• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.5
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• pp.939-950
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• 2023

This study was conducted to assess the impact of growing condition variables on alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) productivity. A total of 197 alfalfa yield results were acquired from the alfalfa field trials conducted by the South Korean National Agricultural Cooperative Federation or Rural Development Administration between 1983 and 2008. The corresponding climate and soil data were collected from the database of the Korean Meteorological Administration. Twenty-three growing condition variables were developed as explaining variables for alfalfa forage biomass production. Among them, twelve variables were chosen based on the significance of the partial-correlation coefficients or potential agricultural values. The selected partial correlation coefficients between the variables and alfalfa forage biomass ranged from -0.021 to 0.696. The influence of the selected twelve variables on yearly alfalfa production was summarized into three dominant factors through factor analysis. Along with the accumulated temperature variables, the loading scores of the daily mean temperature higher than 25℃ were over 0.88 in factor 1. The sunshine duration at temperature between 0℃-25℃ was 0.939 in factor 2. Precipitation days were 0.82, which was the greatest in factor 3. Stepwise regression applied with the three dominant factors resulted in the coefficients of factors 1, 2, and 3 for 0.633, 0.485, and 0.115, respectively, and the R-square of the model was 0.602. The environmental conditions limiting alfalfa growth, such as daily temperature higher than 25℃ or daily mean temperature affected annual alfalfa production most substantially among the growing condition variables. Therefore, future cultivar selection should consider the capability of alfalfa to be tolerant to extreme summer weather along with biomass production potential.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.153-166
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• 2023

Health monitoring of civil infrastructures, in particular, old bridges that are still in service, has become more than necessary, given the risk that a possible degradation or failure of these infrastructures can induce on the safety of users in addition to the resulting commercial and economic impact. Bridge integrity assessment has attracted significant research efforts over the past forty years with the aim of developing new damage identification methods applicable to real structures. The bridge of Ouled Mimoun (Tlemcen, Algeria) is one of the oldest railway structure in the country. It was built in 1889. This bridge, which is too low with respect to the level of the road, has suffered multiple shocks from various machines that caused considerable damage to its central part. The present work aims to analyze the stability of this bridge by identifying damages and evaluating the damage rate in different parts of the structure on the basis of a finite element model. The applied method is based on an inverse analysis of the normal stress responses that were calculated from the corresponding recorded strains, during the passage of a real train, by means of a set of strain gauges placed on certain elements of the bridge. The results obtained from the inverse analysis made it possible to successfully locate areas that were really damaged and to estimate the damage rate. These results were also used to detect an excessive rigidity in certain elements due to the presence of plates, which were neglected in the numerical reference model. In the case of the continuous bridge monitoring, this developed method will be a very powerful tool as a smart health monitoring system, allowing engineers to take in time decisions in the event of bridge damage.

• Annals of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.80-91
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• 2024

Backgrounds/Aims: Optimal intravenous fluid management during the perioperative period for patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) within the framework of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is unclear. Studies have indicated that excessive total body salt and water can contribute to the development of oedema, leading to increased morbidity and extended hospital stays. This study aimed to assess the effects of an intravenous therapy regimen during postoperative day (POD) 0 to 2 in PD patients within ERAS. Methods: A retrospective interventional cohort study was conducted, and it involved all PD patients before and after implementation of ERAS (2009-2017). In the ERAS group, a targeted maintenance fluid regimen of 20 mL/kg/day with a sodium requirement of 0.5 mmoL/kg/day was administered. Outcome measures included the mmol of sodium and chloride administered, length of stay, and morbidity (postoperative pancreatic fistula, POPF; acute kidney injury, AKI; ileus). Results: The study included 169 patients, with a mean age of 64 ± 11.3 years. Following implementation of the intravenous fluid therapy protocol, there was a significant reduction in chloride and sodium loading. However, in the multivariable analysis, chloride administered (mmoL/kg) did not independently influence the length of stay; or rates of POPF, ileus, or AKI (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The findings suggested that a postoperative intravenous fluid therapy regimen did not significantly impact morbidity. Notably, there was a trend towards reduced length of stay within an increasingly comorbid patient cohort. This targeted fluid regimen appears to be safe for PD patients within the ERAS program. Further prospective research is needed to explore this area.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.81-90
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• 2008

This study deals with a method to identify structural damage using the combined finite element method (FEM) and the advanced damage search technique. The novelty of this study is the application of plates with arbitrary damage shapes and their response due to the anomalies in a structure subjected to impact loading. The technique described in this paper may allow us not only to detect the stiffness distribution of the damaged areas but also to find locations and the extent of damage. To demonstrate the feasibility of the method, the algorithm is applied to a steel thin plate structures with an arbitrary damage shape. The results demonstrate the excellencies of the method from the standpoints of computation efficiency as well as its ability to investigate the arbitrary stiffness reductions.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.379-391
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• 2024

The ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) mixed with hybrid fibers has excellent mechanical properties and durability, and the hybrid fibers have a certain impact on the bearing capacity, deformation capacity, and crack propagation of beams. Many scholars have conducted a series of studies on the bending performance of prestressed UHPC beams, but there are few studies on prestressed UHPC beams mixed with hybrid fibers. In this study, five bonded post-tensioned partially prestressed UHPC beams mixed with steel fibers and macro-polyolefin fibers were poured and subjected to four-points symmetric loading bending tests. The effects of different prestressing degrees and prestressing levels on the load-deflection curves, crack propagation, failure modes and ultimate bearing capacity of beams were discussed. The results showed that flexural failure occurred in the prestressed UHPC beams with hybrid fibers, and the integrity of specimens was good. When the prestressing degree was the same, the higher the prestressing level, the better the crack resistance capacity of UHPC beams; When the prestressing level was 90%, increasing the prestressing degree was beneficial to improve the crack resistance and ultimate bearing capacity of UHPC beams. When the prestressing degree increased from 0.41 to 0.59, the cracking load and ultimate load increased by 66.0% and 41.4%, respectively, but the ductility decreased by 61.2%. Based on the plane section assumption and considering the bridging effect of short fibers, the cracking moment and ultimate bearing moment were calculated, with good agreement between the test and calculated values.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.391-403
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• 2024

The flexural behavior of composite sandwich wall panels with different thicknesses, numbers of holes, and hole forms, and arrangement form of longitudinal steel bar (uniform type and concealed-beam type) are investigated. A total of twelve composite sandwich wall panels are prepared, utilizing modified polystyrene particles mixed with foam concrete for the flexural performance test. The failure pattern of the composite sandwich wall panels is influenced by the extruded polystyrene panel (XPS) panel thickness and the reinforcement ratio in combination, resulting in both flexural and shear failure modes. Increasing the XPS panel thickness causes the specimens to transition from flexural failure to shear failure. An increase in the reinforcement ratio leads to the transition from flexural failure to shear failure. The hole form on the XPS panel and the steel bar arrangement form affect the loading behavior of the specimens. Plum-arrangement hole form specimens exhibit lower steel bar strain and deflection compared to linear-arrangement hole form specimens. Additionally, specimens with concealed beam-type steel bar display lower steel bar strain and deflection than uniform-type steel bar specimens. However, the hole form and steel bar arrangement form have a limited impact on the ultimate load. Theoretical formulas for cracking load are provided for both fully composite and non-composite states. When compared to the experimental values, it is observed that the cracking load of the specimens with XPS panels closely matches the calculations for the non-composite state. An accurate prediction model for the ultimate load of fully composite wall panels is developed. These findings offer valuable insights into the behavior of composite sandwich wall panels and provide a basis for predicting their performance under various design factors and conditions.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.307-328
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• 2024

The concrete damage plasticity (CDP) model is widely used to simulate concrete behaviour using either implicit or explicit analysis methods. To effectively execute the models and resolve convergence issues in implicit analysis, activating the viscosity parameter of this material model is a common practice. Despite the frequent application of implicit analysis to analyse concrete structures with the CDP model, the viscosity parameter significantly varies among available models and lacks consistency. The adjustment of the viscosity parameter at the element/structural level disregards its indirect impact on the material. Therefore, the accuracy of the numerical model is confined to the validated range and might not hold true for other values, often explored in parametric studies subsequent to validations. To address these challenges and develop a unified numerical model for varied conditions, a quasi-static analysis using the explicit solver was conducted in this study. Fifteen thick flat plates tested under load control with different geometries and different eccentric loads were considered to verify the accuracy of the model. The study first investigated various concrete material behaviours under compression and tension as well as the concrete tensile strength to identify the most reliable models from previous methodologies. The study compared the results using both implicit and explicit analysis. It was found that, in implicit analysis, the viscosity parameter should be as low as 0.0001 to avoid affecting material properties. However, at the structural level, the optimum value may need adjustment between 0.00001 to 0.0001 with changing geometries and loading type. This observation raises concerns about further parametric study if the specific value of the viscosity parameter is used. Additionally, activating the viscosity parameter in load control simulations confirmed its inability to capture the peak load. Conversely, the unified explicit model accurately simulated the behaviour of the test specimens under varying geometries, load eccentricities, and column sizes. This study recommends restricting implicit solutions to the viscosity values proposed in this research. Alternatively, for highly nonlinear problems under load control simulation, explicit analysis stands as an effective approach, ensuring unified parameters across a wide range of applications without convergence problems.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.505-516
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• 2009

