• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.761-778
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• 2015

The objective of this paper is to report the result of an experimental program conducted on the strengthening of nonductile RC frames by using external mesh reinforcement and plaster application. The main objective was to test an alternative strengthening technique for reinforced concrete buildings, which could be applied with minimum disturbance to the occupants. Generic specimen is two floors and one bay RC frame in 1/2 scales. The basic aim of tested strengthening techniques is to upgrade strength, ductility and stiffness of the member and/or the structural system. Six specimens, two of which were reference specimens and the remaining four of which had deficient steel detailing and poor concrete quality were strengthened and tested in an experimental program under cyclic loading. The parameters of the experimental study are mesh reinforcement ratio and plaster thickness of the infilled wall. The effects of the mesh reinforced plaster application for strengthening on behavior, strength, stiffness, failure mode and ductility of the specimens were investigated. Premature and unexpected failure mode has been observed at first and second specimens failed due to inadequate plaster thickness. Also third strengthened specimen failed due to inadequate lap splice of the external mesh reinforcement. The last modified specimen behaved satisfactorily with higher ultimate load carrying capacity. Externally reinforced infill wall composites improve seismic behavior by increasing lateral strength, lateral stiffness, and energy dissipation capacity of reinforced concrete buildings, and limit both structural and nonstructural damages caused by earthquakes.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.31-40
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• 2021

Injection grouting is one of the most common ground improvement practice to increase the strength and reduce the hydraulic conductivity of soils. Owing to the environmental concerns of conventional grout materials, such as cement-based or silicate-based materials, bio-inspired biogeotechnical approaches are considered to be new sustainable and environmentally friendly ground improvement methods. Biopolymers, which are excretory products from living organisms, have been shown to significantly reduce the hydraulic conductivity via pore-clogging and increase the strength of soils. To study the practical application of biopolymers for seepage and ground water control, in this study, we explored the injection capabilities of biopolymer-based grout materials in both linear aperture and particulate media (i.e., sand and glassbeads) considering different injection pressures, biopolymer concentrations, and flow channel geometries. The hydraulic conductivity control of a biopolymer-based grout material was evaluated after injection into sandy soil under confined boundary conditions. The results showed that the performance of xanthan gum injection was mainly affected by the injection pressure and pore geometry (e.g., porosity) inside the soil. Additionally, with an increase in the xanthan gum concentration, the injection efficiency diminished while the hydraulic conductivity reduction efficiency enhanced significantly. The results of this study provide the potential capabilities of injection grouting to be performed with biopolymer-based materials for field application.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.549-557
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• 2019

The use of shear studs usually placed in the form of mechanical shear connectors makes it possible to adopt composite steel-concrete structures in various structures, and steel-concrete plate composite (SCP) is being seriously considered for the installation of storage tanks exposed to harsh environments. However, manufacturing of SCP must be based on the application of existing design guidelines which require very close arrangement of shear studs. This means that the direct application of current design guidelines usually produces very conservative results and close arrangement of shear studs precludes pouring concrete within exterior steel faceplates. In this light, an improved guideline to determine the stud spacing should be introduced, and this paper proposes an improved ratio of the stud spacing to the thickness of steel plate on the basis of numerous parametric studies to evaluate the relative influence of the stud spacing on the stability of the SCP.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.71-79
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• 2020

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is recognized as a promising material in future civil engineering projects due to its outstanding mechanical and durability properties. However, the lack of local UHPC materials and official standards, especially for prestressed UHPC structures, has limited the application of UHPC. In this research, a large-scale prestressed bridge girder composed of nonproprietary UHPC is produced and investigated. This work has two objectives to develop the mixing procedure required to create UHPC in large batches and to study the flexural behavior of the prestressed girder. The results demonstrate that a sizeable batch of UHPC can be produced by using a conventional concrete mixing system at any precast factory. In addition, incorporating local aggregates and using conventional mixing systems enables regional widespread use. The flexural behavior of a girder made by this UHPC is investigated including flexural strength, cracking pattern and development, load-deflection curve, and strain and neutral axis behaviors through a comprehensive bending test. The experimental data is similar to the theoretical results from analytical methods based on several standards and recommendations of UHPC design.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.357-367
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• 2016

