• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.1015-1039
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• 2014

The widening project on Freeway No.1 in Taiwan has a total length of roughly 14 kilometers, and includes three special bridges, namely a 216 m long-span bridge crossing the original freeway, an F-bent double decked bridge in a co-constructed section, and a steel and prestressed concrete composite bridge. This study employed in-situ monitoring in conjunction with numerical modeling to establish a real-time monitoring system for the three bridges. In order to determine the initial static and dynamic behavior of the real bridges, forced vibration experiments, in-situ static load experiments, and dynamic load experiments were first carried out on the newly-constructed bridges before they went into use. Structural models of the bridges were then established using the finite element method, and in-situ vehicle load weight, arrangement, and speed were taken into consideration when performing comparisons employing data obtained from experimental measurements. The results showed consistency between the analytical simulations and experimental data. After determining a bridge's initial state, the proposed in-situ monitoring system, which is employed in conjunction with the established finite element model, can be utilized to assess the safety of a bridge's members, providing useful reference information to bridge management agencies.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.399-414
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• 1997

This paper presents an investigation into the seismic response characteristics of a proposed ligh-weight pedestrian cable-stayed bridge made entirely from Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics(GFRP). The study employs three dimensional finite element models to study and compare the dynamic characteristics and the seismic response of the GFRP bridge to a conventional Steel-Concrete (SC) cable-stayed bridge alternative. The two bridges were subjected to three synthetic earthquakes that differ in the frequency content characteristics. The performance of the GFRP bridge was compared to that of the SC bridge by normalizing the live load and the seismic internal forces with respect to the dead load internal forces. The normalized seismically induced internal forces were compared to the normalized live load internal forces for each design alternative. The study shows that the design alternatives have different dynamic characteristics. The light GFRP alternative has more flexible deck motion in the lateral direction than the heavier SC alternative. While the SC alternative has more vertical deck modes than the GFRP alternative, it has less lateral deck modes than the GFRP alternative in the studied frequency range. The GFRP towers are more flexible in the lateral direction than the SC towers. The GFRP bridge tower attracted less normalized base shear force than the SC bridge towers. However, earthquakes, with peak acceleration of only 0.1 g, and with a variety of frequency content could induce high enough seismic internal forces at the tower bases of the GFRP cable-stayed bridge to govern the structural design of such bridge. Careful seismic analysis, design, and detailing of the tower connections are required to achieve satisfactory seismic performance of GFRP long span bridges.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.257-289
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• 2015

Shear connectors are generally used to link the slab and girders together in slab-on-girder bridge structures. Damage of shear connectors in such structures will result in shear slippage between the slab and girders, which significantly reduces the load-carrying capacity of the bridge. Because shear connectors are buried inside the structure, routine visual inspection is not able to detect conditions of shear connectors. A few methods have been proposed in the literature to detect the condition of shear connectors based on vibration measurements. This paper proposes a different dynamic condition assessment approach to identify the damage of shear connectors in slab-on-girder bridge structures based on power spectral density transmissibility (PSDT). PSDT formulates the relationship between the auto-spectral densities of two responses in the frequency domain. It can be used to identify shear connector conditions with or without reference data of the undamaged structure (or the baseline). Measured impact force and acceleration responses from hammer tests are analyzed to obtain the frequency response functions at sensor locations by experimental modal analysis. PSDT from the slab response to the girder response is derived with the obtained frequency response functions. PSDT vectors in the undamaged and damaged states can be compared to identify the damage of shear connectors. When the baseline is not available, as in most practical cases, PSDT vectors from the measured response at a reference sensor to those of the slab and girder in the damaged state can be used to detect the damage of shear connectors. Numerical and experimental studies on a concrete slab supported by two steel girders are conducted to investigate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed approach. Identification results demonstrate that damages of shear connectors are identified accurately and efficiently with and without the baseline. The proposed method is also used to evaluate the conditions of shear connectors in a real composite bridge with in-field testing data.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.273-287
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• 2006

This study investigates the failure mechanism and load-carrying capacity of a single-shell lining which has no disturbance in transfer of shear force, with respect to a conventional double-shell lining which has separation between layers of shotcrete lining and secondary concrete lining by water-proof membrane. In order to evaluate the capacity, a 2-D numerical investigation is preliminarily carried out and then real-scale loading tests with tunnel lining section specimens are performed on the condition given by the numerical investigation. In the test, a concentrated load is applied for considering a released ground load or rock wedge load. Through this study, it appears that the single-shell lining takes the load-bearing capacity 20% higher than in case of the double-shell lining. In addition, a possibility of a composite single-shell shotcrete layer composed by multiple bonded layers partly involving different contents of high-capacity additives is shown thereby leading to use of less amount of the high-capacity additives on the condition of taking a similar load-bearing capacity.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.79-88
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• 2003

