• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.165-175
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• 2009

With the current move towards adopting mechanistic-empirical concepts in the design of pavement structures, state-of-the-art mechanistic analysis methodologies are needed to determine accurate pavement responses, such as stress, strain, and deformation. Previous laboratory studies of pavement foundation geomaterials, i.e., unbound granular materials used in base/subbase layers and fine-grained soils of a prepared subgrade, have shown that the resilient responses followed by nonlinear, stress-dependent behavior under repeated wheel loading. This nonlinear behavior is commonly characterized by stress-dependent resilient modulus material models that need to be incorporated into finite element (FE) based mechanistic pavement analysis methods to predict more realistically predict pavement responses for a mechanistic pavement analysis. Developed user material subroutine using aforementioned resilient model with nonlinear solution technique and convergence scheme with proven performance were successfully employed in general-purpose FE program, ABAQUS. This numerical analysis was investigated in predicted critical responses and domain selection with specific mesh generation was implemented to evaluate better prediction of pavement responses. Results obtained from both axisymmetric and three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear FE analyses were compared and remarkable findings were described for nonlinear FE analysis. The UMAT subroutine performance was also validated with the instrumented full scale pavement test section study results from the Federal Aviation Administration's National Airport Pavement Test Facility (FAA's NAPTF).

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.1217-1224
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• 2009

This paper presents a finite element (FE) analysis of the torsional rigidity of a two-stage cycloid drive. The cycloid disk makes contact with a number of pin-rollers simultaneously and eccentric shafts transmit not only torque of the spur gear stage to the cycloid disk, but also that of the cycloid disk to the output disk. Contacts between the disk and pin-rollers are simplified as linear spring elements, and the bearing of eccentric shaft is modeled as a rigid ring that has frictional contact to the disk and an elastic support. FE analysis for an ideal solid cycloid drive was performed and verified by a theoretical calculation. Accurate contact forces were then estimated by iterating between FE analysis for contact forces and Hertz theory calculations for nonlinear contact stiffness. In addition, torsional rigidity of the cycloid drive is analyzed to show that the bearing and nonlinear Hertz contact theory should be considered in analysis and design of a cycloid drive, which was verified with experiments. Finally, the effects of contact stiffness, bearing stiffness and cycloid disk structural stiffness according to the cycloid disk rotation on the torsional rigidity were investigated.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.653-660
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• 2017

The aim of this study is to accurately estimate seismic damage and the collapse mechanism of the historical stone masonry minaret "Hafsa Sultan", which was built in 1522. Surveying measurements and material tests were conducted to obtain a 3D solid model and the mechanical properties of the components of the minaret. The initial Finite Element (FE) model is analyzed and numerical dynamic characteristics of the minaret are obtained. The Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) method is conducted to obtain the experimental dynamic characteristics of the minaret and the initial FE model is calibrated by using the experimental results. Then, linear time history (LTH) and nonlinear time history (NLTH) analyses are carried out on the calibrated FE model by using two different ground motions. Iron clamps which used as connection element between the stones of the minaret considerably increase the tensile strength of the masonry system. The Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) model is selected in the nonlinear analyses in ABAQUS. The analyses conducted indicate that the results of the linear analyses are not as realistic as the nonlinear analysis results when compared with existing damage.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.129-149
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• 2010

The objective of this study is to formulate a general 3D material-structural analysis framework for the thermomechanical behavior of steel-concrete structures in a fire environment. The proposed analysis framework consists of three sequential modeling parts: fire dynamics simulation, heat transfer analysis, and a thermomechanical stress analysis of the structure. The first modeling part consists of applying the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) where coupled CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) with thermodynamics are combined to realistically model the fire progression within the steel-concrete structure. The goal is to generate the spatial-temporal (ST) solution variables (temperature, heat flux) on the surfaces of the structure. The FDS-ST solutions are generated in a discrete form. Continuous FDS-ST approximations are then developed to represent the temperature or heat-flux at any given time or point within the structure. An extensive numerical study is carried out to examine the best ST approximation functions that strike a balance between accuracy and simplicity. The second modeling part consists of a finite-element (FE) transient heat analysis of the structure using the continuous FDS-ST surface variables as prescribed thermal boundary conditions. The third modeling part is a thermomechanical FE structural analysis using both nonlinear material and geometry. The temperature history from the second modeling part is used at all nodal points. The ABAQUS (2003) FE code is used with external user subroutines for the second and third simulation parts in order to describe the specific heat temperature nonlinear dependency that drastically affects the transient thermal solution especially for concrete materials. User subroutines are also developed to apply the continuous FDS-ST surface nodal boundary conditions in the transient heat FE analysis. The proposed modeling framework is applied to predict the temperature and deflection of the well-documented third Cardington fire test.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2015

This paper presents a detailed procedure for a nonlinear soil-structure interaction of a seismically isolated NPP(Nuclear Power Plant) structure using the boundary reaction method (BRM). The BRM offers a two-step method as follows: (1) the calculation of boundary reaction forces in the frequency domain on an interface of linear and nonlinear regions, (2) solving the wave radiation problem subjected to the boundary reaction forces in the time domain. For the purpose of calculating the boundary reaction forces at the base of the isolator, the KIESSI-3D program is employed in this study to solve soil-foundation interaction problem subjected to vertically incident seismic waves. Wave radiation analysis is also employed, in which the nonlinear structure and the linear soil region are modeled by finite elements and energy absorbing elements on the outer model boundary using a general purpose nonlinear FE program. In this study, the MIDAS/Civil program is employed for modeling the wave radiation problem. In order to absorb the outgoing elastic waves to the unbounded soil region, spring and viscous-damper elements are used at the outer FE boundary. The BRM technique utilizing KIESSI-3D and MIDAS/Civil programs is verified using a linear soil-structure analysis problem. Finally the method is applied to nonlinear seismic analysis of a base-isolated NPP structure. The results show that BRM can effectively be applied to nonlinear soil-structure interaction problems.

