• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.141-155
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• 2014

The use of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites in strengthening reinforced concrete beam-column subassemblies has been scrutinised both experimentally and numerically in recent years. While a multitude of numerical models are available, and many match the experimental results reasonably well, there are not many studies that have looked at the efficiency of different finite elements in a comparative way in order to clearly identify the best practice when it comes to modelling FRP for strengthening. The present study aims at investigating this within the context of FRP retrofitted reinforced concrete beam-column subassemblies. Two programs are used side by side; ANSYS and VecTor2. Results of the finite element modeling using these two programs are compared with a recent experimental study. Different failure and yield criteria along with different element types are implemented and a useful technique, which can reduce the number of elements considerably, is successfully employed for modeling planar structures subjected to in-plane loading in ANSYS. Comparison of the results shows that there is good agreement between ANSYS and VecTor2 results in monotonic loading. However, unlike VecTor2 program, implicit version of ANSYS program is not able to properly model the cyclic behavior of the modeled subassemblies. The paper will be useful to those who wish to study FRP strengthening applications numerically as it provides an insight into the choice of the elements and the methods of modeling to achieve desired accuracy and numerical stability, a matter not so clearly explored in the past in any of the published literature.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.2 no.6
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• pp.455-479
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• 2005

This paper describes a 2D nonlinear finite element analysis (NLFEA) platform that combines heat flow analysis with realistic analysis of cracked reinforced concrete structures. The behavior models included in the structural analysis are mainly based on the Modified Compression Field Theory and the Distributed Stress Field Model. The heat flow analysis takes into account time-varying thermal loads and temperature-dependent material properties. The capability of 2D nonlinear transient thermal analysis is then implemented into a nonlinear finite element analysis program VecTor2(C) for 2D reinforced concrete membranes. Analyses of four numerical examples are performed using VecTor2, and results obtained indicate that the suggested nonlinear finite element analysis procedure is capable of modeling the complete response of a concrete structure to thermal and mechanical loads.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2001

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are widely used for various food fermentation. With the recent advances in modern biotechnology, a variety of bio-products with the high economic values have been produced using microorganisms. For molecular cloning and expression studies on the gene of interest, E. coli has been widely used mainly because vector systems are fully developed. Most plasmid vectors currently used for E, coli carry antibiotic-resistant markers. As it is generally believed that the antibiotic resistance markers are potentially transferred to other bacteria, application of the plasmid vectors carrying antibiotic resistance genes as selection markers should be avoided, especially for human consump-tion. By contrast, as LAB have some desirable traits such that the they are GRAS(generally recognized as safe), able to secrete gene products out of cell, and their low protease activities, they are regarded as an ideal organism for the genetic manipulation, including cloning and expression of homologous and heterologous genes. However, the vec-tor systems established for LAB are stil insufficient to over-produce gene products, stably, limiting the use of these organisms for industrial applications. For a past decade, the two popular plasmid vectors, pAM$\beta$1 of Streptococcus faecalis and pGK12 theB. subtilis-E. coli shuttle vector derived from pWV01 of Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris wg 2, were most widely used to construct efficient chimeric vectors to be stably maintained in many industrial strains of LAB. Currently, non-antibiotic markers such as nisin resistance($Nis^{r}$ ) are explored for selecting recombi-nant clone. In addition, a gene encoding S-layer protein, slp/A, on bacterial cell wall was successfully recombined with the proper LAB vectors LAB vectors for excretion of the heterologous gene product from LAB Many food-grade host vec-tor systems were successfully developed, which allowed stable integration of multiple plasmid copies in the vec-mosome of LAB. More recently, an integration vector system based on the site-specific integration apparatus of temperate lactococcal bacteriophage, containing the integrase gene(int) and phage attachment site(attP), was pub-lished. In conclusion, when various vector system, which are maintain stably and expressed strongly in LAB, are developed, lost of such food products as enzymes, pharmaceuticals, bioactive food ingredients for human consump-tion would be produced at a full scale in LAB.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.835-838
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• 2008

This study presents the nonlinear finite element analysis to predict the behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams shear-strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymer laminates (FRP). In this paper, modeling concept for the FRP is introduced to enable the use of finite element methods for the shear analysis of RC beams shear-strengthened with FRP composites. The numerical techniques are used to represent the FRP composite, bond properties between the FRP and the concrete, and the RC beams. According to the proposed modeling methods, a finite element analysis is performed using a two-dimensional nonlinear finite element analysis program, VecTor2, based on the Disturbed Stress Field Model (DSFM). To verify the application of the DSFM for the prediction of the behavior of the shear-critical beams strengthened with FRP composites in shear, a detailed comparison between experimental and numerical results for the response of the RC beams is carried out.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.281-295
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• 2018

This study aims to investigate the capacity of different models to reproduce the nonlinear behavior of reinforced concrete framed structures. To accomplish this goal, a combined experimental and analytical research program was carried out on a large scaled reinforced concrete frame. Analyses were performed by SAP2000 and compared to experimental and VecTor2 results. Models made in SAP2000 differ in the simulation of the plasticity and the type of the frame elements used to discretize the frame structure. The results obtained allow a better understanding of the characteristics of all numerical models, helping the users to choose the best approach to perform nonlinear analysis.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.77-97
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• 2008

