• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.459-480
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• 2001

The damage suffered by steel structures during the Northridge (1994) and Kobe (1995) earthquakes indicates that the fully restrained (FR) connections in steel frames did not behave as expected. Consequently, researchers began studying other possibilities, including making the connections more flexible, to reduce the risk of damage from seismic loading. Recent experimental and analytical investigations pointed out that the seismic response of steel frames with partially restrained (PR) connections might be superior to that of similar frames with FR connections since the energy dissipation at PR connections could be significant. This beneficial effect has not yet been fully quantified analytically. Thus, the dissipation of energy at PR connections needs to be considered in analytical evaluations, in addition to the dissipation of energy due to viscous damping and at plastic hinges (if they form). An algorithm is developed and verified by the authors to estimate the nonlinear time-domain dynamic response of steel frames with PR connections. The verified algorithm is then used to quantify the major sources of energy dissipation and their effect on the overall structural response in terms of the maximum base shear and the maximum top displacement. The results indicate that the dissipation of energy at PR connections is comparable to that dissipated by viscous damping and at plastic hinges. In general, the maximum total base shear significantly increases with an increase in the connection stiffness. On the other hand, the maximum top lateral displacement $U_{max}$ does not always increase as the connection stiffness decreases. Energy dissipation is considerably influenced by the stiffness of a connection, defined in terms of the T ratio, i.e., the ratio of the moment the connection would have to carry according to beam line theory (Disque 1964) and the fixed end moment of the girder. A connection with a T ratio of at least 0.9 is considered to be fully restrained. The energy dissipation behavior may be quite different for a frame with FR connections with a T ratio of 1.0 compared to when the T ratio is 0.9. Thus, for nonlinear seismic analysis, a T ratio of at least 0.9 should not be considered to be an FR connection. The study quantitatively confirms the general observations made in experimental results for frames with PR connections. Proper consideration of the PR connection stiffness and other dynamic properties are essential to predict dynamic behavior, no matter how difficult the analysis procedure becomes. Any simplified approach may need to be calibrated using this type of detailed analytical study.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2023

To reduce facility management costs and safety concerns due to aging of facilities, it is important to estimate the future facilities' condition based on facility management data and utilize predictive information for management decision making. To this end, this study proposed a methodology to estimate facility elements' condition using XGBoost. To validate the proposed methodology, this study constructed sample data for road bridges and developed a model to estimate condition grades of major elements expected in the next inspection. As a result, the developed model showed satisfactory performance in estimating the condition grades of deck, girder, and abutment/pier (average F1 score 0.869). In addition, a testbed was established that provides data management function and element condition estimation function to demonstrate the practical applicability of the proposed methodology. It was confirmed that the facility management data and predictive information in this study could help managers in making facility management decisions.

• Journal of Korean Society of Disaster and Security
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.75-83
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• 2023

In general, bridges are facilities installed for the purpose of easily passing through sections such as valleys and rivers. Railway bridges that run through downtown areas are damaged due to external factors such as earthquakes and collisions with passing vehicles, resulting in serious human casualties. This can cause serious human and properties damage, such as functional paralysis in downtown areas. Depending on the degree of damage, repair work such as partial repair or full replacement is in progress for the bridge where the collision occurred. When damage or deformation occurs due to collision, the repair method is determined according to the degree of deformation and the degree to which the load capacity of the bridge is affected by the deformation. In this study, a numerical analysis review was performed on the repair work for the local deformation caused by the collision of a vehicle on an old railway bridge installed and in operation in an urban area. To this end, a structural safety review of the bridge for local deformations caused by vehicle collisions was conducted. In this paper, a repair method for the accident bridge was presented based on the analysis results.