• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2024

This study presents the characteristics of growth and morphology of Anabaena sp., a representative filamentous cyanobacterium, depending on temperature variation from 10 to 30 ℃. Both the filament density (or number) and its length of Anabaena were highly affected by temperature, as well as growth stage. Rapid growth at a higher temperature led to an increase in Anabaena filament density, as well as optical density at 680 nm (OD₆₈₀). However, the number of vegetative cells within a single filament of Anabaena grown at 30 ℃ was smaller than those grown at lower temperatures, due to the intercalary division of the filament. Of the three different cells comprising a single Anabaena filament, the vegetative cell marginally affects the growth of Anabaena. The main dimensions of the vegetative cell, i.e., length and width, depend on the temperature and growth stage. The length-to-width (L/W) ratios of vegetative cells and akinetes were relatively consistent regardless of the temperature. However, in vegetative cells with dichotomous growth, the L/W ratio shows clear differences depending on their growth stage. It has been demonstrated that the L/W ratio could be used as an indicator to indirectly predict the growth stage of on-sit Anabaena samples.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.25-29
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of lignin fractionated from waste wood (WW) using a two-step process of ethanol organosolv pretreatment followed by ultrafiltration with membranes of different molecular weight cut-offs (1, 5 and 20 kDa). The different permeates obtained were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The analysis by FT-IR and NMR of these lignins showed that the lignin core was successfully separated from WW. TGA curves confirmed that the thermal properties of lignin fractionated by ultrafiltration were almost identical to each other. The results from GPC confirmed that fractionating of lignin was achieved by ultrafiltration. For the membrane fractionation process, values of molecular weight decreased as the cut-offs used to obtain the fractions became smaller. As a result, fractionating lignin by a two-step process allowed separating different fractions of lignin of different molecular weights yielded high purity without interference from existing pollutants in WW. The two-step process offers the possibility of using fractionated WW as an untapped source of lignin.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.327-346
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• 2010

During the past decade, many electrical transmission tower structures have failed during downburst events. This study is a part of a research program aimed to understand the behaviour of transmission lines under such localized wind events. The present study focuses on the assessment of the dynamic behaviour of the line conductors under downburst loading. A non-linear numerical model, accounting for large deformations and the effect of pretension loading, is developed and used to predict the natural frequencies and mode shapes of conductors at various loading stages. A turbulence signal is extracted from a set of full-scale data. It is added to the mean component of the downburst wind field previously evaluated from a CFD analysis. Dynamic analysis is performed using various downburst configurations. The study reveals that the response is affected by the background component, while the resonant component turns to be negligible due large aerodynamic damping of the conductors.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-24
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• 2011

During very strong earthquakes, seismically isolated buildings may experience large horizontal relative displacements, which may lead to poundings if an insufficiently wide clearance is provided around the building. This paper investigates, through numerical simulations, the effectiveness of using rubber bumpers, which could be attached at locations where it is likely to have impacts, in order to act as shock-absorbers. For the simulation of the dynamic behavior of such rubber bumpers during impacts, a nonlinear force-based impact model, which takes into account the finite thickness of the rubber bumpers, has been developed. Subsequently, a series of parametric analyses are performed to assess the effect of the gap size, the earthquake characteristics and the thickness, compressive capacity and damping of the bumpers. The stiffness of the moat wall is also parametrically considered during poundings of a seismically isolated building, as another potential mitigation measure for poundings of seismically isolated buildings.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.45-65
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• 2018

Over the last three decades, Performance-based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE) has been mainly developed for high seismicity regions. Although information is abundant for PBEE throughout the world, the application of PBEE to lower-seismicity regions, such as those where the magnitude of the maximum considered earthquake (MCE) is less than 6.5, is not always straightforward because some portions of PBEE may not be appropriate for such regions due to geological differences between high- and low-seismicity regions. This paper presents a brief review of state-of-art PBEE methodologies and introduces the seismic hazard of lower-seismicity regions, including those of the Korean Peninsula, with their unique characteristics. With this seismic hazard, representative low-rise RC MRF structures and high-rise RC wall residential structures are evaluated using PBEE. Also, the range of the forces and deformations of the representative building structures under the design earthquake (DE) and the MCE of South Korea are presented. These reviews are used to propose some ideas to improve the practice of state-of-art PBEE in lower-seismicity regions.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.553-564
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• 2019

