• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.1225-1256
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• 2014

Calculating the seismic displacement of retaining walls has an important role in the optimum design of these structures. Also, studying the effect of surcharge is important for the calculation of active pressure as well as permanent displacements of the wall. In this regard, some researchers have investigated active pressure; but, unfortunately, there are few investigations on the seismic displacement of retaining walls with surcharge. In this research, using limit analysis and upper bound theorem, permanent seismic displacement of retaining walls with surcharge was analyzed for sliding and overturning failure mechanisms. Thus, a new formulation was presented for calculating yield acceleration, critical angle of failure wedge, and permanent displacement of retaining walls with surcharge. Also, effects of surcharge, its location and other factors such as height of the wall and internal friction angle of soil on the amount of seismic displacements were investigated. Finally, designing charts were presented for calculating yield acceleration coefficient and angle of failure wedge.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.379-395
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• 2016

A seismic strengthening method using Velcro is proposed to improve the seismic performance of columns in RC frame structures. The proposed method was evaluated experimentally using three fabricated RC specimens. Velcro was wrapped around the columns of the RC-frame specimen to prevent concrete spall falling. The reinforcing performance of the Velcro was determined from comparison of results on seismic performance (i.e., strength, displacement, failure mode, displacement ductility capacity and amount of dissipated energy). As the displacement of the reinforced specimens was increased, the amount of dissipated energy increased drastically, and the displacement-ductility-capacity of the reinforced specimens also increased. The final failure mode of RC frame structure was changed. As a result, it was concluded that the proposed seismic strengthening method using Velcro could be used to increase the displacement ductility of RC columns, and could be used to change the final failure mode of RC-frame structures.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.5-12
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• 2021

The reliable seismic stability evaluation of the natural slopes and geotechnical structures has become a critical factor of the design. Pseudo-static or permanent displacement methods are typically employed to evaluate the seismic slope performance. In both methods, the effect of input ground motion on the sliding surface is ignored, and failure surface from the limit equilibrium method is used. For the assessment of the seismic sensitivity of failure surface, two-dimensional non-linear finite element analyses are performed. The performance of the finite element model was validated against centrifuge measurements. A parametric study with a range of input ground motion was performed, and numerical results were used to assess the influence of ground motion characteristics on the sliding surface. Based on the results, it is demonstrated that the characteristics of input ground motion have a significant influence on the location of the seismically induce failure surface. In addition to dynamic analysis, pseudo-static analyses were performed to evaluate the discrepancy. It is observed that sliding surfaces developed from pseudo-static and dynamic analyses are different. The location of the failure surface change with the amplitude and T_m of motion. Therefore, it is recommended to determine failure surfaces from dynamic analysis

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.68 no.2
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• pp.193-201
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• 2018

This paper describes an experimental study on the seismic performance of steel reinforced concrete (SRC) T-shaped columns. The lateral loads were applied along the web of the column with different loading histories, such as monotonic loading, mixed loading of variable amplitude cyclic loading and monotonic loading, constant amplitude cyclic loading and variable amplitude cyclic loading. The failure modes, load-displacement curves, characteristic loads and displacements, ductility, strength and stiffness degradations and energy dissipation capacity of the column were analyzed. The effects of loading history on the seismic performance were focused on. The test results show that the specimens behaved differently in the aspects of the failure mode subject to different loading history, although all the failure modes can be summarized as flexural failure. The hysteretic loops of specimens are plump, and minimum values of the failure drift angles and ductility coefficients are 1/24 and 4.64, respectively, which reflect good seismic performance of SRC T-shaped column. With the increasing numbers of loading cycles, the column reveals lower bearing capacity and ductility. The strength and stiffness of the column with variable amplitude cyclic loading degrades more rapidly than that with constant amplitude cyclic loading, and the total cumulative dissipated energy of the former is less.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.123-132
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• 2018

In this paper the strain energy density (SED) model is used to analyze the seismic behavior of suspen-domes and a new criterion is established for judging the seismic failure based on a characteristic point in the SED model. Firstly, a nonlinear time-history response analysis was carried out using the finite-element package ANSYS for typical suspen-domes subjected to different ground motions. The seismic responses including nodal displacements, ratios of yielding members, strain energy density and structural maximum deformation energy were extracted corresponding to the increasing peak ground acceleration (A). Secondly, the SED sum ($I_d$) was calculated which revealed that the $I_d-A$ curve exhibited a relatively large change (called a characteristic point) at a certain value of A with a very small load increment after the structures entered the elastic-plastic state. Thirdly, a SED criterion is proposed to judge the seismic failure load based on the characteristic point. Subsequently, the case study verifies the characteristic point and the proposed SED criterion. Finally, this paper describes the unity and application of the SED criterion. The SED method may open a new way for structural appraisal and the SED criterion might give a unified criterion for predicting the failure loads of various structures subjected to dynamic loads.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.76 no.2
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• pp.223-237
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• 2020

