• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.80 no.6
• /
• pp.749-765
• /
• 2021

Suspension bridges bear large eccentric live loads in rush hours when most vehicles travel in one direction on the left or right side of the bridge. With the increasing number and weight of vehicles and the girder widening, the eccentric live load effect on the bridge behavior, including bending and distortion of the main girder, gets more pronounced, even jeopardizing bridge safety. This study proposes an analytical algorithm based on multi-catenary theory for predicting the suspension bridge responses to eccentric live load via the nonlinear generalized reduced gradient method. A set of governing equations is derived to solve the following unknown values: the girder rigid-body displacement in the longitudinal direction; the horizontal projection lengths of main cable's segments; the parameters of catenary equations and horizontal forces of the side span cable segments and the leftmost segments of middle span cables; the suspender tensions and the bearing reactions. Then girder's responses, including rigid-body displacement in the longitudinal direction, deflections, and torsion angles; suspenders' responses, including the suspender tensions and the hanging point displacements; main cables' responses, including the horizontal forces of each segment; and the longitudinal displacement of the pylons' tower top under eccentric load can be calculated. The response of an exemplar suspension bridge with three spans of 168, 548, and 168 m is calculated by the proposed analytical method and the finite element method in two eccentric live load cases, and their results prove the former's feasibility. The nonuniform distribution of the live load in the lateral direction is shown to impose a greater threat to suspension bridge safety than that in the longitudinal direction, while some other specific features revealed by the proposed method are discussed in detail.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.42 no.6
• /
• pp.779-789
• /
• 2022

This work presents a non-linear cylindrical bending analysis of functionally graded plate reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in thermal environment using a simple integral higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT). This theory does not require shear correction factors and the transverse shear stresses vary parabolically through the thickness. The material properties of SWCNTs are assumed to be temperature-dependent and are obtained from molecular dynamics simulations. The material properties of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composites (FG-CNTCRs) are considered to be graded in the thickness direction, and are estimated through a micromechanical model. The non-linear strain-displacement relations in the Von Karman sense are used to study the effect of geometric non-linearity and the solution is obtained by minimization of the total potential energy. The numerical illustrations concern the nonlinear bending response of FG-CNTRC plates under different sets of thermal environmental conditions, from which results for uniformly distributed CNTRC plates are obtained as benchmarks.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.165-183
• /
• 2022

Most transportation departments have recognized and developed procedures to address the ever-increasing weights of trucks traveling on bridges in a service today. Transportation agencies also recognize the issues with overheight vehicles' collisions with bridges, but few stakeholders have definitive countermeasures. Bridges are becoming more vulnerable to collisions from overheight vehicles. The exact response under lateral impact force is difficult to predict. In this paper, nonlinear impact analysis shows that the degree of deformation recorded through the modeling of the unprotected vehicle-girder model provides realistic results compared to the observation from the US-61 bridge overheight vehicle impact. The predicted displacements are 0.229 m, 0.161 m, and 0.271 m in the girder bottom flange (lateral), bottom flange (vertical), and web (lateral) deformations, respectively, due to a truck traveling at 112.65 km/h. With such large deformations, the integrity of an impacted bridge becomes jeopardized, which in most cases requires closing the bridge for safety reasons and a need for rehabilitation. We proposed different sacrificial cushion systems to dissipate the energy of an overheight vehicle impact. The goal was to design and tune a suitable energy absorbing system that can protect the bridge and possibly reduce stresses in the overheight vehicle, minimizing the consequences of an impact. A material representing a Sorbothane high impact rubber was chosen and modeled in ANSYS. Out of three sacrificial schemes, a sandwich system is the best in protecting both the bridge and the overheight vehicle. The mitigation system reduced the lateral deflection in the bottom flange by 89%. The system decreased the stresses in the bridge girder and the top portion of the vehicle by 82% and 25%, respectively. The results reveal the capability of the proposed sacrificial system as an effective mitigation system.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.551-562
• /
• 2021

