• Computers and Concrete
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.187-199
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• 2022

The usability of waste materials as raw materials is necessary for sustainable production. This study investigates the effects of different powder materials used to replace cement (0%, 5% and 10%) and standard sand (0%, 20% and 30%) (basalt, limestone, and dolomite) on the compressive strength (f_c), flexural strength (f_r), and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) of mortars exposed to freeze-thaw cycles (56, 86, 126, 186 and 226 cycles). Furthermore, the usability of artificial intelligence models is compared, and the prediction accuracy of the outputs is examined according to the inputs (powder type, replacement ratio, and the number of cycles). The results show that the variability of the outputs was significantly high under the freeze-thaw effect in mortars produced with waste powder instead of those produced with cement and with standard sand. The highest prediction accuracy for all outputs was obtained using the adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system model. The significantly high prediction accuracy was obtained for the UPV, f_c, and f_r of mortars produced using waste powders instead of standard sand (R² of UPV, f_c and f_f is 0.931, 0.759 and 0.825 respectively), when under the freeze-thaw effect. However, for the mortars produced using waste powders instead of cement, the prediction accuracy of UPV was significantly high (R²=0.889) but the prediction accuracy of f_c and f_r was low (R²f_c=0.612 and R²f_f=0.334).

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.335-349
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• 2023

Bridges constantly undergo deterioration and damage, the most common ones being concrete damage and exposed rebar. Periodic inspection of bridges to identify damages can aid in their quick remediation. Likewise, identifying components can provide context for damage assessment and help gauge a bridge's state of interaction with its surroundings. Current inspection techniques rely on manual site visits, which can be time-consuming and costly. More recently, robotic inspection assisted by autonomous data analytics based on Computer Vision (CV) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been viewed as a suitable alternative to manual inspection because of its efficiency and accuracy. To aid research in this avenue, this study performs a comparative assessment of different architectures, loss functions, and ensembling strategies for the autonomous segmentation of bridge components and damages. The experiments lead to several interesting discoveries. Nested Reg-UNet architecture is found to outperform five other state-of-the-art architectures in both damage and component segmentation tasks. The architecture is built by combining a Nested UNet style dense configuration with a pretrained RegNet encoder. In terms of the mean Intersection over Union (mIoU) metric, the Nested Reg-UNet architecture provides an improvement of 2.86% on the damage segmentation task and 1.66% on the component segmentation task compared to the state-of-the-art UNet architecture. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that incorporating the Lovasz-Softmax loss function to counter class imbalance can boost performance by 3.44% in the component segmentation task over the most employed alternative, weighted Cross Entropy (wCE). Finally, weighted softmax ensembling is found to be quite effective when used synchronously with the Nested Reg-UNet architecture by providing mIoU improvement of 0.74% in the component segmentation task and 1.14% in the damage segmentation task over a single-architecture baseline. Overall, the best mIoU of 92.50% for the component segmentation task and 84.19% for the damage segmentation task validate the feasibility of these techniques for autonomous bridge component and damage segmentation using RGB images.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.365-381
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• 2023

The existing vision-based techniques for inspection and condition assessment of civil infrastructure are mostly manual and consequently time-consuming, expensive, subjective, and risky. As a viable alternative, researchers in the past resorted to deep learning-based autonomous damage detection algorithms for expedited post-disaster reconnaissance of structures. Although a number of automatic damage detection algorithms have been proposed, the scarcity of labeled training data remains a major concern. To address this issue, this study proposed a semi-supervised learning (SSL) framework based on consistency regularization and cross-supervision. Image data from post-earthquake reconnaissance, that contains cracks, spalling, and exposed rebars are used to evaluate the proposed solution. Experiments are carried out under different data partition protocols, and it is shown that the proposed SSL method can make use of unlabeled images to enhance the segmentation performance when limited amount of ground truth labels are provided. This study also proposes DeepLab-AASPP and modified versions of U-Net++ based on channel-wise attention mechanism to better segment the components and damage areas from images of reinforced concrete buildings. The channel-wise attention mechanism can effectively improve the performance of the network by dynamically scaling the feature maps so that the networks can focus on more informative feature maps in the concatenation layer. The proposed DeepLab-AASPP achieves the best performance on component segmentation and damage state segmentation tasks with mIoU scores of 0.9850 and 0.7032, respectively. For crack, spalling, and rebar segmentation tasks, modified U-Net++ obtains the best performance with Igou scores (excluding the background pixels) of 0.5449, 0.9375, and 0.5018, respectively. The proposed architectures win the second place in IC-SHM2021 competition in all five tasks of Project 2.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.21-28
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• 2022

