• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.297-313
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• 2011

As bridge conditions in the United States continue to deteriorate, rapid bridge replacement procedures are needed. Decked precast prestressed concrete (DPPC) girders are used for rapid bridge construction because the bridge deck is precast with the girders eliminating the need for a cast-in-place slab. One of the concerns with using DPPC girders as a bridge construction option is the durability of the longitudinal joints between girders. The objectives of this paper were to propose a method to use a spring element modeling procedure for representing welded steel connector assemblies between adjacent girders in DPPC girder bridges, perform a preliminary study of bridge performance under multiple loading scenarios and bridge configurations, and discuss model flexibility for accommodating future field data for model verification. The spring elements have potential to represent the contribution of joint grout materials by altering the spring stiffness.

• Interaction and multiscale mechanics
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.353-374
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• 2009

A new seamless multiscale simulation was developed for coupling the continuum model with its molecular dynamics. Kriging-based Finite Element Method (K-FEM) is employed to model the continuum base of the entire domain, while the molecular dynamics (MD) is confined in a localized domain of interest. In the coupling zone, where the MD domain overlaps the continuum model, the overall Hamiltonian is postulated by contributions from the continuum and the molecular overlays, based on a quartic spline scaling parameter. The displacement compatibility in this coupling zone is then enforced by the Lagrange multiplier technique. A multiple-time-step velocity Verlet algorithm is adopted for its time integration. The validation of the present method is reported through numerical tests of one dimensional atomic lattice. The results reveal that at the continuum/MD interface, the commonly reported spurious waves in the literature are effectively eliminated in this study. In addition, the smoothness of the transition from MD to the continuum can be significantly improved by either increasing the size of the coupling zone or expanding the nodal domain of influence associated with K-FEM.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.619-645
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• 2008

This study presents the efficiency of simulating structural systems using a method that combines a simplified component model (SCM) and rigorous component model (RCM). To achieve a realistic simulation of structural systems, a numerical model must be adequately capturing the detailed behaviors of real systems at various scales. However, capturing all details represented within an entire structural system by very fine meshes is practically impossible due to technological limitations on computational engineering. Therefore, this research develops an approach to simulate large-scale structural systems that combines a simplified global model with multiple detailed component models adjusted to various scales. Each correlated multi-scale simulation model is linked to others using a multi-level hierarchical modeling simulation method. Simulations are performed using nonlinear finite element analysis. The proposed method is applied in an analysis of a simple reinforced concrete structure and the Reuipu Elementary School (an existing structure), with analysis results then compared to actual onsite observations. The proposed method obtained results very close to onsite observations, indicating the efficiency of the proposed model in simulating structural system behavior.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.533-552
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• 2022

The current article deals with the dynamic stability, and structural improvement of vibrating electrically curved screen on the viscoelastic substrate. By considering optimum value for radius curvature of the electrically curved screen, the structure improvement of the system occurs. For modeling the electrically system, the Maxwell's' equation is developed. Hertz contact model in employed to obtain contact forces between impactor and structure. Moreover, variational methods and nonlinear von Kármán model are used to derive boundary conditions (BCs) and nonlinear governing equations of the vibrating electrically curved screen. Galerkin and Multiple scales solution approach are coupled to solve the nonlinear set of governing equations of the vibrating electrically curved screen. Along with the analytical solution, 3D finite element simulation via ABAQUS package is provided with the aid of a FE package for simulating the current system's response. The results are categorized in 3 different sections. First, effects of geometrical and material parameters on the vibrational performance and stability of the curves panel. Second, physical properties of the impactor are taken in to account and their effect on the absorbed energy and velocity profile of the impactor are presented. Finally, effect of the radius and initial velocity on the mode shapes of the current structure is demonstrated.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.87 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2023

The paper presents a Bayesian Finite element (FE) model updating methodology by utilizing modal data. The dynamic condensation technique is adopted in this work to reduce the full system model to a smaller model version such that the degrees of freedom (DOFs) in the reduced model correspond to the observed DOFs, which facilitates the model updating procedure without any mode-matching. The present work considers both the MPV and the covariance matrix of the modal parameters as the modal data. Besides, the modal data identified from multiple setups is considered for the model updating procedure, keeping in view of the realistic scenario of inability of limited number of sensors to measure the response of all the interested DOFs of a large structure. A relationship is established between the modal data and structural parameters based on the eigensystem equation through the introduction of additional uncertain parameters in the form of modal frequencies and partial mode shapes. A novel sampling strategy known as the Metropolis-within-Gibbs (MWG) sampler is proposed to sample from the posterior Probability Density Function (PDF). The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated by considering both simulated and experimental examples.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.16 no.3 s.81
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• pp.345-356
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• 2004

