• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.17 no.6
• /
• pp.1031-1053
• /
• 2016

The health conditions of in-service civil infrastructures can be evaluated by employing structural health monitoring technology. A reliable health evaluation result depends heavily on the quality of the data collected from the structural monitoring sensor network. Hence, the problem of sensor fault diagnosis has gained considerable attention in recent years. In this paper, an innovative sensor fault diagnosis method that focuses on fault detection and isolation stages has been proposed. The dynamic or auto-regressive characteristic is firstly utilized to build a multivariable statistical model that measures the correlations of the currently collected structural responses and the future possible ones in combination with the canonical correlation analysis. Two different fault detection statistics are then defined based on the above multivariable statistical model for deciding whether a fault or failure occurred in the sensor network. After that, two corresponding fault isolation indices are deduced through the contribution analysis methodology to identify the faulty sensor. Case studies, using a benchmark structure developed for bridge health monitoring, are considered in the research and demonstrate the superiority of the new proposed sensor fault diagnosis method over the traditional principal component analysis-based and the dynamic principal component analysis-based methods.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.25 no.6
• /
• pp.733-749
• /
• 2020

This study presents a computer vision-based approach for representing time evolution of structural damages leveraging a database of inspection images. Spatially incoherent but temporally sorted archival images captured by robotic cameras are exploited to represent the damage evolution over a long period of time. An access to a sequence of time-stamped inspection data recording the damage growth dynamics is premised to this end. Identification of a structural defect in the most recent inspection data set triggers an exhaustive search into the images collected during the previous inspections looking for correspondences based on spatial proximity. This is followed by a view synthesis from multiple candidate images resulting in a single reconstruction for each inspection round. Cracks on concrete surface are used as a case study to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach. Once the chronology is established, the damage severity is quantified at various levels of time scale documenting its progression through time. The proposed scheme enables the prediction of damage severity at a future point in time providing a scope for preemptive measures against imminent structural failure. On the whole, it is believed that the present study will immensely benefit the structural inspectors by introducing the time dimension into the autonomous condition assessment pipeline.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.153-164
• /
• 2020

Tunnel excavation in shallow soft ground conditions of urban areas experiences inevitable surface settlements that threaten the stability of nearby infrastructures. Surface settlements during shield TBM tunneling are related to a number of factors including geotechnical conditions, tunnel geometry and excavation methods. In this paper, a database collected from a construction section of Hong Kong subway was used to analyze the correlation of settlement-inducing factors and surface settlements monitored at different locations of a transverse trough. The Pearson correlation analysis result revealed a correlation between the factors in consideration. Factors such as the face pressure, advance speed, thrust force, cutter torque, twin tunnel distance and ground water level presented a modest correlation with the surface settlement, while no significant trends between the other factors and the surface settlements were observed. It can be concluded that an integrated effect of the settlement-inducing factors should be related to the magnitude of surface settlements.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.439-448
• /
• 2017

Reinforced concrete (RC) infrastructures often require strengthening due to error in design, degradation of materials properties after prolong utilization and increases load carrying capacity persuaded by new use of the structures. For this purpose, a newly proposed Side Near Surface Mounted (SNSM) composite technique was used for flexural strengthening of RC beam specimens. Analytical and non-linear finite element modeling (FEM) using ABAQUS were performed to predict the flexural performance of RC specimens strengthened with S-NSM using steel bars as a strengthening reinforcement. RC beams with various SNSM reinforcement ratios were tested for flexural performance using four-point bending under monotonic loading condition. Results showed significantly increase the yield and ultimate strengths up to 140% and 144% respectively and improved failure modes. The flexural response, such as failure load, mode of failure, yield load, ultimate load, deflection, strain, cracks characteristic and ductility of the beams were compared with those predicted results. The strengthened RC beam specimens showed good agreement of predicted flexural behavior with the experimental outcomes.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.309-325
• /
• 2015

A convenient procedure for seismic retrofit of existing buildings is to use passive control methods, like using friction dampers in steel frames with bracing systems. In this method, reduction of seismic demand and increase of ductility generally improve seismic performance of the structures. Some of its advantages are development of a stable rectangular hysteresis loop and independence on environmental conditions such as temperature and loading rate. In addition to friction dampers, masonry-infill panels improve the seismic resistance of steel structures by increasing lateral strength and stiffness and reducing story drifts. In this study, the effect of masonry-infill panels on seismic performance of a three-span four-story steel frame with Pall friction dampers is investigated. The results show that friction dampers in the steel frame increase the ductility and decrease the drift (to less than 1%). The infill panels fulfill their function during the imposed drift and increase structural strength. It can be concluded that infill panels together with friction dampers, reduced structural dynamic response. These infill panels dissipated input earthquake energy from 4% to 10%, depending on their thickness.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.83-90
• /
• 2023

