• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.35-41
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• 2008

Stone columns, one of the soft ground improvement techniques, are being used for not only accelerating consolidation but also increasing bearing capacity of soft grounds. In this study, in order to observe the stress distribution characteristics which are one of the important factors to estimate the settlement reduction of the soft ground, lab-scale experiments were performed in stone column reinforced clay ground. The stress distribution ratio of stone column decreased with the lapse of time after surcharge loading but increased as the stiffness of clay deposit increases. It shows that the modified Baumann and Bauer's solution, which is able to easily predict the stress distribution ratio of stone column reinforced soft ground, exhibits reasonable agreement with the measured data.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.17-28
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• 2007

Urban tunnels are usually important in terms of prediction and control of surface settlement, gradient and ground displacement. This paper has studied the application of strain softening analysis to predict deformation behavior of an urban NATM tunnel. The applied strain softening model considered the reduction of shear stiffness and strength parameter after yielding with strain softening effects of a given material. Measurements of surface subsidence and ground displacement were adopted to monitor the ground behavior resulting from the tunneling and to modify tunnel design. The numerical analysis results produced a strain distribution, deformational mechanism and surface settlement profile, which are in good agreement with the results of case study. The approach of strain softening modeling is expected to be a good prediction method on the ground displacement associated with NATM tunneling at shallow depth and soft ground.

• Composites Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.50-54
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• 2007

The Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC), an electro-active polymer, has many advantages including bending actuation, low weight, low power consumption, and flexibility. These advantages coincide with the requirements of a bio-related application. Thus, IPMC is promising materials for bio-mimetic actuator and sensor applications. Before applying IPMC to actual application, basic mechanical properties of IPMC should be studied in order to utilize IPMC for practical uses. Therefore, IPMCs are fabricated to investigate the mechanical characteristics. Nafion is used as a base ionic polymer. Mason samples cast with various thicknesses are used to test the thickness effects of IPMC. Subsequently, IPMC is fabricated using the chemical reduction method. The deformation, blocking force and frequency response of the IPMC actuator are important properties. In this present study, the performances of the IPMC actuators, including the deformation, blocking force and natural frequency, are then obtained according to only the input voltage and IPMC dimensions. Finally, the empirical performance model and the equivalent stiffness model of the IPMC actuator are established using experiments results.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.86 no.5
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• pp.647-661
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• 2023

It is recognized that the installation of energy dissipation devices, such as the tuned mass damper (TMD), decreases the dynamic response of structures, however, the best parameters of each device persist hard to determine. Unlike many works that perform only a deterministic optimization, this work proposes a complete methodology to minimize the dynamic response of footbridges by optimizing the parameters of multiple tuned mass dampers (MTMD) taking into account uncertainties present in the parameters of the structure and also of the human excitation. For application purposes, a steel footbridge, based on a real structure, is studied. Three different scenarios for the MTMD are simulated. The proposed robust optimization problem is solved via the Circle-Inspired Optimization Algorithm (CIOA), a novel and efficient metaheuristic algorithm recently developed by the authors. The objective function is to minimize the mean maximum vertical displacement of the footbridge, whereas the design variables are the stiffness and damping constants of the MTMD. The results showed the excellent capacity of the proposed methodology, reducing the mean maximum vertical displacement by more than 36% and in a computational time about 9% less than using a classical genetic algorithm. The results obtained by the proposed methodology are also compared with results obtained through traditional TMD design methods, showing again the best performance of the proposed optimization method. Finally, an analysis of the maximum vertical acceleration showed a reduction of more than 91% for the three scenarios, leading the footbridge to acceleration values below the recommended comfort limits. Hence, the proposed methodology could be employed to optimize MTMD, improving the design of footbridges.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.6D
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• pp.895-904
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• 2008

CWR (Continuous Welded Rail) may be broken when a temperature drop below the neutral temperature changes in axial force, causing tensile fracture and rail gap, in winter. Rail-breaks may lead to the damage of the rail and wheel by dynamic load, and the reduction of running safety if not detected before the passage of a train. In this study, the track and train coupled model with open gap for dynamic interaction analysis, is proposed. Linear track and train systems is coupled by the nonlinear Herzian contact spring and the complete system matrices of total track-train system is constructed. And the interaction phenomenon considering open gap, was defined by assigning the irregularity functions between the two sides of a gap. Time history analysis, which have an iteration scheme such as $Newmark-{\beta}$ method based on Modified Newton-Raphson methods, was performed to solve the nonlinear equation. Finally, numerical studies are performed to assess the effect of various parameters of system, apply to various speeds, open gap size and the support stiffness of rail.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.793-804
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• 2023

