• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.309-323
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• 2016

As the forefront of structural design method, capacity spectrum method can be applied conveniently, and through this method, deformation demand of structure can be considered. However, there is no research for the seismic application in the structure of sheet pile retaining wall to report. Therefore, focusing on laterally loaded stabilizing sheet pile wall, which belongs to flexible cantilever retaining structure and meets the applying requirement of capacity spectrum method from seismic design of building structure, this paper studied an approach of seismic design of sheet pile wall based on capacity spectrum method. In the procedure, the interaction between soil and structure was simplified, and through Pushover analysis, seismic fortification standard was well associated with performance of retaining structure. In addition, by comparing the result of nonlinear time history analysis, it suggests that this approach is applicable.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.237-244
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• 2005

Although the technique of vertical reduction mammaplasty has gained major popularity, it is difficult to perform and has the steep learning curve. The authors present a modification of the standard Lejour vertical mammaplasty that simplify the design and make it more reliable and easy to perform. We simplified the design by discarding the Mosque dome. From March 2000 to March 2004, we performed this technique for 40 patients with breast hypertrophy. The apex of the design was marked at the anterior projection of the inframammary fold. After resection of the breast tissue, the medial and lateral pillars were approximated. Then a new nipple-areola position was determined at 4.0-5.0 cm from a new inframammary fold. The range of resection amount of breast tissues was from 150 to 750 gram. Most of the patients were satisfied with the results. There was no permanent sensory loss and nipple areola skin necrosis. But there was 1 case of hematoma on the first day after the operation. This technique presents several advantages. It allows shaping and projection without compromising the future nipple position and makes it easier to remove an excessive skin around the areolae. And it may be comfortable to adjust the position of the nipple at the end of the procedure. We believe that this modification helps to improve the results of the vertical reduction mammaplasty.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.261-273
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• 2017

The control of the deformative behaviour of pre-stressed concrete roof elements for a satisfactory service performance is a main issue of their structural design. Slender light-weight wing-shaped roof elements, typical of the European heritage, are particularly sensitive to this problem. The paper presents the results of deformation measurements during storage and of both torsional-flexural and purely flexural load tests carried out on a full-scale 40.5 m long innovative wing-shaped roof element. An element-based simplified integral procedure that de-couples the evolution of the deflection profile with the progressive shortening of the beam is adopted to catch the experimental visco-elastic behaviour of the element and the predictions are compared with normative close-form solutions. A linear 3D fem model is developed to investigate the torsional-flexural behaviour of the member. A mechanical non-linear beam model is used to predict the purely flexural behaviour of the roof member in the pre- and post-cracking phases and to validate the loss prediction of the adopted procedure. Both experimental and numerical results highlight that the adopted analysis method is viable and sound for an accurate simulation of the service behaviour of precast roof elements.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.82 no.5
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• pp.667-678
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• 2022

Moment-resisting frames (MRFs) are among the most conventional steel structures for mid-rise buildings in many earthquake-prone cities. Here, a simplified performance-based methodology is proposed for the seismic collapse capacity assessment of these buildings. This method employs a novel multi-mode pushover analysis to determine the engineering demand parameters (EDPs) of the regular steel MRFs up to the collapse prevention (CP) performance level. The modal combination coefficients used in the proposed pushover analysis, are obtained from two metaheuristic optimization algorithms and a fitting procedure. The design variables for the optimization process are the inter-story drift ratio profiles resulting from the multi-mode pushover analyses, and the objective values are the outcomes of the incremental dynamic analysis (IDA). Here, the collapse capacity of the structures is assessed in three to five steps, using a modified IDA procedure. A series of regular mid-rise steel MRFs are selected and analyzed to calculate the modal combination coefficients and to validate the proposed approach. The new methodology is verified against the current existing approaches. This comparison shows that the suggested method more accurately evaluates the EDPs and the collapse capacity of the regular MRFs in a robust and easy to implement way.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2020

Geometric nonlinearity can significantly affect load-carrying capacity of slender columns. Dependence of structural stability on columns necessitates the consideration of second-order effects in the design process of columns, appropriately. On the whole, the design codes present a simplified procedure for second order analysis of slender columns. In this approximate method, the end moments of columns resulted from linear analysis (first-order) are multiplied by the recommended moment amplification factors of codes to achieve magnified moments of the second-order analysis. In the other approach, the equilibrium equations are directly solved for the deformed configuration of structure, so the resulting moments and deflections contain the influence of slenderness and increase more rapidly than do loads. The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of moment amplification factors of Iranian national building code whose provisions are similar to the ACI requirement. Herein, finite element method is used to achieve magnified end moments of reinforced concrete moment resisting frames, and the outcomes are compared with the moments acquired based on the proposed approximate method by Iranian national building code. The results show that the approximate method of Iranian code for calculating magnified moments has significant errors for both unbraced and braced columns.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.359-370
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• 2020