The effects of wood species, particle size of wood flours and coupling treatment on the mechanical properties of wood plastic composites (WPC) are investigated in this study. Chemical components of wood flour from 3 different wood species were analyzed by the chemical analysis. Wood flours of 40~60 mesh and 80~100 mesh were manufactured from Larix (Larix kaempferi Lamb.), Quercus (Quercus accutisima Carr.), and Maackia (Maackia amuresis Rupr. et Maxim). The wood flours were reinforced into polypropylene (PP) by melt compounding and injection molding, then tensile, flexural, and impact strength properties were analyzed. The order of alpha-cellulose content in wood is Quercus (43.6%), Maackia (41.3%) and Larix (36.2%). The order of lignin content in wood is Larix (31.6%), Maackia (24.7%), and Quercus accutisima (24.4%). The content of extractives in wood is in the order of Larix (8.5%), Maackia (4.4%), and Quercus accutisima (3.9%). As the content of alpha-cellulose increases and the lignin and extractives decreases, tensile and flexural strengths of the WPC increase. At the same loading level of wood flours, the smaller particle size (80~100 mesh) of wood flours showed highly improved tensile and flexural strengths, compared to the larger one (40~60 mesh). The impact strength of the WPC was not significantly affected by the wood species, but the wood flours of larger particle size showed better impact strengths. The addition of maleated polypropylene (MAPP) provided the highly improved tensile, flexural and impact strengths. Morphological analysis shows improved interfacial bonding with MAPP treatment for the composites.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.145-159
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• 2004

The conventional method for assessment of liquefaction potential proposed by Seed and Idriss has been widely used in most countries because of simplicity of tests. Even though various data such as stress, strain, stress path, and excess pore water pressure can be obtained from the dynamic test, especially, two simple experimental data such as the maximum deviatoric stress and the number of cycles at liquefaction have been used in the conventional assessment. In this study, a new detailed assessment for liquefaction potential to reflect both characteristics of real earthquake motion and dynamic soil resistance is proposed and verified. In the assessment, the safety factor of the liquefaction potential at a given depth of a site can be obtained by the ratio of a resistible cumulative plastic shear strain determined through the performance of the conventional cyclic test and a driving cumulative plastic shear strain calculated from the shear strain time history through the ground response analysis. The last point to cumulate the driving plastic shear strain to initiate soil liquefaction is important for this assessment. From the result of cyclic triaxial test using real earthquake motions, it was concluded that liquefaction under the impact-type earthquake loads would initiate as soon as a peak loading signal was reached. The driving cumulative plastic shear strain, therefore, can be determined by adding all plastic shear strains obtained from the ground response analysis up to the peak point. Through the verification of the proposed assessment, it can be concluded that the proposed assessment for liquefaction potential can be a progressive method to reflect both characteristics of the unique soil resistance and earthquake parameters such as peak earthquake signal, significant duration time, earthquake loading type, and magnitude.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.51-64
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• 1996

After the model open-ended pile attached with strain gages was driven into a pressure chamber, in which the saturated microfine sand was contained, the static compression loading test was performed for that pile. Based on the test results, ultimate pile capacity was determined. Then, either simulated earthquake shaking or sinusoidal shaking was applied to the pile with the sustained certain level OP ultimate pile load. Then, pile capacity degradations characteristics during shaking were studied. Pile capacity degradation during two different shakings were greatly different. During the simulated earthquake shaking, capacity degradation depended upon the magnitude of applied load. When the load applied to the pile top was less than 70% of ultimate pile capacidy, pile capacity degradation rate was less than 8%, and pile with the sustained ultimate pile load had the degradation rate of 90%. Also, most of pile capacity degradation was reduced in outer skin friction and degradation rate was about 80% of ultimate pile capacity reduction. During sinusoidal shaking, pile capacity degradation did not depend on the magnitude of applied load. It depended on the amplitude and the frequency , the larger the amplitude and the fewer the frequency was, the higher the degradation rate was. Reduction pattern of unit soil plugging (once depended on the mode of shaking. Unit soil plugging force by the simulated earthquake shaking was reduced in the bottom 3.0 D, of the toe irrespective of the applied load, while reduction of unit soil plugging force by sinusoidal shaking was occurred in the bottom 1.0-3.0D, of the toe. Also, the soil plugging force was reduced more than that during simulated earthquake shaking and degradation rate of the pile capacity depended on the magnitude of the applied load.