In this study, the generalized intensity measure (IM) named I_Npg is analyzed. The recently proposed proxy of the spectral shape named N_pg is the base of this intensity measure, which is similar to the traditional N_p based on the spectral shape in terms of pseudo-acceleration; however, in this case the new generalized intensity measure can be defined through other types of spectral shapes such as those obtained with velocity, displacement, input energy, inelastic parameters and so on. It is shown that this IM is able to increase the efficiency in the prediction of nonlinear behavior of structures subjected to earthquake ground motions. For this work, the efficiency of two particular cases (based on acceleration and velocity) of the generalized I_Npg to predict the peak floor acceleration demands on steel frames under 30 earthquake ground motions with respect to the traditional spectral acceleration at first mode of vibration Sa(T₁) is compared. Additionally, a 3D reinforced concrete building and an irregular steel frame is used as a basis for comparison. It is concluded that the use of velocity and acceleration spectral shape increase the efficiency to predict peak floor accelerations in comparison with the traditional and most used around the world spectral acceleration at first mode of vibration.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.47 no.2
• /
• pp.167-184
• /
• 2023

In this study, a new recentering friction device (RFD) to retrofit steel moment frame structures is introduced. The device provides both self-centering and energy dissipation capabilities for the retrofitted structure. A hybrid performance-based seismic design procedure considering multiple limit states is proposed for designing the device and the retrofitted structure. The design of the RFD is achieved by modifying the conventional performance-based seismic design (PBSD) procedure using computational intelligence techniques, namely, genetic algorithm (GA) and artificial neural network (ANN). Numerous nonlinear time-history response analyses (NLTHAs) are conducted on multi-degree of freedom (MDOF) and single-degree of freedom (SDOF) systems to train and validate the ANN to achieve high prediction accuracy. The proposed procedure and the new RFD are assessed using 2D and 3D models globally and locally. Globally, the effectiveness of the proposed device is assessed by conducting NLTHAs to check the maximum inter-story drift ratio (MIDR). Seismic fragilities of the retrofitted models are investigated by constructing fragility curves of the models for different limit states. After that, seismic life cycle cost (LCC) is estimated for the models with and without the retrofit. Locally, the stress concentration at the contact point of the RFD and the existing steel frame is checked being within acceptable limits using finite element modeling (FEM). The RFD showed its effectiveness in minimizing MIDR and eliminating residual drift for low to mid-rise steel frames models tested. GA and ANN proved to be crucial integrated parts in the modified PBSD to achieve the required seismic performance at different limit states with reasonable computational cost. ANN showed a very high prediction accuracy for transformation between MDOF and SDOF systems. Also, the proposed retrofit showed its efficiency in enhancing the seismic fragility and reducing the LCC significantly compared to the un-retrofitted models.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.77-82
• /
• 2023

The structural analysis module is an essential part of any integrated structural system. Diverse integrated systems today require, from the analysis module, efficient real-time responses to real-time input such as earthquake signals, extreme weather-related forces, and man-made accidents. An integrated system may also be for the entire life span of a civil structure conceived during the initial conception, developed throughout various design stages, effectively used in construction, and utilized during usage and maintenance. All these integrated systems' essential part is the structural analysis module, which must be automated and computationally efficient so that responses may be almost immediate. The finite element method is often used for structural analysis, and for automation, many effective finite element meshes must be automatically generated for a given analysis. A computationally efficient finite element mesh generation scheme based on the r-h method of mesh refinement using strain deviations from the values at the Gauss points as error estimates from the previous mesh is described. Shape factors are used to sort out overly distorted elements. A standard cantilever beam analyzed by four-node plane stress elements is used as an example to show the effectiveness of the automated algorithm for a time-domain dynamic analysis. Although recent developments in computer hardware and software have made many new applications in integrated structural systems possible, structural analysis still needs to be executed efficiently in real-time. The algorithm applies to diverse integrated systems, including nonlinear analyses and general dynamic problems in earthquake engineering.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.141-147
• /
• 2007

