• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.479-488
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• 2018

The issue of waste and its recycling is perceived as a worldwide environmental problem, and the plastic waste is perceived as the biggest social problem threatening the lives of mankind. The vertical protective net, manufactured by using the plastic resin is vertically installed on the outside in case of formwork at the construction site, in order to prevent the fallen objects and scattered dusts. The objective of this study is to understand the actual use status of vertical protective net in the construction site, to examine the changes in the environment-related regulations recently strengthened in the construction site, and also to improve the field technicians' perception of it. And based on it, this study aims to suggest the measures for using the rational and environment-friendly materials and also for promoting the recycling of vertical protective net as the vertical protective nets made of plastic resin are thoughtlessly used in the construction site.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.11
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• pp.4146-4158
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• 2022

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has been widely utilized in military and civil protective structures to resist intensive loadings attributed to its excellent properties, e.g., high tensile/compressive strength, high dynamic toughness and impact resistance. At present, aiming to improve the defects of the traditional vertical concrete cask (VCC), i.e., the external storage facility of spent fuel, with normal strength concrete (NSC) shield, e.g., heavy weight and difficult to fabricate/transform, the feasibility of UHPC applied in the shield of VCC is numerically examined considering its high radiation and corrosion resistance. Firstly, the finite element (FE) analyses approach and material model parameters of NSC and UHPC are verified based on the 1/3 scaled VCC tip-over test and drop hammer test on UHPC members, respectively. Then, the refined FE model of prototypical VCC is established and utilized to examine its dynamic behaviors and damage distribution in accidental tip-over and end-drop events, in which the various influential factors, e.g., UHPC shield thickness, concrete ground thickness, and sealing methods of steel container are considered. In conclusion, by quantitatively evaluating the safety of VCC in terms of the shield damage and vibrations, it is found that adopting the 300 mm-thick UHPC shield instead of the conventional 650 mm-thick NSC shield can reduce about 1/3 of the total weight of VCC, i.e., about 50 t, and 37% floor space, as well as guarantee the structural integrity of VCC during the accidental drop simultaneously. Besides, based on the parametric analyses, the thickness of concrete ground in the VCC storage site is recommended as less than 500 mm, and the welded connection is recommended for the sealing method of steel containers.