• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.245-255
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• 2017

The performance of an Industrialised Building System (IBS) consists of prefabricated reinforced concrete components, is greatly affected by the behaviour of the connection between beam and columns. The structural characteristics parameters of a beam-to-column connection like rotational stiffness, strength and ductility can be explained by load-rotation relationship of a full scale H-subframe under gravitational load. Furthermore, the connection's degree of rigidity directly influences the behaviour of the whole frame. In this research, rotational behaviour of a patented innovative beam-to-column connection with unique benefits like easy installation, no wet work, no welding work at assembly site, using a hybrid behaviour of steel and concrete, easy replacement ability, and compatibility with architecture was investigated. The proposed IBS beam-to-column connection includes precast concrete components with embedded steel end connectors. Two full-scale H-subframes constructed with a new IBS and conventional cast in-situ reinforced concrete system beam-to-column connections were tested under incremental static loading. In this paper, load-rotation relationship and ratio of the rigidity of IBS beam-to-column connection are studied and compared with conventional monolithic reinforced concrete connection. It is concluded that this new IBS beam-to-column connection benefits from more rotational ductility than the conventional reinforced concrete connection. Furthermore, the semi-rigid IBS connection rigidity ratio is about 44% of a full rigid connection.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.229-245
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• 2017

Post-earthquake observations revealed that seismic performance of beam-column connections in precast concrete structures affect the overall response extensively. Seismic design of precast reinforced concrete structures requires improved beam-column connections to transfer reversed load effects between structural elements. In Turkey, hybrid beam-column connections with welded components have been applied extensively in precast concrete industry for decades. Beam bottom longitudinal rebars are welded to beam end plates while top longitudinal rebars are placed to designated gaps in joint panels before casting of topping concrete in this type of connections. The paper presents the major findings of an experimental test programme including one monolithic and five precast hybrid half scale specimens representing interior beam-column connections of a moment frame of high ductility level. The required welding area between beam bottom longitudinal rebars and beam-end plates were calculated based on welding coefficients considered as a test parameter. It is observed that the maximum strain developed in the beam bottom flexural reinforcement plays an important role in the overall behavior of the connections. Two additional specimens which include unbonded lengths on the longitudinal rebars to reduce that strain demands were also tested. Strength, stiffness and energy dissipation characteristics of test specimens were investigated with respect to test variables. Seismic performances of test specimens were evaluated by obtaining damage indices.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.325-333
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• 2010

In this study, new moment-resisting precast concrete beam-column joint made up of hybrid steel concrete was developed and tested. This beam-column joint is proposed for use in moderate seismic regions. It has square hollow tubular section in concrete column and connecting plate in precast U-beam. The steel elements in column and beam members were connected using bolt. Furthermore, in order to prevent the premature failure of concrete in hybrid steel-concrete connection, ECC(engineered cementitious composite) was used. An experimental study was carried out investigating the joint behavior subjected to reversed cyclic loading and constant axial compressive load. Two precast beam-column joint specimens and monolithic reinforced concrete joint specimen were tested. The variables for interior joints were cast-in-situ concrete area and transverse reinforcement within the joint. Tests were carried out under displacement controlled reverse cyclic load with a constant axial load. Joint performance is evaluated on the basis of connection strength, stiffness, energy dissipation, and displacement capacity. The test results showed that significant differences in structural behavior between the two types of connection because of different bonding characteristics between steel and concrete; steel and ECC. The proposed joint detail can induce to move the plastic hinge out of the ECC and steel plate. And proposed precast connection showed better performance than the monolithic connection by providing sufficient moment-resisting behavior suitable for applications in moderate seismic regions.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.61-71
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• 2010

Five half-scale beam-to-column connections in a precast concrete frame were tested with cyclic loading that simulated earthquake-type motions. Five half -scale interior beam-column assemblies representing a portion of a frame subjected to simulated seismic loading were tested, including one monolithic specimen and four precast specimens. Variables included the detailing used at the joint to achieve a structural continuity of the beam reinforcement, and the type of special reinforcement in the connection (whether ECC or transverse reinforcement). The specimen design followed the strong-column-weak-beam concept. The beam reinforcement was purposely designed and detailed to develop plastic hinges at the beam and to impose large inelastic shear force demands into the joint. The joint performance was evaluated on the basis of connection strength, stiffness, energy dissipation, and drift capacity. From the test results, the plastic hinges at the beam controlled the specimen failure. In general, the performance of the beam-to-column connections was satisfactory. The joint strength was 1.15 times of that expected for monolithic reinforced concrete construction. The specimen behavior was ductile due to tensile deformability by ECC and the yielding steel plate, while the strength was nearly constant up to a drift of 3.5 percent.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.377-387
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• 2014

This paper presents an experimental study on socket base connections of precast reinforced concrete columns. The main purpose of this study is to determine socket base connection which has the closest behavior to monolithic casted column-base joints. For this purpose, six specimens having different column-socket base connection details were tested under cyclic loading. For each test, strength, stiffness, ductility and drift ratios of the specimens were determined. Test results indicated that a suggested connection type is 10%-30% stronger than the other type of connections under lateral loading. The welded connection (PC-5) had better lateral load carrying capacity and ductility. On the other hand, performance of standard connection (PC-1) which is commonly used in construction was weaker than other connections. Thus, decision of connection type should be referred not only performance but also applicability.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Structure & Construction
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.45-52
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• 2017

