• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.699-716
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• 2016

Buckling-restrained braced frames (BRBFs) are commonly used as lateral force-resisting systems in the structures located in seismic-active regions. The nearly symmetric load-displacement behavior of buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) helps in dissipating the input seismic energy through metallic hysteresis. In this study, an experimental investigation has been conducted on the reduced-core length BRB (RCLBRB) specimens to evaluate their hysteretic and overall performance under gradually increased cyclic loading. Detachable casings are used for the concrete providing confinement to the steel core segments of all test specimens to facilitate the post-earthquake inspection of steel core elements. The influence of variable core clearance and the local detailing of casings on the cyclic performance of RCLBRB specimens has been studied. The RCLBRB specimen with the detachable casing system and a smaller core clearance at the end zone as compared to the central region exhibited excellent hysteretic behavior without any slip. Such RCLBRB showed balanced higher yielding deformed configuration up to a core strain of 4.2% without any premature instability. The strength-adjustment factors for the RCLBRB specimens are found to be nearly same as that of the conventional BRBs as noticed in the past studies. Simple expressions have been proposed based on the regression analysis to estimate the strength-adjustment factors and equivalent damping potential of the RCLBRB specimens.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.459-469
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• 2020

An external prestressed steel-bar truss unit was developed as a new strengthening technology to enhance the seismic performance of an in-plane masonry wall structure while taking advantage of the benefits of a prestressed system. The presented method consists of six steel bars: two prestressed vertical bars to introduce a prestressing force on the masonry wall, two diagonal bars to resist shear deformation, and two horizontal bars to maintain the configuration. To evaluate the effects of this new technique, four full-scale specimens, including a control specimen, were tested under combined loadings that included constant-gravity axial loads and cyclic lateral loads. The experimental results were analyzed in terms of the shear strength, initial stiffness, dissipated energy, and strain history. The efficiency of the external prestressed steel-bar truss unit was validated. In particular, a retrofitted specimen with an axial load level of 0.024 exhibited a more stable post behavior and higher energy dissipation than a control specimen with an observed complete sliding failure. The four vertical bars of the adjacent retrofitting units created a virtual column, and their strain values did not change until they reached the peak shear strength. The shear capacity of the masonry wall structure with external prestressed steel-bar truss units could be predicted using the model suggested by Yang et al.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.77 no.4
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• pp.463-472
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• 2021

Fully rigid floor diaphragm is one of the main assumptions that are widely used in common practices due to its simple application. However, determining the exact degree of diaphragms flexibility cannot be easily accomplished without finite element modeling, which is an expensive and time-consuming procedure. Therefore, it is always possible that apparently rigid diaphragms, based on prescriptive limitations of seismic codes, experience some degrees of flexibility during the earthquakes. Since diaphragm flexibility has more uncertainties in asymmetric-plan structures, this study focuses on errors resulting from probable floor diaphragm flexibility of torsionally restrained structures. The analytical models used in this study were single-story buildings with asymmetric plan and RC shear walls. Although floor system is not considered explicitly, a wide range of considered diaphragm flexibility, from fully rigid to quite flexible, allows the results to be generalizable to a lot of lateral load resisting systems as well as floor systems. It has been shown that in addition to previously known effects of diaphragm flexibility, presence of orthogonal side elements during design procedure with rigid diaphragm assumption and rapid reduction in their absorbed forces can also be an important source to increase errors due to flexibility. Accordingly, from the obtained results the authors suggest designers to consider the possibility of diaphragm flexibility and its adverse effects, especially in torsionally restrained systems in their common designs.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.83 no.2
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• pp.245-257
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• 2022

As the main lateral load resisting system in high-rise reinforced concrete structures, the mechanical performance of shear wall has a significant impact on the structure, especially for high-rise buildings. Steel corrosion has been recognized as an important factor affecting the mechanical performance and durability of the reinforced concrete structures. To investigate the effect on the seismic behaviour of corroded reinforced concrete shear wall induced by corrosion, analytical investigations and simulations were done to observe the effect of corrosion on the ultimate seismic capacity and drift capacity of shear walls. To ensure the accuracy of the simulation software, several validations were made using both non-corroded and corroded reinforced concrete shear walls based on some test results in previous literature. Thereafter, a parametric study, including 200 FE models, was done to study the influence of some critical parameters on corroded structural shear walls with boundary element. These parameters include corrosion levels, axial force ratio, aspect ratio, and concrete compressive strength. The results obtained would then be used to propose equations to predict the seismic resistance and drift capacity of shear walls with various corrosion levels.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.553-564
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• 2022