Transmission towers have come to represent one of the most important infrastructures in today's society, which may suffer severe earthquakes during their service lives. However, in the conventional seismic analyses of transmission towers, the towers are normally assumed to be fixed on the ground without considering the effect of soil-structure interaction (SSI) on the pile-supported transmission tower. This assumption may lead to inaccurate seismic performance estimations of transmission towers. In the present study, the seismic response and failure analyses of pile-supported transmission towers considering SSI are comprehensively performed based on the finite element method. Specifically, two detailed finite element (FE) models of the employed pile-supported transmission tower with and without consideration of SSI effects are established in ABAQUS analysis platform, in which SSI is simulated by the classical p-y approach. A simulation method is developed to stochastically synthesize the earthquake ground motions at different soil depths (i.e. depth-varying ground motions, DVGMs). The impacts of SSI on the dynamic characteristic, seismic response and failure modes are investigated and discussed by using the generated FE models and ground motions. Numerical results show that the vibration mode shapes of the pile-supported transmission towers with and without SSI are basically same; however, SSI can significantly affect the dynamic characteristic by altering the vibration frequencies of different modes. Neglecting the SSI and the variability of earthquake motions at different depths may cause an underestimate and overestimate on the seismic responses, respectively. Moreover, the seismic failure mode of pile-supported transmission towers is also significantly impacted by the SSI and DVGMs.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1561-1580
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• 2015

No significant improvement has been observed on the seismic performance of the ordinary steel reinforced concrete (SRC) columns compared with the reinforced concrete (RC) columns mainly because I, H or core cross-shaped steel cannot provide sufficient confinement for core concrete. Two improved SRC columns by constructing with new-type section steel were put forward on this background: a cross-shaped steel whose flanges are in contact with concrete cover by extending the geometry of webs, and a rotated cross-shaped steel whose webs coincide with diagonal line of the column's section. The advantages of new-type SRC columns have been proved theoretically and experimentally, while construction measures and seismic behavior remain unclear when the new-type columns are joined onto SRC beams. Seismic behavior of SRC joints with new-type section steel were experimentally investigated by testing 5 specimens subjected to low reversed cyclic loading, mainly including the failure patterns, hysteretic loops, skeleton curves, energy dissipation capacity, strength and stiffness degradation and ductility. Effects of steel shape, load angel and construction measures on seismic behavior of joints were also analyzed. The test results indicate that the new-type joints display shear failure pattern under seismic loading, and steel and concrete of core region could bear larger load and tend to be stable although the specimens are close to failure. The hysteretic curves of new-type joints are plumper whose equivalent viscous damping coefficients and ductility factors are over 0.38 and 3.2 respectively, and this illustrates the energy dissipation capacity and deformation ability of new-type SRC joints are better than that of ordinary ones with shear failure. Bearing capacity and ductility of new-type joints are superior when the diagonal cross-shaped steel is contained and beams are orthogonal to columns, and the two construction measures proposed have little effect on the seismic behavior of joints.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.793-798
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• 2002

This paper presents the analytical results on the seismic retrofit of circular bridge columns with poor lap-splice details using FRP jacket. The as-built column suffered brittle failure due to the deterioration of lap-spliced longitudinal reinforcement without developing its flexural capacity or ductility. The retrofitted columns using FRP jacket showed significant improvement in seismic performance due to FRP's confinement effect. FRP's confinement effect is predicted by the classical elasticity solution for the laminated circular tube manufactural with several layers, and induces the flexural failure instead of bondslip failure.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.451-461
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• 2016

The objective of this study is to illustrate the methods and procedures for estimating the failure probability of small fill dams subjected to earthquake events and to estimate the seismic failure probability of the Korean disaster risk fill dams where geotechnical information is not available. In this study, first of all, seismic failure probabilities of 7 disaster risk small fill dams, where geotechnical information is available, were evaluated using event tree analysis. Also, the methods and procedures for evaluating probabilities are illustrated. The relationship between dam height and freeboard for 84 disaster risk small dams, for which the safety diagnosis reports are available, was examined. This relationship was associated with the failure computation equation contained in the toolbox of US Army corps of engineers. From this association, the dam height-freeborard critical curve, which represents 'zero' failure probability, was derived. The seismic failure probability of the Korean disaster risk fill dams was estimated using the critical curve and the failure probabilities computed for 7 small dams.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.541-562
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• 2015

This paper aims at developing the knowledge on the seismic behavior of dowel beam-to-column connections, typically employed in precast buildings in Europe. Despite the large diffusion of the industrial buildings, a high seismic vulnerability was exhibited by these structures, mostly due to the connection systems deficiencies, during some recent earthquakes (Emilia 2012, Turkey 2011). An experimental campaign was conducted on a typical dowel connection between an external column and a roof beam. In this paper, the performed cyclic shear test is described. According to the experimental results, the seismic response of the system is evaluated in terms of strength, stiffness and failure mechanism. Moreover, the complete damage pattern of the test is described by means of the instrumentations records. The connection failure occurred due to the concrete cover failure in the column (splitting failure). Such a mechanism corresponds to a negligible energy dissipation capacity of the connection, compared to the overall seismic response of the structure. The experimental results are also compared with the results of a similar monotonic shear test, as well as with some literature relationships for predicting the strength of dowel connections under horizontal (seismic) loads.