• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.691-704
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• 2019

This study simulates the responses of large-scale bridge piers under pseudo-dynamic tests to investigate the performance of four types of numerical models that consider the nonlinear behavior of the pier and the rocking behavior of the footing. In the models, beam-column elements with plastic hinges are used for the pier, two types of foundation models (rotational spring and distributed spring models) are adopted for the footing behavior, and two types of viscous damping models (Rayleigh and dashpot models) are applied for energy dissipation. Results show that the nonlinear pier model combined with the distributed spring-dashpot foundation model can reasonably capture the behavior of the piers in the tests. Although the commonly used rotational spring foundation model adopts a nonlinear moment-rotation property that reflects the effect of footing uplift, it cannot suitably simulate the hysteretic moment-rotation response of the footing in the dynamic analysis once the footing uplifts. In addition, the piers are susceptible to cracking damage under strong seismic loading and the induced plastic response can provide contribution to earthquake energy dissipation.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.81 no.1
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• pp.59-68
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• 2022

Prestressed prefabricated hollow core concrete slabs with spans of 5 m and 10 m are commonly used since last century and still in service due to the advantage of construction convenience and durability. However, the end slabs are regularly subjected to cracks at the top and fail with brittleness due to the asymmetric boundary conditions. To better maintain such widely used type of hollow core slabs, the effect of asymmetric constraint in the end slabs are systematically studied through detailed nonlinear finite element analyses and experimental data. Experimental tests of slabs with four prestressed tendons and seven prestressed tendons with different boundary conditions were conducted. Results observe three failure modes of the slabs: the bending failure mode, shear and torsion failure mode, and transverse failure mode. Detailed nonlinear finite element models are developed to well match the failure modes and to reveal potential damage scenarios with asymmetric boundary conditions. Recommendations regarding ultimate capacity of the slabs with asymmetric boundary conditions are made to ensure a safe and rational design of prestressed concrete hollow slabs for short span bridges.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.149-171
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• 2024

Drive-by monitoring (also known as indirect monitoring or mobile sensing) of bridges has obvious advantages when compared to other approaches of Structural Health Monitoring. The underlying concept involves leveraging the coupling between the vertical vibrations of the bridge and those generated in the passing vehicle. In this scenario, the vehicle serves as both the initiator and recipient of the vibrations, which can provide information on the structural condition of the bridge. In the literature, a wide range of methods has been proposed, primarily focused on highway bridges. However, limited research has been published to assess the suitability of indirect methods for monitoring railway bridges, bounded to numerical studies based on theoretical simulations and, rarely, on experimental investigations. The aim of this work is to contribute to filling this gap and explore the feasibility of implementing drive-by monitoring for railway bridges using in-service vehicles and discuss its potential applicability, from theoretical and practical point of view, with illustration through real case studies from the Moroccan railway network.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.101-108
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• 2012

The orthotropic steel deck bridge made by using relatively thin steel plate, and structural members such as transverse and longitudinal ribs, cross beam, etc. in the bridge are fabricated with complex shape by welding. Therefore, the possibility occurring deformation and defects by welding is very high, and stress states in the welded connection parts are very complex. Also, the fatigue cracks in orthotropic steel deck bridge are happening fromthe welded connection parts of secondary member than main member. However, stress evaluation for main members is mainly carried out in the design process of the bridge, detailed stress evaluation and characteristic analysis is not almost reviewed in the structural details which fatigue crack occurred. For the orthotropic steel deck bridge with open ribs which has been serviced for 29 years, in this study, the cause of fatigue crack is investigated and the fatigue safety of the bridge is examined based on fieldmeasurement by the loading test and real traffic condition. Also, structural analyses using gridmodel and detailed analysis model were carried out for the welded connection parts of longitudinal rib and diaphramthat fatigue crack occurred. Additionally, the behavior characteristics due to running vehicles were investigated by using influence area analysis for these structural details, and the occurrence causes of fatigue crack in the target bridge were clarified.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.18 no.6 s.96
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• pp.749-757
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• 2006

Many losses of life and extensive damage of social infrastructures have occurred due to moderate and strong earthquakes all over the world. In this research various design parameters have been evaluated to develop a rational seismic design code of rectangular reinforced concrete(RC) bridge piers. It was confirmed from this study that the axial force ratio and longitudinal steel ratio were most influencing design parameters on the seismic displacement ductility from experimental results of 54 rectangular RC bridge piers, which were tested at domestic and foregin countries. However, these important parameters are not considered in the confinement steel ratio of Korea Highway Bridge Design Specification(KHBDS). The objective of this study is to propose a rational design provision for the transverse reinforcement of rectangular RC bridge piers. New confinement steel ratio is proposed by reflecting the effect of the axial force and longitudinal steel into the current code of KHBDS. furthermore, minimum transverse confinement steel ratio is also proposed to avoid a probable buckling of longitudinal reinforcing steels of RC bridge piers with a relatively low axial force. New practical code can alleviate the rebar congestion in the plastic hinge region of RC bridge pier, which contributes to construct RC bridge piers in a simple and economic way.

