• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.25-34
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• 2008

A finite element analysis was performed for new earth retention system with prestressed wales. A 3D finite element model was adopted in this study to investigate the behavior of the earth retention system with prestressed wales. A procedure of the 3D finite element modeling of this earth retention system was presented. The procedure included the modeling of soil, wall, strut, and members of prestressed wale system which consists of wale, support leg, and steel wires, and the interface modeling of soil-wall and wall-wale. The numerical predictions of lateral wall deflection, and axial load on the members of prestressed wale systems and struts were evaluated in comparison with the measurements obtained from field instruments. A sensitivity analysis was performed using the proposed 3D finite element model to investigate the behavior of new earth retention system on a wide range of prestress load conditions of steel wires. The lateral deflection of the wall and wale, the bending moment of the wale, and the lateral earth pressure distribution on the wall were computed. Implications of the results from this study were discussed.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.4C
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• pp.247-253
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• 2008

This paper investigates the mechanical characteristics of waste tire powder-added lightweight soil in which dredged soils, waste tire powder and bottom ash were reused. In this study, 5 groups of soil samples were prepared with varing contents of waste tire powder ranged from 0% to 100% at 25% intervals by the dredged soil weight. The mixed soil samples were subjected to unconfined compression and elastic wave tests to investigate their unconfined compressive strengths and dynamic properties. Test results showed that the unconfined compressive strength and unit weight decreased as the waste tire powder contents increased, but axial strain at failure increased. Also stress-strain relationship of waste tire powder-added lightweight soil showed a ductile behavior rather than a brittle behavior. The result of elastic wave tests indicated that the higher waste tire powder content, the lower elastic wave velocity and the lower shear modulus (G).

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.3C
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• pp.159-166
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• 2008

The stress-strain behavior of soils can usually be regarded as non-linear, while it is also known that the soil exhibits the linear-elastic behavior at pre-failure state (very small strain range, $<10^{-3}%$). This study aims to analyze the variation of anisotropic elastic shear moduli of granular soils in various stress conditions. The stress probe experiments with the triaxial testing device equipped with local strain gages and multi-directional bender elements were conducted. When the stress ratio exceeds the range between -0.5 and 1.5, the elastic shear stiffness in the axial direction deviates from the empirical correlation with current stresses, which indicates that the yielding of soils alters the internal pathway through which the elastic shear wave propagates. The experimental results show that the variation of elastic shear moduli in the horizontal direction closely relates to the volume change of soils.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.4A
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• pp.267-279
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• 2009

A numerical model that can simulate the nonlinear behavior of ultra high strength fiber reinforced concrete (UHSFRC) structures subjected to monotonic loading is introduced. The material properties of UHSFRC, such as compressive and tensile strength or elastic modulus, are different from normal strength reinforced concrete. The uniaxial compressive stress-strain relationship of UHSFRC is designed on the basis of experimental result, and the equivalent uniaxial stress-strain relationship is introduced for proper estimation of UHSFRC structures. The steel is uniformly distributed over the concrete matrix with particular orientation angle. In advance, this paper introduces a numerical model that can simulate the tension-stiffening behavior of tension part of the axial member on the basis of the bond-slip relationship. The reaction of steel fiber is considered for the numerical model after cracks of the concrete matrix with steel fibers are formed. Finally, the introduced numerical model is validated by comparison with test results for idealized UHSFRC beams.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.2A
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• pp.339-349
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to investigate the seismic behavior of circular reinforced concrete bridge piers with confinement steel and to provide the data for developing improved seismic design criteria. Fourteen circular reinforced concrete bridge piers were tested under a constant axial load and a cyclically reversed horizontal load. The accuracy and objectivity of the assessment process may be enhanced by the use of sophisticated nonlinear finite element analysis program. A computer program, named RCAHEST (Reinforced Concrete Analysis in Higher Evaluation System Technology), for the analysis of reinforced concrete structures was used. In the companion paper, the proposed numerical method for the seismic performance assessment of circular reinforced concrete bridge piers with confinement steel is verified by comparison with experimental results.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.39 no.11
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• pp.33-40
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• 2023

This study explores the performance of pile foundations in highly expansive soil, incorporating magnesium oxide-based refractory materials. A controlled model chamber, housing a fixed pile, was utilized to induce ground expansion through fused magnesia (FM). The investigation focused on measuring the vertical displacement of FM-sand mixtures and the axial load on the pile in relation to depth and time. The study varied the amount of FM content (FM_c) at 30%, 50%, and 70%. The upward movement exhibited an augmentation with increasing FM_c, tapering off with depth as accumulation progressed toward the mixture surface. Compression and tensile forces were both evident along the pile for FM_c at 30% and 50%, while only a tensile force was observed at an FM_c of 70%. These results offer valuable insights for the analysis of pile behavior within FM-sand mixtures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.107-122
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• 2024

