• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.461-473
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• 2020

Natural rock mass contains defects of different shapes, usually filled with inclusions such as clay or gravel. The presence of inclusions affects the failure characteristics and mechanical properties of rock mass. In this study, the strength and failure characteristics of rock with inclusions were studied using the particle flow code under uniaxial compression. The results show that the presence of inclusions not only improves the mechanical properties of rock with defects but also increases the bearing capacity of rock. Circular inclusion has the most obvious effect on improving model strength. The inclusions affect the stress distribution, development of initial crack, change in crack propagation characteristics, and failure mode of rock. In defect models, concentration area of the maximum tensile stress is generated at the top and bottom of defect, and the maximum compressive stress is distributed on the left and right sides of defect. In filled models, the tensile stress and compressive stress are uniformly distributed. Failing mode of defect models is mainly tensile failure, while that of filled models is mainly shear failure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.325-334
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• 2017

In the present study, a numerical model for probability analysis of optimal design of fatigue non-uniform crack growth behaviour of a cracked aluminium 2024 T3 plate repaired with a bonded composite patch is investigated. The proposed 3D numerical model has advanced in literatures, which gathers in a unique study: problems of reliability, optimization, fatigue, cracks and repair of plates subjected to tensile loadings. To achieve this aim, a finite element modelling is carried out to determine the evolution of the stress intensity factor at the crack tip Paris law is used to predict the fatigue life for a give n crack. To have an optimal volume of our patch satisfied the practical fatigue life, a procedure of optimization is proposed. Finally, the probabilistic analysis is performed in order to a show that optimized patch design is influenced by uncertainties related to mechanical and geometrical properties during the manufacturing process.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.36 no.12
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• pp.1619-1625
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• 2012

An electrical steel strip is commonly used as a core material in all types of electric transformers and motors. It is produced by a cold rolling process. In this paper, a damage-mechanics-based approach that predicts the edge fracture of an electrical steel strip during cold rolling is presented. We adopted the normal tensile stress criterion and the fracture energy method as a damage initiation criterion and a damage evolution scheme, respectively. We employed finite element analysis (FEA) to simulate crack initiation and propagation at the initial notch located at the edges of the strip. The material constants required in FEA were experimentally obtained by tensile tests using a standard and a notched sheet-type specimen. The results reveal that the edge crack was initiated at the entrance of the roll bite and that it rapidly evolved at the exit. The evolution length of the edge crack increased as the length of the initial notch as well as the front tension reel force of the strip increased.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.8 no.1 s.27
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• pp.139-152
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• 2006

Many experimental and numerical approaches have been developed to evaluate paving materials and to predict pavement response and distress. Micromechanical simulation modeling is a technology that can reduce the number of physical tests required in material formulation and design and that can provide more details, e.g., the internal stress and strain state, and energy evolution and dissipation in simulated specimens with realistic microstructural features. A clustered distinct element modeling (DEM) approach was implemented In the two-dimensional particle flow software package (PFC-2D) to study the complex behavior observed in asphalt mixture fracturing. The relationship between continuous and discontinuous material properties was defined based on the potential energy approach. The theoretical relationship was validated with the uniform axial compression and cantilever beam model using two-dimensional plane strain and plane stress models. A bilinear cohesive displacement-softening model was implemented as an intrinsic interface and applied for both homogeneous and heterogeneous fracture modeling in order to simulate behavior in the fracture process zone and to simulate crack propagation. A disk-shaped compact tension test (DC(T)) with heterogeneous microstructure was simulated and compared with the experimental fracture test results to study Mode I fracture. The realistic arbitrary crack propagation including crack deflection, microcracking, crack face sliding, crack branching, and crack tip blunting could be represented in the fracture models. This micromechanical modeling approach represents the early developmental stages towards a 'virtual asphalt laboratory,' where simulations of laboratory tests and eventually field response and distress predictions can be made to enhance our understanding of pavement distress mechanisms, such its thermal fracture, reflective cracking, and fatigue crack growth.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.569-584
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• 2016

This paper presents a method for stochastic modelling of fatigue crack growth and optimising inspection and maintenance strategy for the structural members of steel bridges. The fatigue crack evolution is considered as a stochastic process with uncertainties, and the Gamma process is adopted to simulate the propagation of fatigue crack in steel bridge members. From the stochastic modelling for fatigue crack growth, the probability of failure caused by fatigue is predicted over the service life of steel bridge members. The remaining fatigue life of steel bridge members is determined by comparing the fatigue crack length with its predetermined threshold. Furthermore, the probability of detection is adopted to consider the uncertainties in detecting fatigue crack by using existing damage detection techniques. A multi-objective optimisation problem is proposed and solved by a genetic algorithm to determine the optimised inspection and maintenance strategy for the fatigue affected steel bridge members. The optimised strategy is achieved by minimizing the life-cycle cost, including the inspection, maintenance and failure costs, and maximizing the service life after necessary intervention. The number of intervention during the service life is also taken into account to investigate the relationship between the service life and the cost for maintenance. The results from numerical examples show that the proposed method can provide a useful approach for cost-effective inspection and maintenance strategy for fatigue affected steel bridges.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.1081-1089
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• 2018

