• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.4A
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• pp.417-429
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• 2008

This paper presents an experimental result to evaluate the redundancy in continuous span two plate-girder bridges which are generally classified as a non-redundant load path structure. The experiments were performed when one of the two girders is seriously cracked. To estimate the effects of bottom lateral bracing on the redundancy, the experiment variable was considered as the bottom lateral bracing, and two 1/5-scaled bridge specimens with and without lateral bracing system were fabricated. The ultimate loading tests were conducted on the damaged specimens with an induced crack at a girder in the side span. The test results showed that the load carrying capacity of damaged specimen with bracing was about 1.2 times higher than that without bracing. To evaluate the redundancy in each specimen, numerical analysis was performed to calibrate the difference of dead load between the actual bridge and the test specimens. When the dead load calibration is considered, the results showed that a continuous span two-girder bridges have a reasonable redundancy even without lateral bracing. Especially, the level of redundancy is increased by about 1.8 times when the lateral bracing is provided.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.197-211
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• 2020

Application of the steel ring as a type of seismic fuse has been one of the efforts made by researchers in recent years aiming to enhance the ductility of the bracing systems which in turn, possesses various advantages and disadvantages. Accordingly, to alleviate these disadvantages, an innovative bracing system with a diamond scheme equipped with a steel ring is introduced in this paper. In this system, the braces and yielding circular damper act in parallel whose main functionality is to increase ductility, energy absorption and mitigate drawbacks of the existing bracing systems, in which the braces and yielding circular damper act in parallel. To conduct the experimental tests, specimens with three types of rigid, semi-rigid and pinned connections were built and subjected to cyclic loading so that their performance could be analyzed. Promisingly, the results indicate both great applicability and efficiency of the proposed system in energy absorption and ductility. Moreover, it was concluded that as the braces and damper are in parallel, the use of a steel ring with smaller size and thickness would result in higher energy absorption and load-resisting capacity when compared to the other existing systems. Finally, to assess the potential of numerically modeling the proposed system, its finite element model was simulated by ABAQUS software and observed that there is a great agreement between the numerical and experimental results.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.5
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• pp.685-696
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• 2008

This paper deals with the numerical model of a bracing-friction damper system and its deployment using the optimal slip load distribution for the seismic retrofitting of a damaged building. The Slotted Bolted Connection (SBC) type friction damper system was tested to investigate its energy dissipation characteristic. Test results coincided with the numerical ones using the conventional model of a bracing-friction damper system. The placement of this device was numerically explored to apply it to the assumed damaged-building and to evaluate its efficiency. It was found by distributing the slip load that minimizes the given performance indicies based on structural response. Numerical results for the damaged building retrofitted with this slip load distribution showed that the seismic design of the bracing-friction damper system under consideration is effective for the structural response reduction.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.651-670
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• 2007

An experimental study to evaluate a redundancy capacity in simple span two plate-girder bridges, which are generally classified as a non-redundant load path structure, has been performed under the condition that one of the two girders is seriously damaged. The bottom lateral bracing was selected as an experimental parameter and two 1/5-scale bridge specimens with and without bottom lateral bracing have been prepared. The loading tests were first performed on the intact specimens without cracked girder within elastic range. Thereafter, the ultimate loading tests were conducted on the damaged specimens with an induced crack at the center of a girder. The test results showed that the cross beams and concrete deck redistributed partly the applied load to the uncracked girder, but the lateral bracing system played a significant role of the load redistribution when a girder was damaged. The redundancy was evaluated based on the test results and an appropriate redundancy level was evaluated when the lateral bracing was provided in a seriously damaged simple span two-girder steel bridge.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2013

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference of trunk muscles activity during abdominal hollowing and bracing contraction in various position. METHODS: This pilot test was carried out in a volunteer sample of normal adults(n=24) without a history of low back pain or injury. 24 subjects were randomly allocated to three groups(n=8) as a contraction method respectively. In hooklying position, trunk muscles activity of subjects was measured using EMG in various bridging position. RESULTS: Abdominal bracing contraction made to more great trunk deep and superficial muscles activity than hollowing contraction.(p<0.00) Especially, Multifidus activity was the biggest.(p<0.00) CONCLUSION: The result from this study showed that abdominal bracing contraction made to more balancing activity of trunk muscles than abdominal hollowing contraction. Thus, It will good for trunk muscles unbalanced LBP patient to improve lumbar stabilization.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.571-587
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• 2020

