct differentiation method are used to modify the change rate of parameters in the GA operator. A case study is conducted on a steel braced frame to illustrate the effect of brace parameters on node displacements, and validate the feasibility of the modified mechanical model. The optimization results and computational process information are compared among three cases of different strategies of parameter change as well. The accuracy is also verified by the calculation results of finite element model. This work can help the applications of PS-SCED brace optimization related to parameter sensitivity, and fulfill the systematic design procedure of PS-SCED brace-structure system with completed and prospective consequences.

• PNF and Movement
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.205-213
• /
• 2021

Purpose: This study investigated the immediate effects of a figure-8 shoulder brace and taping intervention on round shoulder posture, thoracic kyphosis, and chest expansion mobility in forward head posture. Methods: Thirty patients with forward head posture were assigned randomly to the figure-8 shoulder brace group (n = 15) or the taping intervention group (n = 15). Patients were assessed for forward head posture, shoulder posture, thoracic kyphosis, and chest expansion. Results: The figure-8 shoulder brace and taping intervention groups showed a significant difference for forward head posture, shoulder posture, and thoracic kyphosis after the experiment (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: These results suggest that a figure-8 shoulder brace and taping intervention has a positive effect on rounded shoulder posture, thoracic kyphosis, and chest expansion in patients with forward head posture.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.13 no.7
• /
• pp.947-953
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this study was to manufacture a wrist brace using a computerized tomography system, clinical design software (MediACE 3D Program), and 3D printer. After acquiring the Dicom file of the upper limb with a computed tomography, the wrist brace was designed using the MediACE 3D Program to create a "stereolithography" file. The designed wrist brace was printed using a 3D printer. To verify the effectiveness of wrist assistive device manufactured by 3D printing technology, the stress distribution of the pressure and orthosis applied to bone and skin is represented by finite element analysis. It is expected that the wrist brace can be manufactured by reinforcing the part where the damage caused by pressure and breakage of the brace frequently occurs with the result of finite element analysis when producing the wrist brace.