• Wind and Structures
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2020

This paper presents a method of estimation of fatigue demands on connection bolts of tubular steel wind turbine towers. The presented method relies on numerical simulation of aerodynamic loads and structural behavior of bolted connections modeled using finite element method. Variability of wind parameters is represented by a set of values derived from their probability densities, which are adjusted based on field measurements. Numerically generated stress time-series show agreement with the measurements from strain gauges inside bolts, in terms of power spectra and the resulting damage. Position of each bolt has a determining effect on its fatigue damage. The proposed framework for fatigue life estimation represents the complexities in loading and local behavior of the structure. On the other hand, the developed procedure is computationally efficient since it requires a limited number of simulations for statistically representing the wind variations.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.99-111
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• 2018

Wind induced large bending oscillation amplitudes in tall and slender telecommunication steel towers may lead to precocious fatigue cracks and consequent risk of collapse of these structures, many of them installed in rural areas alongside highways and in highly populated urban areas. Varying stress amplitudes at hot spots may be attenuated by means of passive control mechanical devices installed in the tower. This paper gives an account of both mathematical-numerical model and the technique applied to design and evaluate the performance of a double controller installed in existing towers which is composed by a nonlinear pendulum and a novel type of passive controller described herein as a planar motion disk mounted on shear springs. Results of experimental measurements carried out on two slender tubular steel towers under wind action demonstrate the efficiency of the double controllers in attenuating the towers bending oscillation amplitudes and consequent stress amplitudes extending the towers fatigue life.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.19-26
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• 2024

In this study, the compressive behavior of a 1/12.5 scale model of a wind tower support structure connection was experimentally analyzed. A high-performance cementitious grout with a compressive strength of 140 MPa was used to fill the connection, and experiments were conducted with shear key spacing, the shape, and connection length as variables. When the number of shear keys in the connection is the same, the smaller the spacing of the shear keys than the length of the connection, the higher the shear strength, and for the same spacing and connection length, the higher the height of the shear keys, the higher the strength. In addition, it was found that the strength showed a linear behaviour until the connection slip reached 1.0 mm, and it reached the maximum strength at 7.0 mm connection slip showing a non-linear behaviour as the load increased. It was found that the failure mode changed from interfacial shear failure to grout failure as the strength increased according to the shape and spacing of the shear key, and brittle failure did not occur due to steel fibers.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.33-47
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• 2017

This mixed-use Raffles City (RCH) development is located near the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, located southwest of Shanghai, China. The project incorporates retail, offices, housing, and hotel facilities and marks the site of a cultural landscape within the Quianjiang New Town Area. The project is composed of two 250-meter-tall twisting towers with a form of vibrant waves, along with a commercial podium and three stories of basement car parking. It reaches a height of 60 stories, presenting views both to and from the Qiantang River and West Lake areas, with a total floor area of almost 400,000 square meters. A composite moment frame plus concrete core structural system was adopted for the tower structures. Concrete filled steel tubular (CFT) columns together with steel reinforced concrete (SRC) beams form the outer moment frame of the towers' structure. The internal slabs and floor beams are of reinforced concrete. This paper presents the engineering design and construction of this highly complex project. Through comprehensive discussion and careful elaboration, some conclusions are reached, which serve as a reference guide for the design and construction of similar free-form, hybrid, mix-use buildings.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.11 no.1 s.38
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• pp.43-54
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• 1999

The divergence connection between steel circular tubes is widely used in such structures as factory facilities, steel circular hollow section truss, and off-shore tower. Steel circular hollow section (SCHS) have close section, and it makes their per-unit production expense higher than open sectioned products like L-shape, H-shape steels, but the sectional resistance of SCHS against vertical compression and torsion is very high. Despite the structural merits of SCHS, however, many engineers dislike to use them in their design because of uncertainty regarding the stress distribution and deformation behavior at their connections. Therefore, this thesis dealt with X-type connections, the most common forms of connection, and studied their load-deformation relationship. It observed how to show the load-deformation relationship at steel circular tube connections according to the diameter-thickness ratio (D/T) of the chord and diameter of branch-diameter of chord ratio (d/D) and suggested prediction yield load using by ring analysis method.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.51-61
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• 2018

Foundation of tower structures such as wind turbine, pylon, and chimney have to resist considerably large overturning moment due to long distance from foundations to load point and large horizontal load. Pile foundations subjected to uplift force are needed to economically support such structure even in the case of rock layer. Therefore, this research performed the laboratory model tests with the variables, W/C ratio and sand proportion, to evaluate the effect of the mix proportion of grouting material on shaft resistance. In the case of cement paste, maximum and residual shaft resistance were distributed in uniform range irrespective of the changes of W/C ratio. However in the case of mortar, they were decreased with increasing W/C ratio, while they were increased and then decreased with increasing sand proportion. In the case of no sand, the maximum shaft resistance was about 540~560kPa regardless of the W/C ratio. When the sand proportion was 40%, it was about 770~870kPa depending on W/C ratio, which was about 40~50% higher than that without sand. The optimum proportion found in this research was around 40% of sand proportion and 80~100% of W/C ratio.