• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2022

Despite recent breakthroughs in deep learning and computer vision fields, the pixel-wise identification of tiny objects in high-resolution images with complex disturbances remains challenging. This study proposes a modified U-net for tiny crack segmentation in real-world steel-box-girder bridges. The modified U-net adopts the common U-net framework and a novel Self-Attention-Self-Adaption (SASA) neuron as the fundamental computing element. The Self-Attention module applies softmax and gate operations to obtain the attention vector. It enables the neuron to focus on the most significant receptive fields when processing large-scale feature maps. The Self-Adaption module consists of a multiplayer perceptron subnet and achieves deeper feature extraction inside a single neuron. For data augmentation, a grid-based crack random elastic deformation (CRED) algorithm is designed to enrich the diversities and irregular shapes of distributed cracks. Grid-based uniform control nodes are first set on both input images and binary labels, random offsets are then employed on these control nodes, and bilinear interpolation is performed for the rest pixels. The proposed SASA neuron and CRED algorithm are simultaneously deployed to train the modified U-net. 200 raw images with a high resolution of 4928 × 3264 are collected, 160 for training and the rest 40 for the test. 512 × 512 patches are generated from the original images by a sliding window with an overlap of 256 as inputs. Results show that the average IoU between the recognized and ground-truth cracks reaches 0.409, which is 29.8% higher than the regular U-net. A five-fold cross-validation study is performed to verify that the proposed method is robust to different training and test images. Ablation experiments further demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed SASA neuron and CRED algorithm. Promotions of the average IoU individually utilizing the SASA and CRED module add up to the final promotion of the full model, indicating that the SASA and CRED modules contribute to the different stages of model and data in the training process.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.5 no.5 s.21
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• pp.183-192
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• 2004

Even in Korea the number of steel structure buildings that allow internal space and easy change of their layouts in accordance with the purpose of buildings and box-type steel bridges constructed with thick plates with thickness in a rage just from a few $\beta$AE to \$100\beta$AE is increasing these days and therefore, domestic fabrication and processing technology of members for steel structures is being improved at a pace faster than in the past to meet the growing requirements of consumers for high reliability on quality control on the related steel structures. However, most domestic fabricators os steel structures who are turning out their steel products in accordance with the designs prepared by engineering companies in their respective works for the sake of cost cut more than anything else, hesitating to introduce any advanced new technology into themselves. In the case of the steel structure design application for small and mid-size buildings in particular, it is quite meaningful not only for those who are involved in steel structure business, but also for the people working at construction work fields to review the result of the study on the connections of steel structure members deigned to obtain superb quality of steel structures within short period for steel fabrication and erection at fields in economical ways, as there is a glowing tendency seeking standardization of connection of steel structure members as well as whole structure together with the development on design of construction system of buildings including their exterior and interior decoration materials, manufacture of the related members and fabrication technique structure. This paper has been prepared with the aim to review the peculiar characteristics of buildings constructed with the main frames of steel structures and actual cases of the change made ing the connections between steel structure columns and between columns and girder members in order to reduce the work period necessary for fabrication and erection of steel structures at the maximum as well as the some examples of steel structures fabricated through automatic welding by robots for box-type columns in addition to the description of the problems found in the course of fabricating those steel structures, suggesting possible counter-measures to solve them.