Following an internal column failure, adjacent double-span beams above the failed column will play a critical role in the load transfer and internal force redistribution within the remaining structure, and the span-to-depth ratios of double-span beams significantly influence the structural resistance capacity against progressive collapse. Most existing studies have focused on the collapse-resistant performances of single-story symmetric structures, whereas limited published works are available on the collapse resistances of multi-story steel frames with unequal spans. To this end, in this study, numerical models based on shell elements were employed to investigate the structural behavior of multi-story steel frames with unequal spans. The simulation models were validated using the previous experimental results obtained for single- and two-story steel frames, and the load-displacement responses and internal force development of unequal-span three-story steel frames under three cases were comprehensively analyzed. In addition, the specific contributions of the different mechanism resistances of unequal-span, double-span beams of each story were separated quantitatively using the energy equilibrium theory, with an aim to gain a deeper level of understanding of the load-resistance mechanisms in the unequal-span steel frames. The results showed that the axial and flexural mechanism resistances were determined by the span ratio and linear stiffness ratio of double-span beams, respectively.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2024

This study analyzes the thermal effects on the performance of an air foil thrust bearing (AFTB) using COMSOL Multiphysics to approximate actual bearing behavior under real conditions. An AFTB is a sliding-thrust bearing that uses air as a lubricant to support the axial load. The AFTB consists of top and bump foils and supports the rotating disk through the hydrodynamic pressure generated by the wedge effect from the inclined surface of the top foil and the elastic deformation of the bump foils, similar to a spring. The use of air as a lubricant has some advantages such as low friction loss and less heat generation, enabling air bearings to be widely used in high-speed rotating systems. However, even in AFTB, the effects of energy loss due to viscosity at high speeds, interface frictional heat, and thermal deformation of the foil caused by temperature increase cannot be ignored. Foil deformation derived from the thermal effect influences the minimum decay in film thickness and enhances the film pressure. For these reasons, performance analyses of isothermal AFTBs have shown few discrepancies with real bearing behavior. To account for this phenomenon, a thermal-fluid-structure analysis is conducted to describe the combined mechanics. Results show that the load capacity under the thermal effect is slightly higher than that obtained from isothermal analysis. In addition, the push and pull effects on the top foil and bump foil-free edges can be simulated. The differences between the isothermal and thermal behaviors are discussed.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.511-525
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• 2024

Micropiled raft has been used to support the existing and new structures or to provide the seismic reinforcement of foundation systems. Recently, research on micropile or micropiled raft has been actively conducted as the usage of micropile has increased, and the reinforcement effect of pile for the raft, the pile installation methods, and methods for calculating the bearing capacity of micropiled raft have been proposed. In addition, existing research results show that the behavior of this foundation system is different depending on the pile conditions and can be greatly influenced by the characteristics of the upper or lower ground depending on the conditions of pile. In other words, considering that the micropile is a friction pile, it can be predicted that the reinforcing effect of micropile for the raft and the bearing capacity of micropiled raft may depend on the cohesion of upper soil layer depending on the pile conditions. However, existing studies have limitations in that they were conducted without taking this into account. However, existing studies have limitations as they have been conducted without considering these characteristics. Accordingly, this study investigated the reinforcing effect of micropile and the bearing characteristics of micropiled raft by varying the cohesion of upper soil layer and the stiffness of pile which affect the behavior of micropiled raft. In this results, the reinforcing effect of micropile on the raft also increased as the cohesion of soil layer increased, but the reinforcing effect of pile was more effective in ground conditions with decreased the cohesion. In addition, the relationship between the axial stiffness of micropile and the bearing capacity of micropiled raft was found to be a logarithmic linear relationship. It was found that the reinforcing effect of micropile can increase the bearing capacity of raft by 1.33~ 3.72 times depending on the cohesion of soil layer and the rigidity of pile.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2024

The design of disturbed regions in reinforced concrete structures usually applies the well known Strut and Tie Method (STM). As an alternative, the Stringer-Panel Method (SPM), an intermediate model between STM and the Finite Element Method (FEM), consists in dividing a structure into two distinct elements: the stringers (which carry axial forces) and panels (which carry shear forces). SPM has already showed good applicability in manual calculations and computer implementations, and its most known application was SPanCAD, an AutoCAD plugin for linear and nonlinear analysis by SPM. Unfortunately, SPanCAD was discontinued by the developers, and it's not compatible with the most recent versions of AutoCAD. So, this paper aims to present a computer program that was developed as an upgrade to the latter: the Stringer Panel Modelling Tool (SPMTool), which is intended to be an auxiliary design tool and it presents improvements, in comparison to SPanCAD. It is possible to execute linear and nonlinear analysis by three distinct formulations: Modified Compression Field Theory (MCFT), Disturbed Stress Field Model (DSFM) and Softened Membrane Model (SMM). The nonlinear results were compared to experimental data of reinforced concrete elements that were not designed by SPM; these elements were also analyzed in SPanCAD. On overall, SPMTool made more realistic predictions to the behavior of the analyzed structures than SPanCAD. Except for DSFM predictions for corbels (1.24), in overall average, the ultimate load predictions were conservative (0.85 to 0.98), which is a good aspect for a design tool. On the other hand, the cracking load predictions presented overestimations (1.06 to 1.47) and higher variations (25.59% to 34.25%) and the post-cracking behavior could not be accurately predicted; for this use case, a more robust finite element software is recommended.