• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제2권4호
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• pp.253-280
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• 2010

A new prediction model is derived for the uplift capacity of suction caissons using a hybrid method coupling genetic programming (GP) and simulated annealing (SA), called GP/SA. The predictor variables included in the analysis are the aspect ratio of caisson, shear strength of clayey soil, load point of application, load inclination angle, soil permeability, and loading rate. The proposed model is developed based on well established and widely dispersed experimental results gathered from the literature. To verify the applicability of the proposed model, it is employed to estimate the uplift capacity of parts of the test results that are not included in the modeling process. Traditional GP and multiple regression analyses are performed to benchmark the derived model. The external validation of the GP/SA and GP models was further verified using several statistical criteria recommended by researchers. Contributions of the parameters affecting the uplift capacity are evaluated through a sensitivity analysis. A subsequent parametric analysis is carried out and the obtained trends are confirmed with some previous studies. Based on the results, the GP/SA-based solution is effectively capable of estimating the horizontal, vertical and inclined uplift capacity of suction caissons. Furthermore, the GP/SA model provides a better prediction performance than the GP, regression and different models found in the literature. The proposed simplified formulation can reliably be employed for the pre-design of suction caissons. It may be also used as a quick check on solutions developed by more time consuming and in-depth deterministic analyses.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.137-152
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• 2009

Mechanic behavior of Y-shape thin-walled box girder bridge structure is complex, so one can not exactly hold the mechanical behavior of the Y-shape thin-walled box girder bridge structure through general calculation theory and analytical method. To hold the mechanical behavior better, based on elementary beam theory, by increasing the degree of freedom analytical method, taking account of restrained torsiondistortion angledistortion warp and shearing lag effect at the same time, authors obtain a thin-walled box beam analytical element of 10 degrees of freedom of every node, derive stiffness matrix of the element, and code a finite element procedure. In addition, authors combine the obtained procedure with spatial grillage analytical method, meanwhile, they build a new analytical method that is the spatial thin-walled box girder element grillage analysis method. In order to validate the precision of the obtained analysis method, authors analyze a type Y-shape thin-walled box girder bridge structure according to the elementary beam theory analytical method, the shell theory analytical method and the spatial thin-walled box girder element grillage analysis method respectively. At last, authors test a type Y-shape thin-walled box girder bridge structure. Comparisons of the results of theory analysis with the experimental text show that the spatial thin-walled box girder element grillage analysis method is simple and exact. The research results are helpful for the knowledge of the mechanics property of these Y-shape thin-walled box girder bridge structures.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제12권3_4호
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• pp.363-379
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• 2013

Dynamic displacement of structures is an important index for in-service structural condition and behavior assessment, but accurate measurement of structural displacement for large-scale civil structures such as long-span bridges still remains as a challenging task. In this paper, a vision-based dynamic displacement measurement system with the use of digital image processing technology is developed, which is featured by its distinctive characteristics in non-contact, long-distance, and high-precision structural displacement measurement. The hardware of this system is mainly composed of a high-resolution industrial CCD (charge-coupled-device) digital camera and an extended-range zoom lens. Through continuously tracing and identifying a target on the structure, the structural displacement is derived through cross-correlation analysis between the predefined pattern and the captured digital images with the aid of a pattern matching algorithm. To validate the developed system, MTS tests of sinusoidal motions under different vibration frequencies and amplitudes and shaking table tests with different excitations (the El-Centro earthquake wave and a sinusoidal motion) are carried out. Additionally, in-situ verification experiments are performed to measure the mid-span vertical displacement of the suspension Tsing Ma Bridge in the operational condition and the cable-stayed Stonecutters Bridge during loading tests. The obtained results show that the developed system exhibits an excellent capability in real-time measurement of structural displacement and can serve as a good complement to the traditional sensors.

