• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.38-50
• /
• 2008

The site-specific seismic responses and corresponding seismic hazards are influenced mainly by the subsurface geologic and geotechnical dynamic characteristics. To estimate reliably the seismic responses in this study, a geotechnical information system (GTIS) within GIS framework was developed by introducing new concepts, which consist of the extended area containing the study area and the additional site visit for acquiring surface geo-knowledge data. The GIS-based GTIS was built for Gyeongju area, which has records of abundant historical seismic hazards reflecting the high potential of future earthquakes. At the study area, Gyeongju, intensive site investigations and pre-existing geotechnical data collections were performed and the site visits were additionally carried out for assessing geotechnical characteristics and shear wave velocity ($V_S$) representing dynamic property. Within the GTIS for Gyeongju area, the spatially distributed geotechnical layers and $V_S$ in the entire study area were reliably predicted from the site investigation data using the geostatistical kriging method. Based on the spatial geotechnical layers and $V_S$ predicted within the GTIS, a seismic zoning map on site period ($T_G$) from which the site-specific seismic responses according to the site effects can be estimated was created across the study area of Gyeongju. The spatial $T_G$ map at Gyeongju indicated seismic vulnerability of two- to five-storied buildings. In this study, the seismic zonation based on $T_G$ within the GIS-based GTIS was presented as regional efficient strategy for seismic hazard prediction and mitigation.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.9-20
• /
• 2014

Steel intermediate moment frames (IMFs) have been generally used as seismic load resisting systems (SLRSs) of a building to provide resistances against strong ground shaking. However, most of low and mid-rise steel buildings in Korea were constructed during pre-seismic code era or before the introduction of well-organized current seismic codes. It has been recognized that the seismic performance of these steel IMFs is still questionable. In order to respond to such a question, this study quantitatively investigates the seismic capacities of steel IMFs. Prototype models are built according to the number of stories, the levels of elastic seismic design base shear and the ductilities of structural components. Also, the other prototype models employing hysteretic energy dissipating devices (HEDDs) are considered. The collapse mechanism and the seismic performance of the prototype models are then described based on the results obtained from nonlinear-static and incremental-dynamic analyses. The seismic performance of the prototype models is assessed from collapse margin ratio (CMR) and collapse probability. From the assessment, the prototype model representing new steel IMFs has enough seismic capacities while, the prototype models representing existing steel IMFs provide higher collapse probabilities. From the analytic results of the prototype models retrofitted with HEDDs, the HEDDs enhance the seismic performance and collapse capacity of the existing steel IMFs. This is due to the energy dissipating capacity of the HEDDs and the redistribution of plastic hinges.

• Geotechnical Engineering
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.139-156
• /
• 1995

A set of field investigations was performed to estimate accurately the predominant periods of seismic 8round motions and the attenuation characteristics of the seismic ground vibration. Predominant periods of ground motions were estimated from the measurement of the continuous microseismic vibratins of certain periods, inherent in the ground and in the buildings, utilizing the high sensitivity digital velocity seismometer consisting of 3-component geophones and a digital seismograph. Estimated predominant periods of microseismic vibraion of the ground(measured on'the ground surface) and the building (measured on the second floor) were in the range of 0.18~0.235 sec. and 0.26~0.31 sec. respectively. The subsurface structure of the site ground was surveyed by the seismic refraction method utilizing the digital seismicwave probing system. The ground structure was found to be a two-layered system : an upper top soil layer of 7m in thickness with the P-wave velocity of 662m1sec and a lower layer of silty-clayey soils with the P -wave velocity of 2210m1 sec. The attenuation characteristics of the seismic ground vibrations were determined by the amplitude decay measurement method us;ng the Seisgun, which produces strong artificial seismic energy. Measured spatial attenuation coefficients of the ground vibration in vertical(Z) longitudinal(X), transverse(Y) direction were 0.1137, 0.0025, and 0.0290 respectively. Estimated Spartial QP's (inverse of the specific dissipation constant w.r.t. shear waved of X, Y, and Z directions were in the range of 5.913~7.575, 32.371~41.452, 2.794~3.579 re spectively. This indicates that aseimic design of the structures on the site should take stronger consideration regarding the earthquake resistance characteristics of the structures against longitudinal ground motion.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.37 no.7
• /
• pp.13-23
• /
• 2021

If roads, bridges, buildings, etc. are built on the ground with soft clay or organic soil, there may be a lot of problems in geotechnical engineering such as settlement and stability due to the large settlement and lack of bearing capacity. In extreme cases, it may appear due to shear failure or collapse of the constructed structure, so a ground improvement method is indispensable to increase the strength of the ground and to suppress settlement. In this study, the settlement according to each groundwater level condition was analyzed using the measurement results for the groundwater level conditions, one of the important factors in predicting the settlement in dredged and reclaimed ground, and the groundwater level conditions applied to the settlement analysis were proposed by comparing it with settlement generated 5 years after construction. As a result of the analysis, it is judged that it is reasonable to apply the measured groundwater level during construction and the low water ordinary neap tide (L.W.O.N.T) during load application for the groundwater level in the settlement analysis. In addition, in the case of the dredged and reclaimed ground, it is estimated that the water pressure acting on the clay layer is nonlinear, as the result of the observations of the head of water at the observation points above and below the in-situ clay layer were different.

