• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.75 no.2
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• pp.271-282
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• 2020

The preservation of historic masonry-arch railway bridges is of paramount importance due to their economic benefits. These bridges which belong to past centuries may nowadays be expected to carry loads higher than those for which they were designed. Such an increase in loads may be because of increase in transportation speed or in the capacity of freight-wagons. Anyway, adequate increase in their load-carrying-capacity through structural-strengthening is required. Moreover, the increasing costs of material/construction urge engineers to optimize their designs to obtain the minimum-cost one. This paper proposes a novel numerical optimization method to minimize the costs associated with strengthening of masonry-arch railway bridges. To do so, the stress/displacement responses of Sahand-Goltappeh bridge are assessed under ordinary train pass as a case study. For this aim, 3D-Finite-Element-Model is created and calibrated using experimental test results. Then, it is strengthened such that following goals are achieved simultaneously: (1) the load-carrying-capacity of the bridge is increased; (2) the structural response of the bridge is reduced to a certain limit; and, (3) the costs needed for such strengthening are minimized as far as possible. The results of the case study demonstrate the applicability/superiority of the proposed approach. Some economic measures are also recommended to further reduce the total strengthening cost.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.541-553
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• 2018

In this paper a limit analysis based procedure for the rapid evaluation of the in-plane seismic capacity of masonry arch bridges is carried out. Attention has been paid to the effect of the backfill on the collapse load. A parametric investigation has been performed by varying the rise/span ratio and the results have been compared with those obtained by finite element modelling. The comparison highlights the conservative feature of the proposed model in terms of ultimate loads and a good agreement in terms of collapse mechanisms.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.83-90
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• 2008

It is hard to predict the mechanical characteristics of discontinuous stone masonry structures by the static analysis method, because of irregularity of face stones and also due to randomness of backfill materials. Inversely, one can estimate the mechanical characteristics by comparing the natural frequencies between measured and computed. The aim of this paper is to investigate the computational modeling method of ancient stone arch bridges in Korea and to find the factors influencing their dynamic characteristics. The results revealed that the rigidity of spandrel walls and backfill materials are the most important factors influencing the natural frequencies of stone arch bridges.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.483-494
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• 2016

Historical structures that function as a bridge from past to present are the cultural and social reflections of societies. Masonry bridges are one of the important historical structures. These bridges are vulnerable against to seismic action. In this study, linear and non-linear dynamic analyses of historical Nadir Bridge are assessed. The bridge is modelled with three dimensional finite elements. For the seismic effect, artificial acceleration records are generated considering the seismic characteristics of the region where the bridge is located. Seismic response of the bridge is investigated.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.91 no.1
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• pp.103-121
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• 2024

The smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method is a numerical technique used in dynamic analysis to simulate the fluid-like behavior of materials under extreme conditions, such as those encountered in explosions or high velocity impacts. In SPH, fluid or solid materials are discretized into particles. These particles interact with each other based on certain smoothing kernels, allowing the simulation of fluid flows and predict the response of solid materials to shock waves, like deformation, cracking or failure. One of the main advantages of SPH is its ability to simulate these phenomena without a fixed grid, making it particularly suitable for analyzing complex geometries. In this study, the structural damage to a masonry arch bridge subjected to blast loading was investigated. A high-fidelity micro-model was created and the explosives were modeled using the SPH approach. The Johnson-Holmquist II damage model and the Mohr-Coulomb material model were considered to evaluate the masonry and backfill properties. Consistent with the principles of the JH-II model, the authors developed a VUMAT code. The explosive charges (50 kg, 168 kg, 425 kg and 1000 kg) were placed in close proximity to the deck and pier of a bridge. The results showed that the 50 kg charges, which could have been placed near the pier by a terrorist, had only a limited effect on the piers. Instead, this charge caused a vertical displacement of the deck due to the confinement effect. Conversely, a 1000 kg TNT charge placed 100 cm above the deck caused significant damage to the bridge.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.61-69
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• 2011

It is hard to predict the mechanical characteristics of discontinuous stone masonry structures with the use of by the static analysis method, because of irregularity of face stones and also due to randomness of backfill materials. Inversely, one can estimate the mechanical characteristics by comparing the natural frequencies between measured from the field tests and computed from the analytical models. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness and confidence of the computational modeling method of ancient stone arch bridges in Korea and to find the factors influencing their dynamic characteristics. The results revealed that the rigidity of spandrel walls and backfill materials are the most important factors influencing the natural frequencies of stone arch bridges, which are the critical for the stability of the stone arch structure.

• Computational Structural Engineering
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• v.19 no.4 s.74
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• pp.25-31
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• 2006

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.29-47
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• 2014

The masonry stone arch bridge, due to its superior durability and aesthetics, has been one of the oldest and popular types of short span bridges. In Europe, this type of bridges have been continuously constructed, and numerous related researches have been conducted until recently. However, there are few construction cases in Korea since the economic efficiency and the construction effectiveness is not contentable. Therefore, this study proposed the reinforced joint to improve structural performance of the conventional arch systems which is proposed by previous researchers. The structural performance of the proposed reinforced joint, which consists of the transverse loop joint and the longitudinal reinforcement, is validated by experimental test of an arch bridge which is constructed using precast concrete segments. Based on this results of the experimental test, it is concluded that the strength of arch bridges can be enhanced by applying the proposed reinforced joints since the reinforced joint restrains hinge behavior and relative displacement between segments with a little reinforcement.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 2006

When surveying the cultural heritages especially in the case of stone structures, preserving their originalstate is of primary importance. For the effective assessment of survey results of stone structure, thedynamic characteristics of that system should be considered. Dynamic characteristics of stone masonry structures depend on several factors such as coefficients of friction, contact conditions, and number of layers of bonding stones. These factors can be estimated by using the dynamic analysis results. This paper describes a method for natural frequency determination of traditional stone arch bridge subjected to compressive force. For this purpose, multi-layered granite brick models of for arch bridge were made and fundamental frequencies corresponding increasing axial forces were measured.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2022

Masonry constructions exhibit uncertain behaviors under dynamic effects such as seismic action. Complex issues arise in the idealization of structural systems of buildings having different material types and mechanical properties. In this study, the structural behavior of a vaulted masonry building constructed using full clay brick and lime-based mortar and sitting on consecutive arches was investigated by experimental and numerical approaches. The dimensions of the structure built in the laboratory were 391 × 196 cm, and its height was 234 cm. An incremental repetitive loading was applied to the prototype construction model. Along the gradually increasing loading pattern, the load-displacement curves of the masonry structure were obtained with the assistance of eight linear displacement transducers. In addition, crack formation areas, and relevant causes of its formation were determined. The experimental model was idealized using the finite element method, and numerical analyses were performed for the area considered as linear being under similar loading effect. From the linear analyses, the displacement values and stress distribution of the numerical model were obtained. In addition, the effects of tie members, frequently being used in the supports of curved load-bearing elements, on the structural behavior were examined. Consequently, the experimental and numerical analysis results were comparatively evaluated.