• 한국산학기술학회논문지
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• 제15권10호
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• pp.5974-5979
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• 2014

압입 방식으로서 경량화된 부품이 매우 균질한 정밀도로 생산이 되며 프레스의 기술이 향상되고 있다. 압입 방식으로 조립하였을 시 핀과 구멍사이에는 압축력에 의한 변형력이 발생되고 접촉면이 손상을 입는다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 CATIA 프로그램을 이용하여 3D 모델링하였으며, ANSYS 프로그램을 통하여 압입 접촉된 평면에서 손상평가를 하였다. 해석결과, 핀이 들어갈 때 PCB판에 작용하는 하중은 약 21.3N인 것으로 확인되었으며, PCB판이 Pin에서 빠져나올 때의 하중은 약 19.24N으로 나타났다. 또한 구조 해석결과, Pin 1이 본 연구 모델의 모든 부품들 중에서 가장 최대응력이 많이 발생하므로, 대표적으로 Pin 1의 최대 등가응력이 192.96MPa로 나타났다. 압입 접촉 손상 특성을 규명하고 본 연구결과를 실제의 압입 공정의 설계에 응용함으로서 그 파손을 방지하고 내구성을 평가할 수 있다고 사료된다.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.167-178
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• 2019

Open-pit (OP) and underground (UG) mining are usually used to exploit shallow and deep ore deposits, respectively. When mine deposit starts from shallow subsurface and extends to a great depth, sequential use of OP and UG mining is an efficient and economical way to maintain mining productivity. However, a transition from OP to UG mining could induce significant rock movements that cause the slope instability of the open pit. Based on Yanqianshan Iron Mine, which was in the transition from OP to UG mining, a large-scale two-dimensional (2D) model test was built according to the similar theory. Thereafter, the UG mining was carried out to mimic the process of transition from OP to UG mining to disclose the triggered rock movement as well as to assess the associated slope instability. By jointly using three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning, distributed fiber optics, and digital photogrammetry measurement, the deformations, movements and strains of the rock slope during mining were monitored. The obtained data showed that the transition from OP to UG mining led to significant slope movements and deformations that can trigger catastrophic slope failure. The progressive movement of the slope could be divided into three stages: onset of micro-fracture, propagation of tensile cracks, and the overturning and/or sliding of slopes. The failure mode depended on the orientation of structural joints of the rock mass as well as the formation of tension cracks. This study also proved that these non-contact monitoring technologies were valid methods to acquire the interior strain and external deformation with high precision.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제24권6호
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• pp.793-802
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• 2019

The centrifuge model test is usually used for two-dimensional deformation and instability study of the soil slopes. As a typical loose slope, the municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill is easy to slide with large deformation, under high water levels or large earthquakes. A series of centrifuge model tests of landfill slide induced by rising water level and earthquake were carried out. The particle image velocimetry (PIV), laser displacement transducer (LDT) and marker tracer (MT) methods were used to measure the deformation of the landfill under different centrifugal accelerations, water levels and earthquake magnitudes. The PIV method realized the observation of continuous deformation of the landfill model, and its results were consistent with those by LDT, which had higher precision than the MT method. The deformation of the landfill was mainly vertically downward and increased linearly with the rising centrifugal acceleration. When the water level rose, the horizontal deformation of the landfill developed gradually due to the seepage, and a global slide surface formed when the critical water level was reached. The seismic deformation of the landfill was mainly vertical at a low water level, but significant horizontal deformation occurred under a high water level. The results of the tests and analyses verified the applicability of PIV in the two-dimensional deformation measurement in the centrifuge model tests of the MSW landfill, and provide an important basis for revealing the instability mechanism of landfills under extreme hydraulic and seismic conditions.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.37-56
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• 2015

The Emilia, May-July 2012, earthquake has dramatically highlighted the only the hazards facing the people in insufficiently secured workplaces, but also the socio-economic consequences of interruption of production activities. After the event, in order to guarantee suitable safety levels, the Italian government asked for a generalized seismic retrofit of buildingsaffected by the earthquake under consideration. Considering that Emilia is one of the most industrialized Italian region, the number of the industrial buildings to be verified could however lead to not acceptable resumption of production time. So, with the aim to speed up the recovery, were leaved out from this request the buildings which had undergone a strong enoughshaking without any damage. In practice, the earthquakes were being used as a "test" to evaluate the seismic structural strength. Besides, the Italian government provision specifies also the zones, within which buildings that escaped evident damage are exempt from obligatory checks, and termed "exclusion zones", shall be individuated using the data provided by the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in the form of so-called "shakemaps". Obviously, the precision of such data greatly influences the determination of the exclusions zones and so all the economic issues related to them. Starting from these considerations, the present paper describes an evaluation of the reliability of the procedure of shakemap generation with specific regard to the seismic events that struck the Emilia region on May 20 and 29, 2012.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• 제4권3호
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• pp.281-296
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• 2017