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

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.38-46
• /
• 2024

In Korea, more than 60% of the population lives in apartment buildings with wall structures that exhibit brittle behavior during earthquakes. Therefore, in recent performance-based seismic design, the selection of the energy dissipation coefficient for reinforced concrete (RC) walls in nonlinear dynamic analysis is very important. Previous experimental studies have reported that the main factors affecting the energy dissipation capacity of RC walls are the axial force ratio, the spacing of transverse reinforcement of boundary element, and the aspect ratio. The Architectural Institute of Korea and the Korea Concrete Institute proposed a concentrated plastic hinge model and the energy dissipation coefficient for each RC member in the guideline 「Nonlinear Analysis Model for Performance-Based Seismic Design of Reinforced Concrete Building Structures, 2021.」 The proposed equation for the energy dissipation coefficient does not include the factors of axial force ratio and spacing of transverse reinforcement of boundary element. The aspect ratio is applied to the flexural plastic model, despite considering shear-dominated behavior. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the effect of the aspect ratio according to the analysis model. In this study, the influence of each factor on the energy dissipation coefficient was analyzed by comparing the results of existing experimental research, nonlinear analysis using the fiber element model of a nonlinear analysis program(Perform 3D), and the energy dissipation coefficient proposed in the guideline. As the axial force ratio increased, the energy dissipation coefficient decreased, and as the spacing of transverse reinforcement of boundary element decreased, the energy dissipation coefficient increased. Additionally, as the aspect ratio increased, the energy dissipation coefficient tended to increase, with the aspect ratio showing the greatest influence.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.711-722
• /
• 2011

Beam-column gravity or Intermediate Moment frames subjected to unexpected large displacements are vulnerable when no seismic details are provided, which is typical. Conversely, economic efficiency of those frames is decreased if unnecessary special detailing is applied as the beam and column size becomes quite large and steel congestion is caused by joint transverse reinforcement in beam-column connections. Moderate seismic design is used in Korea for beam-column connections of buildings with structural walls, which are to be destroyed when the unexpected large earthquake occurs. Nonetheless, performance of such beamcolumn connections may be substantially improved by the addition of steel fibers. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of steel fibers in reinforced concrete exterior beam-column connections and possibility for the replacement of some joint transverse reinforcement. Ten half-scale beam-column connections with non-seismic details were tested under cyclic loads with two cycles at each drift up to 19 cycles. Main test parameters used were the volume ratio of steel fibers (0%, 1%, 1.5%) and joint transverse reinforcement amount. The test results show that maximum capacity, energy dissipation capacity, shear strength and bond condition are improved with the application of steel fibers to substitute transverse reinforcement of beam-column connections. Furthermore, several shear strength equations for exterior connections were examined, including the proposed equation for steel fiber-reinforced concrete exterior connections with non-seismic details.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
• /
• v.36 no.5_1
• /
• pp.679-692
• /
• 2020

We coupled a CFD model to the WRF-Chem model (WRF-CFD model) and investigated the characteristics of flows and carbon monoxide (CO) distributions in a building-congested district. We validated the simulated results against the measured wind speeds, wind directions, and CO concentrations. The WRF-Chem model simulated the winds from southwesterly to southeasterly, overestimating the measured wind speeds. The statistical validation showed that the WRF-CFD model simulated the measured wind speeds more realistically than the WRF-Chem model. The WRF-Chem model significantly underestimated the measured CO concentrations, and the WRF-CFD model improved the CO concentration prediction. Based on the statistical validation results, the WRF-CFD model improved the performance in predicting the CO concentrations by taking complicatedly distributed buildings and mobiles sources of CO into account. At 04 KST on May 22, there was a downdraft around the AQMS, and airflow with a relatively low CO concentration was advected from the upper layer. Resultantly, the CO concentration was lower at the AQMS than the surrounding area. At 15 KST on May 22, there was an updraft around the AQMS. This resulted in a slightly higher CO concentration than the surroundings. The WRF-CFD model transported CO emitted from the mobile sources to the AQMS measurement altitude, well reproducing the measured CO concentration. At 18 KST on May 22, the WRF-CFD model simulated high CO concentrations because of high CO emission, broad updraft area, and an increase in turbulent diffusion cause by wind-shear increase near the ground.