• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.297-316
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• 2015

The use of fragility curves in the design of bridges is becoming common these days. In this study, experimental data have been used to develop fragility curves for the potential of girder unseating of a three-segment bridge and a bridge-abutment system including the influence of spatially varying ground motions, pounding, and abutment movement. The ground excitations were simulated based on the design spectra for different soil conditions. The Newmarket Viaduct replacement bridge in Auckland was used as the prototype bridge. These fragility curves were also applied to the 2010 Darfield and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes. The study showed that for bridges with similar characteristics as the chosen prototype and with similar fundamental frequencies, pounding could increase the probability of girder unseating by up to 35% and 30% based on the AASHTO and NZTA seating length requirements, respectively. The assumption of uniform ground excitations in many design practices, such as the NZTA requirements, could potentially be disastrous as girders might have a very good chance of unseating (as much as 53% higher chances when considering spatial variation of ground motions) even when they are designed not to. In the case of superstructures with dissimilar frequencies, the assumption of fixed abutments could significantly overestimate the girder unseating potential when pounding was ignored and underestimate the chances when pounding was considered. Bridges subjected to spatially varying ground excitations simulated based on the New Zealand design spectra for soft soil conditions with weak correlation shows the highest chances of girders falling off, of up to 65% greater than for shallow soil excitations.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2011

Accurate response analysis of long span bridges subjected to seismic excitation is important for earthquake hazard mitigation. In this paper, the performance of a typical four span continuous reinforced concrete bridge model subjected to asynchronous multiple seismic excitations at the supports is investigated in both the time and frequency domains and the results are compared with that from a relevant uniform support excitations. In the time domain analysis, a linear modal superposition approach is used to compute the peak response values. In the frequency domain analysis, linear random vibration theory is used to determine the root mean square response values where the cross correlation effects between the modal and the support excitations on the seismic response of the bridge model are included. From the two sets of results, a practical range of peak factors which are defined to be the ratio of peak and the root mean square responses are suggested for displacements and forces in members. With reliable practical values of peak factors, the frequency domain analysis is preferred for the performance based design of bridges because of the computational advantage and the generality of the results as the time domain analysis only yields results for the specific excitation input.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 2017

An effective design approach for Multiple Tuned Mass Dampers (MTMDs) in pedestrian bridges was proposed by utilizing the transfer function to obtain each TMD's optimum stiffness and damping. A systematic simulation of pedestrian excitations was described. The motion equation of a typical MTMD system attached to a Multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) system was presented, and the transfer function from the input pedestrian excitations to the output acceleration responses was defined. By solving the minimum norm of the transfer function, the parameters of the MTMD which resulted in the minimum overall responses can be obtained. Two applications of lightly damped pedestrian bridges attached with MTMD showed that MTMDs designed through this method can significantly reduce the structural responses when subjected to pedestrian excitations, and the vibration control effects were better than the MTMD when it was considered as being composed of equal number and mass ratios of TMDs designed by classical Den Hartog method.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.517-539
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• 2011

This paper presents the seismic responses of a 1:5-scale five-story reinforced concrete building model, which represents a residential apartment building that has a high irregularity of weak story, soft story, and torsion simultaneously at the ground story. The model was subjected to a series of uni- and bi-directional earthquake simulation tests. Analysis of the test results leads to the following conclusions: (1) The model survived the table excitations simulating the design earthquake with the PGA of 0.187 g without any significant damages, though it was not designed against earthquakes; (2) The fundamental mode was the torsion mode. The second and third orthogonal translational modes acted independently while the torsion mode showed a strong correlation with the predominant translational mode; (3) After a significant excursion into inelastic behavior, this correlation disappeared and the maximum torsion and torsion deformation remained almost constant regardless of the intensity of the two orthogonal excitations; And, (4) the lateral resistance and stiffness of the critical columns and wall increased or decreased significantly with the large variation of acting axial forces caused by the high bi-directional overturning moments and rocking phenomena under the bi-directional excitations.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.463-469
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• 2014

Safety related devices unconstrained temporally in the process of operation of nuclear power plants could be damaged by the sliding during seismic activity. In this study sliding response of unconstrained objects to the base excitations is studied experimentally and analytically. In experiments static and dynamic tests to determine the coefficient of friction and the shaking table experiments to verify the sliding response of the analytic results were conducted. Numerical solutions by solving the nonlinear differential equations of motion governing sliding were found by the computer program using the step by step acceleration method. The exact solutions of the sliding response to the simple forms of base excitations were found to verify the computer program developed in this study. Relative displacement envelopes were suggested as a colliding criteria of the unconstrained objects.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.74 no.5
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• pp.711-722
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• 2020

