• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.304-317
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• 2009

Most crystalline rocks have much higher compressive strength than tensile strength and show brittle failure. In-situ rock mass, strong enough in general sense, often fails in brittle manner when subjected to high stress exceeding strength in due of geometrically induced stress concentration or of high initial stress. Therefore, it is necessary to verify the brittle failure characteristics of rock and rock mass for proper stability assessment of underground structures excavated in great depths. In this study, damage controlled tests were conducted on biotite-granite and granitic gneiss, which are the two major crystalline rock types in Korea, to obtain the strain dependency characteristics of the cohesion and friction angle. A Cohesion-Weakening Friction-Strengthening (CWFS hereafter) model for each rock type was constructed and a series of compression tests were carried out numerically while varying confining pressures. The same tests were also conducted assuming the rock is Mohr-Coulomb material and results were compared.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.219-226
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• 2020

Unconfined compression test (UCT) is widely conducted in laboratories to evaluate the mechanical behavior of frozen soils. However, its results are sensitive to the initial conditions of sample creation by freezing as well as the end-surface conditions during loading of the specimen into the apparatus for testing. This work compared ice samples prepared by three-dimensional and one-dimensional freezing. The latter created more-homogenous ice samples containing fewer entrapped air bubbles or air nuclei, leading to relatively stable UCT results. Three end-surface conditions were compared for UCT on ice specimens made by one-dimensional freezing. Steel disc cap with embedded rubber was found most appropriate for UCT. Three frozen materials (ice, frozen sand, and frozen silt) showed different failure patterns, which were classified as brittle failure and ductile failure. Ice and frozen sand showed strain-softening, while frozen silt showed strain-hardening. Subsequent investigation considered the influence of fines content on the unconfined compression behavior of frozen soil mixtures with fines contents of 0-100%. The mixtures showed a brittle-to-ductile transition of failure patterns at 10%-20% fines content.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.75 no.5
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• pp.559-569
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• 2020

In the present study, the fracture toughness of U-shaped notches made of aluminum alloy Al7075-T6 under combined tension/out-of-plane shear loading conditions (mixed mode I/III) is studied by theoretical and experimental methods. In the experimental part, U-notched test samples are loaded using a previously developed fixture under mixed mode I/III loading and their load-carrying capacity (LCC) is measured. Then, due to the presence of considerable plasticity in the notch vicinity at crack initiation instance, using the Equivalent Material Concept (EMC) and with the help of the point stress (PS) and mean stress (MS) brittle failure criteria, the LCC of the tested samples is predicted theoretically. The EMC equates a ductile material with a virtual brittle material in order to avoid performing elastic-plastic analysis. Because of the very good match between the EMC-PS and EMC-MS combined criteria with the experimental results, the use of the combination of the criteria with EMC is recommended for designing U-notched aluminum plates in engineering structures. Meanwhile, because of nearly the same accuracy of the two criteria and the simplicity of the PS criterion relations, the use of EMC-PS failure model in design of notched Al7075-T6 components is superior to the EMC-MS criterion.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.19-32
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• 2022

This paper presents an investigation into the failure of RC columns under impact loadings. A numerical simulation of 19 identical RC columns subjected to single and repeated impact loadings was performed. A free-falling hammer was dropped at midspan with the same total kinetic energy input but varying mass and momentum. The specimens under the repeated impact test were struck two times at the same location. The colliding index, defined as the impact energy-momentum ratio, was proposed to explain the different impact responses under equal-energy impacts. The increase of colliding index from low to high indicates the transition of the impact response from static to dynamic and failure mode from flexure to shear. This phenomenon was more evident when the column had a greater axial load and was impacted with a high colliding index. The existence of the axial load had an inhibitory effect on the crack development and increased the shear resistance. The second impact changes the failure mode from flexural to brittle shear as found in the specimen with 20% axial load subjected to high a colliding index. Moreover, a deflection prediction equation based on the impact energy and force was limited to the low colliding index impact.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.15-27
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• 2020

During the past decades, the application of acoustic emission techniques (AET) through the diagnosis and monitoring of the fracture process in materials has been attracting considerable attention. AET proved to be operative among the other non-destructive testing methods for various reasons including their practicality and cost-effectiveness. Concrete and rock structures often demand thorough and real-time assessment to predict and prevent their damage nucleation and evolution. This paper presents an overview of the work carried out on the use of AE as a monitoring technique to form a comprehensive insight into its potential application in brittle materials. Reported properties in this study are crack growth behavior, localization, damage evolution, dynamic character and structures monitoring. This literature review provides practicing engineers and researchers with the main AE procedures to follow when examining the possibility of failure in civil/resource structures that rely on brittle materials.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
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• v.52 no.8
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• pp.342-347
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• 2003

The suspension insulators are subjected to harsh environment in service for a long time. Long term reliability of the insulators is required for both mechanical and electrical performances. We studied an analysing method to find out a deformation of brittle porcelain with a thermal expansion of simulation analysis and experimental results show that cement volume growths affect severely to b mechanical failure ageing.

• Magazine of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.164-174
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• 1995

Reliability of RC beanls designed for flexure under the provisions of ACI Building Code is analyzed. The results are compared with those obtained previously. It is shown that in some cases the reliability is inadequate and changes substantiallv with reinforcernent ratio. The probability of brittle failure appears to be rather high. The reasons for these phenomena are revealed and some measures to remedy the situation are recommentied. hluch attention is given to the conditions askthey stand at present in Korea.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Rock Mechanics Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.3-16
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• 2008

The underground construction and mining are facing many geomechanics challenges stemming from, geological complexities and stress-driven rock mass degradation processes. Brittle failing rock at depth poses unique problems as stress-driven failure processes often dominate the tunnel behaviour. Such failure processes can lead to shallow unravelling or strainbursting modes of instability that cause difficult conditions for tunnel contractors. This keynote address focuses on the challenge of anticipating the actual behaviour of brittle rocks in laboratory testing, for empirical rock mass strength estimation, and by back-analysis of field observations. This paper summarizes lessons learned during the construction of deep Alpine tunnels and highlights implications that are of practical importance with respect to constructability. It builds on a recent presentation made at the $1^{st}$ Southern Hemisphere International Rock Mechanics Symposium held in Perth, Australia, in September this year, and includes results from recent developments.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.331-334
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• 2003

Since regulation or specification for the reinforcing method are quite ambiguous, structural design for the reinforcement can be subjectively and arbitrarily conducted. Thus, reasonable limitation and guide for the quantity of the reinforcement are required for the safe use of the structure after repair. In order to guarantee the safety of the structural member several items should be considered; reinforcing limit to avoid the brittle failure, least required strength of the existing member before reinforcement in order not to fail under the new serviceability load condition when reinforcing steel plates or CFRP sheets are harmed or subjected to fire.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.339-342
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• 2003

The bridge columns with lap-splice reinforcements in earthquake suffered a brittle bond-slip failure due to deterioration of the lap-spliced longitudinal reinforcements without developing its flexural capacity or ductility. In this case, such a brittle failure can be controlled by the seismic retrofit using FRP wrapping. The retrofitted columns using FRP wrapping showed significant improvement in seismic performance due to FRP's confinement effect. This paper presents the circumferential confinement effect of existing circular bridge pier strengthened with FRP wrapping for poor lap-splice details. The effects on the confinement of FRP wrapping, such as gap lengths between footing and FRP, fiber orientations, and thicknesses of FRP, were investigated by quasi-static experiments.