• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.31-33
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• 2012

Movable scaffolding has been used to work in high places. The scaffolding is economical and convenient to move to other places, but it has the risk of falling down. This paper proposes a fixed bracing system to prevent the falling down of a movable scaffolding, and evaluates its usability by making a small-sized model. Further studies of structural stability, safety, and economical efficiency is necessary to use the system practically.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.301-305
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• 2020

Background: Radiographic modalities have been commonly used to evaluate pectus carinatum (PC), and compressive orthotic bracing is the most widely accepted treatment method. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of 3-dimensional (3D) body surface scanning as an alternative modality for the evaluation of PC. Methods: The medical records of 63 patients with PC who were treated with compressive orthotic bracing therapy between July 2017 and February 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Using both 2-view chest radiography (posteroanterior and lateral view) and 3D body scanning, the height of maximal protrusion of the chest wall was measured both before and after 2 weeks of bracing therapy. The difference between the pre- and post-treatment measurements was calculated for both modalities, and these differences were compared and analyzed. Results: Based on the comparison between the pre- and post-treatment radiographs, bracing therapy produced favorable outcomes in all patients (p<0.001). The measurements obtained via 3D scanning were strongly correlated with those obtained via chest radiography (r=0.60). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, 3D body surface scanning appears to be an effective, radiation-free, and simple method for the post-treatment follow-up evaluation of PC, and thus can be considered an alternative to radiography.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.383-398
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• 2020

This paper investigates the progressive collapse behavior of 3D steel-framed gravity buildings under fires with a cooling phase. The effect of fire protections and bracing systems on whether, how, and when a gravity building collapses is studied. It is found that whether a building collapses or not depends on the duration of the heating phase, and it may withstand a "short-hot" fire, but collapses under a mild fire or a "long-cool" fire. The collapse time can be conservatively determined by the time when the temperature of steel columns reaches a critical temperature of 550 ℃. It is also found that the application of a higher level of fire protection may prevent the collapse of a building, but may also lead to its collapse in the cooling phase due to the delayed temperature increment in the heated members. The tensile membrane action in a heated slab can be resisted by a tensile ring around its perimeter or by tensile yielding lines extended to the edge of the frame. It is recommended for practical design that hat bracing systems should be arranged on the whole top floor, and a combination of perimeter and internal vertical bracing systems be used to mitigate the fire-induced collapse of gravity buildings. It is also suggested that beam-to-column connections should be designed to resist high tensile forces (up to yielding force) during the cooling phase of a fire.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.175-188
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• 2012

A parametric study for varying the radii of curvature is performed with a curved tub girder bridge having three continuous spans. The bracing forces of top lateral bracings from the results of numerical equations are compared to those of 3-dimensional finite element analyses. New modifying factors applicable in computing the nominal member forces of top lateral bracings were suggested. The numerical equations were derived based on one girder system, and it is shown that the numerical equations exhibit some errors compared with 3D FEA results. The main reason for this phenomenon lies on the number of girders. The twin girder system has an external cross-beam between inner and outer girder. It also has larger lateral stiffness than the single girder system. Finally, the distributions by the torsion, bending, distortion, and lateral loading of the top lateral bracing forces were presented in this paper.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.667-674
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• 2013

Improving the earthquake resistance of buildings through seismic retrofitting using steel braces can result in brittle failure at the connection between the brace and the building, as well as buckling failure of the braces. This paper proposes a new seismic retrofit methodology combined with glass fiber sheet (GFS) and non-compression X-brace system using carbon fiber (CFXB) for reinforced concrete buildings damaged in earthquakes. The GFS is used to improve the ductility of columns damaged in earthquake. The CFXB consists of carbon fiber bracing and anchors, to replace the conventional steel bracing and bolt connection. This paper reports the seismic resistance of a reinforced concrete frame strengthened using the GFS-CFXB system. Cyclic loading tests were carried out, and the hysteresis of the lateral load-drift relations as well as ductility capacities were investigated. Carbon fiber is less rigid than the conventional materials used for seismic retrofitting, resulting in some significant advantages: the strength of the structure increased markedly with the use of CF X-bracing, and no buckling failure of the bracing was observed.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.891-907
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• 2020

