• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.89 no.1
• /
• pp.33-46
• /
• 2024

The present research delves into the analysis of nonlinear free and forced vibrations of porous functionally graded (FG) shallow shells reinforced with oblique stiffeners, which are embedded in a nonlinear elastic foundation (NEF) subjected to external excitation. Two distinct types of PFG shallow shells, characterized by even and uneven porosity distribution along the thickness direction, are considered in the research. In order to model the stiffeners, Lekhnitskii's smeared stiffeners technique is implemented. With the stress function and first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT), the nonlinear model of the oblique stiffened shallow shells is established. The strain-displacement relationships for the system are derived via the FSDT and utilization of the von-Kármán's geometric assumptions. To discretize the nonlinear governing equations, the Galerkin method is employed. The model such developed allows analysis of the effects of the stiffeners with various angles as desired, in addition to the quantitative investigation on the influence of the surrounding nonlinear elastic foundations. To numerically solve the problem of vibrations, the 4th-order P-T method is used, as this method, known for its enhanced accuracy and reliability, proves to be an effective choice. The validation of the present research findings includes a comprehensive comparison with outcomes documented in existing literature. Additionally, a comparative analysis of the numerical results against those obtained using the 4th Runge-Kutta method is performed. The impact of stiffeners with varying angles and material parameters on the vibration characteristics of the present system is also explored. The researchers and engineers working in this field may use the results of this study as benchmarks in their design and research for the considered shell systems.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.50 no.3
• /
• pp.319-336
• /
• 2024

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has attracted increasing attention in prefabricated steel-concrete composite beams as achieving the onsite construction time savings and structural performance improvement. The inferior replacement and removal efficiency of conventional prefabricated steel-UHPC composite beams (PSUCBs) has thwarted its sustainable applications because of the widely used welded-connectors. Single embedded nut bolted shear connectors (SENBs) have recently introduced as an attempt to enhance demountability of PSUCBs. An in-depth exploration of the mechanical behavior of SENBs in UHPC is necessary to evidence feasibilities of corresponding PSUCBs. However, existing research has been limited to SENB arrangement impacts and lacked considerations on SENB geometric configuration counterparts. To this end, this paper performed twenty push-out tests and theoretical analyses on the shear performance and design recommendation of SENBs. Key test parameters comprised the diameter and grade of SENBs, degree and sequence of pretension, concrete casting method and connector type. Test results indicated that both diameters and grades of bolts exerted remarkable impacts on the SENB shear performance with respect to the shear and frictional responses. Also, there was limited influence of the bolt preload degrees on the shear capacity and ductility of SENBs, but non-negligible contributions to their corresponding frictional resistance and initial shear stiffness. Moreover, inverse pretension sequences or monolithic cast slabs presented slight improvements in the ultimate shear and slip capacity. Finally, design-oriented models with higher accuracy were introduced for predictions of the ultimate shear resistance and load-slip relationship of SENBs in PSUCBs.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.51 no.4
• /
• pp.391-406
• /
• 2024

The present research investigates the combination resonance behaviors of porous FG shallow shells reinforced with oblique stiffeners and subjected to a two-term excitation. The oblique stiffeners considered in this research reinforce the shell internally and externally. To model the stiffeners, Lekhnitskii's smeared stiffeners technique is utilized. According to the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and stress functions, a nonlinear model of the oblique stiffened shallow shell is established. With regard to the FSDT and von-Kármán nonlinear geometric assumptions, the stress-strain relationships for the present shell system are developed. Also, in order to discretize the nonlinear governing equations, the Galerkin method is implemented. To obtain the required relations for investigating the combination resonance theoretically, the method of multiple scales is applied. For verifying the results of the present research, generated results are compared with previous research. Additionally, a comparison with the P-T method is conducted to increase the validity of the generated results, as this method has illustrated advantages over other numerical methods in terms of accuracy and reliability. In this method, the piecewise constant argument is used jointly with the Taylor series expansion, which is why it is named the P-T method. The effects of stiffeners with different angles, and the effects of material parameters on the combination resonance behaviors of the present system are addressed. With the findings of this research, researchers and engineers in this field may use them as benchmarks for their design and research of porous FG shallow shells.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.53 no.2
• /
• pp.169-194
• /
• 2024

Although the excellent characteristics of functionally graded materials (FGMs) cracks could be found due to manufacturing defects or extreme working conditions. The existence of these cracks may threaten the material or structural strength, reliability, and lifetime. Due to high cost and restrictions offered by practical operational features these cracked components couldn't be replaced immediately. Such circumstances lead to the requirement of assessing the dynamic performance of cracked functionally graded structural components especially under moving objects. The present study aims to comprehensively investigate the dynamic behavior of functionally graded cracked Timoshenko beams (FGCTBs) resting on Winkler foundation and subjected to moving load through shear locking free finite elements methodology. The through thickness material distribution is simulated by the exponential gradation law. The geometric discontinuity due to cracks is represented using the massless rotational spring approach. The shear locking phenomena is avoided by using the different interpolation functions orders for both deflections and rotations. Based on Timoshenko beam element, a shear locking free finite elements methodology is developed. The unconditionally stable Newmark procedure is employed to solve the forced vibration problem. Accuracy of the developed procedure is verified by comparing the obtained results with the available results and an excellent agreement is found. Parametric studies are conducted to explore effects of the geometrical, material characteristics, crack geometrical characteristics, the elastic foundation parameter, and the moving load speed on the dynamic behavior for different boundary conditions. Obtained results revealed the significant effect these parameters on the dynamic performance of FGCTBs.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.447-476
• /
• 2024