• Journal of The Korean Society For Urban Railway
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.383-392
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• 2018

This study investigated the change of additional axial stress of rail and reaction force at bridge bearings due to the track-bridge interaction when laying CWR on non-ballasted railway bridges including truss bridges with relatively long span. According to the results of the present study, additional axial stresses of rail and reaction forces at bridge bearings showed a large increase when CWR is installed on the non-ballasted railway bridge. The additional axial stress of rail can be acceptable if sufficient lateral resistance can be obtained. However, if the reaction force increases, there is a risk of damage of the bearing or pier, and therefore, it is necessary to take measures to mitigate the reaction force. It is found that additional axial stress of rail decreases when considering the frictional resistance of the bridge movable support, but its effect on the bearing reaction force is very small. On the other hand, when the longitudinal track restraint decreases, both additional axial stress of rail and bearing reaction force are reduced to a large extent. Also, when the ZLR fastening devices are applied to the region where the additional axial stress of rail is highest, bearing reaction force as well as additional axial stress of rail greatly decreased. Therefore, the application of ZLR fastening devices with the reduction of the longitudinal track restraints is very effective for installing CWR on non-ballasted railway bridges.

• Journal of The Korean Society For Urban Railway
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.327-337
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• 2018

Since the track of the ballastless steel plate girder bridge is connected to a main girder without a deck and a ballast, the impact generated by train passage is transferred directly to bridge main members, and it can cause frequent damage of the bridge as well as higher noise and vibration level. Applying the CWR (Continuously Welded Rail) technology can reduce this structural problems, and, to this end, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of factors influencing vehicle-track or track-bridge interaction. In this paper, experimental study results are presented for examining the longitudinal resistance characteristics of the track, including a rail fastener, a sleeper fastener, and a track skeleton, installed on a ballastless steel plate girder bridge. The experiment is conducted using a disposed bridge from service, which is transported to a laboratory. The experimental results show that the rail fastener satisfies the performance criteria of the longitudinal resistance presented in KRS TR 0014-15, and the longitudinal resistance of old and new type sleeper fasteners is higher than the values provided in the existing research. Also, the unloaded longitudinal resistance of the ballastless track is between the ballast and the concrete tracks.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.251-258
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• 2024

This study investigated the effect of bearing aging on the seismic response of a three-span continuous concrete girder bridge with pot bearings installed. The pot bearings were modeled as elastic springs in the longitudinal, transverse, and vertical directions of the bridge to reflect the stiffness of fixed and movable supports. The effect of bearing aging on the seismic response of the bridge was examined by considering two factors: a decrease in the horizontal stiffness of the fixed bearings and an increase in the horizontal stiffness of the movable bearings. The finite element model of the three-span continuous girder bridge was validated by comparing its numerical natural frequencies with the designed natural frequencies. Using artificial ground motions that conform to the design response spectrum specified by the KDS bridge seismic design code, the seismic responses of the bridge's girders and bearings were calculated, considering the bearing stiffness variation due to aging. The results of a numerical analysis revealed that a decrease in the horizontal stiffness of the fixed bearings led to an increase in the absolute maximum relative displacement of the bearings during an earthquake. This increases the risk of the mortar block that supports the bearing cracking and the anchor bolt breaking. However, an increase in the horizontal stiffness of the movable bearings due to aging decreased the absolute maximum shear on the fixed bearings. Despite the shear reduction in the fixed bearings, the aging of the pot bearings change could cause additional tensile bending stress in the girder section above the free bearings, which could lead to unexpected structural damage to the continuous bridge during an earthquake.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.127-136
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• 2002

This papers presents a practical damage detection algorithm based on damage index method that accurately assesses both the location and severity of the localized detriment in a bridge structure using only limited mode shapes. In the algorithm, the ratio of the modal vector sensitivity of an undamaged structure to that of a damaged structure is used as an indicator of damage. However, a difficulty arises when the damaged element is located at a node of mode where the amplitude of medal vector is close to zero, leading the singularity of the ratio (i.e., division-by-zero). This singularity problem is overcome by introducing a parameter denoted a sensitivity filter, a function of mode shape of the structure, in modal vector sensitivity. Using this concept, an improvement can be considerably achieved in the estimation of both degree of severity and location of damage. To verify the proposed algorithm, its numerical implementations are conducted for a simply supported beam and a 2-span continuous beam.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.19-28
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• 2017

In this paper, detailed safety inspection reports on the 915 expressway bridges which had been published from 1996 to 2010 are collected and condition of these bridges are analyzed. Damages are categorized into 'damage by defect', 'damage by physical force', and 'damage by deterioration' and the concept of damage possession rate is introduced to investigate the occurrence time and the characteristics of damages. Based on the top 10 damage patterns of expressway bridges and the deterioration characteristics of heavy snow and freezing cold area, reasonable improvement direction of inspection activity is suggested. From this study, it is known that improvement of inspection regularization during construction or at completion stage of bridges is needed. Since the deterioration progress of the heavy snow and freezing cold area is faster than that of general area, environmental characteristics should be considered in inspection activity. The results of present study can be widely used for improvement of inspection activity of expressway bridges.