A plasticity model was developed to predict the behavioral characteristics of concrete in multiaxial compression. To extend the applicability of the proposed model to concrete in various stress states, a new approach for failure criteria was attempted. A stress was decomposed into one volumetric and two deviatoric components orthogonal to each other. Three failure criteria wire provided independently for each stress component. To satisfy the three failure criteria, the plasticity model using multiple failure criteria was Implemented. Each failure surface was defined by equivalent volumetric or deviatoric plastic strain. To present dilatancy due to compressive damage a non-associative flow nile was proposed. The proposed model was implemented to finite element analysis, and it was verified by comparisons with various existing test results. The comparisons show that the proposed model predicted well most of the experiments by using three independent failure criteria.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.33-41
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• 2011

This study presents modeling technologies applicable to an unbonded post-tension system using a finite element software package. In this study, both direct modeling method and multiple spring method were used. The direct modeling method adopts tube-to-tube contact elements to represent the physical feature of a post-tension system. The multiple spring method uses virtual tendons attached to the real tendons using a number of rigid axial springs that freely rotate at the ends. Both modeling technologies provide accurate predictions. However, only the multiple spring method provides numerically stable and reliable responses with a consideration of concrete tension stiffening effects. Therefore, the multiple spring method turned out to be a generally applicable modeling technology for the unbonded post-tension system. Comparisons were made for the analytical and experimental results for the verification of the selected method, and parameter studies were carried out to confirm the appropriateness of the modeling assumptions and parameters adopted in the analysis.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.1960-1965
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• 2001

In the practical design, it is important to extract the design space information of a complex system in order to optimize the design because the design contains huge amount of design conflicts in general. In this research FEA (finite element analysis) has been successfully implemented and integrated with a statistical approach such as DOE (design of experiments) based RSM (response surface model) to optimize the thermal deformation of an automotive disk brake. The DOE is used for exploring the engineer's design space and for building the RSM in order to facilitate the effective solution of multi-objective optimization problems. The RSM is utilized as an efficient means to rapidly model the trade-off among many conflicting goals existed in the FEA applications. To reduce the computational burden associated with the FEA, the second-order regression models are generated to derive the objective functions and constraints. In this approach, the multiple objective functions and constraints represented by RSM are solved using the sequential quadratic programming to archive the optimal design of disk brake.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.17 no.6 s.90
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• pp.1053-1064
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• 2005

The mechanical damage of concrete is normally attributed to the formation of microcracks and their propagation and coalescence into macroscopic cracks. This physical degradation is caused from progressive and hierarchical damage of the microstructure due to debonding and slip along bimaterial interfaces at the mesoscale. Their growth and coalescence leads to initiation of hairline discrete cracks at the mesoscale. Eventually, single or multiple major discrete cracks develop at the macroscale. In this paper, from this conceptual model of mechanical damage in concrete, the computational efforts were made in order to characterize physical cracks and how to quantify the damage of concrete materials within the laws of thermodynamics with the aid of interface element in traditional finite element methodology. One dimensional effective traction/jump constitutive interface law is introduced in order to accommodate the normal opening and tangential slips on the interfaces between different materials(adhesion) or similar materials(cohesion) in two and three dimensional problems. Mode I failure and mixed mode failure of various geometries and boundary conditions are discussed in the sense of crack propagation and their spent of fracture energy under monotonic displacement control.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.541-569
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• 2013

There is a wide variety of existing Genetic Algorithms (GA) operators and parameters in the literature. However, there is no unique technique that shows the best performance for different classes of optimization problems. Hence, the evaluation of these operators and parameters, which influence the effectiveness of the search process, must be carried out on a problem basis. This paper presents a comparison for the influence of GA operators and parameters on the performance of the damage identification problem using the finite element model updating method (FEMU). The damage is defined as reduction in bending rigidity of the finite elements of a reinforced concrete beam. A certain damage scenario is adopted and identified using different GA operators by minimizing the differences between experimental and analytical modal parameters. In this study, different selection, crossover and mutation operators are compared with each other based on the reliability, accuracy and efficiency criteria. The exploration and exploitation capabilities of different operators are evaluated. Also a comparison is carried out for the parallel and sequential GAs with different population sizes and the effect of the multiple use of some crossover operators is investigated. The results show that the roulettewheel selection technique together with real valued encoding gives the best results. It is also apparent that the Non-uniform Mutation as well as Parent Centric Normal Crossover can be confidently used in the damage identification problem. Nevertheless the parallel GAs increases both computation speed and the efficiency of the method.