Focusing on the creation of a new han ok, especially a mid-rise hybrid-structured Han-ok, this study proposes a middle-rise (four-story) Han-ok on one and two lots located in Seoun-dong, the existing Han-ok intensive housing site in downtown Cheongju. 1) In terms of layout and function, according to the existing L-shaped Han-ok corresponding to the road and the direction, the parking lots and shops on the 1st floor, the business facility on the 2nd floor, the Han-ok on the 3rd and 4th floors are placed. There are yards, open roof yards, and semi-open Daecheong(大廳, main hall), which can be shared by residents. 2) In terms of structure and form, one or two floors (some 3 floors) are 5.4m square and 5.4×6.6m modules of the RC(Reinforced Concrete) group, and the upper floor reflects the 2.7m module, size and shape of the existing Han-ok. By extending the outer wall of the RC group in the lower floors (1st to 3rd floors) to the wooden exterior of the upper floors (2nd to 4th floors), it is attempted to avoid the awkward appearance of the RC group being exposed to wooden structures. And it is also attempted to reflect the wooden shape and design elements through the elevation elements such as horizontal windows, corner windows, picture frames, and vertical slits. 3) In environmental control and facilities, it is attempted to smooth the ventilation of the building by forming a vertical upward airflow from the dark space of the low floor to the positive of the upper floor. This doubles the effect through a vertical rise of cold air generated in a narrow alleyway, piloti parking lot, and the various voids. In addition to the Daecheong and Numaru(loft) of Han ok, the rooftop yard, the terrace, and the balcony, horizontal natural ventilation is generated through divided doors and transom windows.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.103-110
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• 2023

People who spend most of their day indoors are continuously exposed to internally and externally generated indoor pollutants. According to a 2022 report from the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is the cause of more than 7 million deaths annually worldwide, emphasizing the seriousness of indoor air pollutants. Air pollutants include nitrogen oxides (NOx), formaldehyde (HCHO), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which have serious effects on the human body. Photocatalyst is a material that can remove these indoor air pollutants. Photocatalysts not only have the ability to remove dust precursors, but also have antibacterial, sterilizing, and deodorizing functions, making them effective in improving indoor air quality. This study suggests areas and methods in which photocatalysts can be applied to buildings. Fields of application include interior and exterior construction materials such as concrete, as well as organic paints and ventilation devices. If appropriate utilization plans are developed, it may be possible to improve the built environment through reduced indoor and outdoor pollutant levels.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.531-537
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• 2009

In this study alkali reactivity of crushed stone was conducted according to the ASTM C 227 that is traditional mortar bar test, and C 1260 that is accelerated mortar bar test method. The morphology and chemical composition of products formed in mortar bar, 3 years after the mortar bar tests had been performed, were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with secondary electron imaging (SEI) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) with backscattered electron imaging (BSEI). The crushed stone used in this study was not identified as being reactive by ASTM C 227. However, mortar bars exceeded the limit for deleterious expansion in accelerated mortar bar test used KOH solution. The result of SEM (SEI) analysis, after the ASTM C 227 mortar bar test, confirmed that there were no reactive products and evidence of reaction between aggregate particles and cement paste. However, mortar bars exposed to alkali solution (KOH) indicated that crystallized products having rosette morphology were observed in the interior wall of pores. EPMA results of mortar bar by ASTM C 227 indicated that white dots were observed on the surface of particles and these products were identified as Al-ASR gels. It can be considered that the mortar bar by ASTM C 227 started to appear sign of alkali-silica reaction in normal condition. EPMA results of the mortar bar by ASTM C 1260 showed the gel accumulated in the pores and diffused in to the cement matrix through cracks, and gel in the pores were found to be richer in calcium compared to gel in cracks within aggregate particles. In this experimental study, damages to mortar bars due to alkali-silica reaction (ASR) were observed. Due to the increasing needs of crushed stones, it is considered that specifications and guidelines to prevent ASR in new concrete should be developed.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1604-1615
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• 1969

