• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.601-615
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• 2019

In cold-formed steel (CFS) structures, such as trusses, wall frames and columns, the use of back-to-back built-up CFS angle sections are becoming increasingly popular. In such an arrangement, intermediate fasteners are required at discrete points along the length, preventing the angle-sections from buckling independently. Limited research is available in the literature on the axial strength of back-to-back built-up CFS angle sections. The issue is addressed herein. This paper presents the results of 16 experimental tests, conducted on back-to-back built-up CFS screw fastened angle sections under axial compression. A nonlinear finite element model is then described, which includes material non-linearity, geometric imperfections and explicit modelling of the intermediate fasteners. The finite element model was validated against the experimental test results. The validated finite element model was then used for the purpose of a parametric study comprising 66 models. The effect of fastener spacing on axial strength was investigated. Four different cross-sections and two different thicknesses were analyzed in the parametric study, varying the slenderness ratio of the built-up columns from 20 to 120. Axial strengths obtained from the experimental tests and finite element analysis were used to assess the performance of the current design guidelines as per the Direct Strength Method (DSM); obtained comparison showed that the DSM is over-conservative by 13% on average. This paper has therefore proposed improved design rules for the DSM and verified their accuracy against the finite element and test results of back-to-back built-up CFS angle sections under axial compression.

• Journal of Information Processing Systems
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.1445-1456
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• 2018

Environment perception and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction tasks are used to provide unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) with driving awareness interfaces. The speed of obstacle segmentation and surrounding terrain reconstruction crucially influences decision making in UGVs. To increase the processing speed of environment information analysis, we develop a CPU-GPU hybrid system of automatic environment perception and 3D terrain reconstruction based on the integration of multiple sensors. The system consists of three functional modules, namely, multi-sensor data collection and pre-processing, environment perception, and 3D reconstruction. To integrate individual datasets collected from different sensors, the pre-processing function registers the sensed LiDAR (light detection and ranging) point clouds, video sequences, and motion information into a global terrain model after filtering redundant and noise data according to the redundancy removal principle. In the environment perception module, the registered discrete points are clustered into ground surface and individual objects by using a ground segmentation method and a connected component labeling algorithm. The estimated ground surface and non-ground objects indicate the terrain to be traversed and obstacles in the environment, thus creating driving awareness. The 3D reconstruction module calibrates the projection matrix between the mounted LiDAR and cameras to map the local point clouds onto the captured video images. Texture meshes and color particle models are used to reconstruct the ground surface and objects of the 3D terrain model, respectively. To accelerate the proposed system, we apply the GPU parallel computation method to implement the applied computer graphics and image processing algorithms in parallel.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.70 no.4
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• pp.479-497
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• 2019

In the current code design, the use of a uniform internal pressure coefficient of cooling towers as internal suction cannot reflect the 3D characteristics of flow field inside the tower body with different ventilation rate of shutters. Moreover, extreme weather such as heavy rain also has a direct impact on aerodynamic force on the internal surface and changes the turbulence effect of pulsating wind. In this study, the world's tallest cooling tower under construction, which stands 210m, is taken as the research object. The algorithm for two-way coupling between wind and rain is adopted. Simulation of wind field and raindrops is performed iteratively using continuous phase and discrete phase models, respectively, under the general principles of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Firstly, the rule of influence of 9 combinations of wind speed and rainfall intensity on the volume of wind-driven rain, additional action force of raindrops and equivalent internal pressure coefficient of the tower body is analyzed. The combination of wind velocity and rainfall intensity that is most unfavorable to the cooling tower in terms of distribution of internal pressure coefficient is identified. On this basis, the wind/rain loads, distribution of aerodynamic force and working mechanism of internal pressures of the cooling tower under the most unfavorable working condition are compared between the four ventilation rates of shutters (0%, 15%, 30% and 100%). The results show that the amount of raindrops captured by the internal surface of the tower decreases as the wind velocity increases, and increases along with the rainfall intensity and ventilation rate of the shutters. The maximum value of rain-induced pressure coefficient is 0.013. The research findings lay the basis for determining the precise values of internal surface loads of cooling tower under extreme weather conditions.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Structure & Construction
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.177-185
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• 2020