The deformation and strength of brittle rocks are significantly influenced by the crack closure behavior. The relationship between the strength and deformation of rocks under uniaxial loading is the foundation for design and assessment of such scenarios. The concept of relative crack closure strain was proposed to describe the influence of the crack closure behavior on the deformation and strength of rocks. Considering the crack compaction effect, a new damage constitutive model was developed based on accumulated AE counts. First, a damage variable based on the accumulated AE counts was introduced, and the damage evolution equations for the four types of brittle rocks were then derived. Second, a compaction coefficient was proposed to describe the compaction degree and a correction factor was proposed to correct the error in the effective elastic modulus instead of the elastic modulus of the rock without new damage. Finally, the compaction coefficient and correction factor were used to modify the damage constitutive model obtained using the Lemaitre strain equivalence hypothesis. The fitted results of the models were then compared with the experimental data. The results showed that the uniaxial compressive strength and effective elastic modulus decrease with an increase in the relative crack closure strain. The values of the damage variables increase exponentially with strains. The modified damage constitutive equation can be used to more accurately describe the compressive deformation (particularly the compaction stage) of the four types of brittle rocks, with a coefficient of determination greater than 0.9.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.75 no.4
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• pp.455-464
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• 2020

Reinforcement corrosion is one of the major problems in the durability of reinforced concrete structures exposed to aggressive environments. Deterioration caused by reinforcement corrosion reduces the durability and the safety margin of concrete structures, causing excessive costs in managing these structures safely. This paper aims to investigate the effects of reinforcement corrosion on the load bearing capacity deterioration of the corroded reinforced concrete structures. A new analytical method is proposed to predict the crack growth of cover concrete and evaluate the residual strength of concrete structures with corroded reinforcement failing in bond. The structural performance indicators, such as concrete crack growth and flexural strength deterioration rate, are assumed to be a stochastic process for lifetime distribution modelling of structural performance deterioration over time during the life cycle. The Weibull life evolution model is employed for analysing lifetime reliability and estimating remaining useful life of the corroded concrete structures. The results for the worked example show that the proposed approach can provide a reliable method for lifetime performance assessment of the corroded reinforced concrete structures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.273-283
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• 1999

Two physical experiments are performed to verify the effectiveness of beam-particle model for simulating the progressive failure of particulate composites such as sandstone and concrete. In the numerical model, the material is schematized at the meso-level as an assembly of discrete, interacting particles which are linked through a network of brittle breaking beams. The uniaxial compressive tests of cubic and parallelepipedal specimens made of carbon steel rod assembly which are glued together by a mixture are represented. The crack patterns and load-displacement response observed in the experiments are in good agreement with the numerical results. In the application respect of beam-particle model to the particulate composites, the influence of defects, particle arrangement and boundary conditions on crack propagation is approached, and the correlation existing between the cracking evolution and the level of loads imposed on the specimen is characterized by fractal dimensions.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.200-206
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• 2010

In ultrasound-excited thermography, the injected ultrasound to an object is transformed to heat and the appearance of defects can be visualized by thermography camera. The advantage of this technology is selectively sensitive to thermally active defects. Despite the apparent simplicity of the scheme, there are a number of experimental considerations that can complicate the implementation of ultrasound excitation thermography inspection. Factors including acoustic horn location, horn-crack proximity, horn-sample coupling, and effective detection range all significantly affect the detect ability of this technology. As conclusions, the influence of coupling pressures between ultrasound exciter and specimen was analyzed, which was dominant factor in frictional heating model.

• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
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• 2006.09a
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• pp.291-292
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• 2006

A steel/cemented carbide couple is selected to generate a tough/hard two layers material. Sintering temperature and composition are deduced from phase equilibria, and experimental studies are used to determine optimal conditions. Liquid migration from the hard layer to the tough one is observed. Microstructure evolution during sintering of the tough material (TEM, SEM, image analysis) evidences coupled mechanisms of pore reduction and WC dissolution. Liquid migration, as well as interface crack formation due to differential densification are limited by suitable temperature and time conditions.