• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.281-298
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• 2007

The load carrying capacity of a bridge needs to be properly assessed to operate the bridge safely and maintain it efficiently. For the evaluation of load carrying capacity considering the current state of a bridge, static and quasi-static loading tests with weight-controlled heavy trucks have been conventionally utilized. In these tests, the deflection (or strain) of the structural members loaded by the controlled vehicles are measured and analyzed. Using the measured data, deflection (or strain) correction factor and impact correction factor are calculated. These correction factors are used in the enhancement of the load carrying capacity of a bridge, reflecting the real state of a bridge. However, full or partial control of the traffic during the tests and difficulties during the installment of displacement transducers or strain gauges may cause not only inconvenience to the traffic but also the increase of the logistics cost and time. To overcome these difficulties, an alternative method is proposed using an excited response part of full measured ambient acceleration data by ordinary traffic on a bridge without traffic control. Based on the modal properties extracted from the ambient vibration data, the initial finite element (FE) model of a bridge can be updated to represent the current real state of a bridge. Using the updated FE model, the deflection of a bridge akin to the real value can be easily obtained without measuring the real deflection. Impact factors are obtained from pseudo-deflection, which is obtained by double-integration of the acceleration data with removal of the linear components on the acceleration data. For validation, a series of tests were carried out on a steel plategirder bridge of an expressway in Korea in four different seasons, and the evaluated load carrying capacities of the bridge by the proposed method are compared with the result obtained by the conventional load test method.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.43-53
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• 1985

This study proposes a reliability based design criteria for the steel bridge (H-beam, plate-girder and composite-beam), which is most common type of steel bridge, and also proposes the theoretical bases of nominal safety factors as well as load and rasistance factors based on the reliability theory. Major 2nd moment reliability analysis and design theories including both Cornell's MFOSM (Mean First Order 2nd Moment) Methods and Lind-Hasofer's AFOSM(Advanced First Order 2nd Moment) Methods are summarized and compared, and it has been found that Lind-Hasofer's approximate and an approximate Log-normal type reliability formula are well suited for the proposed reliability study. A target reliability index (${\beta}_0=3.5$) is selected as an optimal value considering our practice based on the calibration with the safety pravisions of the current steel bridge design code. Galambo's theory is used for the derivation of the algorithm for the evaluation of uncertainties associated with resistences by LRFD Format and SGST Format, whereas the magnitude of the uncertainties associated with load effects are chosen primarily by considering our level of practice. It may be concluded that the proposed LRFD reliability based design provisions for the steel highway bridge give more rational design than the current standard code for steel highway bridge.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.357-369
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• 2014

In the existing bridge management systems, assessment of the structural behavior is based on the results of visual inspections in which corresponding condition states are assigned to individual elements. In this process, limited attention is given to the correlation between bridge elements from structural perspective. Also, the uncertainty of parameters which affect the structural capacity is ignored. A system reliability-based assessment model is potentially an appropriate replacement for the existing procedures. The aim of this research is to evaluate the system reliability of existing conventional Steel-Reinforced bridge decks over time. The developed method utilizes the reliability theory and evaluates the structural safety for such bridges based on their failure mechanisms. System reliability analysis has been applied to simply-supported concrete bridge superstructures designed according to the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code (CHBDC-S6) and the deterioration pattern is achieved based on the reliability estimates. Finally, the bridge condition index of an old existing bridge in Montreal has been estimated using the developed deterioration pattern. The results obtained from the developed reliability-based deterioration model and from the evaluation done by bridge engineers have been found to be in accordance.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute Of Construction Engineering and Management
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• autumn
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• pp.255-266
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• 2000

Since 1993, Seohae grand bridge has been continued construction for 7 years and will be completed late this year. The bridge is a part of west sea castal highway and consists of 3 types of bridge including precast segmental method, free cantilever method and cable stayed bridge. A cable stayed bridge is the core of this bridge and it consists of 5 span, symetrical cable-stayed bridge with a total length of 990 m. The main span between two H-shaped pylons extending approximately 180 M above massive foundation of a cable stayed bridge is 470 m long and an approach span of that is 260 m long respectively. The circular cofferdam with 16 ea of 25 m diameter flat type sheet pile had been applied to construct foundation. The slipform method had been applied for forming of con'c of two H-shaped pylons with 3 cross beams respectively which is varied horizontally and vertically. The deck has been erected with balanced cantilever method using movable derrick crane. The stay cables is a bundle of parallel individually protected, 7 wire high tensile strands. The strands is hot deep galvanized and sheathed with a tight high density polyethylene coating. A petroleum wax fills all the inter-wire voids. The bundle of strands to prevent from deterioration due to the ambient problem covered with high density polyethylene pipe. The Isotension method has been applied for the stressing of cable strands to ensure uniformity of force in all the strands of a syay and such works has been performed on the stay specially provided in the pylon.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.53-70
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• 2003

