• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• 제30권2호
• /
• pp.185-199
• /
• 2019

Modular construction is an emerging technology to accommodate the increasing restrictions in terms of construction period, energy efficiency and environmental impacts, since each structural module is prefabricated offsite beforehand and assembled onsite using industrialized techniques. However, some innate structural drawbacks of this innovative method are also distinct, such as connection tying inaccessibility, column instability and system robustness. This study aims to explore the theoretical and numerical stability analysis of a tenon-connected square hollow section (SHS) steel column to address the tying and stability issue in modular construction. Due to the excellent performance of composite structures in fire resistance and buckling prevention, concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns are also taken into account in the analysis to evaluate the feasibility of adopting composite sections in modular buildings. Characteristic equations with three variables, i.e., the length ratio, the bending stiffness ratio and the rotational stiffness ratio, are generated from the fourth-order governing differential equations. The rotational stiffness ratio is recognized as the most significant factor, with interval analysis conducted for its mechanical significance and domain. Numerical analysis using ABAQUS is conducted for validation of characteristic equations. Recommendations and instructions in predicting the buckling performance of both SHS and CFST columns are then proposed.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• 제24권4호
• /
• pp.435-446
• /
• 2019

The existing piezoelectric spherical transducers with fixed prescribed dynamic characteristics limit their application in scenarios with multi-frequency or frequency variation requirement. To address this issue, this work proposes an improved design of piezoelectric spherical transducers using the resistance tuning method. Two piezoceramic shells are the functional elements with one for actuation and the other for tuning through the variation of load resistance. The theoretical model of the proposed design is given based on our previous work. The effects of the resistance, the middle surface radius and the thickness of the epoxy adhesive layer on the dynamic characteristics of the transducer are explored by numerical analysis. The numerical results show that the multi-frequency characteristics of the transducer can be obtained by tuning the resistance, and its electromechanical coupling coefficient can be optimized by a matching resistance. The proposed design and derived theoretical solution are validated by comparing with the literature given special examples as well as an experimental study. The present study demonstrates the feasibility of using the proposed design to realize the multi-frequency characteristics, which is helpful to improve the performance of piezoelectric spherical transducers used in underwater acoustic detection, hydrophones, and the spherical smart aggregate (SSA) used in civil structural health monitoring, enhancing their operation at the multiple working frequencies to meet different application requirements.

• 대한금속재료학회지
• /
• 제49권3호
• /
• pp.243-249
• /
• 2011

This study describes the feasibility of producing high-strength Al alloy sheet with a high solute content using a combined technique of twin-roll strip casting and asymmetric rolling. The Al sheet produced in this study exhibited excellent formability ($\overline{r}$ =1.0, $\Delta$r=0.16) and mechanical properties ($\sigma_{TS}$~305 MPa, $\epsilon$~33%), that, cannot be feasibly obtained via the conventional technique based on ingot casting and rolling. The structural origin of the observed properties, especially enhanced formability, was clarified by examining the evolution of textures associated with strip casting and subsequent thermo-mechanical treatments. Our evaluation of the mechanical properties and formability leads us to conclude that the combination of strip casting and asymmetric rolling is a feasible process for enhancing the formability of Al alloy sheets to the level beyond what the conventional techniques can reach.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• 제77권6호
• /
• pp.753-763
• /
• 2021

Feasibility studies of a reinforced concrete (RC) deep pile foundation system with the compressed air energy storage (CAES) technology were conducted in previous studies. However, those studies showed some technical limitations in its serviceability and durability performances. To overcome such drawbacks of the conventional RC energy pile system, various steel-concrete composite pile foundations are addressed in this study to be utilized as a dual functional system for an energy storage medium and load-resistant foundation. This study conducts finite element analyses to examine the applicability of various composite energy pile foundation systems considering the combined effects of structural loading, soil boundary forces, and internal air pressures induced by the thermos-dynamic cycle of compressed air. On this basis, it was clearly confirmed that the role of inner and outer tubes is essential in terms of reliable storage tank and better constructability of pile, respectively, and the steel tubes in the composite pile foundation can also ensure improved serviceability and durability performances compared to the conventional RC pile system.

• 한국기계가공학회지
• /
• 제21권9호
• /
• pp.110-116
• /
• 2022

As the spread of COVID-19 continues, cleanliness and quarantine are emphasized in daily life. If foreign substances enter through the shoe sole when using public facilities, cleanliness may deteriorate and various infections may occur. To prevent this, shoe sole cleaners that filter out foreign substances have been developed. In this study, a design that satisfies structural safety was presented by selecting a new material and updating the design parameter to reduce the weight of the shoe sole cleaner. To evaluate the structural safety, a finite element analysis under selected design loads was performed. Through design improvement and stress analysis, a model that was approximately 85% lighter than the existing model was developed.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• 제82권5호
• /
• pp.611-628
• /
• 2022

