• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.1-13
• /
• 2012

In this study, a new structural bracing system named 'Hat Knee Bracing' (HKB) is presented. In this structural system, a special form of diagonal braces, which is connected to the knee elements instead of beam-column joints, is investigated. The diagonal elements provide lateral stiffness during moderate earthquakes. However the knee elements, which is a fuse-like component, is designed to have one plastic joint in the knee elements for dissipation of the energy caused by strong earthquake. First, a suitable shape for brace and knee elements is proposed through elastic studying of the system and several practical parameters are established. Afterward, by developing applicable and highly accurate models in Drain-2DX, the inelastic behavior of the system is carefully considered. In addition, with inelastic study of the new bracing system and comparison with the prevalent Knee Bracing Frame system (KBF model) in nonlinear static and dynamic analysis, the seismic behavior of the new bracing system is reasonably evaluated.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.917-937
• /
• 2015

During a seismic event, a considerable amount of energy is input into a structure. The law of energy conservation imposes the restriction that energy must either be absorbed or dissipated by the structure. Recent earthquakes have shown that the use of concentric bracing system with their low ductility and low energy dissipation capacity, causes permanent damage to structures during intense earthquakes. Hence, engineers are looking at bracing system with higher ductility, such as chevron and eccentric braces. However, braced frame would not be easily repaired if serious damage has occured during a strong earthquake. In order to solve this problem, a new bracing system an off-centre bracing system with higher ductility and higher energy dissipation capacity, is considered. In this paper, some numerical studies have been performed using ANSYS software on a frame with off-centre bracing system with optimum eccentricity and circular element created, called OBS_C_O model. In addition, other steel frame with diagonal bracing system and the same circular element is created, called DBS_C model. Furthermore, linear and nonlinear behavior of these steel frames are compared in order to introduce a new way of optimum performance for these dissipating elements. The obtained results revealed that using a ductile element or circular dissipater for increasing the ductility of off-centre bracing system and centric bracing system is useful. Finally, higher ductility and more energy dissipation led to more appropriate behavior in the OBS_C_O model compared to DBS_C model.

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

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.109-119
• /
• 2018

In this paper a systematic numerical analysis is performed to obtain the energy dissipation and re-centering capacities of diagonal steel braced frames subjected to cyclic loading. This diagonal steel bracing systems are fabricated with super-elastic SMA (Shape Memory Alloy) braces in order to develop a recentering seismic resistance system without residual deformation. The three-dimensional nonlinear finite element models are constructed to investigate the horizontal stiffness, drifts and failure modes of the re-centering bracing systems.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.59 no.6
• /
• pp.1121-1137
• /
• 2016

A large number of structure in the world were build with poor seismic details, with or without any lateral load resisting system like concentrically braced frames and steel plate shear walls. These structures can reveal deteriorating hysteretic behaviors with stiffness and strength degradation. Therefore, seismic retrofitting of such structures for drift control has vital importance. In this study a retrofit methodology has been developed, which involves diagonal bracing of steel frames with different cable arrangements. In the experimental and numerical program 5 different lateral load resisting system were tested and results compared with each other. The results indicated that multi-cable arrangements suggested in this study showed stable ductile behavior without any sudden decrease in strength. Due to the usage of more than one diagonal cable, fracture of any cable did not significantly affect the overall strength and deformation capacity of the system. In cable braced systems damages concentrated in the boundary zones of the cables and beams. That is why boundary zone must have enough stiffness and strength to resist tension field action of cables.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.53-61
• /
• 2019

This study performs reliability analysis of three-dimensional temporary shoring structures with three different models. The first model represents a field model which does not have diagonal bracing members. The installation of bracing members is often neglected in the field for convenience. The second model corresponds to a design model which has the bracing members with the hinge connection of horizontal and bracing members at joints. The third model is similar to the second model but the hinge connection is replaced with partial rotational stiffness. The reliability analysis results revealed that the vertical members of the three models are safe enough in terms of axial force, but the vertical and horizontal members exhibit a big difference among the three models in terms of combination stress of axial force and bi-axial bending moments. The field model showed significant increase in failure probability for the horizontal member, and thus the results demonstrate that the bracing member should be installed necessarily for the safety of the temporary shoring structures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.82 no.1
• /
• pp.107-120
• /
• 2022

