• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.667-673
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• 2010

The near fault ground motion (NFGM) is characterized by a single long period velocity pulse with large magnitude. NFGMs have been observed in recent strong earthquakes, Northridge (1994), Japan Kobe (1995), Turkey Izmit (1999), China Sichuan (2008), Haiti (2010) etc. These strong earthquakes have caused considerable damage to infrastructures because the epicenter was close to the urban area, called as NFGM. Extensive research for the far field ground motion (FFGM) have been carried out in strong seismic region, but limited research have been done for NFGM in low or moderate seismic regions because of very few records. The purpose of this research is to investigate and analyze the seismic response of reinforced concrete bridge piers subjected to near-fault ground motions. The seismic performance of six RC bridge piers depending on three confinement steel ratios and three superstructure mass was investigated on the shaking table. From these experimental results, it was confirmed that the reduction of seismic performance was observed for test specimens with lower confinement steel ratio or more deck weight. The displacement ductility of RC bridge piers in terms of the stiffness degradation is proposed based on test results the shaking table.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.57-65
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• 2016

This study found a proper parametric life distribution based on maintenance history data of each bridge member under the jurisdiction of the Korea Expressway Corporation for the past 10 years by introducing the concept of reliability and suggested a measure to calculate the mean life and reliability of each bridge member using the parameter obtained with the maximum-likelihood classification. As a result of analyzing the exponential distribution, weibull distribution and log normal distribution being utilized frequently in order to find the parametric life distribution type which well described the life data of each bridge member, it was found that the log normal distribution and weibull distribution described the characteristics of the relevant life data the best. As a result of calculating the mean life of each bridge member based on the estimated parameter, the average life of the steel bridge coating was 18.51 years which was the longest, followed by the bridge deck as 17.56 years. The mean life of the drainage facility and the bridge bearing were 12.27 years and 12.57 years respectively, showing the shortest life.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.343-360
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• 2017

The post-flutter state of streamlined steel box girder is studied in this paper. Firstly, the nonlinear aerodynamic self-excited forces of the bridge deck cross section were investigated by CFD dynamic mesh technique and then the nonlinear flutter derivatives were identified on this basis. Secondly, based on the 2-degree-of-freedom (DOF) coupling flutter theory, the torsional amplitude and the nonlinear flutter derivatives were introduced into the traditional direct flutter calculation method, and the original program was improved to the "post-flutter state analysis program" so that it can predict not only the critical flutter velocity but also the movement of the girder in the post-flutter state. Finally, wind tunnel tests were set to verify the method proposed in this paper. The results show that the effect of vertical amplitude on the nonlinear flutter derivatives is negligible, but the torsional amplitude is not; with the increase of wind speed, the post-flutter state of streamlined steel box girder includes four stages, namely, "little amplitude zone", "step amplitude zone", "linearly growing amplitude zone" and "divergence zone"; damping ratio has limited effect on the critical flutter velocity and the steady state response in the post-flutter state; after flutter occurs, the vibration form is a single frequency vibration coupled with torsional and vertical DOF.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.255-268
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• 2022

Light-weight or low-damped structures may encounter the unsteady galloping instability that occurs at low reduced wind speeds, where the classical quasi-steady assumption is invalid. Although this unsteady phenomenon has been widely studied for rectangular cross sections with one side perpendicular to the incidence flow, the effect of the mean wind angle of attack has not been paid enough attention yet. With four sectional models of different side ratios and geometric shapes, the presented research focuses on the effect of the wind angle of attack on unsteady galloping instability. In static tests, comparatively strong vortex shedding force was noticed in the middle of the range of flow incidence where the lift coefficient shows a negative slope. In aeroelastic tests with a low Scruton number, the typical unsteady galloping, which is due to an interaction with vortex-induced vibration and results in unrestricted oscillation initiating at the Kármán vortex resonance wind speed, was observed for the wind angles of attack that characterize relatively strong vortex shedding force. In contrast, for the wind angles of attack with relatively weak shedding force, an "atypical" unsteady galloping was found to occur at a reduced wind speed clearly higher than the Kármán-vortex resonance one. These observations are valid for all four wind tunnel models. One of the wind tunnel models (with a bridge deck cross section) was also tested in a turbulent flow with an intensity about 9%, showing only the atypical unsteady galloping. However, the wind angle of attack with the comparatively strong vortex shedding force remains the most unfavorable one with respect to the instability threshold in low Scruton number conditions.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.671-680
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• 2007

In this study, we performed a loading test to evaluate the effect of load distribution on continuous two-span plate-girder bridges with or without bottom lateral bracing using one-fifth-scale bridge specimens. From the test results, when specimens with lateral bracing were loaded eccentrically, the load distribution capacity of the concrete deck and cross beam improved and greater loading was distributed to the other side of the girder subjected to loading. The load distribution rate of the specimens with and without lateral bracing system was evaluated from the analytical model that was verified by the test results. From the result of the quantitative evaluation, when specimen without lateral bracing was loaded eccentrically, mostly 21% of loading according to the concrete deck was distributed to the other side of the girder subjected to loading. However, when specimen with lateral bracing was loaded eccentrically, the load distribution rate increased by 1.7 times as all cross beams, bracing and concrete deck participated in load distribution. The reason is that the torsional rigidity increased as the model with lateral bracing behaved like a pseudo-closed box section.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.605-616
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• 2017

