• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.261-271
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• 2003

A condition evaluation procedure for the pavement foundations using multi-load level Falling Weight Deflectometer(FWD) deflections is presented in this paper. A dynamic finite element program incorporating a stress-dependent material model, was used to generate the synthetic deflection database. Based on this synthetic database, the relationships between surface deflections and critical responses, such as stresses and strains in base and subgrade layers, have been established. FWD deflection data, Dynamic Cone Penetrometer(UP) data, and repeated load resilient modulus testing results used in developing this procedure were collected from the Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) and North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) database. Research effort focused on investigation of the effect of the FWD load level on the condition evaluation procedures. The results indicate that the proposed procedure can estimate the pavement foundation conditions. It is also found that structurally adjusted Base Damage Index (BDI) and Base Curvature Index (BCI) are good indicators for the prediction of stiffness characteristics of aggregate base and subgrade respectively. A FWD test with a load of 66.7 kN or less does not improve the accuracy of this procedure. Results from the study for the nonlinear behavior of a pavement foundations indicate that the deflection ratio obtained from multi-load level deflections can predict the type and quality of the pavement foundation materials.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.19-26
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• 2009

Rammed Aggregate Pier (RAP) method is intermediate foundation between deep and shallow foundation, and it has been built in world wide. RAP represents a relatively new method that has grown steadily over 19 years since Geopier of USA developed this revolutionary method in 1989. The investigation and research in domestic is not accomplished. In this paper, the examined details of different spacing of piles, bearing capacities, respectively, conclude with recommendations on how RAP can be used in future needs. This documentation further provides comparisons of the laboratory test results which were obtained from changing the spacing of piles, namely installed rammed aggregate pier. Laboratory model test was administered in a sand box. Strain control test was conducted to determine the bearing capacities of the piers; 20 mm, 30 mm and 40 mm RAP in diameter using drilling equipment to make holes were installed in sand at initial relative densities of 40%. By comparing different spacing of piles, in this experiment, piles are spaced structually span, form a ring shape, narrowing the distance of each other, to the center. the result shows that as diameter of pier is bigger in diameter, bearing capacity also dramatically increased due to raised stiffness. Also, as the space between each piers was closed, the settlement rate of soil was decreased significantly. From the test results, as the space between each piles were getting closer, it allows greater chances to have more resistance to deformation, and shows more improved stability of structures. After from the verification work which is continuous leads the accumulation of the site measuring data which is various, and bearing capacity and the settlement is a plan where the research will be advanced for optimum installed RAP.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.230-236
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• 2018

Earthquakes over 5.0 on the Richter scale have recently occurred in Korea, which has led to interest in the seismic safety of structures. If a water storage facility is damaged by an earthquake, the water could leak, and the insufficient water would make fire suppression difficult. Therefore, a water storage facility should satisfy safety requirements for earthquakes. In this study, the seismic performance of a water tank was improved by installing a lead rubber bearing between the foundation and the tank. It designed the lead rubber bearing available to the existed concrete foundation. ANSYS was used for modeling to consider the interaction between the fluid and structure of the tank and the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressure using four seismic waves. In the case of hydrostatic pressure at 2.5 water level, full level, the same stress appeared irrespective of whether the seismic isolation was installed. When hydrostatic pressure and hydrodynamic pressures are applied at the same time, the seismic-isolated water tank showed less seismic force, and the damping ratio was lower than that of general seismic isolation. This occurred because the weight of the water tank is much smaller than the stiffness of the seismic isolation. The result is expected to be used for further research on seismic capacity evaluation for water tanks.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.10 no.4 s.50
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• pp.15-24
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• 2006

This work reports the results of our study on the dynamic response of various buried pipelines depending on their boundary conditions. We have studied behavior of the buried pipelines both along the axial and the transverse direction. The buried pipelines are modeled as beams on elastic foundation while the seismic wave as a ground displacement in the form of a sinusoidal wave. The natural frequency, its mode, and the effect of parameters have been interpreted in terms of free vibration. In order to investigate the response on the ground wave, the resulting frequency and the mode shape obtained from the free vibration have been utilized to derive the mathematical formula for the forced vibration. The natural frequency varies most significantly by the soil stiffness and the length of the buried pipelines in the case of free vibration. The effects of the propagation direction and velocity and the frequency of ground wave on the dynamic responses of concrete, steel, and FRP pipes have been analyzed and then dynamic responses depending on the type of pipes have been compared. Through performing dynamic analyser for various boundary conditions and estimation of the location of maximum strain has been estimated for the type of pipes and boundary conditions.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.307-321
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• 2020

The slim-floor solution provides an efficient alternative to the classic slab-over-beam configuration due to architectural and structural benefits. Two deficiencies can be identified in the current state-of-art: (i) the technique is limited to nonseismic applications and (ii) the lack of information on moment-resisting slim-floor beam-to-column joints. In the seismic design of framed structures, continuous beam-to-column joints are required for plastic hinges to form at the ends of the beams. The present paper proposes a slim-floor technical solution capable of expanding the current application of slim-floor joints to seismic-resistant composite construction. The proposed solution relies on a moment-resisting connection with a thick end-plate and large-diameter bolts, which are used to fulfill the required strength and stiffness characteristics of continuous connections, while maintaining a reduced height of the configuration. Considering the proposed novel solution and the variety of parameters that could affect the behavior of the joint, experimental and numerical validations are compulsory. Consequently, the current paper presents the experimental and numerical investigation of two slim-floor beam-to-column joint assemblies. The results are discussed in terms of moment-rotation curves, available rotational capacity and failure modes. The study focuses on developing reliable slim-floor beam joints that are applicable to steel building frame structures located in seismic regions.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.349-360
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• 2003

