• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.81 no.2
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• pp.147-161
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• 2022

The Brace-Type Shear Fuse (BSF) device is a newly proposed steel damper with excellent cumulative ductility and stable energy dissipation. In consideration of the current situation where there are not many alternatives for transversal seismic devices used in long-span three-tower self-anchored bridges (TSSBs), this paper implements improved BSFs into the world's longest TSSB, named Jinan Fenghuang Yellow River Bridge. The new details of the BSF are developed for the TSSB, and the force-displacement hysteretic curves of the BSFs are obtained using finite element (FE) simulations. A three-dimensional refined finite element model for the research TSSB was established in SAP2000, and the effects of BSFs on dynamic characteristics and seismic response of the TSSB under different site conditions were investigated by the numerical simulation method. The results show that remarkable controlling effects of BSFs on seismic response of TSSBs under different site conditions were obtained. Compared with the case without BSFs, the TSSB installed with BSFs has mitigation ratios of the tower top displacement, lateral girder displacement, tower bending moment and tower shear force exceeding 95%, 78%, 330% and 346%, respectively. Meanwhile, BSFs have a sufficient restoring force mechanism with a minor post-earthquake residual displacement. The proposed BSFs exhibit good application prospects in long-span TSSBs.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2012

In this study, a new structural bracing system named 'Hat Knee Bracing' (HKB) is presented. In this structural system, a special form of diagonal braces, which is connected to the knee elements instead of beam-column joints, is investigated. The diagonal elements provide lateral stiffness during moderate earthquakes. However the knee elements, which is a fuse-like component, is designed to have one plastic joint in the knee elements for dissipation of the energy caused by strong earthquake. First, a suitable shape for brace and knee elements is proposed through elastic studying of the system and several practical parameters are established. Afterward, by developing applicable and highly accurate models in Drain-2DX, the inelastic behavior of the system is carefully considered. In addition, with inelastic study of the new bracing system and comparison with the prevalent Knee Bracing Frame system (KBF model) in nonlinear static and dynamic analysis, the seismic behavior of the new bracing system is reasonably evaluated.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.21-30
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• 2016

The structural efficiency of tall buildings heavily depends on the lateral stiffness and resistance capacity. Among those structural systems for tall buildings, outrigger system is one of the most common and efficient systems especially for those with relatively regular floor plan. The use of outriggers in building structures can be traced back from early 50 from the concept of deep beams. With the rise of building height, deep beams become concrete walls or now in a form of at least one story high steel truss type of outriggers. Because of the widened choice in material to be adopted in outriggers, the form and even the objective of using outrigger system is also changing. In the past, outrigger systems is only used to provide additional stiffness to reduce drift and deflection. New applications for outrigger systems now move to provide additional damping to reduce wind load and acceleration, and also could be used as structural fuse to protect the building under a severe earthquake condition. Besides analysis and member design, construction issue of outrigger systems is somehow cannot be separated. Axial shortening effect between core and perimeter structure is unavoidable. This paper presents a state-of-the-art review on the outrigger system in tall buildings including development history and applications of outrigger systems in tall buildings. The concept of outrigger system, optimum topology, and design and construction consideration will also be discussed and presented.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.589-611
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• 2016

The primary objectives of this research are to investigate the energy factor response of steel moment resisting frame (MRF) systems equipped with fuses subject to ground motions and to develop an energy-based evaluation approach for evaluating the damage-control behavior of the system. First, the energy factor of steel MRF systems with fuses below the resilience threshold is derived utilizing the energy balance equation considering bilinear oscillators with significant post-yielding stiffness ratio, and the effect of structural nonlinearity on the energy factor is investigated by conducting a parametric study covering a wide range of parameters. A practical transformation approach is also proposed to associate the energy factor of steel MRF systems with fuses with classic design spectra based on elasto-plastic systems. Then, the energy balance is extended to structural systems, and an energy-based procedure for damage-control evaluation is proposed and a damage-control index is also derived. The approach is then applied to two types of steel MRF systems with fuses to explore the applicability for quantifying the damage-control behavior. The rationality of the proposed approach and the accuracy for identifying the damage-control behavior are demonstrated by nonlinear static analyses and incremental dynamic analyses utilizing prototype structures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.661-674
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• 2018

Seismic excitations may impart a significant amount of energy into structures. Modern structural design attitudes tend to absorb some part of this energy through special dissipaters instead of heavy plastic deformations on the structural members. Different types of dissipater have been generated and utilized in various types of structures in last few decades. The expected earthquake damage is mainly concentrated on these devices and they may be replaced after earthquakes. In this study, a low-cost device called energy dissipative steel cushion (EDSC) made of flat mild steel was developed and tested in the Structural and Earthquake Engineering Laboratory (STEELab) of Istanbul Technical University (ITU). The monotonic and cyclic tests of EDSC were performed in transversal and longitudinal directions discretely. Very large deformation capability and stable hysteretic behavior are some response properties observed from the tests. Load vs. displacement relations, hysteretic energy dissipation properties as well as the closed form equations to predict the behavior parameters are presented in this paper.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.53-73
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• 2020

