• Journal of the Korean Society for Advanced Composite Structures
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.11-18
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• 2011

In this study, the performance of a steel-FRP composite bridge safety barrier was evaluated through vehicle crash simulation. Surface veil, DB and Roving fibers were used for FRP. The MAT58 material model provided by LS-DYNA software was used to model FRP material. Spot weld option was used for modeling contact between steel and FRP beam. The structural strength performance, the passenger protection performance, and the vehicle behavior after crash were evaluated corresponding to the vehicle crash manual. As the result, A steel-FRP composite safety barrier was satisfied with the required performance.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.429-450
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• 2016

An attempt has been made to incorporate the concept of collapse safety margin into the procedures proposed in the performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE) framework for direct earthquake loss estimation, in which the collapse probability curve obtained from incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) is mathematically characterized with the S-type fitting model. The regressive collapse probability curve is then used to identify non-collapse cases and collapse cases. With the assumed lognormal probability distribution for non-collapse damage indexes, the expected direct earthquake loss ratio is calculated from the weighted average over several damage states for non-collapse cases. Collapse safety margin is shown to be strongly related with sustained damage endurance of structures. Such endurance exhibits a strong link with expected direct earthquake loss. The results from the case study on three concrete frames indicate that increase in cross section cannot always achieve a more desirable output of collapse safety margin and less direct earthquake loss. It is a more effective way to acquire wider collapse safety margin and less direct earthquake loss through proper enhancement of reinforcement in structural components. Interestingly, total expected direct earthquake loss ratio seems to be insensitive a change in cross section. It has demonstrated a consistent correlation with collapse safety margin. The results also indicates that, if direct economic loss is seriously concerned, it is of much significance to reduce the probability of occurrence of moderate and even severe damage, as well as the probability of structural collapse.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.22-27
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• 2017

In this study, the authors aim to evaluate a structural and fatigue safety of a new type anti-loose nut system with dual nuts composed of main nut and outer nut to enhance the long-term workability and durability so as to improve the performance of conventional anti-loose nut system. Also, a three-dimensional finite-element method analysis was performed to consider the actual geometry and material property of anti-loose nut system with dual nuts and the effect of static and dynamic loads and loading directions. The analytical results showed that the overall static and dynamic stress of the components of the anti-loose nut system with dual nuts were found to be less than that of the fatigue limit of Goodman-smith diagram and allowable stress of each materials, therefore the anti-loose nut system with dual nuts was sufficient to ensure a structural and fatigue safety.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.10 no.sup3
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• pp.1-17
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• 2016

Recently, advanced transit systems are being constructed to reduce traffic congestions in metropolitan areas. For these projects, curved bridges with various curvatures are required. Many curved bridges in the past were constructed using aesthetically unpleasant straight beams with curved slabs or expensive curved steel box girders with curved slabs. Therefore, many recent studies have been performed to develop less expensive and very safe precast prestressed concrete (PSC) curved girder. One method of reducing the construction cost of a PSC curved girder is to use a reusable formwork that can easily be adjusted to change the curvature and length of a girder. A reusable and curvature/dimension adjustable formwork called Multi-tasking formwork is developed for constructing efficient precast PSC curved girders. With the Multi-tasking formwork, two 40 m precast PSC box girders with different curvatures were constructed to build a two-girder curved bridge for a static flexural test to evaluate its safety and serviceability performance. The static flexural test results showed that the initial cracking load was 1400 kN, exceeding the design cracking load of 450 kN. Also, the code allowed deflection of 50 mm occurred at a load of 1800 kN, verifying the safety and serviceability of the precast PSC curved bridge constructed using the multi-tasking formwork.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.76-85
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• 2012

This paper proposes a robust damper design technique for adjacent structures against model uncertainty. This approach introduces multi-objective optimization based system identification using measurement information which enables reasonable selection of the perturbation range in the robust design. Moreover, in order to improve the numerical efficiency in sampling the structural models required for the robust design of large structures, we define new objective functions which enable us to minimize the number of candidate models suitable to the purpose of the robust design. In addition, the performance index is newly employed to evaluate the robust performance of the sampled structural models, and the robust design has been performed according to the performance index. As a numerical example to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method, 5-story and 10-story two adjacent buildings are taken into account, and the existing and newly proposed robust design approaches are compared with each other. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach can guarantee more robust damper system only using small number of samples of the structural models because of using the measurement information which leads to improvement in the numerical efficiency, compared with the existing robust design methods.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.361-377
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• 2018

