• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.135-151
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• 2023

Using 3D asphalt pavement surface data, a deep and multiscale network named CrackNet-M is proposed in this paper for pixel-level crack detection for improvements in both accuracy and robustness. The CrackNet-M consists of four function-specific architectural modules: a central branch net (CBN), a crack map enhancement (CME) module, three pooling feature pyramids (PFP), and an output layer. The CBN maintains crack boundaries using no pooling reductions throughout all convolutional layers. The CME applies a pooling layer to enhance potential thin cracks for better continuity, consuming no data loss and attenuation when working jointly with CBN. The PFP modules implement direct down-sampling and pyramidal up-sampling with multiscale contexts specifically for the detection of thick cracks and exclusion of non-crack patterns. Finally, the output layer is optimized with a skip layer supervision technique proposed to further improve the network performance. Compared with traditional supervisions, the skip layer supervision brings about not only significant performance gains with respect to both accuracy and robustness but a faster convergence rate. CrackNet-M was trained on a total of 2,500 pixel-wise annotated 3D pavement images and finely scaled with another 200 images with full considerations on accuracy and efficiency. CrackNet-M can potentially achieve crack detection in real-time with a processing speed of 40 ms/image. The experimental results on 500 testing images demonstrate that CrackNet-M can effectively detect both thick and thin cracks from various pavement surfaces with a high level of Precision (94.28%), Recall (93.89%), and F-measure (94.04%). In addition, the proposed CrackNet-M compares favorably to other well-developed networks with respect to the detection of thin cracks as well as the removal of shoulder drop-offs.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.281-295
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate and verify the application of phase-control absolute-acceleration-feedback active tuned mass dampers (PCA-ATMD) to multiple-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) building structures. In addition, servo speed control technique has been developed as a replacement for force control in order to mitigate the negative effects caused by friction and inertia. The essence of the proposed PCA-ATMD is to achieve a 90° phase lag for a structure by implementing the desired control force so that the PCA-ATMD can receive the maximum power flow with which to effectively mitigate the structural vibration. An MDOF building structure with a PCA-ATMD and a real-time filter forming a complete system is modeled using a state-space representation and is presented in detail. The feedback measurement for the phase control algorithm of the MDOF structure is compact, with only the absolute acceleration of one structural floor and ATMD's velocity relative to the structure required. A discrete-time direct output-feedback optimization method is introduced to the PCA-ATMD to ensure that the control system is optimized and stable. Numerical simulation and shaking table experiments are conducted on a three-story steel shear building structure to verify the performance of the PCA-ATMD. The results indicate that the absolute acceleration of the structure is well suppressed whether considering peak or root-mean-square responses. The experiment also demonstrates that the control of the PCA-ATMD can be decentralized, so that it is convenient to apply and maintain to real high-rise building structures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.88 no.1
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• pp.53-65
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• 2023

With the gradual implementation of long-span suspension bridges into high-speed railway operations, the main beam's bending stiffness contribution to the live load response permanently grows. Since another critical control parameter of railway suspension bridges is the beam-end rotation angle, it should not be ignored by treating the main beam deflection as the only deformation response. To this end, the current study refines the existing method of the main cable shape and simply supported beam bending moment analogy. The bending stiffness of the main beam is considered, and the main beam's analytical expressions of deflection and rotation angle in the whole span are obtained using the cable-beam deformation coordination relationship. Taking a railway suspension bridge as an example, the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed analytical method are verified by the finite element method (FEM). Comparison of the results by FEM and the analytical method ignoring the main beam stiffness revealed that the bending stiffness of the main beam strongly contributed to the live load response. Under the same live load, as the main beam stiffness increases, the overall deformation of the structure decreases, and the reduction is particularly noticeable at locations with original larger deformations. When the main beam stiffness is increased to a certain extent, the stiffening effect is no longer pronounced.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.417-426
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• 2024

Shield tunneling method is widely used to build tunnels in complex geological environment. Stability control of tunnel face is the key to the safety of projects. To improve the excavation efficiency or perform equipment maintenance, the excavation chamber sometimes is not fully filled with support medium, which can reduce the load and increase tunneling speed while easily lead to ground collapse. Due to the high risk of the face failure under non-fully support mode, the tunnel face stability should be carefully evaluated. Whether compressive air is required for compensation and how much air pressure should be provided need to be determined accurately. Based on the upper bound theorem of limit analysis, a non-fully support rotational failure model is developed in this study. The failure mechanism of the model is verified by numerical simulation. It shows that increasing the density of supporting medium could significantly improve the stability of tunnel face while the increase of tunnel diameter would be unfavorable for the face stability. The critical support ratio is used to evaluate the face failure under the nonfully support mode, which could be an important index to determine whether the specific unsupported height could be allowed during shield tunneling. To avoid of face failure under the non-fully support mode, several charts are provided for the assessment of compressed air pressure, which could help engineers to determine the required air pressure for face stability.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.431-441
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• 2024

A newly developed line-style sand pluviator has been calibrated to prepare repeatable sand specimens of specific statuses of compactness and homogeneity for laboratory tests. Sand is falling via a bottom slot of a fixed hopper, and by moving the sample container under the slot, the container is evenly filled with sand. The pluviator is designed with high flexibility: The falling height of sand, the hopper's opening width and the relative moving speed between the hopper and the sample box can be easily adjusted. By changing these control factors, sand specimens of a wide range of densities can be prepared. A series of specimen preparation was performed using the coarse Merwede River sand. Performance of the pluviator was systematically evaluated by exploring the alteration of achievable density, as well as checking the homogeneity and fabric of the prepared samples by CT scanning. It was found that the density of prepared coarse sand samples has monotonic correlations with none of the three control factors. Furthermore, CT scanning results suggested that the prepared samples exhibited excellent homogeneity in the horizontal direction but periodical alteration of density in the vertical direction. Based on these calibration test results, a preliminary hypothesis is proposed to describe the general working principles of this type of pluviators a priori, illustrating the mechanisms dominating the non-monotonic correlations between control factors and the relative density as well as the vertically prevalent heterogeneity of specimens. Accordingly, practical recommendations are made in a unified framework in order to lessen the load of similar calibration work.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.312-319
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• 2009

