• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.617-624
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• 2017

In this study, a new empirical method is presented to obtain Dynamic Increase Factor (DIF) in nonlinear static analysis of structures against sudden removal of a gravity load-bearing element. In this method, DIF is defined as a function of minimum ratio of difference between maximum moment capacity ($M_u$) and moment demand ($M_d$) to plastic moment capacity ($M_p$) under unamplified gravity loads of elements. This function determines the residual strength of a damaged building before amplified gravity loads. For each column removal location, a nonlinear dynamic analysis and a step-by-step nonlinear static analysis are carried out and the modified empirical DIF formulas are derived, which correspond to the ratio min $[(M_u-M_d)/M_p]$ of beams in the bays immediately adjacent to the removed column, and at all floors above it. Therefore, the new DIF can be used with nonlinear static analysis instead of nonlinear dynamic analysis to assess the progressive collapse potential of a moment frame structure. The proposed DIF formulas can estimate the real residual strength of a structure based on critical member.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.37-51
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• 2012

New generation of tall and complex buildings systems are now introduced that are reflective of the latest development in materials, design, sustainability, construction, and IT technologies. While the complexity in design is being overcome by the availability and advances in structural analysis tools and readily advanced software, the design of these buildings are still reliant on minimum code requirements that yet to be validated in full scale. The involvement of the author in the design and construction planning of Burj Khalifa since its inception until its completion prompted the author to conceptually develop an extensive survey and real-time structural health monitoring program to validate all the fundamental assumptions mad for the design and construction planning of the tower. The Burj Khalifa Project is the tallest structure ever built by man; the tower is 828 meters tall and comprises of 162 floors above grade and 3 basement levels. Early integration of aerodynamic shaping and wind engineering played a major role in the architectural massing and design of this multi-use tower, where mitigating and taming the dynamic wind effects was one of the most important design criteria established at the onset of the project design. Understanding the structural and foundation system behaviors of the tower are the key fundamental drivers for the development and execution of a state-of-the-art survey and structural health monitoring (SHM) programs. Therefore, the focus of this paper is to discuss the execution of the survey and real-time structural health monitoring programs to confirm the structural behavioral response of the tower during construction stage and during its service life; the monitoring programs included 1) monitoring the tower's foundation system, 2) monitoring the foundation settlement, 3) measuring the strains of the tower vertical elements, 4) measuring the wall and column vertical shortening due to elastic, shrinkage and creep effects, 5) measuring the lateral displacement of the tower under its own gravity loads (including asymmetrical effects) resulting from immediate elastic and long term creep effects, 6) measuring the building lateral movements and dynamic characteristic in real time during construction, 7) measuring the building displacements, accelerations, dynamic characteristics, and structural behavior in real time under building permanent conditions, 8) and monitoring the Pinnacle dynamic behavior and fatigue characteristics. This extensive SHM program has resulted in extensive insight into the structural response of the tower, allowed control the construction process, allowed for the evaluation of the structural response in effective and immediate manner and it allowed for immediate correlation between the measured and the predicted behavior. The survey and SHM programs developed for Burj Khalifa will with no doubt pioneer the use of new survey techniques and the execution of new SHM program concepts as part of the fundamental design of building structures. Moreover, this survey and SHM programs will be benchmarked as a model for the development of future generation of SHM programs for all critical and essential facilities, however, but with much improved devices and technologies, which are now being considered by the author for another tall and complex building development, that is presently under construction.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.401-409
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• 2014

This research develops tools and strategies for optimizing RC column sections applied in tall buildings. Optimization parameters are concrete strength and section shape, the objective function for which is subject to several predefined constraints drawn from the original structural design. For this purpose, we developed new components for StrAuto, a parametric modeling and optimization tool for building structure. The components receive from external analysis solvers member strengths calculated from the original design model, and output optimized column sections satisfying the minimum cost. Using these components, optimized sections are firstly obtained for each predefined concrete strength applied to the whole floors in the project building. The obtained results for each concrete strength are comparatively examined to determine the fittest sections which will also result in the fittest vertical zoning for concrete strength. The main optimization scenario for this is to search for the vertical levels where the identical optimized sections coincide for the two different concrete strengths in concern, and select those levels for the boundaries where a concrete strength will be changed to another. The optimization process provided in this research is a product of an intensive development designed for a specific member in a specific project. Thus, the algorithm suggested takes on a microscopic and mathematical approach. However, the technique has a lot of potential that it can further be extensively developed and applied for future projects.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.38-45
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• 2017

Objectives: Radon may be second only to smoking as a cause of lung cancer. Radon is a colorless, tasteless radioactive gas that is formed via the radioactive decay of radium. Therefore, radon levels can build up based on the amount of radium contained in construction materials such as phospho-gypsum board or when ventilation rates are low. This study provides our findings from evaluation of radon gas at facilities and offices in an industrial complex. Methods: We evaluated the office rooms and processes of 12 manufacturing factories from May 14, 2014 to September 23, 2014. Short-term data were measured by using real-time monitoring detectors(Model 1030, Sun Nuclear Co., USA) indoors in the office buildings. The radon measurements were recorded at 30-minute intervals over approximately 48 hours. The limit of detection of this instrument is $3.7Bq/m^3$. Also, long-term data were measured by using ${\alpha}-track$ radon detectors(${\alpha}-track$, Rn-tech Co., Korea) in the office and factory buildings. Our detectors were exposed for over 90 days, resulting in a minimum detectable concentration of $7.4Bq/m^3$. Detectors were placed 150-220 cm above the floor. Results: Radon concentrations averaged $20.6{\pm}17.0Bq/m^3$($3.7-115.8Bq/m^3$) in the overall area. The monthly mean concentration of radon by building materials were in the order of gypsum>concrete>cement. Radon concentrations were measured using ${\alpha}-track$ in parallel with direct-reading radon detectors and the two metric methods for radon monitoring were compared. A t-test for the two sampling methods showed that there is no difference between the average radon concentrations(p<0.05). Most of the office buildings did not have central air-conditioning, but several rooms had window- or ceiling-mounted units. Employees could also open windows. The first, second and third floors were used mainly for office work. Conclusions: Radon levels measured during this assessment in the office rooms of buildings and processes in factories were well below the ICRP reference level of $1,000Bq/m^3$ for workplaces and also below the lower USEPA residential guideline of $148Bq/m^3$. The range of indoor annual effective dose due to radon exposure for workers working in the office and factory buildings was 0.01 to 1.45 mSv/yr. Construction materials such as phospho-gypsum board, concrete and cement were the main emission sources for workers' exposure.