• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.173-190
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• 2011

As a practical and effective seismic resisting technology, the base isolation system has seen extensive applications in buildings and bridges. However, a few problems associated with conventional lead-rubber bearings have been identified after historical strong earthquakes, e.g., excessive permanent deformations of bearings and potential unseating of bridge decks. Recently the applications of shape memory alloys (SMA) have received growing interest in the area of seismic response mitigation. As a result, a variety of SMA-based base isolators have been developed. These novel isolators often lead to minimal permanent deformations due to the self-centering feature of SMA materials. However, a rational design approach is still missing because of the fact that conventional design method cannot be directly applied to these novel devices. In light of this limitation, a displacement-based design approach for highway bridges with SMA isolators is proposed in this paper. Nonlinear response spectra, derived from typical hysteretic models for SMA, are employed in the design procedure. SMA isolators and bridge piers are designed according to the prescribed performance objectives. A prototype reinforced concrete (RC) highway bridge is designed using the proposed design approach. Nonlinear dynamic analyses for different seismic intensity levels are carried out using a computer program called "OpenSees". The efficacy of the displacement-based design approach is validated by numerical simulations. Results indicate that a properly designed RC highway bridge with novel SMA isolators may achieve minor damage and minimal residual deformations under frequent and rare earthquakes. Nonlinear static analysis is also carried out to investigate the failure mechanism and the self-centering ability of the designed highway bridge.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.45-58
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• 1997

This paper describes a series of shaking table and pseudodynamic tests for evaluation of seismic performance of base-isolated structures subjected to various seismic earthquake inputs. The main objectives of this study are : (1) evaluation of the effectiveness of base-isolation systems for low-rise structures against severe seismic loads through shaking table tests, (2) verification of the substructuring pseudodynamic test method for the base-isolated structures in comparison with the shaking table test results. In the shaking table test, a quarter scaled three-story structure base-isolated by laminated rubber bearings is tested. In the pseudodynamic test, only the laminated rubber bearing s are tested using the substructuring technique, while the concurrent seismic responses of the superstructure are computed using on-line numerical integration. Comparison with the shaking table test results indicates that the substructuring pseudodynamic test method is very effective for determining the dynamic responses of the base-isolated structure.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.119-130
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• 2017

This paper presents a numerical investigation on the seismic behavior of isolated bridges with supplemental viscous damping. Usually very large displacements make seismic isolation an unfeasible solution due to boundary conditions, especially in case of existing bridges or high risk seismic regions. First, a suggested optimal design procedure is introduced, then seismic performance of three real bridges with different isolation systems and damping levels is investigated. Each bridge is studied in four different configurations: simply supported (SSB), isolated with 10% damping (IB), isolated with 30% damping (LRB) and isolated with optimal supplemental damping ratio (IDB). Two of the case studies are investigated under spectrum compatible far-field ground motions, while the third one is subjected to near-fault strong motions. With respect to different design strategies proposed by other authors, results of the analysis demonstrated that an isolated bridge equipped with HDLRBs and a total equivalent damping ratio of 70% represents a very effective design solution. Thanks to confirmed effective performance in terms of base shear mitigation and displacement reduction under both far field and near fault ground motions, as well as for both simply supported and continuous bridges, the suggested control system provides robustness and reliability in terms of seismic performance also resulting cost effective.

• International journal of steel structures
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1741-1753
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• 2018

Metallic dampers are sacrificial devices (fuses) that dissipate significant energy during earthquakes while protecting other parts of structures from possible damage. In addition to numerous implementation opportunities of other base isolation systems, U-shaped dampers (UD) are one of the widely investigated and used devices in practice especially in Japan. The present study focuses on enhancing seismic performance of these types of dampers by changing their geometric properties. UDs with perforated (i.e. with holes) and/or nonparallel arms are developed for this purpose. For a better comparison, the criterion of equal material volume (or mass) has been utilized. Three dimensional finite element models of the new type of UDs are formed and investigated numerically under selected displacement histories. Based on the obtained hysteretic curves; dissipated energy intensities, effective stiffness ratios, reaction forces, effective damping ratios are evaluated in this parametric study. It is found that both damper types have merits in use of seismic applications and that the selection of the damper configuration is dependent on the design specific issues.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.463-472
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• 1994

A method of stochastic response analysis of base-isolated fluid-filled pool structures subject to random ground excitations is studied. Fluid-structure interaction effects between the flexible walls and contained fluid are taken into account in the form of added mass matrix derived by FEM modeling of the contained fluid motion. The stationary ground excitation is represented by Modified Clough-Penzien spectral model and the nonstationary one is obtained by imposing an envelope function on the stationary one. The stationary and nonstationary response statistics of the two different isolation systems are obtained by solving the governing Lyapunov covariance matrix differential equations.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.51-69
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• 2016