Statement of problem: Delamination of veneering porcelain from underlying ceramic substructures has been reported for zirconia-ceramic restorations. Colored zirconia cores for esthetics have been reported that their bond strength with veneered porcelain is weaker compared to white zirconia cores. Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the shear bond strength by manufacturing the veneering porcelain on the colored zirconia core, using the layering technique and heat-pressing technique, and to evaluate the clinical stability by comparing the result of this with that of conventional metal ceramic system. Material and methods: A Metal ceramic (MC) system was tested as a control group. The tested systems were Katana zirconia with CZR (ZB) and Katana Zirconia with NobelRondo Press (ZP). Thirty specimens, 10 for each system and control, were fabricated. Specimen disks, 3 mm high and 12 mm diameter, were fabricated with the lost-wax technique (MC) and the CAD-CAM (ZB and ZP). MC and ZB specimens were prepared using opaque and dentin veneering ceramics, veneered, 3 mm high and 2.8 mm in diameter, over the cores. ZP specimens were prepared using heat pressing ingots, 3 mm high and 2.8mm in diameter. The shear bond strength test was performed in a Shear bond test machine. Load was applied at a cross-head speed of 0.50 mm/min until failure. Mean shear bond strengths (MPa) were analyzed with the One-way ANOVA. After the shear bond test, fracture surfaces were examined by SEM. Results: The mean shear bond strengths (SD) in MPa were MC control 29.14 (2.26); ZB 29.48 (2.30); and ZP 29.51 (2.32). The shear bond strengths of the tested systems were not significantly different (P > .05). All groups presented cohesive and adhesive failures, and showed predominance of cohesive failures in ceramic veneers. Conclusion: 1. The shear bond strengths of the tested groups were not significantly different from the control group (P >.05). 2. There was no significant different between the layering technique and the heat pressing technique in the veneering methods on the colored zirconia core. 3. All groups presented cohesive and adhesive failures, and showed predominance of cohesive failures in ceramic veneers.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.195-208
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• 2023

The nodular diaphragm wall (NDW) is a novel type of foundation with favorable engineering characteristics, which has already been utilized in high-rise buildings and high-speed railways. Compared to traditional diaphragm walls, the NDW offers significantly improved vertical bearing capacity due to the presence of nodular parts while reducing construction time and excavation work. Despite its potential, research on the vertical bearing characteristics of NDW requires further study, and the investigation and visualization of its displacement pattern and failure mode are scant. Meanwhile, the measurement of the force component acting on the nodular parts remains challenging. In this paper, the vertical bearing characteristics of NDW are studied in detail through the indoor model test, and the displacement and failure mode of the foundation is analyzed using particle image velocimetry (PIV) technology. The principles and methods for monitoring the force acting on the nodular parts are described in detail. The research results show that the nodular part plays an essential role in the bearing capacity of the NDW, and its maximum load-bearing ratio can reach 30.92%. The existence of the bottom nodular part contributes more to the bearing capacity of the foundation compared to the middle nodular part, and the use of both middle and bottom nodular parts increases the bearing capacity of the foundation by about 9~12% compared to a single nodular part of the NDW. The increase in the number of nodular parts cannot produce a simple superposition effect on the resistance born by the nodular parts since the nodular parts have an insignificant influence on the exertion and distribution of the skin friction of NDW. The existence of the nodular part changes the displacement field of the soil around NDW and increases the displacement influence range of the foundation to a certain extent. For NDWs with three different nodal arrangements, the failure modes of the foundations appear to be local shear failures. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the performance and behavior of NDWs, which will aid in their effective utilization and further research in the field.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.433-450
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• 2020

The strong turbulence characteristic of typhoon not only will significantly change flow field characteristics surrounding the large-scale wind turbine and aerodynamic force distribution on surface, but also may cause morphological evolution of coast dune and thereby form sand storms. A 5MW horizontal-axis wind turbine in a wind power plant of southeastern coastal areas in China was chosen to investigate the distribution law of additional loads caused by wind-sand coupling movement of coast dune at landing of strong typhoons. Firstly, a mesoscale Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) mode was introduced in for high spatial resolution simulation of typhoon "Megi". Wind speed profile on the boundary layer of typhoon was gained through fitting based on nonlinear least squares and then it was integrated into the user-defined function (UDF) as an entry condition of small-scaled CFD numerical simulation. On this basis, a synchronous iterative modeling of wind field and sand particle combination was carried out by using a continuous phase and discrete phase. Influencing laws of typhoon and normal wind on moving characteristics of sand particles, equivalent pressure distribution mode of structural surface and characteristics of lift resistance coefficient were compared. Results demonstrated that: Compared with normal wind, mesoscale typhoon intensifies the 3D aerodynamic distribution mode on structural surface of wind turbine significantly. Different from wind loads, sand loads mainly impact on 30° ranges at two sides of the lower windward region on the tower. The ratio between sand loads and wind load reaches 3.937% and the maximum sand pressure coefficient is 0.09. The coupling impact effect of strong typhoon and large sand particles is more significant, in which the resistance coefficient of tower is increased by 9.80% to the maximum extent. The maximum resistance coefficient in typhoon field is 13.79% higher than that in the normal wind field.