For the construction of PC bridge piers the implementation of 1992 seismic provisions, longitudinal steels were practically lap-spliced in the plastic hinge region. Experimental investigation was conducted ductility of evaluate the seismic earthquake-experienced reinforced concrete columns with 2,5 aspect ratio. Six test specimens were mode with test parameters: confinement ratios, lap splices, and retrofitting FRP materials. They were damaged under series of artificial earthquakes that could be compatible in Korean peninsula. Directly after the pseudo-dynamic test, damaged columns were retested under inelastic reversal cyclic loading simultaneously under a constant axial load, P＝0.1f$\_$ck/A$\_$g/. Residual seismic performance of damaged columns was evaluated and compared to that of the corresponding original columns. Test results show that PC bridge piers with lap-spliced longitudinal steels appeared to fail at low ductility. This was due to the debonding of the lap splice, which resulted from insufficient development of the longitudinal steels. The specimens externally wrapped with composite FRP straps in the potential plastic hinge region indicated significant improvement both in flexural strength and displacement ductility.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.535-542
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• 2006

In this study, the effects of cross beams on the lateral distribution of live loads in composite rolled H-beam girder bridges, were investigated through three-dimensional finite element analysis. The parameters considered in this study were the inertial moment ratio between the main girder and the cross beam, the presence of the cross beam, and the number of cross beams. The live load lateral distribution factors were investigated through finite element analysis and the customary grid method. The results show that there was no difference between the bridge models with and without a cross beam. The cross beam of the beam and frame types also showed almost the same live load lateral distribution factors. However, the finite element analysis showed that the concrete slab deck plays a major role in the lateral distribution of a live load, and consequently, the effect of the cross beam is not so insignificant that it can be neglected.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.47-52
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• 2016

Unusual extreme weather events, which exceed a safe design capacity of the infrastructure, increase the frequency of natural disasters and has also been enlarged damage scale. Aging buildings and rapid urban progress act as weighting factors for the new composite disasters. Technological advances support detecting pre-disaster risk, real-time data analysis, and rapid response to the disaster site, but it is insufficient that emergency relief for buried alive must take advantage of the proven technologies through field tests. This study aims to evaluate directional drilling performance through underground soils and the reinforced concrete structure for primary lifeline installation in order to quickly provide relief supplies for buried alive when urban structures collapse.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.559-576
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• 2014

A new mathematical model and its finite element formulation for the non-linear stress-strain analysis of a planar beam strengthened with plates bolted or adhesively bonded to its lateral sides is presented. The connection between the layers is considered to be flexible in both the longitudinal and the transversal direction. The following assumptions are also adopted in the model: for each layer (i.e., the beam and the side plates) the geometrically linear and materially non-linear Bernoulli's beam theory is assumed, all of the layers are made of different homogeneous non-linear materials, the debonding of the beam from the side-plates due to, for example, a local buckling of the side plate, is prevented. The suitability of the theory is verified by the comparison of the present numerical results with experimental and numerical results from literature. The mechanical response arising from the theoretical model and its numerical formulation has been found realistic and the numerical model has been proven to be reliable and computationally effective. Finally, the present formulation is employed in the analysis of the effects of two different realizations of strengthening of a characteristic simply supported flexural beam (plates on the sides of the beam versus the tension-face plates). The analysis reveals that side plates efficiently enhance the bearing capacity of the flexural beam and can, in some cases, outperform the tensile-face plates in a lower loss of ductility, especially, if the connection between the beam and the side plates is sufficiently stiff.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.195-204
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• 2017

The effects of plaster on the behavior of single-story single-bay masonry-infilled steel frames under in-plane base accelerations have been experimentally investigated by a shake-table. Tested structures were made in a 1/3 scale, with realistic material properties and construction methods. Steel frames with high and low flexural rigidity of beams and columns were considered. Each type of frame was tested with three variants of masonry: (i) non-plastered masonry; (ii) masonry infill with conventional plaster on both sides; and (iii) masonry infill with a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) net reinforced plaster on both sides. Masonry bricks were made of lightweight cellular concrete. Each frame was firstly successively exposed to horizontal base accelerations of an artificial accelerogram, and afterwards, to horizontal base accelerations of a real earthquake. Characteristic displacements, strains and cracks in the masonry were established for each applied excitation. It has been concluded that plaster strengthens the infill and prevents damages in it, which results in more favorable behavior and increased bearing capacity of plastered masonry-infilled frames compared to non-plastered masonry-infilled frames. The load-bearing contribution of the adopted PVC net in the plaster was not noticeable for the tested specimens, probably due to relative small cross section area of fibers in the net. Behavior of masonry-infilled steel frames significantly depends on frame stiffness. Strong frames have smaller displacements than weak frames, which reduces deformations and damages of an infill.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.62-71
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• 2015

KCI 2012 and ACI318-11 contains development length provisions for the use of headed deformed bars in tension and does not allow their tension lap splices. In ACI318-11, the confinement factor, such as transverse reinforcement factor, is not used to calculate the development length of headed bars. The purpose of this experimental study is to evaluate the effect of confinement details to the lap splice performance of headed deformed reinforcing bars in grade SD400 and SD500. The confinement details are stirrups and tie-down bars in lap zone. Test results showed that specimens with only stirrups had the brittle failure and could not increase lap strengths, and that specimens with composite confinements by stirrups and tie-down bars had the flexural strengths over than nominal flexural strengths. Stirrups with tie-down bars can have an effect on improvement in lap splice of headed bars in grade SD400 and SD500.