• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.67-84
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• 2002

Traffic decks of steel or composite motorway bridges sometimes provide the opportunity of using the composite action between an existing steel deck and a reinforced concrete plate (RC plate) in the process of rehabilitation, i.e., to increase the load-carrying capacity of the deck for concentrated traffic loads. The steel decks may be orthotropic decks or also unstiffened steel plates, which during the rehabilitation are connected with the RC plate by shear studs, such developing an improved local load distribution by the joint behaviour of the two plate elements. Investigations carried out, both experimentally and numerically, were performed in order to quantitatively assess the combined static behaviour and to qualitatively verify the usability of the structure for dynamic loading. The paper reports on the testing, the numerical simulation as well as the comparison of the results. Conclusions drawn for practical design indicated that the static behaviour of these structures may be very efficient and can also be analysed numerically. Further, the results gave evidence of a highly robust behaviour under fatigue equivalent cyclic traffic loading.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.431-445
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• 2016

Seismic behavior of new composite structural system with a fabricated floor was studied. A two-bay and three-story structural model with the scale ratio of 1/4 was consequently designed. Based on the proposed model, multiple factors including energy dissipation capacity, stiffness degradation and deformation performance were analyzed through equivalent single degree of freedom pseudo-dynamic test with different earthquake levels. The results show that, structural integrity as well as the effective transmission of the horizontal force can be ensured by additional X bracing at the bottom of the rigidity of the floor without concrete topping. It is proved that the cast-in-place floor in areas with high seismic intensity can be replaced by the prefabricated floor without pouring surface layer. The results provide a reliable theoretical basis for the seismic design of the similar structural systems in engineering application.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.6 no.1 s.17
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• pp.32-37
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• 2002

Natural gas became one of the major sources of energy in Korea. As the consumption of natural gas increase, the more capacity of the LNG storage tanks Is required. Recently, Korea Gas Corp.(KOGAS) has developed the technology nt' designing the LNG storage tanks. In this study, some of the finite element analysis has been made for designing of the roof structure of LNG storage tanks. The load case and safety code used In this study were followed by BS7777.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Structure & Construction
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.11-20
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate the seismic performance of exposed column-base plate strong-axis connections for small-sized steel buildings. Even though the seismic design for small-sized buildings became mandatory since Dec.2017, the arbitrary connection details in steel structure have been applied at the construction site, which is considered to be very insufficient to secure structural safety and stability considering the increased seismic risk. Therefore, a series of experimental test programs had been carried out to develop enhanced connection details in order to ensue the adequate seismic safety of small buildings. The hysteretic behavior of the exposed column-base plate connections commonly used in Korea seem to be very pure poor due to the "Rocking" phenomena between anchor plate and concrete by the residual plastic deformation of anchor bolts. A series of hysteretic tests were conducted to find the solution to overcome the "Rocking" phenomena of the exposed column-base plate connections, finally the stable seismic behavior was obtained by uisng at least 8 anchor bolts with good bonding strength to the protptype specimen.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.83 no.6
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• pp.811-824
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• 2022

Despite its disadvantages, soft story can reduce the damage to the upper floors by concentrating drift in that specific story provided that large drifts are avoided. Gapped-Inclined Brace (GIB) with reduced P-delta effects and the control of soft story stiffness makes it possible to take advantage of the soft story in buildings and increase their capacity for energy dissipation. OpenSees software is used in this study to validate and modify the GIB model's shortcomings. Also, the analysis method for this element is changed for design. The modified element is evaluated in 3D analysis. Finally, to retrofit an existing building, this element is used. Based on the Iranian seismic code, a six-story reinforced concrete building is modelled and studied with 3D analysis. In this building, the construction shortcomings and elimination of infills on the ground floor cause the formation of a soft story. Results of nonlinear static analysis, nonlinear dynamic, and incremental dynamic analysis using both components of seismic acceleration applied to the structure at different angles and the fragility curves indicate the improvement of the retrofitted structure's performance using the modified element to reach the required performance level following the retrofit code.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.82 no.5
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• pp.557-569
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• 2022

The retrofit of existing structures in high seismic zones is a crucial issue in the earthquake engineering field. The interest of the research community is particularly high for the structures that do not respect current seismic codes and present structural deficiencies such as poor detailing and lack of capacity design provisions. A reinforced concrete (RC) school building is used as case study to show the influence of different knowledge levels on the seismic retrofitting cost assessment. The safety assessment of the case study building highlights deficiencies under both vertical and seismic loads. By considering all the possible knowledge levels defined by the Italian such as by the European codes in order to derive the mechanical properties of the school building constitutive materials, the retrofit operations are designed to achieve different seismic safety thresholds. The retrofit structural costs are calculated and summed up to the costs for in-situ in tests. The paper shows how for the case study building the major costs spent for a large number of in-situ tests allows to save a consistent amount of money for retrofit operations. The hypothesis of demolition and reconstruction of the building is also compared in terms of costs with all the analyzed retrofit options.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.201-219
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• 2022

