• Computers and Concrete
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.387-403
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• 2014

The aim of this study is to assess the structural performance of deteriorated reinforced concrete bridge piers, and to provide method for developing improved evaluation method. For a deteriorated bridge piers, once the cover spalls off and bond between the reinforcement and concrete has been lost, compressed reinforcements are likely to buckle. By using a sophisticated nonlinear finite element analysis program, the accuracy and objectivity of the assessment process can be enhanced. A computer program, RCAHEST (Reinforced Concrete Analysis in Higher Evaluation System Technology), is used to analyze reinforced concrete structures. Material nonlinearity is taken into account by comprising tensile, compressive and shear models of cracked concrete and a model of reinforcing steel. Advanced deteriorated material models are developed to predict behaviors of deteriorated reinforced concrete. The proposed numerical method for the structural performance assessment of deteriorated reinforced concrete bridge piers is verified by comparing it with reliable experimental results. Additionally, the studies and discussions presented in this investigation provide an insight into the key behavioral aspects of deteriorated reinforced concrete bridge piers.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.45-54
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• 2011

This paper presents a nonlinear finite element analysis procedure for the performance assessment of deteriorated reinforced concrete bridge columns. A computer program, named RCAHEST (Reinforced Concrete Analysis in Higher Evaluation System Technology), was used to analyze these reinforced concrete structures. Material nonlinearity is taken into account by comprising tensile, compressive and shear models of cracked concrete and a model of reinforcing steel. Advanced deteriorated material models are developed to predict behaviors of deteriorated reinforced concrete bridge columns. The proposed numerical method for the performance of damaged reinforced concrete bridge columns is verified by comparison with reliable experimental results.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.259-274
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• 1998

The test results from non-destructive and destructive field testing of a three-span deteriorated reinforced concrete slab bridge are used as a vehicle to examine the reliability of available tools for finite-element analysis of in-situ structures. Issues related to geometric modeling of members and connections, material models, and failure criteria are discussed. The results indicate that current material models and failure criteria are adequate, although lack of inelastic out-of-plane shear response in most nonlinear shell elements is a major shortcoming that needs to be resolved. With proper geometric modeling, it is possible to adequately correlate the measured global, regional, and local responses at all limit states. However, modeling of less understood mechanisms, such as slab-abutment connections, may need to be finalized through a system identification technique. In absence of the experimental data necessary for this purpose, upper and lower bounds of only global responses can be computed reliably. The studies reaffirm that success of finite-element models has to be assessed collectively with reference to all responses and not just a few global measurements.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.473-490
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• 2009

This paper presents a new methodology to evaluate the load carrying capacity of deteriorated non-slender concrete bridge pier columns by construction of the full P-M interaction diagrams. The proposed method incorporates the actual material properties of deteriorated columns, and accounts for amount of corrosion and exposed corroded bar length, concrete loss, loss of concrete confinement and strength due to stirrup deterioration, bond failure, and type of stresses in the corroded reinforcement. The developed structural model and the damaged material models are integrated in a spreadsheet for evaluating the load carrying capacity for different deterioration stages and/or corrosion amounts. Available experimental and analytical data for the effects of corrosion on short columns subject to axial loads combined with moments (eccentricity induced) are used to verify the accuracy of proposed model. It was observed that, for the limited available experimental data, the proposed model is conservative and is capable of predicting the load carrying capacity of deteriorated reinforced concrete columns with reasonable accuracy. The proposed analytical method will improve the understanding of effects of deterioration on structural members, and allow engineers to qualitatively assess load carrying capacity of deteriorated reinforced concrete bridge pier columns.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2005.07c
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• pp.2019-2021
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• 2005

This paper describes the cut off time and the current characteristics of virgin RCDs and deteriorated ones in the seashore. The RCDs(Residual Current Protective Devices) are used for protecting the human body from electrical shock and for preventing facility accidents. According to the Korean standards, the RCDs are installed in panel boards. When RCDs are installed outside, they must be enclosed inside waterproof cases. In the case that RCOs are employed at temporary power sites and electrical facilities on the road, they are exposed to the external environment. As a result, the RCDs deteriorated in the seashore for 3 months showed high failure rate, while the virgin RCDs all complied with Korean Standard. Considering that the RCDs are used under exposed condition outside, the reliance of RCDs must be ensured by modifying the related regulations and codes and by developing Improved models advanced in their performance.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.77 no.2
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• pp.197-215
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• 2021

Under a severe environment of multiple hazards such as earthquakes and winds, the life-cycle performance of engineering structures may inevitably be deteriorated due to the fatigue effect caused by long-term exposure to wind loads, which would further increase the structural vulnerability to earthquakes. This paper presents a framework for evaluating the lifetime structural seismic performance under the effect of wind-induced fatigue considering different sources of uncertainties. The seismic behavior of a high-rise steel-concrete composite frame with buckling-restrained braces (FBRB) during its service life is systematically investigated using the proposed approach. Recorded field data for the wind hazard of Fuzhou, Fujian Province of China from Jan. 1, 1980 to Mar. 31, 2019 is collected, based on which the distribution of wind velocity is constructed by the Gumbel model after comparisons. The OpenSees platform is employed to establish the numerical model of the FBRB and conduct subsequent numerical computations. Allowed for the uncertainties caused by the wind generation and structural modeling, the final annual fatigue damage takes the average of 50 groups of simulations. The lifetime structural performance assessments, including static pushover analyses, nonlinear dynamic time history analyses and fragility analyses, are conducted on the time-dependent finite element (FE) models which are modified in lines with the material deterioration models. The results indicate that the structural performance tends to degrade over time under the effect of fatigue, while the influencing degree of fatigue varies with the duration time of fatigue process and seismic intensity. The impact of wind-induced fatigue on structural responses and fragilities are explicitly quantified and discussed in details.