Energy-dissipative rocking (EDR) columns are a class of seismic mitigation device capable of dissipating seismic energy and preventing weak-story failure of moment resisting frames (MRFs). An EDR consists of two hinge-supported steel columns interconnected by steel dampers along its height. Under earthquakes, the input seismic energy can be dissipated by plastic energy of the steel dampers in the EDR column. However, the unrecoverable plastic deformation of steel dampers generally results in residual drifts in the structural system. This paper presents a proof-of-concept study on an innovative device, namely self-centring energy-dissipative rocking (SC-EDR) column, aiming at enabling self-centring capability of the EDR column by installing a set of shape memory alloy (SMA) tension braces. The working mechanism of the SC-EDR column is presented in detail, and the feasibility of the new device is carefully examined via experimental and numerical studies considering the parameters of the SMA bar diameter and the steel damper plate thickness. The seismic responses including load carrying capacities, stress distributions, base rocking behaviour, source of residual deformation, and energy dissipation are discussed in detail. A rational combination of the steel damper and the SMA tension braces can achieve excellent energy dissipation and self-centring performance.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• 제29권4호
• /
• pp.589-598
• /
• 2022

Timber structures are susceptible to structural damages caused by variations in moisture content (MC), inducing severe durability deterioration and safety issues. Therefore, it is of great significance to detect MC levels in timber structures. Compared to current methods for timber MC detection, which are time-consuming and require bulky equipment deployment, Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT)-enabled stress wave sensing combined with statistic machine learning classification proposed in this paper show the advantage of the portable device and ease of operation. First, stress wave signals from different MC cases are excited and received by PZT sensors through active sensing. Subsequently, two non-baseline features are extracted from these stress wave signals. Finally, these features are fed to a statistic machine learning classifier (i.e., naïve Bayesian classification) to achieve MC detection of timber structures. Numerical simulations validate the feasibility of PZT-enabled sensing to perceive MC variations. Tests referring to five MC cases are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Results present high accuracy for timber MC detection, showing a great potential to conduct rapid and long-term monitoring of the MC level of timber structures in future field applications.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• 제31권6호
• /
• pp.561-571
• /
• 2023

Ensuring the safety of a structure necessitates that repairs are carried out based on accurate inspections and records of damage information. Traditional methods of recording damage rely on individual paper-based documents, making it challenging for inspectors to accurately record damage locations and track chronological changes. Recent research has suggested the adoption of building information modeling (BIM) to record detailed damage information; however, localizing damages on a BIM model can be time-consuming. To overcome this limitation, this study proposes a method to automatically localize damages on a BIM model in real-time, utilizing consecutive images and measurements from an inertial measurement unit in close proximity to damages. The proposed method employs a visual-inertial odometry algorithm to estimate the camera pose, detect damages, and compute the damage location in the coordinate of a prebuilt BIM model. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method were validated through an experiment conducted on a campus building. Results revealed that the proposed method successfully localized damages on the BIM model in real-time, with a root mean square error of 6.6 cm.

• 한국전산구조공학회논문집
• /
• 제24권1호
• /
• pp.107-117
• /
• 2011

본 논문에서는 PSC 거더 교량의 가속도-임피던스 응답 특성을 이용하는 손상 모니터링에 있어 온도유발 불확실성의 영향을 분석하였다. 먼저, 전역적 및 국부 진동 특성을 이용한 손상 모니터링 기법을 설계하였다. 전역적 및 국부 특성으로 각각 가속도 및 전기-역학적 임피던스 특성을 선정하였다. 다음으로 모형 PSC 거더 교량을 이용하여 온도유발 가속도-임피던스 응답 특성을 실험적으로 분석하였다. 실험 결과로부터 온도-가속도 및 온도-임피던스 응답 특징들에 대한 보정식을 산출하였다. 마지막으로 긴장력 감소 및 휨 강성 저하 경우들이 실험된 모형 PSC 거더를 대상으로 산출된 보정식을 이용한 가속도-임피던스기반 손상 모니터링 기법의 유용성이 평가되었다.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• 제75권3호
• /
• pp.369-376
• /
• 2020

The life of conventional steel plastic injection molds is long but manufacturing cost and time are prohibitive for using these molds for producing prototypes of products in limited numbers. Commonly used 3D printers and rapid prototyping methods are capable of directly converting the digital models of three-dimensional solid objects into solid physical parts. Depending on the 3D printer, the final product can be made from different material, such as polymer or metal. Rapid prototyping of parts with the polymeric material is typically cheaper, faster and convenient. However, the life of a polymer mold can be less than a hundred parts. Failure of a polymeric mold during the injection molding process can result in serious safety issues considering very large forces and temperatures are involved. In this study, the feasibility of the inspection of 3D printed molds with the surface response to excitation (SuRE) method was investigated. The SuRE method was originally developed for structural health monitoring and load monitoring in thin-walled plate-like structures. In this study, first, the SuRE method was used to evaluate if the variation of the strain could be monitored when loads were applied to the center of the 3D printed molds. After the successful results were obtained, the SuRE method was used to monitor the artifact (artificial damage) created at the 3D printed mold. The results showed that the SuRE method is a cost effective and robust approach for monitoring the condition of the 3D printed molds.