• Architectural research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2014

Nonlinear analysis of reinforced concrete structures is carried out by using Reissner-Mindlin (RM) shell finite element (FE). The brittle inelastic characteristic of concrete material is represented by using the elasto-plastic fracture (EPF) material model with the relevant material models such as cracking criteria, shear transfer model and tension stiffening model. In particular, assumed strains are introduced in the formulation of the present shell FE in order to avoid element deficiencies inherited in the standard RM shell FE. The arc-length control method is used to trace the full load-displacement path of reinforced concrete structures. Finally, four benchmark tests are carried out and numerical results are provided as future reference solutions produced by RM shell element with assumed strains.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.417-438
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• 2013

This study was concerned on the application of a hybrid approach for analyzing the buried pipelines deformations subjected to earthquakes. Nonlinear time-history analysis of Finite Element (FE) model of buried pipelines, which was modeled using laboratory data, has been performed via selected earthquakes. In order to verify the FE model with experiments, a statistical test was done which demonstrated a good conformity. Then, the FE model was developed and the optimum intersection angle of pipeline and fault was obtained via genetic algorithm. Transient seismic strain of buried pipeline in the optimum intersection angle of pipeline and fault was investigated considering the pipes diameter, the distance of pipes from fault, the soil friction angles and seismic response duration of buried pipelines. Also, a two-layer perceptron Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was trained using results of FE model, and a nonlinear relationship was obtained to predict the bending strain of buried pipelines based on the pipes diameter, intersection angles of the pipelines and fault, the soil friction angles, distance of pipes from the fault, and seismic response duration; whereas it contains a wide range of initial input data without any requirement to laboratory measurements.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.80 no.6
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• pp.645-655
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• 2021

Performance-based reliability analysis is a practical approach to investigate the seismic performance and stochastic nonlinear response of structures considering a random process. This is significant due to the uncertainties involved in every aspect of the analysis. Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate the performance-based reliability within a stochastic finite element (FE) framework for reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls that are considered as one of the most essential elements of structures. To accomplish this purpose, deterministic FE analyses are conducted for both squat and slender shear walls to validate numerical models through experimental results. The presented numerical analysis is performed by using the ABAQUS FE program. Afterwards, a random-effects investigation is carried out to consider the influence of different random variables on the lateral load-top displacement behavior of RC members. Using these results and through utilizing the Monte-Carlo simulation method, stochastic nonlinear analyses are also performed to generate random FE models based on input parameters and their probabilistic distributions. In order to evaluate the reliability of RC walls, failure probabilities and corresponding reliability indices are calculated at life safety and collapse prevention levels of performance as suggested by FEMA 356. Moreover, based on reliability indices, capacity reduction factors are determined subjected to shear for all specimens that are designed according to the ACI 318 Building Code. Obtained results show that the lateral load and the compressive strength of concrete have the highest effects on load-displacement responses compared to those of other random variables. It is also found that the probability of shear failure for the squat wall is slightly lower than that for slender walls. This implies that 𝛽 values are higher in a non-ductile mode of failure. Besides, the reliability of both squat and slender shear walls does not change significantly in the case of varying capacity reduction factors.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.11
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• pp.4635-4642
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• 2010

Latex modification of concrete provides the material with higher flexural strength, as well as high bond strength and reduced water permeability. One of the most advantages of the very early-strength latex-modified concrete (VES-LMC) could be the similar contraction and expansion behaviour to normal concrete substrate, which enable to ensure long-term performance. The purpose of this study was to parametric nonlinear flexural nonlinear analysis of RC beam rehabilitated by VES-LMC. The results were as follows; The flexural nonlinear analysis model of RC beam overlaid by VES-LMC in ABAQUS was proposed to predict the load-deflection response, interfacial stress, and ultimate strength. The proposed FE analysis model was verified by comparison of an experimental data and the FE analysis results. The FE analysis results showed that yield point as well as flexural stiffness increased as the depth increased; the stiffness of beam overall increased as the bond stiffness became larger; the bond strength between two different materials is a key factor in composite beam. A parametric study showed that an overlay thickness was a main influencing factor to the behavior of RC beam overlaid by VES-LMC.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.193-206
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• 2011

The use of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) to strengthen reinforced concrete beams under bending and shear has gained rapid growth in recent years. The performance of shear strengthened beams with externally bonded CFRP laminate or fabric strips is raising many concerns when the beam is loaded under cyclic loading. Such concerns warrant experimental, analytical and numerical investigation of such beams under cyclic loading. To date, limited investigations have been carried out to address this concern. This paper presents a numerical investigation by developing a nonlinear finite element (FE) model to study the response of a cantilever reinforced concrete T-beam strengthened in shear with side bonded CFRP fabric strips and subjected to cyclic loading. A detailed 3D nonlinear finite element model that takes into account the orthotropic nature of the polymer's fibers is developed. In order to simulate the bond between the CFRP sheets and concrete, a layer having the material properties of the adhesive epoxy resin is introduced in the model as an interface between the CFRP sheets and concrete surface. Appropriate numerical modeling strategies were used and the response envelope and the load-displacement hysteresis loops of the FE model were compared with the experimental response at all stages of the cyclic loading. It is observed that the responses of the FE beam model are in good agreement with those of the experimental test. A parametric study was conducted using the validated FE model to investigate the effect of spacing between CFRP sheets, number of CFRP layers, and fiber orientation on the overall performance of the T-beam. It is concluded that successful FE modeling provides a practical and economical tool to investigate the behavior of such strengthened beams when subjected to cyclic loading.