The building energy performance indicator, called Energy Performance Index (EPI), has been used for the past decades in South Korea. It has a list of design variables assigned with weighting factors (a, b). Unfortunately, the current EPI method is not performance-based but very close to a prescriptive rating. With this in mind, this study aims to propose a new performance-based EPI method. For this purpose, a global sensitivity analysis method, Sobol, is employed. The Sobol method is suitable for complex nonlinear models and can decompose all the output variance due to every input. The Sobol sensitivity index of each variable is defined as 0 to 1 (0 to 100%), and the sum of all sensitivity indices is equal to 1 (100%). In this study, an office building was modeled using EnergyPlus and then the Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) was conducted to generate a surrogate model to EnergyPlus. The sensitivity index was suggested to replace weight (a) in the existing EPI. In addition, the discrete weight (b) in the existing EPI was replaced by a set of continuous regression functions. Due to the introduction of the sensitivity index and the continuous regression functions, the new proposed approach can provide far more accurate outcome than the existing EPI (R²: 0.83 vs. R²: 0.01 for cooling, R²: 0.66 vs. R²: 0.01 for total energy). The new proposed approach proves to be more rational, objective and performance-based than the existing EPI method.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.565-576
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• 2020

Experimental and discrete element methods were used to investigate the effects of angle of Y shape non-persistent joint on the tensile behaviour of joint's bridge area under brazilian test. concrete samples with diameter of 100 mm and thikness of 40 mm were prepared. Within the specimen, two Y shape non-persistent notches were provided. The large notch lengths were 6 cm, 4 cm and 2 cm. the small notch lengths were 3 cm, 2 cm and 1 cm. The angle of larger notch related to horizontal axis was 0°, 30°, 60°, 90°. Totally, 12 different configuration systems were prepared for Y shape non-persistent joints. Also, 18 models with different Y shape non-persistent notch angle and notch length were prepared in numerical model. The large notch lengths were 6 cm, 4 cm and 2 cm. the small notch lengths were 3 cm, 2 cm and 1 cm. The angle of larger notch related to horizontal axis was 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150. Tensile strength of model materil was 1 MPa. The axial load was applied to the model by rate of 0.02 mm/sec. This testing showed that the failure process was mostly governed by the Y shape non-persistent joint angle and joint length. The tensile strengths of the specimens were related to the fracture pattern and failure mechanism of the discontinuities. It was shown that the tensile behaviour of discontinuities is related to the number of the induced tensile cracks which are increased by increasing the joint length and joint angle. The minimum tensile strength occurs when the angle of larger joint related to horizontal axis was 60°. Also, the maximum compressive strength occurs when the angle of larger joint related to horizontal axis was 90°. The tensile strength was decreased by increasing the notch length. The failure pattern and failure strength are similar in both methods i.e. the experimental testing and the numerical simulation methods.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1700-1709
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• 2019

Recently, many researches have been under way to develop systems (services) to support the safety navigation of ships, and in these studies, common difficulties have been encountered in assessing the usefulness and effectiveness of the developed system. To solve these problems, we propose the DEVS-based ship navigation modeling and simulation technique. Following the preceding study, we analyze the COLREG rules and reflected to officer and helmsman agent models for decision making. Also we propose estimation and interpolation techniques to adopt the motion characteristics of the actual vessel to simulation. In addition, we implement the navigation simulation system to reflect the designed proposed methods, and we present five-scenarios to verify the developed simulation system. And we conduct simulations according to each scenario and the results were reconstructed. The simulation results confirm that the components modelled in each scenario enable to operate according to the navigation relationships.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.99-109
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• 2021

Experimental and discrete element methods were used to investigate the effects of echelon non-persistent joint on the failure behaviour of joint's bridge area under uniaxial compressive test. Concrete samples with dimension of 150 mm×100 mm×50 mm were prepared. Uniaxial compressive strength and tensile strength of concrete were 14 MPa and 1MPa, respectivly. Within the specimen, three echelon non-persistent notches were provided. These joints were distributed on the three diagonal plane. the angle of diagonal plane related to horizontal axis were 15°, 30° and 45°. The angle of joints related to diagonal plane were 30°, 45°, 60°. Totally, 9 different configuration systems were prepared for non-persistent joint. In these configurations, the length of joints were taken as 2 cm. Similar to those for joints configuration systems in the experimental tests, 9 models with different echelon non-persistent joint were prepared in numerical model. The axial load was applied to the model by rate of 0.05 mm/min. the results show that the failure process was mostly governed by both of the non-persistent joint angle and diagonal plane angle. The compressive strengths of the specimens were related to the fracture pattern and failure mechanism of the discontinuities. It was shown that the shear behaviour of discontinuities is related to the number of the induced tensile cracks which are increased by increasing the joint angle. The strength of samples increase by increasing both of the joint angle and diagonal plane angle. The failure pattern and failure strength are similar in both methods i.e. the experimental testing and the numerical simulation methods.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1495-1504
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• 2021