In this paper, a strut-and-tie model approach has been proposed to directly calculate the amount of reinforcements in deep beams, and the force transfer mechanisms for this approach were investigated using linear finite element analysis. The proposed strut-and-tie model provides quite similar force transfer mechanisms to the results of linear finite element analysis for the 28 deep beams. The load-carrying capacities calculated from the proposed method are both accurate and conservative with little scatter or trends for the 214 deep beams. The deep beams have different concrete strengths including high-strength, various combinations of web reinforcements, and wide range of and a/d ratios. Good accuracy was also obtained using VecTor2, nonlinear finite element analysis tool based on the Modified Compression Field Theory. Since the proposed method provides a safe and reliable means for design of deep beams, this can serve to improve design provisions in future adjustments and development of design guidelines.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.523-537
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• 2017

This study aims to investigate the capacity of different models to reproduce the nonlinear behavior of reinforced concrete framed structures. To accomplish this goal, a combined experimental and analytical research program was carried out on a large scaled reinforced concrete frame. Analyses were performed by SAP2000 and compared to experimental and VecTor2 results. Models made in SAP2000 differ in the simulation of the plasticity and the type of the frame elements used to discretize the frame structure. The results obtained allow a better understanding of the characteristics of all numerical models, helping the users to choose the best approach to perform nonlinear analysis.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.559-566
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• 2012

In this study, fiber elements and a spring are used to build a reinforced concrete shear wall model. The fiber elements and the spring reflect flexural and shear behaviors of the shear wall, respectively. The fiber elements are built by inputting section data and material properties. The spring parameters representing strength and stiffness degradation, pinching, and slip were determined by comparing behaviors of fiber element and VecTor2 results. 'Pinching4' model in OpenSees is used for shear spring. The parameter selecting process for shear spring is a complicated and time consuming process. To study the applicability of the fiber element, reinforced concrete buildings containing a shear wall are evaluated using nonlinear dynamic analysis with various wall aspect ratio (H/L), various beam heights, and stiffness and flexural strength of beam and wall ratios. The aspect ratio of the wall showed distinct difference in IDR (interstory drift ratio) of the models with and without spring. On the other hand, the height of beam and ratio of stiffness and flexural strength of beam and wall did not show clear relation.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.287-309
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• 2015

FormWorks-Plus is a generalized public domain user-friendly preprocessor developed to facilitate the process of creating finite element models for structural analysis programs. The lack of a graphical user interface in most academic analysis programs forces users to input the structural model information into the standard text files, which is a time-consuming and error-prone process. FormWorks-Plus enables engineers to conveniently set up the finite element model in a graphical environment, eliminating the problems associated with conventional input text files and improving the user's perception of the application. In this paper, a brief overview of the FormWorks-Plus structure is presented, followed by a detailed explanation of the main features of the program. In addition, demonstration is made of the application of FormWorks-Plus in combination with VecTor programs, advanced nonlinear analysis tools for reinforced concrete structures. Finally, aspects relating to the modelling and analysis of three case studies are discussed: a reinforced concrete beam-column joint, a steel-concrete composite shear wall, and a SFRC shear panel. The unique mixed-type frame-membrane modelling procedure implemented in FormWorks-Plus can address the limitations associated with most frame type analyses.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.145-152
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• 2021

KAERI has planned to carry out a series of dynamic tests using a shaking table and time-history analyses for a channel-type concrete shear wall to investigate its seismic performance because of the recently frequent occurrence of earthquakes in the south-eastern parts of Korea. The overall size of a test specimen is b×l×h =2500 mm×3500 mm×4500 mm, and it consists of three stories having slabs and walls with thicknesses of 140 mm and 150 mm, respectively. The system identification, FE model updating, and time-history analysis results for a test shear wall are presented herein. By applying the advanced system identification, so-called pLSCF, the improved modal parameters are extracted in the lower modes. Using three FE in-house packages, such as FEMtools, Ruaumoko, and VecTor4, the eigenanalyses are made for an initial FE model, resulting in consistency in eigenvalues. However, they exhibit relatively stiffer behavior, as much as 30 to 50% compared with those extracted from the test in the 1st and 2nd modes. The FE model updating is carried out to consider the 6-dofs spring stiffnesses at the wall base as major parameters by adopting a Bayesian type automatic updating algorithm to minimize the residuals in modal parameters. The updating results indicate that the highest sensitivity is apparent in the vertical translational springs at few locations ranging from 300 to 500% in variation. However, their changes seem to have no physical meaning because of the numerical values. Finally, using the updated FE model, the time-history responses are predicted by Ruaumoko at each floor where accelerometers are located. The accelerograms between test and analysis show an acceptable match in terms of maximum and minimum values. However, the magnitudes and patterns of floor response spectra seem somewhat different because of the slightly different input accelerograms and damping ratios involved.