A practical modeling approach has been proposed in this study to better understand the behavior of penetration grouting which is normally applied to the jointed rock masses to increase the bearing capacity and to reduce the ground water flow into the tunnel. Based on Bingham model together with a steady-state flow of the grout, penetration model is simulated in the commercial package called UDEC and, injection pressure as well as joint thickness are found to be the main parameters to determine the range of grout spread. Another numerical model on fracturing grouting is also suggested and, in this case, the tensile strength as well as cohesion of the rock masses are proven to be the major factors to decide the fracturing mechanism of the rock masses. The reinforcement effect of the grout-reinforced rock masses is calculated from the suggested algorithm on orthotropic material model and it is found that the directional stiffness of reinforced rock masses is increased up to 3 to 4 times compared with original jointed rock masses. Future work will be concentrated on the water control around the tunnel by the grout injection and a model test will also be performed to verify the suggested methods developed in this study.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.9-25
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• 2015

Field measurements of various structures have been conducted for many purposes. Measurement data obtained by field measurement is very useful to determine vibration characteristics including dynamic characteristics such as the damping ratio, natural frequency, and mode shape of a structure. In addition, results of field measurements and modal identification can be used for modal updating of FEM analysis, for checking the efficiency of damping devices and so on. This paper shows some examples of field measurements and modal identification for structural health monitoring. As the first example, changes of dynamic characteristics of a 15-story office building in four construction stages from the foundation stage to completion are described. The dynamic characteristics of each construction stage were modeled as accurately as possible by FEM, and the stiffness of the main structural frame was evaluated and the FEM results were compared with measurements performed on non-load-bearing elements. Simple FEM modal updating was also applied. As the next example, full-scale measurements were also carried out on a high-rise chimney, and the efficiency of the tuned mass damper was investigated by using two kinds of modal identification techniques. Good correspondence was shown with vibration characteristics obtained by the 2DOF-RD technique and the Frequency Domain Decomposition method. As the last example, the wind-induced response using RTK-GPS and the feasibility of hybrid use of FEM analysis and RTK-GPS for confirming the integrity of structures during strong typhoons were shown. The member stresses obtained by hybrid use of FEM analysis and RTK-GPS were close to the member stresses measured by strain gauges.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2016

Generally, conventional transport infrastructures consist of compacted granular materials. Their stiffness and response greatly depend on the particle sizes and distributions, and application of loading on the surface over a foundation may induce deformation in both the surface and the underlying foundations. Therefore, a better understanding of the deformation characteristics on granular materials and the prediction are needed. For this reason, an attempt to evaluate and predict deformation of coarse materials based on the discrete element method is presented in this paper. An algorithm for particle distribution curve analysis was formulated and incorporated into the discrete element program. The results show that the discrete element model with particle distribution curve is suitable for estimating stress deformation in a pre-peak response. Unlike conventional uniform or random particle distribution, the response can be obtained by the use of the proper model and approach.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.83-101
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• 2005

This paper summarizes the application of a rational methodology for the structural assessment of older reinforced concrete Tunisian bridges. This methodology is based on ambient vibration measurement of the bridge, identification of the structure's modal signature and finite element model updating. The selected case study is the Boujnah bridge of the Tunis-Msaken Highway. This bridge is made of a continuous four-span simply supported reinforced concrete slab without girders resting on elastomeric bearings at each support. Ambient vibration tests were conducted on the bridge using a data acquisition system with nine force-balance accelerometers placed at selected locations of the bridge. The Enhanced Frequency Domain Decomposition technique was applied to extract the dynamic characteristics of the bridge. The finite element model was updated in order to obtain a reasonable correlation between experimental and numerical modal properties. For the model updating part of the study, the parameters selected for the updating process include the concrete modulus of elasticity, the elastic bearing stiffness and the foundation spring stiffnesses. The primary objective of the paper is to demonstrate the use of the Enhanced Frequency Domain Decomposition technique combined with model updating to provide data that could be used to assess the structural condition of the selected bridge. The application of the proposed methodology led to a relatively faithful linear elastic model of the bridge in its present condition.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.411-424
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• 2018

This study explores the inelastic behavior of systems with flexible base. The use of a single degree of freedom system (ESDOF) with equivalent ductility to represent the response of flexible base systems is discussed. Two different equations to compute equivalent ductility are proposed, one which includes the contribution of rigid body components, and other based on the overstrength of the structure. In order to asses the accuracy of ESDOF approach with the proposed equations, the behavior of a 10-story regular building with reinforced concrete (RC) moment resisting frames is studied. Local and global ductility capacity and demands are used to study the modifications introduced by base flexibility. Three soil types are considered with shear wave velocities of 70, 100 and 250 m/s. Soil-foundation stiffness is included with a set of springs on the base (impedance functions). Capacity curves of the building are computed with pushover analysis. In addition, non linear time history analysis are used to asses the ductility demands. Results show that ductility capacity of the soil-structure system including rigid body components is reduced. Base flexibility does not modify neither yield and maximum base shear. Equivalent ductility estimated with the proposed equations is fits better the results of the numerical model than the one considering elastoplastic behavior. Modification of beams ductility demand due to base flexibility are not constant within the structure. Some elements experience reduced ductility demands while other elements experience increments when flexible base is considered. Soil structure interaction produces changes in the relation between yield strength reduction factor and structure ductility demand. These changes are dependent on the spectral shape and the period of the system with fixed and flexible base.