• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.4A
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• pp.315-327
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• 2009

In this study, the static test of CFT truss girders for different f/L ratios was conducted to determine how the ultimate strength of the CFT truss girder was affected by different f/L ratios. A total of two CFT truss girders were constructed and tested under bending condition. The length of all specimens is 20,000 mm. The CFT truss girder is a tubular truss composed of chord members made of concrete-filled circular tubes. The main parameter analyzed in the experimental study was the f/L ratio. This factor was experimentally investigated to assess their influence on ultimate strength and stiffness. The test results show that CFT truss girder has good elastic-plastic property and ductility. The presence of the f/L ratios in CFT truss girders alters its ultimate strength because of the global stiffness of the CFT truss girders. The ultimate strength of CFT truss girders increases as the f/L ratio increases. If the f/L ratio of the CFT truss girders increases twofold, the ultimate strengths increase by 80%. The CFT truss girders showed that they retained large deformation capacity, even after reaching the ultimate strength. Results of this investigation demonstrated the potential for efficiently using a CFT truss as a bridge girder.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.208-217
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• 2020

A biopolymer based on microorganism-derived β-glucan and xanthan gum is being studied as a new eco-friendly material that stabilizes the riverbank slope, and also promotes vegetation growth. However, it is still inconclusive whether biopolymers have a positive effect on plant performance in the riverbanks which are subjected to various climatic factors and plant competitions. For a practical ecological evaluation of the biopolymers, their effect on plant growth promotion was studied in a natural environment. Considering the relationship between competition and plant community formation, the effects of biopolymers on competition were also investigated. For four plant species (Echinochloa crus-galli, Pennisetum alopecuroides, Leonurus japonicus, and Coreopsis lanceolata), the biopolymer effects under intra/interspecific competition were tested at the riverbank (20 m × 10 m) near Samjigyo Bridge in Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do. A biopolymer powder was mixed with water and commercial soil following the manufacturer's recommendations. The soil mixed with the biopolymer was filled in a pot or applied to the surface of the commercial soil with a thickness of 3 cm. Across the competition treatments, the biopolymer treatment promoted root growth of the target plant species and decreased the specific leaf area. The total biomass and shoot dry weight of P. alopecuroides increased in response to the biopolymer treatment. The competition treatment decreased the total biomass and shoot dry weight compared to the case without competition. Notably, such a competitive effect was similar in all the biopolymer treatments. Thus, biopolymers, when mixed with soil, promote the growth of some plant species, but do not appear to affect the competitive ability of plants.