• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.80 no.6
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• pp.749-765
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• 2021

Suspension bridges bear large eccentric live loads in rush hours when most vehicles travel in one direction on the left or right side of the bridge. With the increasing number and weight of vehicles and the girder widening, the eccentric live load effect on the bridge behavior, including bending and distortion of the main girder, gets more pronounced, even jeopardizing bridge safety. This study proposes an analytical algorithm based on multi-catenary theory for predicting the suspension bridge responses to eccentric live load via the nonlinear generalized reduced gradient method. A set of governing equations is derived to solve the following unknown values: the girder rigid-body displacement in the longitudinal direction; the horizontal projection lengths of main cable's segments; the parameters of catenary equations and horizontal forces of the side span cable segments and the leftmost segments of middle span cables; the suspender tensions and the bearing reactions. Then girder's responses, including rigid-body displacement in the longitudinal direction, deflections, and torsion angles; suspenders' responses, including the suspender tensions and the hanging point displacements; main cables' responses, including the horizontal forces of each segment; and the longitudinal displacement of the pylons' tower top under eccentric load can be calculated. The response of an exemplar suspension bridge with three spans of 168, 548, and 168 m is calculated by the proposed analytical method and the finite element method in two eccentric live load cases, and their results prove the former's feasibility. The nonuniform distribution of the live load in the lateral direction is shown to impose a greater threat to suspension bridge safety than that in the longitudinal direction, while some other specific features revealed by the proposed method are discussed in detail.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.307-321
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• 2024

This paper delves into the critical assessment of predicting sidewall displacement in underground caverns through the application of nine distinct machine learning techniques. The accurate prediction of sidewall displacement is essential for ensuring the structural safety and stability of underground caverns, which are prone to various geological challenges. The dataset utilized in this study comprises a total of 310 data points, each containing 13 relevant parameters extracted from 10 underground cavern projects located in Iran and other regions. To facilitate a comprehensive evaluation, the dataset is evenly divided into training and testing subset. The study employs a diverse array of machine learning models, including recurrent neural network, back-propagation neural network, K-nearest neighbors, normalized and ordinary radial basis function, support vector machine, weight estimation, feed-forward stepwise regression, and fuzzy inference system. These models are leveraged to develop predictive models that can accurately forecast sidewall displacement in underground caverns. The training phase involves utilizing 80% of the dataset (248 data points) to train the models, while the remaining 20% (62 data points) are used for testing and validation purposes. The findings of the study highlight the back-propagation neural network (BPNN) model as the most effective in providing accurate predictions. The BPNN model demonstrates a remarkably high correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.99) and a low error rate (RMSE = 4.27E-05), indicating its superior performance in predicting sidewall displacement in underground caverns. This research contributes valuable insights into the application of machine learning techniques for enhancing the safety and stability of underground structures.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.357-368
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• 2008

On July 31, 2008, the Government issued the construction and operation permit for the first low and intermediate level radioactive waste disposal facility in the Republic of Korea. In this paper, the fundamental regulatory framework, regulatory requirements and technical standards of the disposal facility are introduced, and the phased review process adopted for evaluation of the safety of the facility is briefly described. The Atomic Energy Act sets forth a stepwise regulatory framework for the whole life-cycle of the disposal facility such as siting, design, construction, operation, closure and institutional control. More detailed regulatory requirements and technical standards are stipulated in the subsequent regulations of the Atomic Energy Act and a series of Notices issued by the Ministry of Eduction, Science and Technology. The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, as entrusted by the Ministry under the Atomic Energy Act, conducted safety review on the disposal facility, and evaluated the compliance with relevant criteria in all technical elements(i.e. siting and structural safety, radiological environmental impact, operational safety, systems and components, quality assurance, and total systematic performance assessment, etc.). The overall safety review process can be phased into inception phase, initial review phase, main review phase and completion phase. The review results were reported to and deliberated by the five Sub-committees of the Special Committee on Nuclear Safety, and then reported to the Ministry. The Ministry issued the construction and operation permit of the disposal facility through the deliberation of the review results by the Nuclear Safety Commission. Hereafter, the safety of the repository will be reassured by a series of subsequent regulatory inspections and reviews under the Atomic Energy Act. In addition, the licensee's continuous implementation of the "Safety Promotion Plan" may also enhance the long-term safety of the repository and contribute to build-up the confidence of the safety case.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.18 no.3 s.93
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• pp.389-395
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• 2006