Many existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures need to be strengthening for reason such as poor construction quality, low ductility or designing without considering seismic effects. One of the strengthening methods is strengthening technique with eccentrically braced frames (EBFs). The characteristic element of these systems is the link element and its length is very important in terms of seismic behavior. The link element of Y shaped EBF systems (YEBFs) is designed as a short shear element. Different limits are suggested in the literature for the link length. This study to aim experimentally investigate the effect of the link length for the suggested limits on the behavior of the RC frame system and efficiency of strengthening technique. For this purpose, a total of 5 single story, single span RC frame specimens were produced. The design of the RC frames was made considering seismic design deficiencies. Four of the produced specimens were strengthened and one of them remained as bare specimen. The steel YEBFs were used in strengthening the RC frame and the link was designed as a shear element that have different length with respect to suggested limits in literature. The length of links was determined as 50mm, 100mm, 150mm and 200mm. All of the specimens were tested under cyclic loads. The obtained results show that the strengthening technique improved the energy consumption and lateral load bearing capacities of the bare RC specimen. Moreover, it is concluded that the specimens YB-2 and YB-3 showed better performance than the other specimens, especially in energy consumption and ductility.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.84 no.1
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• pp.63-76
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• 2022

Major engineering requirements and technological developments in the steel construction industry are discussed to support a new innovative system, namely corrugated web beams, for future structural projections. These new-generation steel beams, fabricated as welded plate girders with corrugated webs, are designed to combine large spans with very low weight. In the present study, the flexural capacity of optimally designed trapezoidal and sinusoidal corrugated web beams was aimed at. For this purpose, the new metaheuristic methods, specifically hunting search and firefly algorithms, were used for the minimum weight design of both beams according to the rules of Eurocode EN 1193 15 and DASt-Ri 015. In addition, the strengthening effects of the corrugation geometry at the web posts on the load capacity of fabricated steel beams were tested in a reaction frame. The experimental tests displayed that the lateral capacity of trapezoidal web beams is more durable under flexural loads compared to sinusoidal web beams. These thin-walled beams were also simulated using a 3-D finite element model with plane strain to validate test results and describe the effectiveness of the ABAQUS software.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.523-540
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• 2023

The failure of slope can cause remarkable damage to either human life or infrastructures. Stabilizing piles are widely utilized to reinforce slope as a slip-resistance structure. The workability of pile-stabilized slopes is affected by various parameters. In this study, the performance of earth slope reinforced with piles and the behavior of piles under static load, by shear reduction strength method using the finite difference software (FLAC^3D) has been investigated. Parametric studies were conducted to investigate the role of pile length (L), different pile distances from each other (S/D), pile head conditions (free and fixed head condition), the effect of sand density (loose, medium, and high-density soil) on the pile behavior, and the performance of pile-stabilized slopes. The performance of the stabilized slopes was analyzed by evaluating the factor of safety, lateral displacement and bending moment of piles, and critical slip mechanism. The results depict that as L increased and S/D reduced, the performance of slopes stabilized with pile gets better by raising the soil density. The greater the amount of bending moment at the shallow depths of the pile in the fixed pile head indicates the effect of the inertial force due to the structure on the pile performance.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.39-49
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• 2007

The load deformation behavior of the cap-pile-soil system is investigated, based on numerical analysis. Special attention is given to consideration of pile cap flexibility. Rigid pile cap analysis and flexible cap analysis were conducted for comparison. A numerical method that takes into account the coupling between the rigidities of the piles, the cap, and the column has been introduced to analyze the response of pile group supported columns. The prediction of the lateral loads and bending moments in the pile cap is much more conservative for a flexible cap than for a rigid cap.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.17-32
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• 2018

This paper explores the function of a structural skin with an embossed surface applicable to use for tall building structures. The major diagrid system with a secondary embossed surface structure provides an enhanced perimeter structural system by increasing tube section areas and reduces aerodynamic loads by disorienting major organized structure of winds. A parametric study used to investigate an optimized configuration of the embossed structure revealed that the embossed structure has a structural advantage in stiffening the structure, reducing lateral drift to 90% compared to a non-embossed diagrid baseline model, and results of wind load analysis using computational fluid dynamics, demonstrated the proposed embossed system can reduce. The resulting undulating embossed skin geometry presents both opportunities for incorporating versatile interior environments as well as unique challenges for daylighting and thermal control of the envelope. Solar and thermal control requires multiple daylighting solutions to address each local façade surface condition in order to reduce energy loads and meet occupant comfort standards. These findings illustrate that although more complex in geometry, architects and engineers can produce tall buildings that have less impact on our environment by utilizing structural forms that reduce structural steel needed for stiffening, thus reducing embodied $CO^2$, while positively affecting indoor quality and energy performance, all possible while creating a unique urban iconography derived from the performance of building skin.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.265-273
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• 2007

The most common structural system for apartment buildings in Korea is adopted to combine structural systems: for example, a moment-resisting frame will be used for lower stories and bearing wall system for the upper stories. This type of buildings have soft and/or weak stories in lower stories, and it may lead to collapse of those buildings during the large earthquake. Reversed cyclic load tests were conducted to estimate the performance and behavioral characteristics of deep beam and exterior column Joints. Experimental parameter is the amount of transverse reinforcement (designed by ACI code and Sheikh's procedure). The results of this study are as follows: (1) The required transverse reinforcement of column designed by Sheikh's procedure requires 2.9 times larger than that designed by ACI procedure. Large amount of transverse reinforcement increase the ductility of the column. (2) Most of the lateral drift in the column is due to the flexural deformation in the joint and plastic hinge region and up-lift rotation. (3) Transverse reinforcement in the exterior column shall be required not only in the hinge region but also in the joint.