• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.1215-1240
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• 2015

In this paper, the Theory of Plastic Mechanism Control (TPMC) is applied to the seismic design of dual systems composed by moment-resisting frames and Chevron braced frames. The application of TPMC is aimed at the design of dual systems able to guarantee, under seismic horizontal forces, the development of a collapse mechanism of global type. This design goal is of primary importance in seismic design of structures, because partial failure modes and soft-storey mechanisms have to be absolutely prevented due to the worsening of the energy dissipation capacity of structures and the resulting increase of the probability of failure during severe ground motions. With reference to the examined structural typology, diagonal and beam sections are assumed to be known quantities, because they are, respectively, designed to withstand the whole seismic actions and to withstand vertical loads and the net downward force resulting from the unbalanced axial forces acting in the diagonals. Conversely column sections are designed to assure the yielding of all the beam ends of moment-frames and the yielding and the buckling of tensile and compressed diagonals of the V-Braced part, respectively. In this work, a detailed designed example dealing with the application of TPMC to moment frame-chevron brace dual systems is provided with reference to an eight storey scheme and the design procedure is validated by means of non-linear static analyses aimed to check the actual pattern of yielding. The results of push-over analyses are compared with those obtained for the dual system designed according to Eurocode 8 provisions.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.409-436
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• 2014

Although it is widely accepted that the interaction -between masonry infill and structural members significantly affects the seismic response of reinforced concrete (RC) frames, this interaction is generally neglected in current design-oriented seismic analyses of structures. Moreover, the role of masonry infill is expected to be even more relevant in the case of existing frames designed only for gravitational loads, as infill walls can significantly modify both lateral strength and stiffness. However, the additional contribution to both strength and stiffness is often coupled to a modification of the global collapse mechanisms possibly resulting in brittle failure modes, generally related to irregular distributions of masonry walls throughout the frame. As a matter of principle, accurate modelling of masonry infill should be at least carried out by adopting nonlinear 2D elements. However, several practice-oriented proposals are currently available for modelling masonry infill through equivalent (nonlinear) strut elements. The present paper firstly outlines some of the well-established models currently available in the scientific literature for modelling infill panels in seismic analyses of RC frames. Then, a parametric analysis is carried out in order to demonstrate the consequences of considering such models in nonlinear static and dynamic analyses of existing RC structures. Two bay-frames with two-, three- and four-storeys are considered for performing nonlinear analyses aimed at investigating some critical aspects of modelling masonry infill and their effects on the structural response. Particularly, sensitivity analyses about specific parameters involved in the definition of the equivalent strut models, such as the constitutive force-displacement law of the panel, are proposed.

• Computational Structural Engineering
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.101-109
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• 1988

The evaluation of the system reliability is generally quite difficult and costly as the structure becomes large and complex, especially when it is subjected to multiple time varying loads, and for redundant structures which have many possible modes of failur, e.g., system collapse through the formation of plastic hinge mechanisms. In reality most loadings acting on the structures are random in intensity as well as in occurrence time and duration. To include the load variability in time, the loads are described in terms of stochastic processes. Based on a tri-modal upper bound, a point estimate for the system reliability has been developed for more accuracy without extensive computational effort. This tri-modal point estimate also ensures the continuity of the system reliability function, which is a necessary condition in many nonlinear programming techniques. In addition, the Load Coincidence method, by which the combined effect of time varying loads are taken into account, has been modified to suitable for cases with an always-on load.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.17 no.2 s.86
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• pp.221-227
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• 2005

The presence of voids behind tunnel linings is very likely to result in settlement or structural collapse. One proposed method of detecting such voids by non-destructive method is radar. More than effectively judging the existence of voids behind tunnel linings, this study aims to develop the analysis algorithm of radar capable of estimation of the shape of specific voids. To acquire directional information and estimate the shape of three-dimensional voids, the radar of three-dipole antenna type is used. As a foundation to this ongoing research, an investigation of microwave polarization methods using three-dipole antenna carried out with various void orientations and void geometries. As a result, it is clarified that the response of four microwave polarization modes depends on void geometry and thus there is a possibility of identifying the geometry and orientation (the shape) of specific voids using radar of three-dipole antenna type.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.52-58
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• 2011

The earthquake characteristic assessment of social overhead facilities would be an important examination issue for seismic capacity enhancement. This study is intended to reasonably evaluate the structural behavior of longperiod frame structures considering near-fault and far-fault earthquake characteristics. Elastic/inelastic time history analyses were performd by selecting the objective structure which can precisely reflect the effect of input ground motion. Based on the result of numerical analysis, we have investigated response aspects of shear force, moment, acceleration and displacement according to earthquake characteristics. Moreover, in order to understand the inelastic behavior of the objective structure, we have analyzed and compared collapse modes by considering the occurrence process of plastic hinges. The outcome of this research is expected to provide the basic information for the seismic safety assessment of long-period frame structures.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.122-129
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• 2020