This paper illustrates an experimental study on a self compacting polymer concrete called isobeton made of polyurethane foam and expanded clay. Several experiments were conducted to characterize the physic-mechanical properties of the considered material. Application of the Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) and determining the toughness of two isobetons based on Belgian and Italian clay, was conducted to determine the stress intensity factor $K_{IC}$ and the rate of releasing energy $G_{IC}$. The material considered was tested under static and dynamic loadings for two different samples with $10{\times}10{\times}40$ and $10{\times}15{\times}40cm$ dimensions. The result obtained by the application of the Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) shows that is optimistic and fulfilled the physic-mechanical requirement of the study.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.273-283
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• 1999

Two physical experiments are performed to verify the effectiveness of beam-particle model for simulating the progressive failure of particulate composites such as sandstone and concrete. In the numerical model, the material is schematized at the meso-level as an assembly of discrete, interacting particles which are linked through a network of brittle breaking beams. The uniaxial compressive tests of cubic and parallelepipedal specimens made of carbon steel rod assembly which are glued together by a mixture are represented. The crack patterns and load-displacement response observed in the experiments are in good agreement with the numerical results. In the application respect of beam-particle model to the particulate composites, the influence of defects, particle arrangement and boundary conditions on crack propagation is approached, and the correlation existing between the cracking evolution and the level of loads imposed on the specimen is characterized by fractal dimensions.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.653-674
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• 2007

This paper discusses the application of piezoelectric sensors used for evaluation of damping ratio of PVC plastics. The development of the mathematical formulation based on the Empirical Mode Decomposition for calculating the damping coefficient and natural frequency of the system is presented. A systematic experimental and analytical investigation was also carried out to demonstrate the integrity of several methods commonly used to evaluate the damping of materials based on a single degree freedom formulation. The influence of the sensors' location was also investigated. Besides the commonly used methods, a newly emerging time-frequency method, namely the Empirical Mode decomposition, is also employed. Mathematical formulations based on the Hilbert-Huang formulation, and a frequency spacing technique were also developed for establishing the natural frequency and damping ratio based on the output voltage of a single piezoelectric sensor. An experimental investigation was also conducted and the results were compared and verified with Finite Element Analysis (FEA), revealing good agreement.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.03a
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• pp.579-586
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• 2006

The paper introduces the grid technology currently applied intensively to civil engineering around the world. Basic concepts of grid technology and its application areas are summarized. Some of available grid systems in foreign countries and also in Korea are introduced and their main goals and functions aye compared. Through reviewing the KOCED program currently under development in Korea, the future of the grid technology in civil engineering is groped.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.299-313
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• 2022

Steel-concrete-steel composite structures with bidirectional webs (SCSBWs) are used in large-scale projects and exhibit good mechanical performances and constructional efficiency. The shear behaviors of SCSBW deep beam members in key joints or in locations subjected to concentrated forces are of concern in design. To address this issue, experimental program is investigated to examine the deep-beam shear behaviors of SCSBWs, in which the cracking process and force transfer mechanism are revealed. Compared with the previously proposed truss model, it is found that a strut-and-tie model is more suitable for describing the shear mechanism of SCSBW deep beams with a short span and sparse transverse webs. According to the experimental analyses, a new model is proposed to predict the shear capacities of SCSBW deep beams. This model uses strut-and-tie concept and introduces web shear and dowel action to consider the coupled multi mechanisms. A stress decomposition method is used to distinguish the contributions of different shear-transferring paths. Based on case studies, a simplified model is further developed, and the explicit solution is derived for design efficiency. The proposed models are verified using experimental data, which are proven to have good accuracy and efficiency and to be suitable for practical application.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6176-6186
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• 2012

Many research and case study for BIM have mainly been focused on architecture domain. However, it is insufficient to civil engineering domain. Although BIM will be applied to civil engineering domain. because national BIM standard and delivery system of BIM is not ready, these demands are increasing. First of all, this paper analyzed the current status of the IFC international standards and BIM of civil engineering domain. Second of all, we established the roadmap for BIM development for civil engineering domain. And this paper studied on the BIM application of road construction for a step by step development of civil engineering. Finally, we conduct case study about road project by applying to construction information classification.