The current research proposes an innovative finite element model established within the context of higher-order beam theory to examine the bending and buckling behaviors of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) beams resting on Winkler-Pasternak elastic foundations. This two-node beam element includes four degrees of freedom per node and achieves inter-element continuity with both C¹ and C⁰ continuities for kinematic variables. The isoparametric coordinate system is implemented to generate the elementary stiffness and geometric matrices as a way to enhance the existing model formulation. The weak variational equilibrium equations are derived from the principle of virtual work. The mechanical properties of FG-CNTRC beams are considered to vary gradually and smoothly over the beam thickness. The current investigation highlights the influence of porosity dispersions through the beam cross-section, which is frequently omitted in previous studies. For this reason, this analysis offers an enhanced comprehension of the mechanical behavior of FG-CNTRC beams under various boundary conditions. Through the comparison of the current results with those published previously, the proposed finite element model demonstrates a high rate of efficiency and accuracy. The estimated results not only refine the precision in the mechanical analysis of FG-CNTRC beams but also offer a comprehensive conceptual model for analyzing the performance of porous composite structures. Moreover, the current results are crucial in various sectors that depend on structural integrity in specific environments.

• Advances in concrete construction
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.147-155
• /
• 2024

Detecting and quantifying cracks in bituminous (asphalt) road surfaces plays a crucial role in maintaining road infrastructure integrity and enabling cost-effective maintenance strategies. However, traditional manual inspections are laborious, time-intensive, and susceptible to inconsistencies due to factors like human fatigue, varying expertise levels, and subjective assessments. To address these challenges, this research proposes CrackNet, an innovative deep learning framework that harnesses state-of-the-art computer vision and object detection techniques for accurate and computationally efficient automated crack detection in bituminous road imagery. CrackNet introduces a novel hybrid neural network architecture that seamlessly integrates a cutting-edge Vision Transformer backbone with multi-scale convolutional feature fusion modules. The Vision Transformer component excels at capturing long-range structural dependencies and global contextual information, while the multi-scale fusion modules adeptly combine fine-grained crack details across various spatial resolutions. This unique design enables CrackNet to holistically model intricate crack topologies while preserving localized characteristics and intricate details. To further bolster robustness and generalization capabilities across diverse real-world scenarios, CrackNet incorporates self-supervised pre-training techniques that leverage unlabeled data and unsupervised pretext tasks. These strategies allow CrackNet to learn rich visual representations tailored specifically for crack detection. Additionally, an extensive data augmentation pipeline is employed, encompassing geometric, photometric, and adversarial transformations, to enhance model invariance to varying imaging conditions and environmental factors. The accuracy achieved by the newly proposed approach surpasses that of current state-of-the-art methodologies, reaching an impressive 97.8%.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.109-120
• /
• 1985

This thesis is a study on multiple close range photogrammetry, and the purpose of this study is to develop the most accurate adjustment method of three dimensional object coordinates. This was achieved by comparing the standard errors of actual data to the computed values from 2 photos and multiple photos. The conventional methods for multiple photos have been analyzed by using geometric model formation. But in this study, the equation of collinearity condition which has been applied to aerial photogrammetry was derived to be a basic principle of close range photogrammetry, and the algorithm for analyzing multiple photos was developed using simultaneous bundle adjustment. The method used in this study, showed more homogeneous accuracy in coordinate and more consistent variance of error than those of conventional methods. It was found that the cases using 3, 4, and 5 photos were more accurate than using 2 photos; the accuracies were improved to 15%, 35%, and 50%, for each case. Thus this study is expected to be useful in measuring the geometry of historic monuments and other structures requiring high accuracy. Also the combined case of multiple photos is considered to be effective for the precise analysis of the objects which are difficult to measure for obstacles.

• Journal of KIISE:Software and Applications
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.110-119
• /
• 2010

In this paper, we propose an automatic segmentation of the prostate using intensity distribution and gradient information in MR images. First, active shape model using adaptive intensity profile and multi-resolution technique is used to extract the prostate surface. Second, hole elimination using geometric information is performed to prevent the hole from occurring by converging the surface shape to the local optima. Third, the surface shape with large anatomical variation is corrected by using 2D gradient information. In this case, the corrected surface shape is often represented as rugged shape which is generated by the limited number of vertices. Thus, it is reconstructed by using surface modelling and smoothing. To evaluate our method, we performed the visual inspection, accuracy measures and processing time. For accuracy evaluation, the average distance difference and the overlapping volume ratio between automatic segmentation and manual segmentation by two radiologists are calculated. Experimental results show that the average distance difference was 0.3${\pm}$0.21mm and the overlapping volume ratio was 96.31${\pm}$2.71%. The total processing time of twenty patient data was 16 seconds on average.

• Spatial Information Research
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.51-72
• /
• 2001

It is frequently pointed out that the conventional field survey for natural environment has may limitations in terms of positional accuracy, real-time GIS data acquisition, and economic efficiency. The aim of this research was to develop an on site real-time mapping technique that enables the surveyor to input data in the field. The idea is based upon the recent trends in the field of Telecommunication and Information Technology that uses a GPS, wireless network computing, moving computing, etc. A virtual office approach has been adopted, in which a portable computer is linked to a GPS and field workers record data on the computer at the site and analyse data on site. This field mapping system has shown to be much less susceptible to the positional accuracy than that of th conventional approach. The Graphic User Interface, in particular, were ideally suited to combining positional information with attribute data which changes with every survey points. This interface allows users to interactively display and query GIS layers reproduced from the past survey results. The GIS database stored in the virtual office will serve to carry out a highly reliable survey since it could play a crucial role in identifying temporal and spatial changes occurred in the site. It is expected that integrated utilization of field data among the related agencies would be increased much more than before since the virtual office survey would be a powerful tool to ensure geometric fidelity in GIS database creation process. This paper also discusses the limitations and future direction of the present prototype research.