The precast concrete (PC) method has many advantages in fast construction, quality control, etc. In domestic construction market, however, its application has been quite limited because of the concerns about structural integrity and seismic performances due to the discrete connections between precast concrete members. By applying the post-tensioning method, the precast beam-column connection can be well tightened, allowing improved structural integrity, and proper seismic performances can be also achieved. In this study, reversed cyclic tests have been conducted on the beam-column connection specimens, where the test variables included the compressive strength of grouting mortar and the tensile strengths of prestressing strands, based on which their seismic performances have been examined in detail. The post-tensioned PC beam-column connections showed good seismic performances comparable to that of the monolithic reinforced concrete connection specimen. When 2400 MPa prestressing strands are applied to the beam-column connection, it is preferable to adjust the prestress level similar to that applied for the 1860 MPa prestressing strands to avoid premature local crushing failures at the beam-column connections.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.335-343
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• 2008

In order to improve the workability in erecting Precast Concrete (PC) members and enhance the seismic resistance capacity of the joints in PC moment frames, a new PC column and its construction process are introduced in this paper. This column is manufactured by centrifugal force in keeping the hollow tube inside; the hollow is little bit wide and the grout can be poured from top to bottom after erection at site so that more compact grouting is possible in horizontal joint. The repeated cyclic loading test for four full scaled specimens was conducted to evaluate the seismic resistance capacity of the joint designed by the proposed system. For the continuity of main reinforcements in column, two connecting methods are used in designing specimens; one is to use mechanical connector and other is lab splice. From the cyclic lateral loading test, it was found that the seismic capacity of the developed PC column joint is comparable to that of monolithic joint.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.371-390
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• 2020

One of the most common strategies for retrofitting as-built reinforced concrete (RC) columns is to enlarge the existing section through the application of a new concrete layer reinforced by both steel transverse and longitudinal reinforcements. The present study was dedicated to developing a comprehensive model to predict the seismic behavior of as-built RC jacketed columns. For this purpose, a new sectional model was developed to perform moment-curvature analysis coupled by the plastic hinge method. In this analysis-oriented model, new methodologies were suggested to address the impacts of axial, flexural and shear mechanisms, variable confining pressure, eccentric loading, longitudinal bar buckling, and varying axial load. To consider the effective interaction between core and jacket, the monolithic factor approach was adopted to extent the response of the monolithic columns to that of a respective RC jacket strengthened column. Next, parametric studies were implemented to examine the effectiveness of the main parameters of the RC jacket strategy in retrofitting as-built RC columns. Ultimately, the reliability of the developed analytical model was validated against a series of experimental results of as-built and retrofitted RC columns.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.2021-2026
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• 2009

Toluene, xylene and styrene are volatile organic solvents that are commonly used in mixtures in many industries. Because these solvents are metabolized and then excreted in urine, their urinary metabolites are thought to be biomarkers of occupational exposure to these solvents. Therefore, a simple, rapid, and yet reliable analytical method for determining the metabolites is required for accurate biological monitoring. In the present study, a simple and rapid HPLC-UV method was developed for the simultaneous determination of eight major metabolites of toluene, xylene and styrene: hippuric acid (HA), mandelic acid (MA), o-, m- and p-methylhippuric acids (o-, m- and p-MHAs), and o-, m- and p-cresols. A monolithic column was employed as the stationary phase and several conditions, including flow rate, composition of mobile phase and column temperature, were variables for the optimization of the chromatographic resolution. All eight metabolites were successfully resolved within 5 minutes in 10% aqueous ethanol containing 0.3% acetic acid and 1.6% $\beta$-cyclodextrin, using a flow rate gradient of 1.0 - 5.0 mL/min at 25 ${^{\circ}C}$. The performance of this method was validated by linearity, intra- and inter-day accuracy, and precision. The linearity was observed with correlation coefficients of 0.9998 for HA, 0.9999 for MA, 0.9989 for o-MHA, 0.9998 for m-MHA, 0.9991 for p-MHA, 0.9997 for o-cresol, 0.9998 for m-cresol, and 0.9986 for p-cresol. The intra- and inter-day precision of the method were less than 5.89% (CV) and the accuracy ranged from 92.95 to 106.62%. The validity was further confirmed by analysis of reference samples that were prepared by the inter-laboratory quality assurance program of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA, Seoul, Korea). All measured concentrations of the analytes agreed with the certified values.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.203-211
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• 2023

For fast-built and safe precast concrete (PC) construction, the dry mechanical splicing method is a critical technique that enables a self-sustaining system (SSS) during construction with no temporary support and minimizes onsite jobs. However, due to limited experimental evidence, traditional wet splicing methods are still dominantly adopted in the domestic precast industry. For PC beam-column connections, the current design code requires achieving emulative connection performances and corresponding structural integrity to be comparable with typical reinforced concrete (RC) systems with monolithic connections. To this end, this study conducted the standard material tests on mechanical splices to check their satisfactory performance as the Type 2 mechanical splice specified in the ACI 318 code. Two PC beam-column connection specimens with dry mechanical splices and an RC control specimen as the special moment frame were subsequently fabricated and tested under lateral reversed cyclic loadings. Test results showed that the seismic performances of all the PC specimens were fully comparable to the RC specimen in terms of strength, stiffness, energy dissipation, drift capacity, and failure mode, and their hysteresis responses showed a mitigated pinching effect compared to the control RC specimen. The seismic performances of the PC and RC specimens were evaluated quantitatively based on the ACI 374 report, and it appeared that all the test specimens fully satisfied the seismic performance criteria as a code-compliant special moment frame system.