The axial-injection end-burning hybrid rocket proposed twenty years ago by the authors recently recaptured the attention of researchers for its virtues such as no ${\zeta}$ (oxidizer to fuel mass ratio) shift during firing and good throttling characteristics. This paper is the first report verifying these virtues using a laboratory scale motor. There are several requirements for realizing this type of hybrid rocket: 1) high fuel filling rate for obtaining an optimal ${\zeta}$; 2) small port intervals for increasing port merging rate; 3) ports arrayed across the entire fuel section. Because these requirements could not be satisfied by common manufacturing methods, no previous researchers have conducted experiments with this kind of hybrid rocket. Recent advances in high accuracy 3D printing now allow for fuel to be produced that meets these three requirements. The fuel grains used in this study were produced by a high precision light polymerized 3D printer. Each grain consisted of an array of 0.3 mm diameter ports for a fuel filling rate of 98% .The authors conducted several firing tests with various oxidizer mass flow rates and chamber pressures, and analysed the results, including ${\zeta}$ history, using a new reconstruction technique. The results show that ${\zeta}$ remains almost constant throughout tests of varying oxidizer mass flow rates, and that regression rate in the axial direction is a nearly linear function of chamber pressure with a pressure exponent of 0.996.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.107-122
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• 2019

As one of the most important parameters in structural health monitoring, structural frequency has many advantages, such as convenient to be measured, high precision, and insensitive to noise. In addition, frequency-change-ratio based method had been validated to have the ability to identify the damage occurrence and location. However, building a precise enough finite elemental model (FEM) for the test structure is still a huge challenge for this frequency-change-ratio based damage detection technique. In order to overcome this disadvantage and extend the application for frequencies in structural health monitoring area, a novel method was developed in this paper by combining the cross-model cross-mode (CMCM) model updating algorithm with the frequency-change-ratio based method. At first, assuming the physical parameters, including the element mass and stiffness, of the test structure had been known with a certain value, then an initial to-be-updated model with these assumed parameters was constructed according to the typical mass and stiffness distribution characteristic of shear buildings. After that, this to-be-updated model was updated using CMCM algorithm by combining with the measured frequencies of the actual structure when no damage was introduced. Thus, this updated model was regarded as a representation of the FEM model of actual structure, because their modal information were almost the same. Finally, based on this updated model, the frequency-change-ratio based method can be further proceed to realize the damage detection and localization. In order to verify the effectiveness of the developed method, a four-level shear building was numerically simulated and two actual shear structures, including a three-level shear model and an eight-story frame, were experimentally test in laboratory, and all the test results demonstrate that the developed method can identify the structural damage occurrence and location effectively, even only very limited modal frequencies of the test structure were provided.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제16권5호
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• pp.563-573
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• 2019

When generating spectrum-compatible artificial ground motion in engineering practices, the effect of the variation in fitting parameters on the distribution of the peak ground displacement (PGD) has not yet drawn enough attention. In this study, a method for simulating ground motion matching for multiple targets is developed. In this method, a frequency-dependent amplitude envelope function with statistical parameters is introduced to simulate the nonstationarity of the frequency in earthquake ground motion. Then, several groups of time-history acceleration with different temporal and spectral nonstationarities were generated to analyze the effect of nonstationary parameter variations on the distribution of PGD. The following conclusions are drawn from the results: (1) In the simulation of spectrum-compatible artificial ground motion, if the acceleration time-history is generated with random initial phases, the corresponding PGD distribution is quite discrete and an uncertain number of PGD values lower than the limit value are observed. Nevertheless, the mean values of PGD always meet the requirement in every group. (2) If the nonstationary frequencies of the ground motion are taken into account when fitting the target spectrum, the corresponding PGD values will increase. A correlation analysis shows that the change in the mean and the dispersion values, from before the frequencies are controlled to after, correlates with the modal parameters of the predominant frequencies. (3) Extending the maximum period of the target spectrum will increase the corresponding PGD value and, simultaneously, decrease the PGD dispersion. Finally, in order to control the PGD effectively, the ground motion simulation method suggested in this study was revised to target a specified PGD. This novel method can generate ground motion that satisfies not only the required precision of the target spectrum, peak ground acceleration (PGA), and nonstationarity characteristics of the ground motion but also meets the required limit of the PGD, improving engineering practices.