• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.439-445
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• 2013

The soil-structure interaction(SSI) effect should be considered to accurately assess the seismic response of structure constructed on soft soil site other than the hard bedrock. Recently, the demand of SSI analysis has increased due to strengthening of the regulatory guidelines of nuclear power plant such as the USNRC SRP 3.7.2. In this study an accuracy and running time of the KIESSI-3D program for large-scale 3D SSI analysis were investigated. The seismic SSI analysis using the KIESSI-3D program was performed for several examples of large-scale three-dimensional soil-structure interaction system. The analysis results were compared with those of the ACS/SASSI program. Good agreements in transfer functions at selected locations showd that KIESSI-3D yields accurate solution for large-scale SSI problem. Moreover, it was found that running speed of the KIESSI-3D for large-scale 3D SSI analysis is much faster than that of the ACS/SASSI about 30~2000 times.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1995.10a
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• pp.15.2-22
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• 1995

Evaluating stiffness of near-surface materials has been one of the critically important tasks in many civil engineering works. It is the main goal of geotechnical characterization. The so-called deflection-response method evaluates the stiffness by measuring stress-strain behavior of the materials caused by static or dynamic load. This method, however, evaluates the overall stiffness and the stiffness variation with depth cannot be obtained. Furthermore, evaluation of a large-area geotechnical site by this method can be time-consuming, expensive, and damaging to many surface points of the site. Wave-propagation method, on the other hand, measures seismic velocities at different depths and stiffness profile (stiffness change with depth) can be obtained from the measured velocity data. The stiffness profile is often expressed by shear-wave (S-wave) velocity change with depth because S-wave velocity is proportional to the shear modulus. that is a direct indicator of stiffiiess. The crosshole and downhole method measures the seismic velocity by placing sources and receivers (geophones) at different depths in a borehole. Requirement of borehole installation makes this method also time-consuming, expensive, and damaging to the sites. Spectral-Analysis-of-Surface-Waves (SASW) method places both source and receivers at the surface, and records horizontally-propagating surface waves. Based upon the theory of surfacewave dispersion, the seismic velocities at different depths are calculated by analyzing the recorded surface-wave data. This method can be nondestructive to the sites. However, because only two receivers are used, the method requires multiple measurements with different field setups and, therefore, the method often becomes time-consuming and labor-intensive. Furthermore. the inclusion of noise wavefields cannot be handled properly, and this may cause the results by this method inaccurate. When multi-channel recording method is employed during the measurement of surface-waves, there are several benefits. First, usually single measurement is enough because multiple number (twelve or more) of receivers are used. Second, noise inclusion can be detected by coherency checking on the multi-channel data and handled properly so that it does not decrease the accuracy of the result. Third, various kinds of multi-channel processing techniques can be applied to f1lter unwanted noise wavefields and also to analyze the surface-wavefields more accurately and efficiently. In this way, the accuracy of the result by the method can be significantly improved. Fourth, the entire system of source, receivers, and recording-processing device can be tied into one unit, and the unit can be pulled by a small vehicle, making the survey speed very fast. In all these senses, multi-channel recording of surface waves is best suited for a routine method for geotechnical characterization in most of civil engineering works.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.71-86
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• 2021

This paper focuses on the development and assessment of the expected damage for the rocking response of rigid anchored blocks, with irregular geometry and non-uniform mass distribution, considering the site conditions and the seismicity of Mexico City. The non-linear behavior of the restrainers is incorporated to evaluate the pure tension and tension-shear failure mechanisms. A probabilistic framework is performed covering a wide range of block sizes, slenderness ratios and eccentricities using physics-based ground motion simulation. In order to incorporate the uncertainties related to the propagation of far-field earthquakes with a significant contribution to the seismic hazard at study sites, it was simulated a set of scenarios using a stochastic summation methods of small-earthquakes records, considered as Empirical Green's Function (EGFs). As Engineering Demand Parameter (EDP), the absolute value of the maximum block rotation normalized by the body slenderness, as a function of the peak ground acceleration (PGA) is adopted. The results show that anchorages are more efficient for blocks with slenderness ratio between two and three, while slenderness above four provide a better stability when they are not restrained. Besides, there is a range of peak intensities where anchored blocks located in soft soils are less vulnerable with respect to those located in firm soils. The procedure used in here allows to take decisions about risk, reliability and resilience assessment of different types of contents, and it is easily adaptable to other seismic environments.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.152-161
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• 2023