An ultra-compact binary power generation plant converts thermal energy into electric power using temperature difference between heat source and cooling source. In the actual power generation environment, the characteristic value of the plant changes due to any negative effects such as environmental condition or corrosion of related equipment. If the characteristic value of the plant changes, it may lead to unstable output of the turbine in a conventional PID control system with fixed PID parameters. A Neuro PID control system based on Neural Network adaptively to adjust the PID parameters according to the change in the characteristic value of the plant is proposed in this paper. Discrete-time transfer function models to represent the dynamic characteristics near the operating point of the investigated plant are deduced, and a design strategy of the proposed control system is described. The proposed Neuro PID control system is compared with the conventional PID control system, and its effectiveness is demonstrated through the simulation results.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.3059-3072
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• 2022

A Jacobian-Free Newton Krylov Two-Nodal Coarse Mesh Finite Difference algorithm based on Nodal Expansion Method (NEM_TNCMFD_JFNK) is successfully developed and proposed to solve the three-dimensional (3D) and multi-group reactor physics models. In the NEM_TNCMFD_JFNK method, the efficient JFNK method with the Modified Incomplete LU (MILU) preconditioner is integrated and applied into the discrete systems of the NEM-based two-node CMFD method by constructing the residual functions of only the nodal average fluxes and the eigenvalue. All the nonlinear corrective nodal coupling coefficients are updated on the basis of two-nodal NEM formulation including the discontinuity factor in every few newton steps. All the expansion coefficients and interface currents of the two-node NEM need not be chosen as the solution variables to evaluate the residual functions of the NEM_TNCMFD_JFNK method, therefore, the NEM_TNCMFD_JFNK method can greatly reduce the number of solution variables and the computational cost compared with the JFNK based on the conventional NEM. Finally the NEM_TNCMFD_JFNK code is developed and then analyzed by simulating the representative PWR MOX/UO₂ core benchmark, the popular NEACRP 3D core benchmark and the complicated full-core pin-by-pin homogenous core model. Numerical solutions show that the proposed NEM_TNCMFD_JFNK method with the MILU preconditioner has the good numerical accuracy and can obtain higher computational efficiency than the NEM-based two-node CMFD algorithm with the power method in the outer iteration and the Krylov method using the MILU preconditioner in the inner iteration, which indicates the NEM_TNCMFD_JFNK method can serve as a potential and efficient numerical tool for reactor neutron diffusion analysis module in the JFNK-based multiphysics coupling application.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.117-133
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• 2022

Determination of the mechanical behaviour of jointed rock masses has been a challenge for rock engineers for decades. This problem is more pronounced for non-persistent jointed rock masses due to complicated interaction of rock bridges on the overall behaviour. This paper aims to study the effect of a non-persistent joint set configuration on the mechanical behaviour of rock materials under both uniaxial and biaxial compression tests using a discrete element code. The numerical simulation of biaxial compressive strength of rock masses has been challenging in the past due to shortcomings of bonded particle models in reproducing the failure envelope of rock materials. This problem was resolved in this study by employing the flat-joint contact model. The validity of the numerical model was investigated through a comprehensive comparative study against physical uniaxial and biaxial compression experiments. Good agreement was found between numerical and experimental tests in terms of the recorded peak strength and the failure mode in both loading conditions. Studies on the effect of joint orientation on the failure mode showed that four zones of intact, transition to block rotation, block rotation and transition to intact failure occurs when the joint dip angle varies from 0° to 90°. It was found that the applied confining stress can significantly alter the range of these zones. It was observed that the minimum strength occurs at the joint dip angle of around 45 degrees under different confining stresses. It was also found that the joint orientation can alter the post peak behaviour and the lowest brittleness was observed at the block rotation zone.