Tsing Ma Bridge in Hong Kong is the longest suspension bridge in the world carrying both highway and railway. It has two H-shape concrete towers, each of which is composed of two reinforced concrete legs and four deep transverse prestressed concrete beams. A series of wind tunnel tests have been performed to measure the aerodynamic coefficients of the tower legs and transverse beams in various arrangements. A 1:100 scaled 3D rigid model of the full bridge tower assembled from various tower components has been constructed for different test cases. The aerodynamic coefficients of the lower and upper segments of the windward and leeward tower legs and those of the transverse beams at different levels, with and without the dummy bridge deck model, were measured as a function of yaw wind angle. The effects of wind interference among the tower components and the influence of the bridge deck on the tower aerodynamic coefficients were also investigated. The results achieved can be used as the pertinent data for the comparison of the computed and field-measured fully coupled buffeting responses of the entire bridge under yaw winds.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.3 no.5
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• pp.649-673
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• 2012

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of accounting for aging and deterioration of bridges when estimating their seismic vulnerability. Effects of structural degradation of multiple bridge components, variations in bridge geometry, and comparison of different environmental exposure conditions have traditionally been ignored in the development of seismic fragility curves for aging concrete highway bridges. This study focuses on the degradation of multiple bridge components of a geometrically varying bridge class, as opposed to a single bridge sample, to arrive at time-dependent seismic bridge fragility curves. The effects of different exposure conditions are also explored to assess the impact of severity of the environment on bridge seismic vulnerability. The proposed methodology is demonstrated on a representative class of aging multi-span reinforced concrete girder bridges typical of the Central and Southeastern United States. The results reveal the importance of considering multiple deterioration mechanisms, including the significance of degrading elastomeric bearings along with the corroding reinforced concrete columns, in fragility modeling of aging bridge classes. Additionally, assessment of the relative severity of exposure to marine atmospheric, marine sea-splash and deicing salts, and shows 5%, 9% and 44% reduction, respectively, in the median value bridge fragility for the complete damage state relative to the as-built pristine structure.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.161-175
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• 2018

In this study, in-situ dynamic tests of the world's longest steel box tied-arch bridge over the Yangtze River, China, are reported. The double deck bridge supports highway and monorail systems at upper and lower levels, respectively. Strain, displacement, and acceleration responses were measured and used to investigate the vibration characteristics of the bridge when excited by running trains and/or trucks at a speed of 5-60 km/h, train braking, and truck bouncing. Impact factors were correlated with the running speed of trains and trucks. A three-dimensional finite element model of the coupled monorail-train-bridge vibration system accounting for track irregularities was established to understand the system behavior and validated by the experimental results. Truck bouncing was the dominant impact factor on bridge responses. The running speed of vehicles determined the riding comfort of traveling trains.

• Journal of the Korean Professional Engineers Association
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.23-26
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• 2001

Seohae Grand Bridge is a part of the new West Coast Highway(353km) under construction, which connects Inchon and Mokpo. It is the longest bridge in Korea (7.31 km), and has 97 spans of 60m each precast segmental approach bridges, 2 main spans of 165m each free cantilever segmental bridge(500m), and 1 stay cable bridge of 990m In total length. During the seven year long construction period, many new construction technologies and methods were utilized for the first time in Korea, and gave invaluable opportunities to experience and master these in completing the project on time with safety and precision. I am proud of being a member of this project, and wish to express deep appreciations to those who participated in the project.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.809-814
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• 2001

In this paper, dynamic properties of a bridge by traffic loads, is proposed as a reasonable method for the determining the impact factor. In addition, impact factors obtained from previous inspection reports were classified by the span length of the bridge, kind of the bridge and type of the bridge and adjusted the result of the impact factor by the statistical method and presented problems. Also, the determining method of the impact fatter using traffic load is proposed and compared the proposed method with the specification code. The method estimating the impact factor by the traffic loads can be efficiently concluded to the response of structure as reflecting the impact factor and saving the investigation cost. Also it is expected to use to maintenance of structures using the usual test of the bridge.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.21 no.4 s.76
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• pp.95-101
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• 2006

It is well known that the thermal load in PSC(prestressed concrete) box-girder bridge is the principal cause of detrimental crack. The longitudinal stress caused by the lateral stress from the temperature gradient in slab of PSC box-girder bridge has a considerable influence on the durability and economy of bridge structures. As the basic study for the rational consideration of thermal load and the derivation of design guide, the inverse thermal analysis program for PSC box-girder bridges using field measurement data is developed. In this paper, thermal analyses are performed using field monitoring data for the sample PSC box-girder bridge. It is proposed that the link between monitoring program and the inverse analysis program is available.