A novel all-steel miniature bar-type structural fuse (MBSF) with cold formed bolted connections is developed in this study, which consists of a central energy dissipation core cut from a smooth round bar, an external confining tube and nuts. Three types of cross sections for the central energy dissipation core, i.e., triple-cut, double-cut and single-cut cross sections, were studied. Totally 18 specimens were axially tested under either symmetric or asymmetric cyclic loading histories, where the parameters such as cut cross sectional area ratio, length of the yielding portion and cross sectional type were investigated. Numerical simulation of 2 representative specimens were also conducted. An analytical model to evaluate the bending failure at the elastic portion was proposed, and a design method to avoid this failure mode was also presented. The experimental results show that the proposed MBSFs exhibit satisfactory hysteretic performance under both the two cyclic loading histories. Average strain values of 8% and 4% are found to be respectively suitable for designing the new MBSFs as the ultimate strain under the symmetric and asymmetric cyclic loadings.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.295-328
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• 2015

In recent years the monitoring of structural behavior through acquisition of vibrational data has become common practice. In addition, recent advances in sensor development have made the collection of diverse dynamic information feasible. Other than the commonly collected acceleration information, Global Position System (GPS) receivers and non-contact, optical techniques have also allowed for the synchronous collection of highly accurate displacement data. The fusion of this heterogeneous information is crucial for the successful monitoring and control of structural systems especially when aiming at real-time estimation. This task is not a straightforward one as measurements are inevitably corrupted with some percentage of noise, often leading to imprecise estimation. Quite commonly, the presence of noise in acceleration signals results in drifting estimates of displacement states, as a result of numerical integration. In this study, a new approach based on a time domain identification method, namely the Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF), is proposed for correcting the "drift effect" in displacement or rotation estimates in an online manner, i.e., on the fly as data is attained. The method relies on the introduction of artificial white noise (WN) observations into the filter equations, which is shown to achieve an online correction of the drift issue, thus yielding highly accurate motion data. The proposed approach is demonstrated for two cases; firstly, the illustrative example of a single degree of freedom linear oscillator is examined, where availability of acceleration measurements is exclusively assumed. Secondly, a field inspired implementation is presented for the torsional identification of a tall tower structure, where acceleration measurements are obtained at a high sampling rate and non-collocated GPS displacement measurements are assumed available at a lower sampling rate. A multi-rate Kalman Filter is incorporated into the analysis in order to successfully fuse data sampled at different rates.

• International Journal of Control, Automation, and Systems
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.173-182
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• 2005

In this paper, a target tracking algorithm for tracking maneuvering vehicles is presented. The overall algorithm belongs to the category of an interacting multiple-model (IMM) algorithm used to detect multiple targets using fused information from multiple sensors. First, two kinematic models are derived: a constant velocity model for linear motions, and a constant-speed turn model for curvilinear motions. Fpr the constant-speed turn model, a nonlinear information filter is used in place of the extended Kalman filter. Being equivalent to the Kalman filter (KF) algebraically, the information filter is extended to N-sensor distributed dynamic systems. The model-matched filter used in multi-sensor environments takes the form of a federated nonlinear information filter. In multi-sensor environments, the information-based filter is easier to decentralize, initialize, and fuse than a KF-based filter. In this paper, the structural features and information sharing principle of the federated information filter are discussed. The performance of the suggested algorithm using a Monte Carlo simulation under the two patterns is evaluated.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.381-390
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• 2008

This paper proposed a conceptual design of bascule bridge, which is a new kind of movable bridge with an aim of reducing the weight of superstructure. Compared with the traditional bascule bridge, the light bascule bridge chooses cable-stayed bridge with inclined pylon as its superstructure; therefore, the functions of balance-weight and structure will fuse into one. Otherwise, it adopts moving counterweight to adjust its center of gravity (CG) to open or close the bridge. In order to lighten the superstructure, it uses contact springs to auxiliary retract, and intelligent prestressing system (IPS) to control the main girder's deformation. Simultaneously the vibration control scheme of structure is discussed. Starting from establishing the mechanical model of bridge, this article tries to analyze the conditions that the design parameters of structure and attachments should satisfy to. After the design procedure was presented, an example was also adopted to explain the primary design process of this kind bridge.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.233-241
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• 2016

This paper describes the structural solution for the design of a 29-story high-rise tower, which features a large office space above the Kabukiza Theatre. Kabuki is a type of Japanese traditional drama, and Kabukiza is the home building of Kabuki. GINZA KABUKIZA is the fifth generation of the Kabukiza Theatre, the first of which was built in 1889. In order to support 23 stories of office space above the theater - featuring a large void in plan - two 13-meter-deep mega-trusses, spanning 38.4 meters, are installed at the fifth floor of the building. Steelwork is used as a primary material for the structure above-ground, and a hybrid response control system using a buckling-restrained brace and oil damper is adopted in order to achieve a high seismic performance. This paper also describes the erection process of installing hydraulic jacks directly above the mega-truss at column bases, in order to keep the structure above the truss level during construction. The temple architecture of the previous Kabukiza is carefully restored by incorporating contemporary light-weight materials supported by steelwork.