• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.1083-1095
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• 2016

The design of Prototype Gen-IV Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor (PGSFR) has been developed and the validation and verification (V&V) activities to demonstrate the system performance and safety are in progress. In this paper, the current status of test activities is described briefly and significant results are discussed. The large-scale sodium thermal-hydraulic test program, Sodium Test Loop for Safety Simulation and Assessment-1 (STELLA-1), produced satisfactory results, which were used for the computer codes V&V, and the performance test results of the model pump in sodiumshowed good agreement with those in water. The second phase of the STELLA program with the integral effect tests facility, STELLA-2, is in the detailed design stage of the design process. The sodium thermal-hydraulic experiment loop for finned-tube sodium-to-air heat exchanger performance test, the intermediate heat exchanger test facility, and the test facility for the reactor flow distribution are underway. Flow characteristics test in subchannels of a wire-wrapped rod bundle has been carried out for safety analysis in the core and the dynamic characteristic test of upper internal structure has been performed for the seismic analysis model for the PGSFR. The performance tests for control rod assemblies (CRAs) have been conducted for control rod drive mechanism driving parts and drop tests of the CRA under scram condition were performed. Finally, three types of inspection sensors under development for the safe operation of the PGSFR were explained with significant results.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.245-256
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• 2016

In the companion paper (I - Database and Site Response Analyses), site-specific response analyses were performed at more than 300 domestic sites. In this study, a new site classification system and design response spectra are proposed using results of the site-specific response analyses. Depth to bedrock (H) and average shear wave velocity of soil above the bedrock ($V_{S,Soil}$) were adopted as parameters to classify the sites into sub-categories because these two factors mostly affect site amplification, especially for shallow bedrock region. The 20 m of depth to bedrock was selected as the initial parameter for site classification based on the trend of site coefficients obtained from the site-specific response analyses. The sites having less than 20 m of depth to bedrock (H1 sites) are sub-divided into two site classes using 260 m/s of $V_{S,Soil}$ while the sites having greater than 20 m of depth to bedrock (H2 sites) are sub-divided into two site classes at $V_{S,Soil}$ equal to 180 m/s. The integration interval of 0.4 ~ 1.5 sec period range was adopted to calculate the long-period site coefficients ($F_v$) for reflecting the amplification characteristics of Korean geological condition. In addition, the frequency distribution of depth to bedrock reported for Korean sites was also considered in calculating the site coefficients for H2 sites to incorporate sites having greater than 30 m of depth to bedrock. The relationships between the site coefficients and rock shaking intensity were proposed and then subsequently compared with the site coefficients of similar site classes suggested in other codes.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.17 no.5 s.89
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• pp.775-784
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• 2005

In this research, major design factors have been evaluated for the establishment of the rational seismic design code of circular RC(reinforced concrete) bridge pier Previous experimental researches have drawn a conclusion that transverse confinement reinforcements have been excessively used for RC bridge piers in Korea. Thus, the objective of this study is to propose a rational design equation for transverse reinforcements of RC bridge piers in Korea which would be classified as a low or moderate seismic region. Newly proposed equation further considers the effect of the axial force ratio and the longitudinal steel ratio. Minimum transverse confinement steel ratio is also proposed to avoid probable buckling of the longitudinal reinforcing steels subjected to relatively low axial force. It is thought that these new codes seem to alleviate the rebar congestion in the plastic hinge region of RC bridge piers which contribute to the enhancement of constructibility and economization for RC bridge construction.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.169-178
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• 2009

An equation for calculating confining reinforcement amount of RC bridge columns, specified in the current bridge design codes, has been made to provide additional load-carrying strength for concentrically loaded columns. The additional load-carrying strength will be equal to or slightly greater than the resistant strength of a column against axial load, which is lost because the cover concrete spalls off. The equation considers concrete compressive strength, yield strength of transverse reinforcement, and the section area ratio as major variables. Among those variables, the section area ratio between the gross section and the core section, varying by cover thickness, is a variable which considers the strength in the compression-controlled region. Therefore, the cross section ratio does not have a large effect in the aspect of ductile behavior of the tension-controlled region, which is governed by bending moment rather than axial force. However, the equation of the design codes for calculating confining reinforcement amount does not directly consider ductile behavior, which is an important factor for the seismic behavior of bridge columns. Consequently, if the size of section is relatively small or if the section area ratio becomes excessively large due to the cover thickness increased for durability, too large an amount of confining reinforcement will be required possibly deteriorating the constructability and economy. Against this backdrop, in this study, comparison and analysis were performed to understand how the cover thickness influences the equation for calculating the amount of confining reinforcement. An equation for calculating the amount of confining reinforcement was also modified for reasonable seismic design and the safety. In addition, appropriateness of the modified equation was examined based on the results of various test results performed at home and abroad.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.113-122
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• 1999