In this paper, an alternative reliability-based methodology is developed and implemented on the safety evaluation of structures subjected to seismic loading. To effectively elaborate the approach, structures are represented by finite elements and seismic loading is applied in time domain. The accuracy of the proposed reliability-based methodology is verified using Monte Carlo Simulation. It is confirmed that the presented approach provides adequate accuracy in calculating structural reliability. The efficiency and robustness in problems related to performance-based seismic design are verified. A structure designed by experts satisfying all post-Northridge seismic design requirements is studied. Rigidities related to beam-to-column connections are incorporated. The structure is excited by three suites of ground motions representing three performance levels: immediate occupancy, life safety, and collapse prevention. Using this methodology, it is demonstrated that only hundreds of deterministic finite element analyses are required for extracting reliability information. Several advantages are documented with respect to Monte Carlo Simulation. To showcase an applicability extension of the proposed reliability-based methodology, structural risk is calculated using simulated ground motions generated via the broadband platform developed by the Southern California Earthquake Center. It is validated the accuracy of the broadband platform in terms of structural reliability. Based on the results documented in this paper, a very solid, sound, and precise reliability-based methodology is proved to be acceptable for safety evaluation of structures excited by seismic loading.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.259-272
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• 2019

Steel-concrete single-leaf blast-resistant doors are protective structures consisting of a steel box and reinforced concrete slab. By the domestic blast-resistant doors, the structure is not designed efficiently because few studies have examined the effects of variables, such as the blast pressure, rebar ratio, and steel plate thickness on the structural behavior. In this study, the structural behavior of the doors was analyzed using the FE method, and the support rotation and ductility ratio used to classify the structural performance were reviewed. The results showed that the deflection changes more significantly when the plate thickness increases than when the rebar spacing is a variable. This is because the strain energy absorbed by the door is reduced considerably when the plate thickness increases, and as a result, the maximum deflection becomes smaller. According to a comparison of the calculated values of the support rotation and the ductility ratio, the structural performance of the doors could be classified based on the support rotation of one degree and ductility ratio of three. On the other hand, more explosion tests and analytical studies will be needed to classify the damage level.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.271-283
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• 2013

This paper introduces the current status of high-rise building design in Japan, with reference to some recent projects. Firstly, the design approval system and procedures for high-rise buildings and structures in Japan are introduced. Then, performance-based wind-resistant design of a 300 m-high building, Abeno Harukas, is introduced, where building configuration, superstructure systems and various damping devices are sophisticatedly integrated to ensure a higher level of safety and comfort against wind actions. Next, design of a 213 m-high building is introduced with special attention to habitability against the wind-induced horizontal motion. Finally, performance-based wind-resistant design of a 634 m-high tower, Tokyo Sky Tree, is introduced. For this structure, the core column system was adopted to satisfy the strict design requirements due to the severest level of seismic excitations and wind actions.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.141-156
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• 2016

The search for new structural systems capable of associating performance and safety requires deeper knowledge regarding the mechanical behavior of structures subject to different loading conditions. The Strut-and-Tie Model is commonly used to structurally designing some reinforced concrete elements and for the regions where geometrical modifications and stress concentrations are observed, called "regions D". This method allows a better structural behavior representation for strength mechanisms in the concrete structures. Nonetheless, the topological model choice depends on the designer's experience regarding compatibility between internal flux of loads, geometry and boundary/initial conditions. Thus, there is some difficulty in its applications, once the model conception presents some uncertainty. In this context, the present work aims to apply the Strut-and-Tie Model to nonlinear structural elements together with a topological optimization method. The topological optimization method adopted considers the progressive stiffness reduction of finite elements with low stress values. The analyses performed could help the structural designer to better understand structural conceptions, guaranteeing the safety and the reliability in the solution of complex problems involving structural concrete.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.21-41
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• 2016

Cold-formed steel structures are increasingly attractive due to their benefits of good mechanical performance and constructional advantages. However, this type of construction is still not fully exploited as a result of the acknowledged difficulties involved in forming construction-efficient and cost-effective connections. Furthermore, there is a lack of information on the structural behavior of the cold-formed steel connections. In this study, the research on various cold-formed steel connections was comprehensively reviewed from both fundamental and structural points of view, based on the available experimental and analytical data. It reveals that the current design codes and guidelines for cold-formed steel connections tend to focus more on the individual bearing capacity of the fasteners rather than the overall structural behavior of the connections. Significant future work remains to be conducted on the structural performance of cold-formed steel connection. In addition, extensive previous research has been carried out to propose and evaluate an economical and efficient connection system that is obtained from the conventional connecting techniques used in the hot-rolled industry. These connecting techniques may not be suitable, however, as they have been adopted from hot-rolled steel portal frames due to the thinness of the sheet in cold-formed steels. The review demonstrates that with the increasing demand for cold-formed steel constructions throughout the world, it is crucial to develop an efficient connection system that can be prefabricated and easily assembled on site.