In this study, cyclic loading tests were conducted to assess the seismic performance of cast-in-place (CIP) concrete-filled hollow core precast concrete columns (HPCC) constructed using steel ducts and rubber tubes. The outer shells of HPCC, with a hollow ratio of 47%, were fabricated using steel ducts and rubber tubes, respectively. Two combinations of shear studs & long threaded bars or cross-deformed bars & V-ties were employed to ensure the structural integrity of the old concrete (outer shell) and new CIP concrete. Up to a drift ratio of 3.8%, the hysteresis loop, yielding stiffness, dissipated energy, and equivalent damping ratio of the HPCC specimens were largely comparable to those of the solid columns. Besides the similarities in cyclic load-displacement responses, the strain history of the longitudinal bars and the transverse confinement of the three specimens also exhibited similar patterns. The measured maximum moment exceeded the predicted moment according to ACI 318 by more than 1.03 times. However, the load reduction of the HPCC specimen after reaching peak strength was marginally greater than that of the solid specimen. The energy dissipation and equivalent damping ratios of the HPCC specimens were 20% and 25% lower than those of the solid specimen, respectively. Taking into account the overall results, the structural behavior of HPCC specimens fabricated using steel ducts and rubber tubes is deemed comparable to that of solid columns. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the two combinations for securing structural integrity functioned as expected, and that rubber air-tubes can be effectively used to create well-shaped hollow sections.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.927-933
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• 2023

In modern times, with advances in semiconductor technology such as electronic devices, the need to improve the quality of onboard equipment with advanced electronic parts in automobiles, drones, airplanes, projectiles, and various fields, and reduce the impact of various disturbances on onboard equipment is becoming more important. Vibration control through hardware must be determined to prevent damage and improve quality to equipment operating in various environments such as automobiles, drones, airplanes, and projectiles. This study focuses on the study of vibration damping systems to protect mounted equipment from various disturbances and improve stability. Dynamic characteristics analysis, including compressive stiffness, damping rate, and frequency response, and vibration characteristics in the frequency domain of rubber dampers were identified through FEM analysis to identify the characteristics of rubber dampers. Through these findings, we would like to present the criteria for selecting a suitable rubber damper under various disturbance conditions.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.317-328
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• 2024

Adopting a rational engineering methodology for building structures on sandy-clay soil layers has become increasingly important since it is crucial when structures erected on them often face seismic and cyclic wave loads. Such loads can cause a reduction in the stiffness, strength, and stability of the structure, particularly under un-drained conditions. Hence, this study aims to investigate how the dynamic properties of sand-clay mixtures are affected by loading frequency and clay content. Cyclic triaxial tests were performed on a total of 36 samples, comprising pure sand with a relative density of 60% and sand with varying percentages of clay. The tests were conducted under confining pressures of 50 and 100 kPa, and the samples' dynamic behavior was analyzed at loading frequencies of 0.1, 1, and 4 Hz. The findings indicate that an increase in confining pressure leads to greater inter-particle interaction and a reduced void ratio, which results in an increase in the soil's shear modulus. An increase in the shear strength and confinement of the samples led to a decrease in energy dissipation and damping ratio. Changes in loading frequency showed that as the frequency increased, the damping ratio decreased, and the strength of the samples increased. Increasing the loading frequency not only reflects changes in frequency but also reduces the relative permeability and enhances the resistance of samples. An analysis of the dynamic properties of sand and sand-clay mixtures indicates that the introduction of clay to a sand sample reduces the shear modulus and permeability properties.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.89 no.3
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• pp.225-238
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• 2024

In this paper, a quasi-3D hyperbolic shear deformation theory for the bending responses of a functionally graded (FG) porous micro-beam is based on a modified couple stress theory requiring only one material length scale parameter that can capture the size influence. The model proposed accounts for both shear and normal deformation effects through an illustrative variation of all displacements across the thickness and satisfies the zero traction boundary conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of the micro-beam. The effective material properties of the functionally graded micro-beam are assumed to vary in the thickness direction and are estimated using the homogenization method of power law distribution, which is modified to approximate the porous material properties with even and uneven distributions of porosity phases. The equilibrium equations are obtained using the virtual work principle and solved using Navier's technique. The validity of the derived formulation is established by comparing it with the ones available in the literature. Numerical examples are presented to investigate the influences of the power law index, material length scale parameter, beam thickness, and shear and normal deformation effects on the mechanical characteristics of the FG micro-beam. The results demonstrate that the inclusion of the size effects increases the microbeams stiffness, which consequently leads to a reduction in deflections. In contrast, the shear and normal deformation effects are just the opposite.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.77-86
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• 2007

The more demands on efficient utilization of resources, the more structural engineers prefer to select remodeling to improve old building's capacity. A series of four shear wall specimens were tested under constant axial stress and reversed cyclic lateral loading in order to evaluate the effect of the opening on the lower center of the wall induce by remodeling. Consequently, the existence of opening was verified to induce a different failure, which was caused by reduction of compression strut area formed on the wall to diagonal direction. Especially, the ultimate strength of the wall with an opening was revealed approximately 35% lower than that of the wall without an opening. And the similar results were appeared in characteristics of stiffness and energy dissipation capacity.