Prestressed ground anchors are important structural elements in geotechnical engineering. Despite their widespread usage, the design process is often significantly simplified. One of the major drawbacks of commonly used design methods is the assumption that skin friction is mobilized uniformly along an anchor's fixed length, one consequence of which is that a progressive failure phenomenon is neglected. The following paper introduces an alternative design approach - a computer algorithm employing the load-transfer method. The method is modified for the analysis of anchors and combined with a procedure for the derivation of load-transfer functions based on commonly available laboratory tests. The load-transfer function is divided into a pre-failure (hardening) and a post-failure (softening) segment. In this way, an aspect of non-linear stress-strain soil behavior is incorporated into the algorithm. The influence of post-grouting in terms of radial stress update, diameter enlargement, and grout consolidation is included. The axial stiffness of the anchor body is not held constant. Instead, it gradually decreases as a direct consequence of tensile cracks spreading in the grout material. An analysis of the program's operation is performed via a series of parametric studies in which the influence of governing parameters is investigated. Finally, two case studies concerning three investigation anchor load tests are presented.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.15 no.5 s.66
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• pp.551-559
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• 2003

In steel frames, the analysis and design techniques are based on either idealized fixed or pinned connections. In this case, it has the advantage that the structural analysis and the design procedure were simplified, but there could be given different results of analysis between the real steel frame connections and the idealized fixed and pinned connection. This is because the real connections would be analyzed by semi-rigid, and have some transfer of moment and rotational constraint about the loads. In this study, structural analysis program with considered connections that have joint rigidity of fixed, pinned and semi-rigid, was developed. Then, the effects of joint rigidity on strength and displacement. in steel frames subjected to lateral forces and axial forces, were investigate, and the results were compared with those of the Midas Gen. w program.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.1-11
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• 2021

Piping systems comprising pumps and valves are essential in the power plant, oil, and defense industry. Their purpose includes a stable supply of the working fluid or ensuring the target system's safe operation. However, piping system accidents due to leakage of toxic substances, explosions, and natural disasters are prevalent In addition, with the limited maintenance personnel, it becomes difficult to detect, isolate, and reconfigure the damage of the piping system and recover the unaffected area. An autonomous recovery piping system can play a vital role under such circumstances. The autonomous recovery algorithms for the piping system can be divided into low-pressure control algorithms, hydraulic resistance control algorithms, and flow inventory control algorithms. All three methods include autonomous opening/closing logic to isolate damaged areas and recovery the unaffected area of piping systems. However, because each algorithm has its strength and weakness, appropriate application considering the overall design, vital components, and operating conditions is crucial. In this regard, preliminary research on algorithm's working principle, its design procedures, and expected damage scenarios should be accomplished. This study examines the characteristics of algorithms, the design procedure, and working logic. Advantages and disadvantages are also analyzed through simulation results for a simplified piping system.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.7 no.2 s.24
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• pp.23-31
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• 2005

This study is a part of research for developing the technologies of long life pavements having more than 40-year design life. The objective of this study is to develop the simplified design procedure for determining the layer thickness and modulus of the long life pavement. A synthetic database was established using the finite element program of a pavement structure with various combinations of layer thickness and modulus. The synthetic database includes the structural and material information, surface deflection, and critical pavement responses. Using the developed synthetic database, this paper suggests the minimum layer thickness and modulus for long life pavements bared on the limited strain level concept. Results demonstrate that the pavement greater than 410mm of total AC layer thickness is considered as the long life pavements regardless of the material characteristics and thickness in each layer. To become a long life pavement, a total thickness of AC layer should be greater than 250mm. The design procedure for determining the layer thickness and modulus of the pavements with AC layer thickness ranging from 250 to 410mm is also presented in this paper.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2008

The conventional design of bridge piers against scour uses scour equations which involve number of uncertain flow, sediments and structural parameters. The inherent high uncertainties in these parameters suggest that the reliability of piers must be assessed to ensure desirable safety of bridges against scour. In the present study, a procedure for the reliability assessment of bridge piers, installed in main and flood channels, against scour has been presented. To study the influence of various random variables on piers' reliability sensitivity analysis has been carried out. To incorporate the reliability in the evaluation of safety factor, a simplified relationship between safety factor and reliability index has been proposed. Effects of clear water (flood channel) and live bed scour (main channel) are highlighted on pier reliability. In addition to these, an attempt has also been made to explain the failure of Black mount bridge of New Zealand based on its pier's reliability analysis. Some parametric studies have also been included to obtain the results of practical interest.