In this study, on-site testing was carried out to investigate the vibration serviceability of a composite steel-bar truss slab with steel girder system. Impulse excitations (heel-drop and jumping) and steady-state motion (walking and running) were performed to capture the primary vibration parameters (natural frequency and damping ratio) and distribution of peak acceleration. The composite floor possesses low frequency (<8.3Hz) and damping ratio (<2.47%). Based on experimental, theoretical, and numerical analyses on fundamental natural frequency, the boundary condition of SCSS (i.e., three edges simply supported and one edge clamped) is deemed more comparable substitutive for the investigated composite floor. Walking and running excitations by one person (single excitation) were considered to evaluate the vibration serviceability of the composite floor. The measured acceleration results show a satisfactory vibration perceptibility. For design convenience and safety, a crest factor β_rp describing the ratio of peak acceleration to root-mean-square acceleration induced from the walking and running excitations is proposed. The comparisons of the modal parameters determined by walking and running tests reveal the interaction effect between the human excitation and the composite floor.

• Journal of KSNVE
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• v.7 no.5
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• pp.837-845
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• 1997

The dynamic interactions between the reactor vessel and the control element drive mechanisms (CEDMs) of a pressurized water reactor are studied with the simplified mathematical model. The CEDMs are modeled as multiple substructures having different masses and the reactor vessel as a single degree of freedom system. The explicit equation for the frequency responses of the multiple substructure system are presented for the case of harmonic base excitations. The optimum dynamic characteristics of the CEDMs are presented to reduce the dynamic responses of the reactor vessel. The mathematical model and its response equations are verified by finite element analysis for the detailed model of the reactor vessel and the CEDMs for the harmonic base excitations. It is finally shown that the optimal dynamic characteristics of the CEDM presented can be applicable for the aseismic design.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.255-273
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• 2005

Based on the random vibration theory, a response spectrum method is developed for seismic response analysis of linear, multi-degree-of-freedom structures under multi-support excitations is developed. Various response quantities, including the mean and variance of the peak response, the response mean frequency, are obtained from proposed combination rules in terms of the mean response spectrum. This method makes it possible to apply the response spectrum to the seismic reliability analysis of structures subjected to multi-support excitations. Considering that the tedious numerical integration is required to compute the spectral parameters and correlation coefficients in above combination rules, this paper further offers simplified procedures for their computation, which enhance dramatically the computational efficiency of the suggested method. The proposed procedure is demonstrated for tow numerical examples: (1) two-span continuous beam; (2) two-tower cabled-stayed bridge by using Monte Carlo simulation (MC). For this purpose, this paper also presents an approach to simulation of ground motions, which can take into account both mean and variation properties of response spectrum. Computed results based on the response spectrum method are in good agreement with Monte Carlo simulation results. And compared with the MSRS method, a well-developed multi-support response spectrum method, the proposed method has an incomparable computational efficiency.

• Proceedings of the Korea Committee for Ocean Resources and Engineering Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.198-203
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• 2004

Ocean developments gradually move to deep-sea in the 21 century. A deep-sea unmanned underwater vehicle is one of important tools for ocean resource survey. A marine cable plays an important role for the safe operation and signal transmission of a deep-sea unmanned underwater vehicle. The first cable of a deep-sea unmanned underwater vehicle is excited by surface vessel motion and shows non-linear dynamic behaviors. A ROV launcher is also excited by the 1st cable motion. A numerical method is necessary for analysing the dynamic behaviour of the first marine cable and the ROV launcher. In this study, a numerival program is appled to a 6,000m long cable for a deep-sea unmanned underwater vehicle to shaw shows the dynamic behaviour of the cable and the ROV launcher under combined excitations.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.231-256
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• 2016

This study concerns the derivation of optimum tuning formulas for a passive Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) device, for the case of benchmark ideal excitations acting on a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) damped primary structure. The free TMD parameters are tuned first through a non-linear gradient-based optimisation algorithm, for the case of harmonic or white noise excitations, acting either as force on the SDOF primary structure or as base acceleration. The achieved optimum TMD parameters are successively interpolated according to appropriate analytical fitting proposals, by non-linear least squares, in order to produce simple and effective TMD tuning formulas. In particular, two fitting models are presented. The main proposal is composed of a simple polynomial relationship, refined within the fitting process, and constitutes the optimum choice. A second model refers to proper modifications of literature formulas for the case of an undamped primary structure. The results in terms of final (interpolated) optimum TMD parameters and of device effectiveness in reducing the structural dynamic response are finally displayed and discussed in detail, showing the wide and ready-to-use validity of the proposed optimisation procedure and achieved tuning formulas. Several post-tuning trials have been carried out as well on SDOF and MDOF shear-type frame buildings, by confirming the effective benefit provided by the proposed optimum TMD.