Various approaches have been developed for the dynamic response analysis of piles. In one of the approaches, the soil-pile interaction is approximated by using parallel nonlinear springs, namely the p-y curves. Currently available p-y curve recommendations are based on static and cyclic lateral load tests. Other researchers have attempted to extend the p-y curves by incorporating the effects of liquefaction on soil-pile interaction and derived scaling factors of p-y curves to account fur the liquefaction. However, opinions on the scaling factors vary. In this study, the sealing factors, which reflect the variation of the elastic moduli of surrounding soils, were established combining the relationship between excess pore pressures and the natural frequencies of a soil-pile system obtained from Ig shaking table tests and the relationship between the elastic moduli of surrounding soils and the natural frequencies of a soil-pile system obtained from numerical analyses. As a result, the scaling factors were presented in an exponential function.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.137-145
• /
• 2023

This paper presents the effects of fire-resistant materials on the temperature and vertical deflection of a composite beam exposed to fire through nonlinear thermo-mechanical analysis. The fire was modeled using the standard fire curve proposed in American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E119. Fire-resistant materials were modeled by reducing the heat transfer coefficient from the air layer to the beam. The temperature and vertical deflection of the uncoated composite beam were measured using a laboratory fire test, and the results of the structural fire analysis were verified through comparison with experimental results. By introducing the fire-resistance effect, the reduction in the temperature and deflection of the beam for the ASTM E119 standard fire can be reasonably estimated. Based on a case study of the heat transfer coefficient, the fire-resistant effect on the thermo-mechanical response of a composite beam in the event of a fire is presented.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.503-515
• /
• 2022

This paper presents the development of seismic fragility curves for a precast reinforced concrete bridge instrumented with a structural health monitoring (SHM) system. The bridge is located near an active seismic fault in the Dominican Republic (DR) and provides the only access to several local communities in the aftermath of a potential damaging earthquake; moreover, the sample bridge was designed with outdated building codes and uses structural detailing not adequate for structures in seismic regions. The bridge was instrumented with an SHM system to extract information about its state of structural integrity and estimate its seismic performance. The data obtained from the SHM system is integrated with structural models to develop a set of fragility curves to be used as a quantitative measure of the expected damage; the fragility curves provide an estimate of the probability that the structure will exceed different damage limit states as a function of an earthquake intensity measure. To obtain the fragility curves a digital twin of the bridge is developed combining a computational finite element model and the information extracted from the SHM system. The digital twin is used as a response prediction tool that minimizes modeling uncertainty, significantly improving the predicting capability of the model and the accuracy of the fragility curves. The digital twin was used to perform a nonlinear incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) with selected ground motions that are consistent with the seismic fault and site characteristics. The fragility curves show that for the maximum expected acceleration (with a 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years) the structure has a 62% probability of undergoing extensive damage. This is the first study presenting fragility curves for civil infrastructure in the DR and the proposed methodology can be extended to other structures to support disaster mitigation and post-disaster decision-making strategies.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.86 no.5
• /
• pp.589-605
• /
• 2023

This paper investigates the ductility demands of steel frames equipped with self-centring fuses under near-fault earthquake motions considering multiple yielding stages. The study is commenced by verifying a trilinear self-centring hysteretic model accounting for multiple yielding stages of steel frames equipped with self-centring fuses. Then, the seismic response of single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems following the validated trilinear self-centring hysteretic law is examined by a parametric study using a near-fault earthquake ground motion database composed of 200 earthquake records as input excitations. Based on a statistical investigation of more than fifty-two (52) million inelastic spectral analyses, the effect of the post-yield stiffness ratios, energy dissipation coefficient and yielding displacement ratio on the mean ductility demand of the system is examined in detail. The analysis results indicate that the increase of post-yield stiffness ratios, energy dissipation coefficient and yielding displacement ratio reduces the ductility demands of the self-centring oscillators responding in multiple yielding stages. A set of empirical expressions for quantifying the ductility demands of trilinear self-centring hysteretic oscillators are developed using nonlinear regression analysis of the analysis result database. The proposed regression model may offer a practical tool for designers to estimate the ductility demand of a low-to-medium rise self-centring steel frame equipped with self-centring fuses progressing in the ultimate stage under near-fault earthquake motions in design and evaluation.