• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.139-150
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• 2018

In this paper, two kinds of buckling restrained braces (BRBs) are designed to improve the mechanical properties and fatigue life, the reserved gap and viscoelastic filler with high energy dissipation capacity are employed as the sliding element, respectively. The fatigue life of BRBs considering the effect of sliding element is predicted based on Manson-Coffin model. The property tests under different displacement amplitudes are carried out to evaluate the mechanical properties and fatigue life of BRBs. At last, the finite element analysis is performed to study the effects of the gap and viscoelastic filler on mechanical properties BRBs. Experimental and simulation results indicate that BRB employed with viscoelastic filler has a higher fatigue life and more stable mechanical property compared to BRB employed with gap, and the smaller reserved gap can more effectively improve the energy dissipation capacity of BRB.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.297-321
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• 2011

The seismic design of a two-storey precast reinforced-concrete building structure equipped with viscous dampers is presented in this paper with twofold purpose. The first goal is to verify the applicability of a practical procedure for the identification of the mechanical characteristics of the viscous dampers which allow to achieve target performance levels, originally proposed by the authors for moment-resisting building frames, also with reference to "pendular" structures. The second goal is to investigate the effectiveness of the use of viscous dampers (as compared with traditional lateral-resisting stiff braces) for the seismic design of precast not moment-resisting concrete structures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2012

In this study, a new structural bracing system named 'Hat Knee Bracing' (HKB) is presented. In this structural system, a special form of diagonal braces, which is connected to the knee elements instead of beam-column joints, is investigated. The diagonal elements provide lateral stiffness during moderate earthquakes. However the knee elements, which is a fuse-like component, is designed to have one plastic joint in the knee elements for dissipation of the energy caused by strong earthquake. First, a suitable shape for brace and knee elements is proposed through elastic studying of the system and several practical parameters are established. Afterward, by developing applicable and highly accurate models in Drain-2DX, the inelastic behavior of the system is carefully considered. In addition, with inelastic study of the new bracing system and comparison with the prevalent Knee Bracing Frame system (KBF model) in nonlinear static and dynamic analysis, the seismic behavior of the new bracing system is reasonably evaluated.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.213-220
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• 2016

The "China Zun" tower in Beijing will rise to 528 meters in height and will be the tallest building in Beijing once built. Inspired by an ancient Chinese vessel, the "Zun", the plan dimensions reduce gradually from the bottom of the tower to the waist and then expand again as it rises to form an aesthetically beautiful and unique geometry. To satisfy the structural requirement for seismic and wind resistance, the structure is a dual system composed of a perimeter mega structure made of composite mega columns, mega braces, and belt trusses, and a reinforced-concrete core with steel plate-embedded walls. Advanced parametric design technology is applied to find the most efficient outer-perimeter structure system. The seismic design basically follows a mixed empirical and performance-based methodology that was verified by a shaking table test and other specimen lab tests. The tower is now half-way through its construction.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.43-52
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• 2020

In this study, the Buckling restrained braces reinforced with engineering plastics that can compensate for the disadvantages in the manufacturing process of the existing buckling restrained brace. The proposed PC-BRB was fabricated to evaluate the reinforcement effect by carrying out a structural performance test and a full-scale two-layer frame test through cyclic loading test. As a result of PC-BRB's incremental and cyclic loading test, stable hysteresis behavior was achieved within the target displacement, and the compressive strength adjustment coefficient satisfied the recommendation. As a result of the real frame experiment, the strength of the reinforced specimen increased compared to the unreinforced specimen, and the ductility and energy dissipation increased.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.53-61
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• 2020

This paper presents a systematic numerical analysis to obtain the re-centering and energy dissipation capacities of Chevron braced steel frames subjected to seismic loadings. In order to develop a recentering seismic resistance system excluding a residual deformation, the chevron braced steel frames are assembled using super-elastic SMA (Shape Memory Alloy) braces. The three-dimensional nonlinear finite element models are constructed to investigate the horizontal stiffness, hysteretic behaviors, and failure modes of the re-centering Chevron bracing system.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.396-398
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• 2009

Scoliosis is a three-dimensional deformity caused by lateral curvature of the spine. The existing braces used to correct the posture were some drawbacks such as inconvenience, tightness as well as unfitness to wear. In this study, we devised a posture guidance system in order to monitor a posture continuously and lead to pose correctly and a new method fur measuring a Cobb's angle value in third dimension based on two 3-axis accelerometers. As a result, the correlation coefficients between desired and measured angles were and standard error between desired and measured angles were 0.99, 1.32(x-axis), 0.99 and 1.10(y-axis), respectively. The devised system showed good potential for the optimal posture guide and an early detection of scoliosis.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.93-112
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• 2009

In this study seismic analyses of steel structures were carried out to examine the effect of ground motion characteristics and structural properties on energy demands using 100 earthquake ground motions recorded in different soil conditions, and the results were compared with those of previous works. Analysis results show that ductility ratios and the site conditions have significant influence on input energy. The ratio of hysteretic to input energy is considerably influenced by the ductility ratio and the strong motion duration. It is also observed that as the predominant periods of the input energy spectra are significantly larger than those of acceleration response spectra used in the strength design, the strength demand on a structure designed based on energy should be checked especially in short period structures. For that reason framed structures with buckling-restrained-braces (BRBs) were designed in such a way that all the input energy was dissipated by the hysteretic energy of the BRBs, and the results were compared with those designed by conventional strength-based design procedure.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.187-195
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• 2018

Buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) are widely used as highly ductile seismic devices, with the first building using BRBs completed in 1989 in Tokyo, and thousands more now in Japan, USA, Taiwan, China, New Zealand and other countries. Although design codes of several countries specify BRB performance criteria, detailed design provisions are not necessarily provided, as BRBs are typically treated as a manufactured device. This paper briefly reviews the early history of BRB research and offers state-of-the-art views on the design criteria required to obtain stable and reliable performance. Representative project examples and up-to-date studies relevant to tall buildings are summarized.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.76 no.1
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• pp.57-65
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• 2020

It is very important to allocate valuable resources efficiently when reconstructing buildings after earthquake damage. This paper proposes the use of a simple seismic retrofitting system to make buildings more resilient than the stiffer systems such as the shear walls implemented in Chile after the earthquake in 2010. The proposal is based on the use of steel chevron-type braces in RC buildings as a dual system to improve the seismic performance of multistory buildings. A case study was carried out to compare the proposal with the shear wall solution for the typical seismic Chilean RC building from the structural and economic perspectives. The results show that it is more resilient than other stiffer seismic solutions, such as shear walls, reduces the demand, minimizes seismic damage, gives reliable earthquake protection and facilitates future upgrades and repairs while achieving the level of immediate occupancy without the costs of the shear walls system.