Modeling of magnetorheological (MR) dampers for cable vibration control to facilitate the design of even more effective and economical systems is still a challenging task. In this study, a parameter-adaptive three-element model is first established for a full-scale MR damper based on laboratory tests. The parameters of the model are represented by a set of empirical formulae in terms of displacement amplitude, voltage input, and excitation frequency. The model is then incorporated into the governing equation of cable-damper system for investigation of open-loop vibration control of stay cables in a cable-stayed bridge. The concept of optimal voltage/current input achieving the maximum damping for the system is put forward and verified. Multi-mode suboptimal and Single-mode optimal open-loop control method is then developed. Important conclusions are drawn on application issues and unique characteristics of open-loop cable vibration control using MR dampers.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.259-272
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• 2001

The impact behavior of a multigirder concrete bridge under single and multiple moving vehicles is studied based on correlated road surface characteristics. The bridge structure is modeled as grillage beam system. A 3D nonlinear vehicle model with eleven degrees of freedom is utilized according to the HS20-44 truck design loading in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) specifications. A triangle correlation model is introduced to generate four classes of longitudinal road surface roughness as multi-correlated random processes along deck transverse direction. On the basis of a correlation length of approximately half the bridge width, the upper limits of impact factors obtained under confidence level of 95 percent and side-by-side three-truck loading provide probability-based evidence for the evaluation of AASHTO specifications. The analytical results indicate that a better transverse correlation among road surface roughness generally leads to slightly higher impact factors. Suggestions are made for the routine maintenance of this type of highway bridges.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.183-192
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• 2017

Seismic pounding between adjacent buildings with inadequate separation and different dynamic characteristics can cause severe damage to the colliding buildings. Efficient estimation of the maximum pounding force is required to control the extent of damage in adjacent structures or develop an appropriate mitigation method. In this paper, an analytical approach on the basis of statistical relations is presented for approximate computation of extreme value of pounding force between two adjacent structures with equal or unequal heights subjected to stationary and non-stationary excitations. The nonlinearity of adjacent structures is considered using Bouc-Wen model of hysteresis and the pounding effect is simulated by applying the nonlinear viscoelastic model. It is shown that the proposed approach can significantly save computational costs by obviating the need for performing dynamic analysis. To assess the reliability and accuracy of the proposed approach, the results are compared with those obtained from nonlinear dynamic analysis.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.5 no.6
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• pp.575-594
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• 2013

Organic soils exhibit problematic properties such as high compressibility and low shear strength; these properties may cause differential settlement or failure in structures built on such soils. Organic soil removal or stabilization are the most important methods to overcome geotechnical problems related to peat soils' engineering characteristics. This paper presents soil mechanical intervention for stabilization of peat with sand columns and focuses on a comparison between the mechanical characteristics of undisturbed peat and peat stabilized with 20%, 30% and 40% of sand on the laboratory scale. Cylindrical columns were extruded in different diameters through a nearly undisturbed peat sample in the laboratory and filled with sand. By adding sand columns to peat, higher permeability, higher shear strength and a faster consolidation was achieved. The sample with 70% peat and 30% sand displayed the most reliable compressibility properties. This can be attributed to proper drainage provided by sand columns for peat in this specific percentage. It was observed that the granular texture of sand also increased the friction angle of peat. The addition of 30% sand led to the highest shear strength among all mixtures considered. The peat samples with 40% sand were sampled with two and three sand columns and tested in direct shear and consolidation tests to evaluate the influence of the number and geometry of sand columns. Samples with three sand columns showed higher compressibility and shear strength. Following the results of this laboratory study it appears that the introduction of sand columns could be suitable for geotechnical peat stabilization in the field scale.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.477-492
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• 2018

Recently, the adaptive nonlinear static analysis method has been widely used in the field of performance based earthquake engineering. However, the proposed methods are almost deterministic and cannot directly consider the seismic record uncertainties. In the current study an innovative Stochastic Adaptive Pushover Analysis, called "SAPA", based on equivalent hysteresis system responses is developed to consider the earthquake record to record uncertainties. The methodology offers a direct stochastic analysis which estimates the seismic demands of the structure in a probabilistic manner. In this procedure by using a stochastic linearization technique in each step, the equivalent hysteresis system is analyzed and the probabilistic characteristics of the result are obtained by which the lateral force pattern is extracted and the actual structure is pushed. To compare the results, three different types of analysis have been considered; conventional pushover methods, incremental dynamic analysis, IDA, and the SAPA method. The result shows an admirable accuracy in predicting the structure responses.