In this article the seismic demand and performance of two recent braced steel frames named steel moment frames with the elliptic bracing (ELBRFs) are assessed through a laboratory program and numerical analyses of FEM. Here, one of the specimens is without connecting bracket from the corner of the frame to the elliptic brace (ELBRF-E), while the other is with the connecting brackets (ELBRF-B). In both the elliptic braced moment resisting frames (ELBRFs), in addition to not having any opening space problem in the bracing systems when installed in the surrounding frames, they improve structure's behavior. The experimental test is run on ½ scale single-story single-bay ELBRF specimens under cyclic quasi-static loading and compared with X-bracing and SMRF systems in one story base model. This system is of appropriate stiffness and a high ductility, with an increased response modification factor. Moreover, its energy dissipation is high. In the ELBRF bracing systems, there exists a great interval between relative deformation at the yield point and maximum relative deformation after entering the plastic region. In other words, the distance from the first plastic hinge to the collapse of the structure is fairly large. The experimental outcomes here, are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.41-50
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• 2005

Steel -Concrete Composite two girder railway bridges applying high performance steel with extra thick plate have economic and aesthetic advantages due to the simplification of manufacturing and construction process. However, steel bridges are seldom adopted in domestic railway bridge, since steel bridges are not efficient as R.C bridges considering dynamic characteristics and noise, etc. While highway bridges do not have lower horizontal bracing and larger interval of diaphragm cross beam, railway bridges install lower horizontal bracings to control the torsion due to heavy eccentrical line load. Accurate finite element analysis were performed with the parameters of existence of bracing and bracing shape, with the cross beam interval and stiffness, etc. To find out the effects of secondary members such as horizontal bracings and diaphragms, static md dynamic analysis have been performed by using finite element method. In this study, few member plate-girder bridges are analyzed with variable span lengths to examine the dynamic behavior and limits of damping. And though lateral bracings are members against torsion, but lateral bracing's absence is no big problem. Time history analysis using mode superposition method makes proof of this result.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1205-1219
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• 2016

This paper presents a new type of pre-pressed spring self-centering energy dissipation (PS-SCED) bracing system that combines friction mechanisms between the inner and outer tube members to provide the energy dissipation with the pre-pressed combination disc springs installed on both ends of the brace to provide the self-centering capability. The mechanics and the equations governing the design and hysteretic responses of the bracing system are outlined, and a series of validation tests of components comprising the self-centering mechanism of combination disc springs, the friction energy dissipation mechanism, and a large scale PS-SCED bracing specimen were conducted due to the low cyclic reversed loadings. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed bracing system performs as predicted by the equations governing its mechanical behaviors, which exhibits a stable and repeatable flag-shaped hysteretic response with excellent self-centering capability and appreciable energy dissipation, and large ultimate bearing and deformation capacities. Results also show that almost no residual deformation occurs when the friction force is less than the initial pre-pressed force of disc springs.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1193-1203
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• 2016

This paper focuses on the analytical behavior of modular circular concrete-filled tubular (CFT) column with enhanced bracing details. To design a full-scale bridge pier of multiple circular concrete-filled tubes, numerical analysis was used to evaluate structural performance according to load directivity. In previous research (Ma et al. 2012, Shim et al. 2014), low cycle fatigue failure at bracing joints was observed, so enhanced bracing details to prevent premature failure are proposed in this analysis. The main purpose of this research is to investigate seismic performance for the diagonal direction load without premature failure at the joints when the structure reaches the ultimate load. The ABAQUS finite-element software is used to evaluate experimental performance. A quasi-static loading condition on a modular bridge pier is introduced to investigate structural performance. The results obtained from the analysis are evaluated by comparing with load-displacement responses from experiments. The concrete-filled tubes with enhanced bracing details showed higher energy dissipation capacity and proper performance without connection failure for a diagonal load.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.249-257
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• 1998

Vibration-resistant rubbers, whose elastic and shear behaviors are similar to viscoelastic materials, are used to make bracing dampers to reduce the building vibration. Experimental study is carried out to find the vibration characteristics of the dampers installed in the building model. The natural frequencies and modal damping ratios are obtained from the free vibration test and Fourier analysis. Shaking table test is performed to find the response behavior of the building model under earthquake loading. The present experimental study shows that the bracing dampers have the behavior of viscoelastic dampers, which increase the modal damping ratios and viscoelastic characteristics.