• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.141-154
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• 2023

After an earthquake, information regarding potential damage to buildings close to the epicenter is very important during the initial emergency response. This study proposes the use of crowdsourced measured acceleration response data collected from smartphones located within buildings to perform system identification of building structures during earthquake excitations, and the feasibility of the proposed approach is studied. The principal advantage of using crowdsourced smartphone data is the potential to determine the condition of millions of buildings without incurring hardware, installation, and long-term maintenance costs. This study's goal is to assess the feasibility of identifying the lowest fundamental natural frequencies of buildings without knowing the orientations and precise locations of the crowds' smartphones in advance. Both input-output and output-only identification methods are used to identify the lowest fundamental natural frequencies of numerical finite element models of a real building structure. The effects of time synchronization and the orientation alignment between nearby smartphones on the identification results are discussed, and the proposed approach's performance is verified using large-scale shake table tests of a scaled steel building. The presented results illustrate the potential of using crowdsourced smartphone data with the proposed approach to identify the lowest fundamental natural frequencies of building structures, information that should be valuable in making emergency response decisions.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.5
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• pp.517-530
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• 2008

This paper deals with civil infrastructures in general, sensor and smart structure technology, and smart steel structures in particular. Smart structures technology, an integrated engineering field comprising sensor technology, structural control, smart materials and structural health monitoring, could dramatically transform and revolutionize the design, construction and maintenance of civil engineering structures. The central core of this technology is sensor and sensor networks that provide the essential data input in real time for condition assessment and decision making. Sensors and robust monitoring algorithms that can reliably detect the occurrence, location, and severity of damages such as crack and corrosion in steel structures will lead to increased levels of safety for civil infrastructure, and may significantly cut maintenance or repair cost through early detection. The emphasis of this paper is on sensor technology with a potential use in steel structures.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2007.03a
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• pp.424-432
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• 2007

The last twenty-five years have seen dramatic improvements in and widespread use of IT to describe and document the work of the many disciplines involved in construction projects. Iran is a developing country and construction is a basic factor of developing too. Hence, the country needs to a special programming for construction of buildings, structures and infrastructures. Many parts of Iran are located in highly seismic zones and structures must be constructed safe e.g., according to recent seismic codes. In this paper opportunities of IT in construction industry of Iran are investigated in three categories. Pre-construction phase, construction phase and earthquake disaster mitigation are studied. Studies show that information technology can be used in these items for reducing the losses and increasing the benefits. Both government and private sectors must contribute to this strategic project for obtaining the best result.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.19 no.1E
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• pp.3-9
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• 2007

This paper presents a numerical procedure for analyzing the joints between precast post-tensioned segments. A computer program for the analysis of reinforced concrete structures was run for this problem. Models of material nonlinearity considered in this study include tensile, compressive and shear models for cracked concrete and a model for reinforcing steel with smeared crack. An unbonded tendon element based on the finite element method, that can describe the interaction between the tendon and concrete of prestressed concrete member, was experimentally investigated. A joint element is newly developed to predict the inelastic behavior of the joints between segmental members. The proposed numerical method for the joints between precast post-tensioned segments was verified by comparison of its results with reliable experimental results.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.665-687
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• 2014

This paper presents a framework for analytical seismic vulnerability assessment of substandard reinforced concrete (RC) structures in developing countries. Amodified capacity-demand diagram method is used to predict the response of RC structures with degrading behaviour. A damage index based on period change is used to quantify the evolution of damage. To demonstrate the framework, a class of substandard RC buildings is examined. Abrupt accumulation of damage is observed due to the brittle failure modes and this is reflected in the developed vulnerability curves, which differ substantially from the curves of ductile structures.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.487-498
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• 2015

A proper initial curing is a very simple and inexpensive alternative to improve concrete cover quality and accordingly extend the service life of reinforced concrete structures exposed to aggressive species. A current study investigates the effect of wet curing duration on chloride penetration in plain and blended cement concretes which subjected to tidal exposure condition in south of Iran for 5 years. The results show that wet curing extension preserves concrete against high rate of chloride penetration at early ages and decreases the difference between initial and long-term diffusion coefficients due to improvement of concrete cover quality. But, as the length of exposure period to marine environment increased the effects of initial wet curing became less pronounced. Furthermore, a relationship is developed between wet curing time and diffusion coefficient at early ages and the effect of curing length on time-to-corrosion initiation of concrete is addressed.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.115-124
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• 2022

Welding is a significant part of the construction industry. Since most high-rise building construction structures rely on a robust metal frame welded together, welding defect can damage welded structures and is critical to safety and quality. Despite its importance and heavy usage in construction, the labor shortage of welders has been a continuous challenge to the construction industry. To deal with the labor shortage, the ultimate goal of this study is to design and develop an automated robotic welding system composed of a welding machine, unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), robotic arm, and visual sensors. This paper proposes and focuses on automated weaving using the robotic arm. For automated welding operation, a microcontroller is used to control the switch and is added to a welding torch by physically modifying the hardware. Varying weave patterns are mathematically programmed. The automated weaving is tested using a brush pen and a ballpoint pen to clearly see the patterns and detect any changes in vertical forces by the arm during weaving. The results show that the weave patterns have sufficiently high consistency and precision to be used in the actual welding. Lastly, actual welding was performed, and the results are presented.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.303-316
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• 2023

With the development and utilization of urban underground space, the artificial ground freezing technology has been widely used in the construction of underground engineering in soft soil areas. The mechanical properties of soft clay changed greatly after freezing and thawing, which affected the seismic performance of underground structures. In this paper, a series of triaxial tests were carried out to study the dynamic response of the freezing-thawing clay under the seismic load considering different dynamic stress amplitudes and different confining pressures. The reduction factor of dynamic shear stress was determined to correct the amplitude of the seismic load. The deformation development mode, the stress-strain relationship and the energy dissipation behavior of the soft clay under the seismic load were analyzed. An empirical model for predicting accumulative plastic strain was proposed and validated considering the loading times, the confining pressures and the dynamic stress amplitudes. The relevant research results can provide a theoretical reference to the seismic design of underground structures in soft clay areas.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Advanced Composite Structures
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.41-49
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• 2015

The repair of manhole raise has been caused much construction times and disruption of traffic flow, serious environmental pollution from crushed construction wastes, and budget waste due to the repeated repair construction works. In order to overcome such problems, we have developed the new manhole repairing composite structures by using a glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) pipe, which can raise manhole to the regular height of the overlayed road pavement with rapid construction and minimum traffic jams. This environmental-friendly technology is method completed by the methyl methacrylate monomer (MMA) double wide flanged GFRP pipe composite structures in order to raise manhole to the regular height. In this paper, two kinds of the compressive strength tests of MMA mortar composites were conducted and evaluated by a general compressive strength test, and compressive strength test after freezing-thawing resistance test. It was found that this MMA mortar composites will be used for the application of the double wide flanged GFRP pipe composite structures.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.101-108
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• 2016

Lifting plan in the large spacial structure is an important factor influencing the efficiency and economy of the construction process. The purpose of this study was deriving the requirements for lifting techniques as the basic research in the double spoke wheel roof structure construction. In the lift up erection method, management plan of the interference error in the column and outer-ring was needed that occur during lifting roof structure. In the bent erection method, material usage reduction plan was required by the structural design of the temporary bent. In the hybrid erection method, lifting plan was needed that minimizes weather condition and crane usage. All lifting techniques were required Value Engineering model for reduction of cost and construction period.