• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.11
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• pp.4146-4158
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• 2022

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has been widely utilized in military and civil protective structures to resist intensive loadings attributed to its excellent properties, e.g., high tensile/compressive strength, high dynamic toughness and impact resistance. At present, aiming to improve the defects of the traditional vertical concrete cask (VCC), i.e., the external storage facility of spent fuel, with normal strength concrete (NSC) shield, e.g., heavy weight and difficult to fabricate/transform, the feasibility of UHPC applied in the shield of VCC is numerically examined considering its high radiation and corrosion resistance. Firstly, the finite element (FE) analyses approach and material model parameters of NSC and UHPC are verified based on the 1/3 scaled VCC tip-over test and drop hammer test on UHPC members, respectively. Then, the refined FE model of prototypical VCC is established and utilized to examine its dynamic behaviors and damage distribution in accidental tip-over and end-drop events, in which the various influential factors, e.g., UHPC shield thickness, concrete ground thickness, and sealing methods of steel container are considered. In conclusion, by quantitatively evaluating the safety of VCC in terms of the shield damage and vibrations, it is found that adopting the 300 mm-thick UHPC shield instead of the conventional 650 mm-thick NSC shield can reduce about 1/3 of the total weight of VCC, i.e., about 50 t, and 37% floor space, as well as guarantee the structural integrity of VCC during the accidental drop simultaneously. Besides, based on the parametric analyses, the thickness of concrete ground in the VCC storage site is recommended as less than 500 mm, and the welded connection is recommended for the sealing method of steel containers.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.237-250
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• 2015

Underground structures such as a tunnel have been considered as safer than structures on the ground during earthquake. However, severe damages of underground structures occurred at subway tunnel during 1995 Kobe Earthquake and such damages are gradually increased. In this study, a dynamic behavior of a cut and cover tunnel surrounded by weathered soils is investigated using Mohr-Coulomb Model. Parametric study was carried out for boundary conditions, tensile strength, and earthquake magnitudes. The results of numerical analyses in terms of ground deformations and stresses acting on the lining were quite dependent on the side boundary condition (free or fix conditions) and tensile strength of surrounding soils. The ground was deformed upward at the end of earthquake when the side boundary condition was fixed, whereas residual deformations were not predicted when it was free. When the tensile strength of a soil was set to the same as its cohesion, residual deformation was less than 1cm, regardless of side boundary conditions or input accelerations. In addition to that, stress conditions at the maximum deformation and end of earthquake were within an allowable range and considered as safe. Proper boundary conditions and material properties such as tensile strength are quite important because they may significantly impact on the results of dynamic analyses.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.381-393
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• 2021

Physical, mechanical, hydraulic, and geophysical tests were applied to validate methods of inspecting the effectiveness of grouting on an agricultural reservoir dam. Data obtained from series of in situ and laboratory tests considered four stages: before grouting; during grouting; immediately after grouting; and after aging the grouting for 28 days. The results of SPT and triaxial tests, including the unit weight, compressive strength, friction angle, cohesion, and N-value, indicated the extent of ground improvement with respect to grout injection. However, they sometimes contained errors caused by ground heterogeneity. Hydraulic conductivity obtained from in situ variable head permeability testing is most suitable for identifying the effectiveness of grouting because the impermeability of the ground increased immediately after grouting. Electric resistivity surveying is useful for finding a saturated zone and a seepage pathway, and multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) is suitable for analyzing the effectiveness of grouting, as elastic velocity increases distinctly after grouting injection. MASW also allows calculation from the P- and S- wave velocities of dynamic properties (e.g., dynamic elastic modulus and dynamic Poisson's ratio), which can be used in the seismic design of dam structures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.417-434
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• 2002

This paper explores the possibility of using a combination of the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and the Hilbert transform (HT), termed the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) method, to identify the modal damping ratios of the structure with closely spaced modal frequencies. The principle of the HHT method and the procedure of using the HHT method for modal damping ratio identification are briefly introduced first. The dynamic response of a two-degrees-of-freedom (2DOF) system under an impact load is then computed for a wide range of dynamic properties from well-separated modal frequencies to very closely spaced modal frequencies. The natural frequencies and modal damping ratios identified by the HHT method are compared with the theoretical values and those identified using the fast Fourier transform (FFT) method. The results show that the HHT method is superior to the FFT method in the identification of modal damping ratios of the structure with closely spaced modes of vibration. Finally, a 36-storey shear building with a 4-storey light appendage, having closely spaced modal frequencies and subjected to an ambient ground motion, is analyzed. The modal damping ratios identified by the HHT method in conjunction with the random decrement technique (RDT) are much better than those obtained by the FFT method. The HHT method performing in the frequency-time domain seems to be a promising tool for system identification of civil engineering structures.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.95-104
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• 2002

