• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2021

Recently, various types of pedicle screws have been developed considering the anatomical structure of the spine. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pullout stiffness and strength of two types of commercial pedicle screws. The design of two type screws were single pitched thread (ST) pedicle screw and dual pitched thread (DT) pedicle screw, respectively. The tests were conducted in accordance with the ASTM standards using polyurethane (PU) test blocks which has anatomical structure of the spine. There was no significant difference in pullout stiffness between two types of screw. However, DT exhibited higher pullout strength than ST (p<0.05). Pedicle screw with dual pitched thread showed higher pullout strength without decrease in pullout stiffness compared to the standard pedicle screw. In conclusion, dual pitched thread design of the pedicle screw is considered to be more suitable than the single pitched thread for the anatomical structure of the spine.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.14 no.5 s.60
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• pp.675-682
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• 2002

The beam of composite structure composed of the RC structure in the end part and steel structure in the central palt were investigated during cyclic loading, in order to evaluate strength, stiffness, and deformational capacity. The parameters used in this study include the amount of reinforced steel bar between the steel beam and RC structure and the existence of the sticking plate. Test results showed that all specimens had stabilized hysteresis loops. Likewise, the specimens with sticking plate had higher load-carrying capacity compared with the one without it. In addition, the stiffness of the composite structure was higher than the steel structure. All specimens also showed good rotational capacity.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.491-497
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• 2017

In recent years, 3D printing has received increasing attention due to its potential for direct fabrication beyond the traditional rapid prototyping. 3D printing has the advantage of being able to manufacture complicated shapes that were thought impossible to produce by traditional manufacturing processes. This advantage has driven applications of 3D printing to direct manufacturing of functional parts, such as lightweight structures and component integration. In this study, a porous shell structure is designed for the purpose of weight reduction and ventilation. Finite element (FE) analyses are performed to compare the effective stiffness of the porous structure with the conventional solid structure. Structural reinforcements are also considered in order to make up the stiffness reduction due to the porosity, and the relevant FE analyses are performed to investigate the effect of the reinforcement design on the bending stiffness. The optimized reinforced structure is then proposed through response surface analysis.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2008

Stiffness estimation of a shear building due to local damages is usually achieved though structural analysis based on the assumed material properties and idealized numerical modeling of structure. Conventional numerical modeling, however, frequently causes an inevitable error in the structural response and this makes it difficult to exactly predict the damage state in structure. To solve this problem, this paper introduces a damage detection technique for shear building using genetic algorithm. The introduced algorithm evaluates the damage in structure using a flexibility matrix since the flexibility matrix can exactly be obtained from the field test in spite of using a few lower dynamic modes of structure. The introduced algorithm is expected to be more effectively used in damage detection of structures rather than conventional method using the stiffness matrix. Moreover, even in cases when an accurate measurement of structural stiffness cannot be expected, the proposed technique makes it possible to estimate the absolute change in stiffness of the structure on the basis of genetic algorithm. The validity of the proposed technique is demonstrated though numerical analysis using OPENSEES.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.21-32
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• 2024

This study performed the seismic response analysis of an LNG storage tank supported by a disconnected piled raft foundation (DPRF) with a load transfer platform (LTP). For this purpose, a precise analytical model with simultaneous consideration of Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) and Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) was used. The effect of the LTP characteristics (thickness, stiffness) of the DPRF system on the seismic response of the superstructure (inner and outer tanks) and piles was analyzed. The analytical results were compared with the response of the piled raft foundation (PRF) system. The following conclusions can be drawn from the numerical results: (1) The DPRF system has a smaller bending moment and axial force at the head of the pile than the PRF system, even if the thickness and stiffness of the LTP change; (2) The DPRF system has a slight stiffness of the LTP and the superstructure member force can increase with increasing thickness. This is because as the stiffness of the LTP decreases and the thickness increases, the natural frequency of the LTP becomes closer to the natural frequency of the superstructure, which may affect the response of the superstructure. Therefore, when applying the DPRF system, it is recommended that the sensitivity analysis of the seismic response to the thickness and stiffness of the LTP must be performed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.950-956
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• 2013

This paper describes a sensitivity-coefficient-based iterative method for detecting cracks in a structure. The sensitivity coefficients of a cracked structure are obtained by changing its eigenvectors. The proposed method is applied to a cracked cantilever. The crack is modeled as a rotational stiffness. The predicted cracks are in good agreement with those from a structural reanalysis of the cracked structure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.523-528
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• 1997

Stiffness and flexibility equations are combined in the buckling analysis of a braced structure - stiffness for the original structure and flexibility for the bracing. Choosing a flexibility formulation for the bracing gives a very compact computational problem. It also gives theoretical insights into the behaviour of the braced structure.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.1049-1054
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• 2015

Nowadays, there are many researches involving structural actuators, which have adjustable stiffness; they are also called variable stiffness actuators (VSA). The VSAs can adjust the characteristics of actuators for various functions and human-machine safety. This paper describes the design and analysis of two types of VSAs. To adjust stiffness, the actuators are controlled by a principle of lever ratio mechanism, by changing a pivot position or a spring position in the structure with springs. To make the principle workable, the designs are simplified by using a ball screw system with a motor. Each structure shows different static properties with variable rates of stiffness. We have also shown the experimental verification of the dynamic performance of the two types of VSAs. This research can be applied to various industrial fields, where humans work in conjunction with robots.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.325-335
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• 2024

Yielding dampers exhibit varying cyclic behavior based on their geometry. These dampers not only increase the energy dissipation of the structure but also increase the strength and stiffness of the structure. In this study, parametric investigations were carried out to explore the impact of angled U-shape damper (AUSD) dimensions on its cyclic behavior. Initially, the numerical model was calibrated using the experimental specimen. Subsequently, analytical equations were presented to calculate the yield strength and elastic stiffness, which agreed with the experimental results. The outcomes of the parametric studies encompassed ultimate strength, effective stiffness, energy dissipation, and equivalent viscous damper ratio (EVDR). These output parameters were compared with similar dampers. Also, the magnitude of the effect of damper dimensions on the results was investigated. The results of parametric studies showed that the yield strength is independent of the damper width. The length and thickness of the damper have the greatest effect on the elastic stiffness. Reducing length and width resulted in increased energy dissipation, effective stiffness, and ultimate strength. Damper width had a more significant effect on EVDR than its length. On average, every 5 mm increase in damper thickness resulted in a 3.6 times increase in energy dissipation, 3 times the effective stiffness, and 3 times the ultimate strength of the model. Every 15 mm reduction in damper width and length increased energy dissipation by 14% and 24%, respectively.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.263-271
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• 2020

In this study, we performed a three-dimensional (3D) topology optimization of a fixed offshore structure to enhance its structural stiffness. The proposed topology optimization is based on the solid isotropic material with penalization (SIMP) method, where a volume constraint is applied to utilize an equivalent amount of material as that used for the rule-based scantling design. To investigate the effects of the main legs of the fixed offshore structure on its structural stiffness, the leg region is selectively considered in the design domain of the topology optimization problem. The obtained optimal designs and the rule-based scantling design of the structure are manufactured by 3D metal printing technology to experimentally validate the topology optimization. The behaviors under compressive loading of the obtained optimal designs are compared with those of the rule-based scantling design using a universal testing machine (UTM). Based on the structural experiments, we concluded that by employing the topology optimization method, the structural stiffness of the structure was enhanced compared to that of the rule-based scantling design for an equal amount of the fabrication material. Furthermore, by effectively combining the topology optimization and rule-based scantling methods, we succeeded in enhancing the structural stiffness and improving the breaking load of the fixed offshore structure.