To conduct probabilistic seismic fragility analysis for nuclear power plants, it is very important to define the failure modes and criteria that can represent actual serious accidents. The seismic design criteria for piping systems, however, cannot fully reflect serious accidents because they are based on plastic collapse and cannot express leakage, which is the actual limit state. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly define the limit state for reliable probabilistic seismic fragility analysis. Therefore, in this study, the limit state of the SCH80 3-inch steel pipe elbow, the vulnerable part of piping systems, was defined as leakage, and the in-plane cyclic loading test was conducted. Moreover, an attempt was made to quantify the failure criteria for the steel pipe elbow using the damage index, which was based on the dissipated energy that used the moment-deformation angle relationship.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.491-505
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• 2023

The practical usage of underground space and demand for vehicular tunnels necessitate the construction of non-circular wide rectangular tunnels. However, constructing large tunnels in soft clayey soil conditions with no ground improvement can lead to excessive ground deformations and collapse. In recent years, in situ ground improvement techniques such as jet grouting and deep cement mixing are often utilized to perform cement-stabilisation around the tunnel boundary to prevent large deformations and failure. This paper discusses the stability characteristics and failure behaviour of a wide rectangular tunnel in cement-treated soft clays. First, the plane strain finite element model is developed and validated with the results of centrifuge model tests available in the past literature. The critical tunnel support pressures computed from the numerical study are found to be in good agreement with those of centrifuge model tests. The influence of varying strength and thickness of improved soil surround, and cover depth are studied on the stability and failure modes of a rectangular tunnel. It is observed that the failure behaviour of the tunnel in improved soil surround depends on the ratio of the strength of improved soil surround to the strength of surrounding soil, i.e., q_ui/q_us, rather than just q_ui. For low q_ui/q_us ratios,the stability increases with the cover; however, for the high strength improved soil surrounds with q_ui >> q_us, the stability decreases with the cover. The failure chart, modified stability equation, and stability chart are also proposed as preliminary design guidelines for constructing rectangular tunnels in the improved soil surrounded by soft clays.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.195-204
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• 2022

As a brittle failure mode, punching-shear failure can be widely found in traditional RC slab-column connections, which may lead to the entire collapse of a flat plate structure. In this paper, a novel RC slab-column connection with inner steel truss was proposed to enhance the punching strength. In the proposed connection, steel trusses, each of which was composed of four steel angles and a series of steel strips, were pre-assembled at the periphery of the column capital and behaved as transverse reinforcements. With the aim of exploring the punching behavior of this novel RC slab-column connection, a static punching test was conducted on two full-scaled RC slab specimens, and the crack patterns, failure modes, load-deflection and load-strain responses were thoroughly analyzed to explore the contribution of the applied inner steel trusses to the overall punching behavior. The test results indicated that all the test specimens suffered the typical punching-shear failure, and the higher punching strength and initial stiffness could be found in the specimen with inner steel trusses. The numerical models of tested specimens were analyzed in ABAQUS. These models were verified by comparing the results of the tests with the results of the analyzes, and subsequently the sensitivity of the punching capacity to different parameters was studied. Based on the test results, a modified critical shear crack theory, which could take the contribution of the steel trusses into account, was put forward to predict the punching strength of this novel RC slab-column connection, and the calculated results agreed well with the test results.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.395-407
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• 2022

In this paper, cracks with different angles are prefabricated in rock specimens to study the fracture characteristics of rock based on CT images. The rock specimens are prepared for compression tests according to the standard recommended by ISRM (International Society for Rock Mechanics). The effects of different angles on rock mechanical properties and crack propagation fracture modes are analyzed. Then, based on the cohesive element method and CT images, the relationship between porosity and Young's modulus as well as the fracture property is explored by the numerical modelling. In the modelling, the distribution of Young's modulus is determined by the CT image through the field variable method. The results show that prefabricated cracks reduce the mechanical properties of rock. The closer the angles of the prefabricated crack is, the greater the Young's modulus of the rock sample is. The failure process of each specimen with prefabricated cracks is formed by the initiation and propagation of crack, and the angle of the prefabricated crack will affect the type of extended crack. As part of the numerical model proposed in this paper, the microstructure of rocks is reflected by CT images. The numerical results verify the effectiveness of the cohesive element method in the study of crack propagation for rock. The rock model in this paper can be used to predict engineering disasters such as collapse and landslide caused by rock fracture, which means that the methodology adopted in this paper is comprehensive and important to solve rock engineering problems.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.417-426
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• 2024

Shield tunneling method is widely used to build tunnels in complex geological environment. Stability control of tunnel face is the key to the safety of projects. To improve the excavation efficiency or perform equipment maintenance, the excavation chamber sometimes is not fully filled with support medium, which can reduce the load and increase tunneling speed while easily lead to ground collapse. Due to the high risk of the face failure under non-fully support mode, the tunnel face stability should be carefully evaluated. Whether compressive air is required for compensation and how much air pressure should be provided need to be determined accurately. Based on the upper bound theorem of limit analysis, a non-fully support rotational failure model is developed in this study. The failure mechanism of the model is verified by numerical simulation. It shows that increasing the density of supporting medium could significantly improve the stability of tunnel face while the increase of tunnel diameter would be unfavorable for the face stability. The critical support ratio is used to evaluate the face failure under the nonfully support mode, which could be an important index to determine whether the specific unsupported height could be allowed during shield tunneling. To avoid of face failure under the non-fully support mode, several charts are provided for the assessment of compressed air pressure, which could help engineers to determine the required air pressure for face stability.