Monitoring the performance and estimating the remaining useful life of aging civil infrastructure in the United States has been identified as a major objective in the civil engineering community. Structural health monitoring has emerged as a central tool to fulfill this objective. This paper presents a review of the major structural monitoring programs that have been recently implemented in the United States, focusing on the integrity and performance assessment of large-scale structural systems. Applications where response data from a monitoring program have been used to detect and correct structural deficiencies are highlighted. These applications include (but are not limited to): i) Post-earthquake damage assessment of buildings and bridges; ii) Monitoring of cables vibration in cable-stayed bridges; iii) Evaluation of the effectiveness of technologies for retrofit and seismic protection, such as base isolation systems; and iv) Structural damage assessment of bridges after impact loads resulting from ship collisions. These and many other applications show that a structural health monitoring program is a powerful tool for structural damage and condition assessment, that can be used as part of a comprehensive decision-making process about possible actions that can be undertaken in a large-scale civil infrastructure system after potentially damaging events.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.91 no.5
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• pp.469-486
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• 2024

Electric transformers are major components of electrical systems, and damage to them caused by earthquakes can result in significant financial loss. The current study modeled a three-dimensional (3D) isolated electrical transformer under horizontal and vertical records from different earthquakes. Instead of using fixed coefficients, an improved wavelet method has been used to create the greatest compatibility between the response spectra and the target spectrum. This method has primarily been used for dynamic analysis of isolated structures with spring-damper devices because it has shown greater accuracy in predicting the response of such structures. The effect of the nonlinear soil-structure interaction on the probability of transformer failure also has been investigated. Soil and structure interaction modeling was carried out using a beam on a nonlinear Winkler foundation. The effect of the nonlinear soil-structure interaction during dynamic analysis of transformers revealed that the greatest increase in the probability of transformer failure was in the fixed-base condition when the structure was located on soft soil. This intensified the response of the structure and increased the probability of transformer failure by up to 27% for far-field and up to 95% for near-field ground motions. A comparison of the results indicates that the use of 3D isolation systems in transformers in areas with soft clay that are subject to near-field ground motions can strongly reduce the probability of failure and improve the seismic performance of the transformer.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2005.03a
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• pp.469-476
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• 2005

To date, many viable smart base isolation systems have been proposed. In this study, a novel friction pendulum system (FPS) and an MR damper are employed as the isolator and supplemental damping device, respectively. A fuzzy logic controller (FLC) is used to modulate the MR damper. A genetic algorithm (GA) is used for optimization of the FLC. The main purpose of employing a GA is to determine appropriate fuzzy control rules as well to adjust parameters of the membership functions. To this end, a GA with a local improvement mechanism is applied. Neuro-fuzzy models are used to represent dynamic behavior of the MR damper and FPS. Effectiveness of the proposed method for optimal design of the FLC is judged based on computed responses to several historical earthquakes. It has been shown that the proposed method can find appropriate fuzzy rules and the GA-optimized FLC outperforms not only a passive control strategy but also a human-designed FLC and a conventional semi-active control algorithm.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.213-219
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• 2021

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a commercialized friction material in friction pendulum systems used for earthquake hazard mitigation in structures, and it has excellent chemical resistance and frictional performance. However, PTFE has a relatively low wear resistance for the friction pendulum systems in service. As an alternative to PTFE, a cost-effective frictional material, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) strengthened by magnesium oxide (MgO), with enhanced wear resistance performance is proposed in this study. The frictional performance of the developed PVDF/MgO was evaluated through experiments and compared with that of PTFE. Accordingly, a friction pendulum system was designed using the measured friction coefficient. The performance of this friction pendulum system was evaluated via nonlinear time history analyses of bridges. Subsequently, the plausibility of using PVDF/MgO as an alternative to PTFE as a friction material for friction pendulum systems was discussed.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.411-418
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• 1992

Recently, onset of bacterial disease, especially infiltration of chronic respiratory diseases have been increasing at high rate. The main cause of these diseases are originated from inappropriate sanitary management and slow progress in introducing system and herd free system, which are the base of productivity improvement in bigger pig management, Methods for the prevention and removal of these diseases, are divided into four categories. The first category includes prevention and removal of infectious diseases by organizing strict animal quarantine, enforcing vaccination, and legal regulation and disposal at the time of outbreak. The second category includes improvement of production systems. This purpose can be achieved by discontinuing the open herd system, which brings on the invasion of foreign pathogens and replacing the system by the closed type of farm. To Continue eradication process step-wisely by performing the all-in all-out system at every pig pen or herd level is also effective for this purpose. The third category includes introduction of herd free system can be achieved by repopulating conventional pigs with SPF pigs. If these means are unrealizable from economic or technical viewpoint, medicated early weaning system is perfomed. This system consists of disinfection of pigsty at pre-postpartum stage, application of drugs to pregnant sows and newborn piglets in accordance with the medication program, and early weaning and rearing of newborn piglets in isolation. The fourth category is sanital leading by veterinarians, aimed to eliminating incentives for diseases through diagnoses. Their main activities include periodical monitoring and improvement leading on each responsible subject.