This paper firstly proposed high performance composite columns for cold-region infrastructures using ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) and ultra-high strength steel (UHSS) Q960E. Then, 24 square UHPC-filled UHSS tubes (UHSTCs) at low temperatures of -80, -60, -30, and 30℃ were performed under axial loads. The key influencing parameters on axial compression performance of UHSS were studied, i.e., temperature level and UHSS-tube wall thickness (t). In addition, mechanical properties of Q960E at low temperatures were also studied. Test results revealed low temperatures improved the yield/ultimate strength of Q960E. Axial compression tests on UHSTCs revealed that the dropping environmental temperature increased the compression strength and stiffness, but compromised the ductility of UHSTCs; increasing t significantly increased the strength, stiffness, and ductility of UHSTCs. This study developed numerical and theoretical models to reproduce axial compression performances of UHSTCs at low temperatures. Validations against 24 tests proved that both two methods provided reasonable simulations on axial compression performance of UHSTCs. Finally, simplified theoretical models (STMs) and modified prediction equations in AISC 360, ACI 318, and Eurocode 4 were developed to estimate the axial load capacity of UHSTCs at low temperatures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.82 no.3
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• pp.313-323
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• 2022

Steel laminated elastomeric bearings are commonly used in bridge structures to control displacements and rotations and transfer forces from the superstructure to the substructure. Proper knowledge of design, fabrication and erection procedures is important to ensure stability and adequate structural performance during the lifetime of the bridge. Difference in elevations sometimes leads to large size gaps between the bearing and the girder which makes the grout thickness that is commonly used for leveling deviate beyond standards. This paper investigates the structural response of High Strength Fiber Reinforced Cementitious (HSFRC) thin plinths that are used to close gaps between bearing pads and precast girders. An experimental program was developed for this purpose where HSFRC plinths of different size were cast and tested under vertical loads that simulate bridge loading in service. The structural performance of the plinths was closely monitored during testing, mainly crack propagation, vertical reaction and displacement. Analytically, the HSFRC plinth was analyzed using the beam on elastic foundation theory as the supporting elastomeric bearing pads are highly compressible. Closed form solutions were derived for induced displacement and forces and comparisons were made between analytical and experimental results. Finally, recommendations were made to facilitate the practical use of HSFRC plinths in bridge construction based on its enhanced load carrying capacity in shear and flexure.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.217-230
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• 2023

Methods for designing the post-tensioned anchorage zones at ultimate limit state has been specified in current design codes based on strut-and-tie models (STM). However, it is still not clear how to estimate the serviceability behavior of the anchorage zones. The serviceability is just indirectly taken into account by means of the reasonable reinforcement detailing. To address this issue, this paper is devoted to developing a modified strut-and-tie model (MSTM) to predict the behavior of concentric anchorage zones throughout the loading process. The principle of stationary complementary energy is introduced into STM at each load step to satisfy the compatibility condition and generate the unique MSTM. The structural behavior of anchorage zones can be achieved based on MSTM from loading to failure. Simplified formulas have been proposed to estimate the first cracking load, bearing capacity and maximum crack width with the consideration of the details of reinforcement bursting bars. The proposed model provides a definite method to control the bursting crack width in concentric anchorage zones. Four specimens with different bearing plate ratios have been designed and tested to validate the proposed method.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.1385-1397
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• 2024

Bentonite is a recommended material for the multiple barriers in the final disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) to prevent groundwater intrusion and nuclear species migration. However, after drying-wetting cycling during the repository construction stage and ion exchange with the concrete barrier in the long-term repository, the bentonite mechanical behaviors, including swelling capacity and hydraulic conductivity, would be further influenced by the groundwater intrusion, resulting in radioactive leakage. To comprehensively examine the factors on the mechanical characteristics of bentonite, this study presented scenarios involving MX-80 and KV-1 bentonites subjected to drying-wetting cycling and accelerated ion migration. The experiments subsequently measured free swelling, swelling pressure, and hydraulic conductivity of bentonites with intrusions of seawater, high pH, and low pH solutions. The results indicated that the solutions caused a reduction in swelling volume and pressure, and an increase in hydraulic conductivity. Specifically, the swelling capability of bentonite with drying-wetting cycling in the seawater decreased significantly by 60%, while hydraulic conductivity increased by more than three times. Therefore, the study suggested minimizing drying-wetting cycling and preventing seawater intrusion, ensuring a long service life of the multiple barriers in the LLW repository.