For the assessment of exsiting concrete structures, it is important to get the real strength of concrete. The load test or core test has many problems due to cost time, easiness, structural damage, and reliability and so on. Thus, various non-destructive test and statistical analysis techniques for strength assessment have been developed. As a result the real strength of concrete can be obtained by both direct and indirect test. In this study, a series of experimental tests of core strength and Schmidt hammer tests on 3, 7, 14, 28, 90, 180, 365, and 730 days' were done for predicting the compressive strength of high strength concrete with 65.0MPa of 28-days' strength. Each experimental results was analyzed by simple regression analysis. Then, reliability level and error rate between the proposed equations and the existing ones was examined. However, the application of the exsisting equations was inadequate to high strength concrete, because they were conducted under normal strength concrete. Therefore, the following compressive strength equations were proposed for predicting the compressive strength of high strength concrete by Schmidt hammer test. The proposed equations by Schmidt hammer test are as follows.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.13 no.1 s.53
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• pp.88-96
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• 2009

This study proposes a wireless measurement system that is a new safety management system by using an FBG sensor and a PDA. The sensor part has many advantages of implementing a wireless measurement system, and the study emploies an FBG-LVDT sensor, FBG-STRAIN sensor, FBG-TEMP sensor, and FBG-ACC sensor, using FBG sensors. Also, the study show a configuration of a signal process system for operating a wireless transmission system of FBG sensors applied to the signal process system, and engrafted the cutting edge information technology industry in order to display from a remote distance using a PDA. In order to verify the applicability of the developed FBG sensors and wireless measurement monitoring system to the field, their accuracy, and usability, the study has conducted a static and dynamic test to a bridge in the field. The study made an assessment of service for the vibration of the bridge by applying dynamic data measured by an FBG-LVDT sensor and FBG-ACC sensor to Meister's curve and prepared methods for assessing the vibration of the bridge by proposing a standard of vibration limitation given the service of vibration of the bridge. As a follow up for this study, it would be necessary to set up an overall model for the standard of service assessment established in this study.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.77-89
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• 2004

While limit states design (LSD) is currently the standard structural design practice, it is relatively new in the geotechnical design. Adoption of LSD far geotechnical design is an international trend. In the present study, various LSD codes from the United States, Canada, and Europe were reviewed. A simple first-order-second-moment (FOSM) reliability analysis was performed to determine theoretically the ranges of load and resistance factor values for representative loads and foundation bearing capacity, respectively. In order for foundation design to be consistent with current structural design practice, it would be desirable to use the same loads, load factors and load combinations. The values of load factor, obtained from the FOSM analysis, were found to be generally consistent with those given in the codes, whereas the values of resistance factor indicated overall lower ranges due to high values of coefficient of variation used in the analysis. Since the degree of uncertainties included in bearing capacity of foundations varies with the methods used to estimate the bearing capacity, different values of resistance factor should be used fur different methods. For the purpose, continuous efforts are needed to be made first to accurately identify and quantify the uncertainties in the methods.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.605-611
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• 2019