This experiment was carried out as one of the basic studies to improve the acid resistance of concrete and it was conducted to investigate some relations among physical properties such as basorption, ratio of water to cement, compressive strength, density and ratio of mix to weight losses of mortar when exposed to 0.1 N solution of hydrochrolic acid. The results obtained from the limited data secured so far in this experiment are summarized as follows: 1. The specimens used in the experiment were made of 5 cubic centimeters of mortar having such various ratios of mix by weight as 1 : 1, 1 : 3, 1 : 5, 1 : 7, 1 : 10. 2. Physical tests included compressive strengths at 7 days, 28 days, 3 months, and 6 month, and 5 hour boiling absorption test. 3. In acid test, every specimen was immersed into 0.1 N solution of hydrochrolic acid. The specimens exposed to the acid solution were weighed to determine the weight losses of the acid-corroded at one week interval for 7 weeks exposure, and the old acid solutions were also changed to fresh one when weighed the weight losses by acid attack at one week interval. 4. The correlative relations were found among physical properties and they are expressed by certain formulas as follows; i) Relation between ratio of mix and absorption Y = 1.036x + 13.53 where Y: absorption(%) X: ratio of mix ii) Relation between ratio of mix and ratio of water-cement Y = 0.204x + 0.214 where Y: ratio of water-cement. X: ratio of mix iii) Relation between ratio of water-cement and absorption Y = 5.01x + 12.53 where Y: absorption(%). X: ratio of water-cement iv) Relation between density and absorption Y = 50.6 - 0.0176X where Y: absorption(%). X: density($kg/m^3$) v) Relation between density and ratio of water cement Y = 7.2183 - 0.0033X where Y: ratio of water-cement . X: density($kg/m^3$) 5. After completing the acid exposure test the specimens were corroded and , the per cent ranges of weight losses varies from a minimum of 20.4 per cent at a 1 : 1 mix to a maximum of 92.0 per cent at a 1:10 mix 6. The correlative relations of physical properties of mortar to weight losses by acid attak were found and they are also expressed by certain formulas as follows: i) Relation between weight losses and ratio of mix Y = 8.59X + 8.63 where Y: weight losses(%), X: ratio of mix ii) Relation between wieght losses and absorption Y = 0.121x + 12.43 where Y: absorption(%). X: weight losses(%) iii) Relation between weight losses and ratio of w/c Y = 0.0226X + 0.07 where Y: ratio of w/c X: weight losses(%) iv) Relation between weight losses and compressive strength LogY = 3.6097 - 0.05058X + 0.00022$X^2$ where Y: compressive strength ($kg/cm^3$) X: weight losses(%) v) Relation between weight losses and density Y = 2153.1 - 6.62X where Y: density($kg/m^3$) X: weigh losses(%) 7. In order to make better acid resistant mortar, it could be concluded that a 1 : 3 mix or richer mixes, adequate mixing water to minnimize the ratio of water-cement considering the workability, 16 per cent or less absorption by 5 hour boiling water, 1,800 kilogram per cubic meter or denser density by absolute weight base and 200 kilogram per square meter or compressive strength at 20 day, etc are required so as to obtain acid-resistant mortar. In addition to the above, it might be recommonded to select the fine aggregate and to use better equipments such as a mechanical vibrator, a mechanical mixer etc. in concrete manufacturing works.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.118-125
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• 2013

The synthetic fibers including Polyvinyl alcohol and Polyethylene fibers have been successfully used in the manufacture of high ductile fiber reinforced cementitious composites. Polypropylene (PP) fiber has also been used in composites, not for the purpose of achieving a high level of tensile ductility but to improve the fire resistance performance of concrete exposed to high temperatures. This paper discusses the method for enhancing the performance of composites supplemented with PP fiber. Five types of mixture proportions were designed with high volume fly ash for testing the performance of composites. Type I cement and fly ash F were used as binding materials. The water-to-binder ratio was 0.23~0.25, and the amount of PP fiber used was 2 vol%. Polystyrene bead were also used to increase the tensile ductility of composites. A series of experiments including slump, density, compression and uniaxial tension tests were performed to evaluate the performance of cementitious composites supplemented with PP fiber. From the test results, it was exhibited that the performance of composites supplemented with PP fiber can be enhanced by adopting the mechanics and statistics theory.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.65-72
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• 2016

Service life evaluation for RC Structures exposed to chloride attack is very important, however the previous two methods(deterministic and probabilistic method) show a big difference. The paper presents a service life simulation using deterministic and probabilistic method with time-dependent diffusion coefficient. Three different cases are considered for diffusion coefficient, concrete cover depth, and surface chloride content respectively, and then the PDF(probability of durability failure) and the related service life are obtained. Through adopting time-dependent diffusion, the discrepancy between the two methods can be reduced, which yields reasonable service life. When diffusion coefficient increases from $2.5{\times}10^{-12}m^2/sec$ to $7.5{\times}10^{-12}m^2/sec$, the service life decreases to 25.5~35.6% level, and cover depth does from 75 mm to 125 mm, it increases to 267~311% level as well. In the case of surface chloride content from $5.0kg/m^3$ to $15.0kg/m^3$, it changes to 40.9~54.5%. The effect of cover depth is higher than the others by 8~10 times and also implies it is a key parameter to service life extension.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.10 no.12
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• pp.3748-3754
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• 2009

An integral head loss test in a test apparatus was conducted to simulate chemical effects on a head loss across a strainer in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) containment water pool after a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). The test was conducted during 30 days in the condition of a short spray, a long spray, and no materials with chemical effects. The result exhibited that the head loss was affected on amounts of the exposed materials according to spray conditions. XRD analysis of the collected precipitates showed that the precipitates were phosphate compounds. Comparison of the head loss with dissolved species concentration showed that high increase rate of the head loss resulted from the corrosion of aluminum and zinc but slow increase rate of the head loss resulted from the precipitates induced by Si, Mg, and Ca from leaching reaction at NUKON and concrete after passivation of metal specimens.