The importance of the vertical response of a structure was well recognized after the Hyogoken-Nanbu earthquake of Japan. However, most of the seismic design codes does not specified the site sail profiles, and the sail and foundations conditions were mostly neglected in the vertical seismic analyses of a structure. In this paper, the effects of foundation size, sail layer depth under the foundation, foundation embedment and pile foundation on the vertical seismic response spectra for both surface and embedded mat foundation were studied to investigate the effects of the soft soil layer on the vertical response of a structure excited with the vertical components of Taft and El Centro earthquakes, considering the sail profile types of $S_A,S_C,S_E$ in UBC-97, the medium and large size foundations, the soil layer depth under the foundation of 30 and 60m, the foundation embedment of 0 and 15m, and the precast reinforced concrete bearing piles installed in the soft soil deposit. According to the study results, the foundation size has a little effect on the vertical seismic response, However, the soil layer depth under the foundation of 60m has to be considered for the vertical seismic analysis of a structure as for the horizontal one. The embedded pile foundations as well as the surface ones built on the soft soil layer amplified the vertical seismic response of a structure very much.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1023-1044
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• 2015

Concrete-filled tubes (CFT), formed by an outer steel tube filled with plain or reinforced concrete inside, have been increasingly used these recent decades as columns or beam-columns, especially for tall buildings in seismic areas due to their excellent structural response. This improved behavior is derived from the effect of confinement provided by the tube, since the compressive strength of concrete increases when being subjected to hydrostatic pressure. In circular CFTs under compression, the whole tube is uniformly tensioned due to the radial expansion of concrete. Contrarily, in rectangular and square-shaped CFTs, the lateral flanges become subjected to in-plane bending derived from this volumetric expansion, and this fact implies a reduction of the confinement effect of the core. This study presents a numerical analysis of different configurations of CFT stub columns with inner stiffening plates, limited to the study of the influence of these plates on the compressive behavior without eccentricity. The final purpose is to evaluate the efficiency in terms of strength and ductility of introducing stiffeners into circular and square CFT sections under large deformation axial loading.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2005.03a
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• pp.195-202
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• 2005

High-rise residential buildings in these days tend to adopt a building frame system as primary earthquake resisting structural system for some architectural reasons. But there exist several ambiguities in designing such building frame systems according to current codes, with regards to : the effective stiffness property of RC cracked section in static and dynamic analyses, analytical model to evaluate story drift ratio and, deformation compatibility requirements of frames. The comparative study for these issues by appling IBC 2000 and KBC 2005 to a typical building frame system shows that demands of member strength and story drift ratio can be different significantly depending on designer's interpretation and application of code requirements.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2015

Due to design codes and regulations and the variety of building plans in Turkey, it is very often seen that band-type windows are left for ventilation and lightening of the basements of buildings which are used for various purposes such as workplaces and storage. Therefore when the necessary support measures cannot be given, short columns are subjected to very high shear forces and so damage occurs. One of the precautions to avoid the damage of short column mechanisms in buildings where band-type windows are in the basement is to strengthen the short columns with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP). In this study, the effect of the FRP retrofitting process of the short columns around band-windowed structures, which are found especially in basement areas, is analyzed in accordance with Turkish Seismic Code 2007 (TSC 2007). Three different models which are bare frame, frame with short columns and retrofitted short columns with FRP, are created and analyzed according to TSC 2007 performance analysis methods to understand the effects of band windows in basements and the effect of FRP retrofitting.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.437-448
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• 2017

Soft or extreme soft storeys in multi-storied buildings cause localized damage (and even collapse) during strong earthquake shaking. The presence of such soft or extremely soft storey is identified through provisions of vertical stiffness irregularity in seismic design codes. Identification of the irregularity in a building requires estimation of lateral translational stiffness of each storey. Estimation of lateral translational stiffness can be an arduous task. A simple procedure is presented to estimate storey stiffness using only properties of fundamental lateral translational mode of oscillation (namely natural period and associated mode shape), which are readily available to designers at the end of analysis stage. In addition, simplified analytical expressions are provided towards identifying stiffness irregularity. Results of linear elastic time-history analyses indicate that the proposed procedure captures the irregularity in storey stiffness in both low- and mid-rise buildings.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.183-204
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• 2012

Several issues regarding the structural idealization of steel buildings with perimeter moment resisting steel frames (MRSFs) and interior gravity frames (GFs) are studied. Results indicate that the contribution of GFs to the lateral structural resistance may be significant. The contribution increases when the stiffness of the connection of the GFs is considered and is larger for inelastic than for elastic behavior. The interstory shears generally increase when the connections stiffness is taken into account. Resultant stresses at some base columns of MRSFs also increase in some cases but to a lesser degree. For columns of the GFs, however, the increment is significant. Results also indicate that modeling the building as planes frames may result in larger interstory shears and displacements and resultant stresses than those obtained from the more realistic 3-D formulation. These differences may be much larger when semi-rigid (SR) connections are considered. The conservativism is more for resultant stresses. The differences observed in the behaviour of each structural representation are mainly due to a) the elements that contribute to strength and stiffness and b) the dynamics characteristics of each structural representation. It is concluded that, if the structural system under consideration is used, the three-dimensional model should be used in seismic analysis, the GFs should be considered as part of the lateral resistance system, and the stiffness of the connections should be included in the design of the GFs. Otherwise, the capacity of gravity frames may be overestimated while that of MRSFs may be underestimated.