The bracing members capable of active control against seismic loads to reduce earthquake damage have been widely utilized in construction projects. Effectively reducing the structural damage caused by earthquake events, bracing systems equipped with retrofitting damper devices, which take advantage of the energy dissipation and impact absorption, have been widely used in practical construction sites. Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are a new generation of smart materials with the capability of recovering their predefined shape after experiencing a large strain. This is mainly due to the shape memory effects and the superelasticity of SMA. These properties make SMA an excellent alternative to be used in passive, semi-active, and active control systems in civil engineering applications. In this research, a new system in diagonal braces with slit damper combined with SMA is investigated. The diagonal element under the effect of tensile and compressive force turns to shear force in the slit damper and creates tension in the SMA. Therefore, by creating shear forces in the damper, it leads to yield and increases the energy absorption capacity of the system. The purpose of using SMA, in addition to increasing the stiffness and strength of the system, is to create reversibility for the system. According to the results, the highest capacity is related to the case where the ratio of the width of the middle section to the width of the end section (b₁/b) is 1.0 and the ratio of the height of the middle part to the total height of the damper (h₁/h) is 0.1. This is mainly because in this case, the damper section has the highest cross-section. In contrast, the lowest capacity is related to the case where b₁/b=0.1 and the ratio h₁/h=0.8.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.47 no.6
• /
• pp.881-898
• /
• 2013

This paper describes analytical investigation into a new dual function system including a couple of shear links which are connected in series using chevron bracing capable to correlate its performance with magnitude of earthquakes. In this proposed system, called Chevron Knee-Vertical Link Beam braced system (CK-VLB), the inherent hysteretic damping of vertical link beam placed above chevron bracing is exclusively utilized to dissipate the energy of moderate earthquakes through web plastic shear distortion while the rest of the structural elements are in elastic range. Under strong earthquakes, plastic deformation of VLB will be halted via restraining it by Stopper Device (SD) and further imposed displacement subsequently causes yielding of the knee elements located at the bottom of chevron bracing to significantly increase the energy dissipation capacity level. In this paper first by studying the knee yielding mode, a suitable shape and angle for diagonal-knee bracing is proposed. Then finite elements models are developed. Monotonic and cyclic analyses have been conducted to compare dissipation capacities on three individual models of passive systems (CK-VLB, knee braced system and SPS system) by General-purpose finite element program ABAQUS in which a bilinear kinematic hardening model is incorporated to trace the material nonlinearity. Also quasi-static cyclic loading based on the guidelines presented in ATC-24 has been imposed to different models of CK-VLB with changing of vertical link beam section in order to find prime effectiveness on structural frames. Results show that CK-VLB system exhibits stable behavior and is capable of dissipating a significant amount of energy in two separate levels of lateral forces due to different probable earthquakes.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.325-336
• /
• 2019

Concrete placement and temporary formwork of bridge deck overhangs result in unbalanced eccentric loads that cause exterior girders to rotate during construction. These construction loads affect the global and local stability of the girders and produce permanent girder rotation after construction. In addition to construction loads, the skew angle of the bridge also contributes to girder rotation. To prevent rotation (in both skewed and non-skewed bridges), a number of techniques have been suggested to temporarily brace the girders using transverse tie bars connecting the top flanges and embedded in the deck, temporary horizontal and diagonal steel pipes placed between the webs of the exterior and first interior girders, and permanent cross frames. This study includes a rigorous three-dimensional finite element analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of several bracing systems for non-skewed and several skewed bridges. In this paper, skew angles of $0^{\circ}$, $20^{\circ}$, $30^{\circ}$, and $45^{\circ}$ were considered for single- and three-span bridges. The results showed that permanent cross frames worked well for all bridges, whereas temporary measures have limited application depending on the skew angle of the bridge.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
• /
• 2000.10a
• /
• pp.69-74
• /
• 2000

In this dissertation, experimental research was carried out to study the hysteretic behavior of reinforced concrete frame designed by high performance techniques, using carbon fiber plate, diagonal bracing system with or without steel frame. Experimental programs were carried to evaluate the structural performance of such test specimens, such as the hysteretic behavior, the maximum horizontal strength, crack propagation, and ductility etc. Specimens(RFCP, RFXB, RFXB-F), designed by the improvement of earthquake-resistant performance, were attained more load-carrying load-carrying capacity stable hysteretic behavior.