Concrete filled steel tubular (CFST) composite girder is a new type of structures for bridge constructions. The existing design codes cannot be used to predict the thermal stress in the CFST truss girder structures under solar radiation. This study is to develop the temperature gradient curves for predicting thermal stress of the structure based on field and laboratory monitoring data. An in-field testing had been carried out on Ganhaizi Bridge for over two months. Thermal couples were installed at the cross section of the CFST truss girder and the continuous data was collected every 30 minutes. A typical temperature gradient mode was then extracted by comparing temperature distributions at different times. To further verify the temperature gradient mode and investigate the evolution of temperature fields, an outdoor experiment was conducted on a 1:8 scale bridge model, which was installed with both thermal couples and strain gauges. The main factors including solar radiation and ambient temperature on the different positions were studied. Laboratory results were consistent with that from the in-field data and temperature gradient curves were obtained from the in-field and laboratory data. The relationship between the strain difference at top and bottom surfaces of the concrete deck and its corresponding temperature change was also obtained and a method based on curve fitting was proposed to predict the thermal strain under elevated temperature. The thermal stress model for CFST composite girder was derived. By the proposed model, the thermal stress was obtained from the temperature gradient curves. The results using the proposed model were agreed well with that by finite element modelling.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.17 no.5 s.78
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• pp.549-559
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• 2005

A railway bridge with a double composite section is proposed to enhance the structural performance of existing two-girder bridges because the governing design parameter of railway bridges is the flexural stiffness. The concrete deck in negative moment regions is neglected in the design of continuous composite bridges assuming the concrete slab has no resistance to tension. Therefore, the flexural stiffness of the composite section in the negative moment region is reduced resulting in the increase of the depth of the steel section. In order to resolve this disadvantage, several methods are suggested and the double composite section is one of the excellent solutions for extending the span length and increasing the flexural stiffness. In this study, push-out tests on lying studs and mixed stud shear connection with lying and vertical studs were performed to investigate the behavior of the shear connection in the double composite section. Static strength of the shear connection was evaluated through the test results and numerical analyses.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.177-189
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• 2017

Hybrid-fiber reinforced concrete (HFRC) may provide much higher tensile and flexural strengths, tensile ductility, and flexural toughness than normal concrete (NC). HFRC slab has outstanding advantages for use as a composite bridge potential deck slab owing to higher tensile strength, ductility and crack resistance. However, there is little information on shear connector associated with HFRC slabs. To investigate the mechanical behavior of the stud shear connectors embedded in HFRC slab, 14 push-out tests (five batches) in HFRC and NC were conducted. It was found that the stud shear connector embedded in HFRC had a better ductility, higher stiffness and a slightly larger shear bearing capacity than those in NC. The experimentally obtained ultimate resistances of the stud shear connectors were also compared against the equations provided by GB50017 2003, ACI 318-112011, AISC 2011, AASHTO LRFD 2010, PCI 2004, and EN 1994-1-1 (2004), and an empirical equation to predict the ultimate shear connector resistance considering the effect of the HFRC slabs was proposed and validated by the experimental data. Curve fitting was performed to find fitting parameters for all tested specimens and idealized load-slip models were obtained for the specimens with HFRC slabs.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2007

Additional cutouts in the floorbeam webs of orthotropic plated bridge decks relieve the highly stressed lower flange of the ribs passing through these floorbeam webs from possible fatigue damage. Conversely, the floorbeam webs themselves suffer from high stress concentrations, especially along the free edges of the additional cutouts. These stresses result from a combination of direct introduction of vertical traffic loads in the weakened web and from the truss action of the floorbeam. The latter differs from a simple beam action due to the presence of the openings and corresponds more to the behaviour of a Vierendeel truss. Close assessment of the appearing stresses, highly relevant for fatigue resistance, requires the use of elaborate finite element modelling. However, a full finite element analysis merely provides the results of total stresses, leaving the researcher or designer the difficult task of finding the origin of these stress components. This paper presents a calculation method for cutout stresses based on a combination of a framework analysis and a two dimensional finite element analysis of much smaller parts of the floorbeam. This method provides more insight in the origin of the stress components, as well as it simplifies any comparison of different additional cutout geometries, independent of the floorbeam topology.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2017

Installation of sensors networks for continuous in-service monitoring of structures and their efficiency conditions is a current research trend of paramount interest. On-line monitoring systems could be strategically useful for road infrastructures, which are expected to perform efficiently and be self-diagnostic, also in emergency scenarios. This work researches damage detection in composite concrete-steel structures that are typical for highway overpasses and bridges. The techniques herein proposed assume that typical damage in the deck occurs in form of delamination and cracking, and that it affects the peak power spectral density of dynamic curvature. The investigation is performed by combining results of measurements collected by long-gauge fiber optic strain sensors installed on monitored structure and a statistic approach. A finite element model has been also prepared and validated for deepening peculiar aspects of the investigation and the availability of the method. The proposed method for real time applications is able to detect a documented unusual behavior (e.g., damage or deterioration) through long-gauge fiber optic strain sensors measurements and a probabilistic study of the dynamic curvature power spectral density.