Many studies reveal that during destructive earthquakes, most of the structures enter the inelastic phase. The amount of hysteretic energy in a structure is considered as an important criterion in structure design and an important indicator for the degree of its damage or vulnerability. The hysteretic energy value wasted after the structure yields is the most important component of the energy equation that affects the structures system damage thereof. Controlling this value of energy leads to controlling the structure behavior. Here, for the first time, the hysteretic behavior and energy dissipation capacity are assessed at presence of elliptical braced resisting frames (ELBRFs), through an experimental study and numerical analysis of FEM. The ELBRFs are of lateral load systems, when located in the middle bay of the frame and connected properly to the beams and columns, in addition to improving the structural behavior, do not have the problem of architectural space in the bracing systems. The energy dissipation capacity is assessed in four frames of small single-story single-bay ELBRFs at ½ scale with different accessories, and compared with SMRF and X-bracing systems. The frames are analyzed through a nonlinear FEM and a quasi-static cyclic loading. The performance features here consist of hysteresis behavior, plasticity factor, energy dissipation, resistance and stiffness variation, shear strength and Von-Mises stress distribution. The test results indicate that the good behavior of the elliptical bracing resisting frame improves strength, stiffness, ductility and dissipated energy capacity in a significant manner.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 2018

In this study, seismic performance of existing RC frames reinforced with steel chevron bracing systems was experimentally evaluated. For this purpose, the unreinforced base specimen and seismically reinforced specimens with steel chevron bracing systems were fabricated and tested. Both strength and stiffness of the reinforced specimens were targeted about 2-3 times larger than the base specimen. Test results showed that the stiffness, strength, and ductility of the reinforced specimens considerably improved than those of unreinforced base specimen. Therefore, the results from this study could offer the basic information on the developing design guideline for the seismic reinforcement of RC frames.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.68-76
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• 2007

In the present study, tests for U-type steel box girder are performed to observe the effects of W-type and X-type of top lateral bracings on the bending behavior of the U-type steel box girder system. Another objective of the present study is to investigate the adequacy of the currently available design formula. For the structural tests, the test specimen with two third scale of the system constructed in the field was used. In this test, several different spacings are used for the top lateral bracings. The stresses measured from the bending tests are compared with those by the formula proposed by Helwig. An adequate type and the required number of panel for diagonal bracing was obtained.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.69-75
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• 2012

The purpose of this paper is to study comparative analysis of cable dome structures by reinforcement effect with bracing and fabric. Tensegrity systems are stable structures which are reticulated spatial structures composed of compressive straight members, struts, and cables. Tensegrity structures need to be introduced to the initial stress for the self-equilibrated system to have a stable state. In this paper, the effect of reinforcement resisting the in-plan twisting is investigated for the Geiger-type and Zetlin-type models reinforced by bracing and fabric. The effect of initial imperfection is also studied because the structural instabilitity phenomenon of shell-like structures is very sensitive according to the initial condition. We study a more exact analysis concerning the structural instability of tensegrity structures using nonlinear analysis program. Then, two types of tensegrity models will be analysed and compared.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.175-191
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• 2020

In this article, for the first time, the seismic behavior of elliptic-braced moment resisting frame (ELBRF) is assessed through a laboratory program and numerical analyses of FEM specifically focused on the development of global- and local-type failure mechanisms. The ELBRF as a new lateral braced system, when installed in the middle bay of the frames in the facade of a building, not only causes no problem to the opening space of the facade, but also improves the structural behavior. Quantitative and qualitative investigations were pursued to find out how elliptic braces would affect the failure mechanism of ELBRF structures exposed to seismic action as a nonlinear process. To this aim, an experimental test of a ½ scale single-story single-bay ELBRF specimen under cyclic quasi-static loading was run and the results were compared with those for X-bracing, knee-bracing, K-bracing, and diamond-bracing systems in a story base model. Nonlinear FEM analyses were carried out to evaluate failure mechanism, yield order of components, distribution of plasticity, degradation of structural nonlinear stiffness, distribution of internal forces, and energy dissipation capacity. The test results indicated that the yield of elliptic braces would delay the failure mode of adjacent elliptic columns and thus, help tolerate a significant nonlinear deformation to the point of ultimate failure. Symmetrical behavior, high energy absorption, appropriate stiffness, and high ductility in comparison with the conventional systems are some of the advantages of the proposed system.