In general, large-capacity hydrogen storage vessels, typically in the form of vertical cylindrical vessels, are constructed using steel materials. These vessels are anchored to foundation slabs that are specially designed to suit the environmental conditions. This anchoring method involves pre-installed anchors on top of the concrete foundation slab. However, it's important to note that such a design can result in concentrated stresses at the anchoring points when external forces, such as seismic events, are at play. This may lead to potential structural damage due to anchor and concrete damage. For this reason, in this study, it selected an vertical hydrogen storage vessel based on site observations and created a 3D finite element model. Artificial seismic motions made following the procedures specified in ICC-ES AC 156, as well as domestic recorded earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 5.0, were applied to analyze the structural behavior and performance of the target structures. Conducting experiments on a structure built to actual scale would be ideal, but due to practical constraints, it proved challenging to execute. Therefore, it opted for an analytical approach to assess the safety of the target structure. Regarding the structural response characteristics, the acceleration induced by seismic motion was observed to amplify by approximately ten times compared to the input seismic motions. Additionally, there was a tendency for a decrease in amplification as the response acceleration was transmitted to the point where the centre of gravity is located. For the vulnerable components, specifically the sub-system (support columns and anchorages), the stress levels were found to satisfy the allowable stress criteria. However, the concrete's tensile strength exhibited only about a 5% margin of safety compared to the allowable stress. This indicates the need for mitigation strategies in addressing these concerns. Based on the research findings presented in this paper, it is anticipated that predictable load information for the design of storage vessels required for future shaking table tests will be provided.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.47-60
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• 2007

Conventional active surface wave measurements performed using a transient or continuous source are often limited in the maximum depth of penetration due to the difficulty of generating low-frequency energy with reasonably portable sources. This limitation may inhibit accurate seismic site response calculations because of the inability to define deeper subsurface structure. By measuring surface wave generated by passive sources including microtremors and cultural noise, it is possible to overcome this problem and develop soil stiffness profiles to much larger depth. Reliability of dispersion estimates from the passive surface wave measurements is critical to present reliable shear wave velocity profiles and can be improved by the measurements and analyses of passive surface waves based on correct understanding of systematic errors included in passive dispersion data. In this study, the systematic errors caused by poor wavenumber resolution and energy leakage into sidelobes in passive tests are mainly explored. Recommendations for reliable passive surface wave measurements and dispersion estimates are presented and illustrated at a site in San Jose, California, U.S.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.15-23
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• 2017

The evaluation of earthquake load on the surface is very important factor for the seismic reinforcement of existing building, and the magnitude of earthquake load depends on a shear wave velocity profile of soil under a building. To determine a shear wave velocity profile under a existing building, test method should be able to determine a reliable shear wave velocity profile under conditions such as heavy background noise and the small test area, and be sensitive to the variation of material property. In this research, HWAW (Harmonic Wavelet Analysis of Waves) method is applied to determine a shear wave velocity profile under a existing building. In this paper, through numerical simulations and field tests, the feasibility of the proposed method was shown.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.67-80
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• 2014

The thickness of permafrost in Eastern Siberia is from 200 to 500 meters. The seasonally frozen layer can vary from 0 to 4m depending on ground temperature and its location. The shear wave velocity varies from 80m/s in summer to 1500m/s in winter depending on soil type. When melted, large impedence will occur due to the difference between the shear wave velocity of seasonally frozen soil and that of permafrost layer. Large displacement may occur at the boundary of the melted and the frozen layer, and this phenomenon should be considered in a seismic design. In this research, one-dimensional equivalent linear analyses were performed to investigate the effects of the seasonally frozen layer on ground amplification characteristics. Soil profiles of Yakutsk and Chara in Eastern Siberia were selected from geotechnical reports. 20 recorded ground motions were used to evaluate the effect of input motions. As the thickness of seasonally frozen layer and the difference in the shear wave velocity increases, the amplification is shown to increase. Peat, very soft organic soil widely distributed throughout Eastern Siberia, is shown to cause significant ground motion amplification. It is therefore recommended to account for its influence on propagated motion.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.633-641
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• 2012

In this study, the effects of the inelastic shear behavior of beam-column joint on the response of RC OMRF are evaluated in the inelastic time history analysis. For an example, a 5-story structure for site class SB and seismic design category C was designed in accordance with KBC2009. Bending moment-curvature relationship for beam and column was evaluated using fiber model and bending moment-rotation relationship for beam-column joint was calculated using simple and unified joint shear behavior model and moment equilibrium relationship. The hysteretic behavior was simulated using three-parameter model suggested in IDARC program. The inelastic time history analysis with PGA for return period of 2400 years showed that the model with inelastic beam-column joint yielded smaller maximum base shear force but nearly equivalent maximum roof displacement and maximum story drift as those obtained from analysis using rigid joint. The maximum story drift satisfied the criteria of KBC2009. Therefore, the inelastic shear behavior of beam-column joint could be neglected in the structural design.