The fuel sloshing due to the rapid manoeuvre of the aircraft causes significant loads on internal components, which may break components or piping. In particular, a significant load is applied to the joint of the external fuel tank by sloshing movement, which may affect the safety of the aircraft when the joint of the external fuel tank is damaged. Therefore, in order to improve the survivability of aircraft and crew members, the design of external fuel tanks, and joints should be performed after evaluating the sloshing load through a numerical analysis of the fuel sloshing conditions. In this paper, a numerical analysis was performed on the sloshing test of the external fuel tank for rotorcraft. ALE (Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian) technique was used, and the test conditions specified in the U.S. Military Specification (MIL-DTL-27422D) was applied as the conditions for numerical analysis. As a result of the numerical analysis, the load on the joint of the external fuel tank was calculated. Moreover, the effects of sloshing movement on structural soundness were assessed through analysis of stress levels and margin of safety on metal fittings and composite containers.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.94-101
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• 2021

According to the Facility Management System (FMS) operated by the Korea Authority of Land & Infrastructure Safety, it is expected that the number of aging facilities that have been in use for more than 30 years will increase rapidly to 13.9% in 2019 and 34.5% in 2929, and end up with a social problem. In addition, with the revision of "Common Application of Seismic Design Criteria" by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security in 2017, it is mandatory to re-evaluate all existing road facilities and if necessary seismic reinforcement should be done to minimize the magnitude of earthquake damage and perform normal road functions. The seismic performance management-decision support technology currently used in seismic performance management practice in Korea only determines the earthquake-resistance reinforcement priority based on the qualitative index value for the seismic performance of individual facilities. However with this practice, normal traffic functions cannot be guaranteed. A new seismic performance management decision support technology that can provide various judgment data required for decision making is needed to overcome these shortcomings and better perform seismic performance management from a road network perspective.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.4
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• pp.451-458
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• 2023

As forest fires continue to increase in scale worldwide, the importance of forest roads in relation to forest fire prevention and suppression has become increasingly evident. To ensure effective functioning during a forest fire disaster, it is crucial to apply appropriate road planning and ensure roads' structural integrity. However, previous studies have predominantly focused on the impact of forest fires on firebreak efficacy and road placement, meaning that insufficient attention has been paid to ensuring the safety of these facilities. Therefore, this study sought to compare the strength of concrete facilities within areas damaged by forest fires over the past three years by using the rebound hammer test to identify signs of thermal degradation. The results revealed that concrete facilities damaged by forest fires exhibited significantly lower strength (15.6 MPa) when compared with undamaged facilities (18.0 MPa) (p<0.001), and this trend was consistent across all the target facilities. Consequently, it is recommended that safety assessment criteria for concrete forest road facilities be established to prevent secondary disasters following forest fire damage. Moreover, continuous monitoring and research involving indoor experiments are imperative in terms of enhancing the stability of forest road structures. It is expected that such research will lead to the development of more effective strategies for forest fire prevention and suppression.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.150-159
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• 2013

It is generally well known that the stratification of thermal energy in heat stores can be improved by increasing the aspect ratio (the height-to-width ratio) of the stores. Accordingly, it will be desirable to apply a high aspect ratio so as to demonstrate the good thermal performance of heat stores. However, as the aspect ratio of a store increases, the height of the store become larger compared to its width, which may be unfavorable for the structural stability of the store. Therefore, to determine an optimum aspect ratio of heat stores, a quantitative mechanical stability assessment should be performed in addition to thermal performance evaluations. In the present study, we numerically investigated the mechanical stability of silo-shaped rock caverns for underground thermal energy storage at different aspect ratios. The applied aspect ratios ranged from 1 to 6 and the mechanical stability was examined based on factor of safety using a shear strength reduction method. The results from the present study showed that the factor of safety of rock caverns tended to decrease with the increase in aspect ratio and the stress ratio of the surrounding rock mass was influential to the stability of the caverns. In addition, the numerical results demonstrated that under the same conditions of rock mass properties and aspect ratio, mechanical stability could be improved by the reduction in cavern size (storage volume), which indicates that one can design high-aspect-ratio rock caverns by dividing a single large cavern into multiple small caverns.