• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1087-1105
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• 2016

Traffic load and volume is one of the most important physical quantities for bridge safety evaluation and maintenance strategies formulation. This paper aims to conduct the statistical analysis of traffic volume information and the multimodal modeling of gross vehicle weight (GVW) based on the monitoring data obtained from the weigh-in-motion (WIM) system instrumented on the arch Jiubao Bridge located in Hangzhou, China. A genetic algorithm (GA)-based mixture parameter estimation approach is developed for derivation of the unknown mixture parameters in mixed distribution models. The statistical analysis of one-year WIM data is firstly performed according to the vehicle type, single axle weight, and GVW. The probability density function (PDF) and cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the GVW data of selected vehicle types are then formulated by use of three kinds of finite mixed distributions (normal, lognormal and Weibull). The mixture parameters are determined by use of the proposed GA-based method. The results indicate that the stochastic properties of the GVW data acquired from the field-instrumented WIM sensors are effectively characterized by the method of finite mixture distributions in conjunction with the proposed GA-based mixture parameter identification algorithm. Moreover, it is revealed that the Weibull mixture distribution is relatively superior in modeling of the WIM data on the basis of the calculated Akaike's information criterion (AIC) values.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.355-362
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• 2012

Remaining useful life(RUL) prediction of a system is important in the prognostics field since it is directly linked with safety and maintenance scheduling. In the physics-based prognostics, accurately estimated model parameters can predict the remaining useful life exactly. It, however, is not a simple task to estimate the model parameters because most real system have multivariate model parameters, also they are correlated each other. This paper presents representative methods to estimate model parameters in the physics-based prognostics and discusses the difference between three methods; the particle filter method(PF), the overall Bayesian method(OBM), and the sequential Bayesian method(SBM). The three methods are based on the same theoretical background, the Bayesian estimation technique, but the methods are distinguished from each other in the sampling methods or uncertainty analysis process. Therefore, a simple physical model as an easy task and the Paris model for crack growth problem are used to discuss the difference between the three methods, and the performance of each method evaluated by using established prognostics metrics is compared.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.667-683
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• 2009

FE model-based dynamic analysis has been widely used to predict the dynamic characteristics of civil structures. In a physical point of view, an FE model is unavoidably different from the actual structure as being formulated based on extremely idealized engineering drawings and design data. The conventional model updating methods such as direct method and sensitivity-based parameter estimation are not flexible for model updating of complex and large structures. Thus, it is needed to develop a model updating method applicable to complex structures without restriction. The main objective of this paper is to present the model updating method based on the hybrid genetic algorithm (HGA) by combining the genetic algorithm as global optimization method and modified Nelder-Mead's Simplex method as local optimization method. This FE model updating method using HGA does not need the derivation of derivative function related to parameters and without application of complicated inverse analysis methods. In order to allow its application on diversified and complex structures, a commercial FEA tool is adopted to exploit previously developed element library and analysis algorithms. Moreover, an output-level objective function making use of measurement and analytical results is also presented to update simultaneously the stiffness and mass of the analysis model. The numerical examples demonstrated that the proposed method based on HGA is effective for the updating of the FE model of bridge structures.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.663-673
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• 2021

Normally, allowable mean overtopping discharge is used as a design parameter for coastal structures. The crest elevation of a structure must ensure wave overtopping discharge within acceptable limits for structural safety and the safety of pedestrians, vehicles, operations, and so on. Some researchers have alternatively proposed using the maximum individual wave overtopping volumes as design criteria during a design storm, since these can provide a better design measure than the mean overtopping rate. This study contributes to the knowledge on maximum individual overtopping volumes in Rayleigh-distributed wave conditions. Two-dimensional physical model tests on typical rubble mound structure geometries were performed, and the new measurement method for individual overtopping was adopted. An empirical formula was proposed to predict the maximum individual overtopping volumes based on the mean overtopping rate, and the reduction effects by the armor crest width on the mean wave overtopping discharge were assessed.