The theoretical and analytical studies on dynamic signals(force and acceleration signals) measured at SPT rod are actively made. In this paper, the characteristics of stress wave(force signals) in SPT rod were studied experimentally using model rod system. It was noted that the amplitude ratios of reflected wave over incident wave in different end conditions were well matched with theoretical results. The impedance of soil could be determined if the characteristics of incident and reflected waves could be evaluated quantitatively in situ SPT test. On the other hand, the results of model tests showed that the effect of reflected wave caused by side friction was negligible, and therefore, the analysis model considering only end resistance of sampler could be applicable in dynamic analysis of SPT.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.1481-1501
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• 2015

MR-TLCD (Magneto-Rheological Tuned Liquid Column Damper) is a new developed vibration control device, which combines the traditional passive control property with active controllability advantage. Based on traditional TLCD governing equation, this study further considers MR-fluid viscosity in the equation and by transforming the non-linear damping term into an equivalent linear damping, a solution can be obtained. In order to find a countable set of parameters for the design of the MR-TLCD system and also to realize its applicability to structures, a series of experimental test were designed and carried out. The testing programs include the basic material properties of the MR-fluid, the damping ratio of a MR-TLCD and the dynamic responses for a frame structure equipped with the MR-TLCD system subjected to strong ground excitations. In both the analytical and experimental results of this study, it is found that the accurately tuned MR-TLCD system could effectively reduce the dynamic response of a structural system.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.23-51
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• 2013

An analytical algorithm for the estimation of the resistance forces exerted on the dipper of a cable shovel and the specific energy consumed in the cutting-loading process is presented. Forces due to payload and to cutting of geomaterials under given initial conditions, cutting trajectory of the bucket, bucket's design, and geomaterial properties are analytically computed. The excavation process has been modeled by means of a kinematical shovel model, as well as of dynamic payload and cutting resistance models. For the calculation of the cutting forces, a logsandwich passive failure mechanism of the geomaterial is considered, as has been found by considering that a slip surface propagates like a mixed mode crack. Subsequently, the Upper-Bound theorem of Limit Analysis Theory is applied for the approximate calculation of the maximum reacting forces exerted on the dipper of the cable shovel. This algorithm has been implemented into an Excel$^{TM}$ spreadsheet to facilitate user-friendly, "transparent" calculations and built-in data analysis techniques. Its use is demonstrated with a realistic application of a medium-sized shovel. It was found, among others, that the specific energy of cutting exhibits a size effect, such that it decreases as the (-1)-power of the cutting depth for the considered example application.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.653-660
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• 2017

The aim of this study is to accurately estimate seismic damage and the collapse mechanism of the historical stone masonry minaret "Hafsa Sultan", which was built in 1522. Surveying measurements and material tests were conducted to obtain a 3D solid model and the mechanical properties of the components of the minaret. The initial Finite Element (FE) model is analyzed and numerical dynamic characteristics of the minaret are obtained. The Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) method is conducted to obtain the experimental dynamic characteristics of the minaret and the initial FE model is calibrated by using the experimental results. Then, linear time history (LTH) and nonlinear time history (NLTH) analyses are carried out on the calibrated FE model by using two different ground motions. Iron clamps which used as connection element between the stones of the minaret considerably increase the tensile strength of the masonry system. The Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) model is selected in the nonlinear analyses in ABAQUS. The analyses conducted indicate that the results of the linear analyses are not as realistic as the nonlinear analysis results when compared with existing damage.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.269-272
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• 2008

Blast load, an impulsive load with extremely short time duration with very high pressure, is effected by ground and air condition, weight of charge, shape and location of structure. In this study, a blast dynamic analysis for the air-structural integrated model considering dynamic properties of materials and simulation of complex blast wave propagation by Arbitrary Lagrangian- Eulerian technique is suggested to perform an accurate blast analysis of concrete structures. For the verification of the proposed blast analysis method, which is the air-structure integrated model using ALE technique, the comparison of analysis and experimental results is performed. The verification confirms that the simulation of realistic behavior of RC wall structures is possible using ALE method. Also, the example cases which have been analyzed using this method show that the estimation to the structural failure criterion for blast load failure can be represented by energy absorbtion procedure.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.13-24
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• 2013

Various elastic wave-based site investigation methods have been used to characterize subsurface ground because the dynamic properties can be correlated with various geotechnical parameters. Although the inherent spatial variability of the geotechnical parameters affects the P-wave propagation characteristics, ground heterogeneity has not been considered as an influential factor. Thus, the effect of heterogeneous ground on the travel-time shift and wavefront characteristics of elastic waves through stochastic numerical analyses is investigated in this study. The effects of the relative correlation lengths and relative propagation distances on the travel-time shift of P-waves considering various intensities of ground heterogeneity were investigated. Heterogeneous ground fields of stiffness (e.g., the coefficient of variation = 10 ~ 40%) were repeatedly realized in numerical finite difference grids using the turning band method. Monte Carlo simulations were undertaken to simulate P-wave propagation in heterogeneous ground using a finite difference method-based numerical approach. The results show that the disturbance of the wavefront becomes more significant with stronger heterogeneity and induces travel-time delays. The relative correlation lengths and propagation distances are systematically related to the travel-time shift.