The recent increase in earthquake activities has highlighted the importance of seismic performance evaluation for civil infrastructures. In particular, the container crane essential to maintaining the national logistics system with port operation requires an exact evaluation of its seismic response. Thus, this study aims to assess the seismic vulnerability of container cranes considering their seismic characteristics. The seismic response of the container crane should account for the structural members' yielding and buckling, as well as the crane wheel's uplifting derailment in operation. The crane's yielding and buckling limit states were defined using the stress of crane members based on the load and displacement curve obtained from nonlinear static analysis. The derailment limit state was based on the height of the rail, and nonlinear dynamic analysis was performed to obtain the seismic fragility curves considering defined limit states and seismic characteristics. The yield and derailment probabilities of the crane in the near-fault ground motion were approximately 1.5 to 4.7 and 2.8 to 6.8 times higher, respectively, than those in the far-fault ground motion.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2012

Recently, the central and local government support various improvement projects on existing public buildings and areas. Improving public use and environment of these areas is adequate because financial condition of local city is not enough to build new infrastructures. As one of the projects, Geochang-Eup(Geochang-Gun, Gyeongnam Province) is selected as the project site since most of the public buildings and areas of the city are located close each other in downtown but not streamlined in function and use nor easily accessible. The purpose of this study is to analyze the causes of decline in local city and to present strategies to vitalize the city through improving environment of public areas. And we analyzed the problems by discussion with local officer, field investigation on the site and paper survey. The analysis shows that public infrastructures are grouped by function: administration, education, life support, culture, health, etc, but not well-connected, easily accessible, adequately located, various in use nor enough in quantity. This study summarized the problems into five categories: Access&Linkage, Safe&Comfort, Identity&Image, Usage&Activity and Ownership&Management and proposes strategy in three phases. The first phase is to improve functions and design of public places per each area: more consistent design on public buildings, better civil facilities and better accessibility to public areas. The second is to vitalize of the areas and to improve efficiency in use through linking each other physically and sharing uses. The third is to encourage citizen's participation and by developing civil programs to streamline public areas each other.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.44 no.1
• /
• pp.51-60
• /
• 2012

Concrete sleepers are essential components of the conventional railway. As support elements, sleepers are always subjective to a variety of time-dependent loads attributable to the train operations, either wheel or rail abnormalities. It has been observed that the sleepers may deteriorate due to these loads, inducing the formation of hairline cracks. There are two areas along the sleepers that are more prone to crack: the central and the rail seat sections. Several non-destructive methods have been developed to identify failures in structures. Health monitoring techniques are based on vibration responses measurements, which help engineers to identify the vibration-based damage or remotely monitor the sleeper health. In the present paper, the dynamic effects of the cracks in the vibration signatures of the railway pre-stressed concrete sleepers are investigated. The experimental modal analysis has been used to evaluate the modal bending changes in the vibration characteristics of the sleepers, differentiating between the central and the rail seat locations of the cracks. Modal parameters changes of the 'healthy' and cracked sleepers have been highlighted in terms of natural frequencies and modal damping. The paper concludes with a discussion of the most suitable failure indicator and it defines the vibration signatures of intact, central cracked and rail seat cracked sleepers.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.29 no.6D
• /
• pp.727-736
• /
• 2009

Many of the researchers have tried to enhance the satisfaction of both users and owners of social infrastructures by applying the asset management methodology. This study is to develop more efficient asset management framework for bridge management. Based on various literature review, an asset management procedure for bridge management was suggested, and appropriate practices at each step were given. The suggested procedures include the determination of operation and maintenance strategy, level of service, performance measure, valuation of assets, and decision-makings. In addition, this study suggests an applicable decision-making process for the resource distribution based on the management strategy.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.23-33
• /
• 2012

Recently, landslide disasters caused by severe rain storms and typhoons have been frequently reported. Due to the geomorphologic characteristics of Korea, considerable portion of urban area and infrastructures such as road and railway have been constructed near mountains. These infrastructures may encounter the risk of landslide and debris flow. It is important to evaluate the highly risky locations of landslide and to prepare measures for the protection of landslide in the process of construction planning. In this study, a landslide-risk prediction equation is proposed based on the statistical analysis of 423 landslide data set obtained from field surveys, disaster reports on national road, and digital maps of landslide area. Each dataset includes geomorphologic characteristics, soil properties, rainfall information, forest properties and hazard history. The comparison between the result of proposed equation and actual occurrence of landslide shows 92 percent in the accuracy of classification. Since the input for the equation can be provided within short period and low cost, and the results of equation can be easily incorporated with hazard map, the proposed equation can be effectively utilized in the analysis of landslide-risk for large mountainous area.