• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.57-68
• /
• 2024

Tunnels offer myriad benefits for modern countries, and understanding their behavior under loads is critical. This paper analyzes and evaluates the damage to buried horseshoe tunnels under soil pressure and traffic loading. To achieve this, a numerical model of this type of tunnel is first created using ABAQUS software. Then, fracture mechanics theory is applied to investigate the fracture and damage of the horseshoe tunnel. The numerical analysis is based on the damage plasticity model of concrete, which describes the inelastic behavior of concrete in tension and compression. In addition, the reinforcing steel is modeled using the bilinear plasticity model. Damage contours, stress contours, and maximum displacements illustrate how and where traffic loading alters the response of the horseshoe tunnel. Based on the results, the fracture mechanism proceeded as follows: initially, damage started at the center of the tunnel bottom, followed by the formation of damage and micro-cracks at the corners of the tunnel. Eventually, the damage reached the top of the concrete arch with increasing loading. Therefore, in the design of this tunnel, these critical areas should be reinforced more to prevent cracking.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.29 no.5
• /
• pp.497-508
• /
• 2022

Tailings fluidization (i.e., tailings behave as being fluidized) under cyclic loading is one concern during the construction of tailings dams, especially in the shallow tailings layers. The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the responses of tailings under cyclic loadings and the tailings potential for fluidization. A series of cyclic triaxial undrained and drained tests were performed on medium and dense tailings samples under various cyclic stress ratios (CSR). The results indicated that axial strain and excess pore water pressure accumulated over time due to cyclic loading. However, the accumulations were dependent on CSR values, densities, and drainage conditions. The fluidization potential analysis in this study was then evaluated based on the obtained cyclic axial strain and excess pore water pressure. As a result, tailings samples were stable (unfluidized) under small CSR values, and the critical CSR values, where the tailings fluidized, varied depending on the density of tailings samples. Tailings fluidization is triggered as cyclic stress ratios reach critical values. In this study, the critical CSR values were found to be 0.15 and 0.40 for medium and dense samples, respectively.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.66 no.3
• /
• pp.305-315
• /
• 2018

Interaction of lateral loading, combined with axial force needs to be determined with care in reinforced concrete (RC) one-dimensional structural members (1D SMs) such as beam-columns (BCs) and columns. RC 1D SMs under heavy axial loading are known to fail by brittle mode and small lateral displacements. In this paper, a macro element-based algorithm is proposed to analyze the RC 1D SMs under monotonic or cyclic combined loading. The 1D SMs are discretized into macro-elements (MEs) located between the critical sections and the inflection points. The critical sections are discretized into fixed rectangular finite elements (FRFE). The nonlinear behavior of confined and unconfined concretes and steel elements are considered in the proposed algorithm. The proposed algorithm has been validated by the results of experimental tests carried out on full-scale RC structural members. The evolution of ultimate strain at extreme compression fiber of a rectangular RC section for different orientations of lateral loading shows that the ultimate strain decreases with increasing the axial force. In the examined cases, this ultimate strain ranges from 0.0024 to 0.0038. Therefore, the 0.003 value given by ACI-318 code for ultimate strain, is not conservative and valid for the combined load cases with significant values of axial force (i.e. for the axial forces heavier than 70% of the ultimate axial force).

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.1 no.4
• /
• pp.317-336
• /
• 1998

In this paper the appraisal of a folding dome structure under the influence of wind loading is discussed. The foldable structure considered is constructed from an assembly of interconnected elements, together with a flexible membrane, all of which are initially store in a compact form and on deployment expand, like an umbrella, into a dome structure. Loading on the dome was obtained from a wind tunnel analysis of the pressure distribution over the roof of a 1:10 scale model of the structure. The critical loading obtained from the wind tunnel investigation was used, together with individual member and material tests, to form a series of numerical non-linear finite element models which were, in turn, used to investigate the forces within the structure. The numerical analysis was used to determine the critical wind loading that the structure can sustain, as well as providing a method by which to investigate the failure modes of the structure. In order to enhance the load carrying capacity of the dome it was found that both the strength and stiffness of the structural nodes needed to be enhanced and in addition, changes were necessary to substantially increase the stiffness of the individual member and caps.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.1021-1026
• /
• 2003

The problem of predicting the fracture strength behavior in orthotropic plate with a crack inclined with respect to the principal material axes is analyzed. Both the load to cause fracture and the crack direction of crack growth arc of interest. The theoretical results based on the normal stress ration theory show significant effects of biaxial loading and the fiber orientation on the crack growth angle and the critical stress. The additional term in the asymptotic expansion of the crack tip stress field appears to provide more accurate critical stress prediction.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.87 no.1
• /
• pp.29-46
• /
• 2023

Critical thermal buckling of functionally graded porous (FGP) sandwich plates under various types of thermal loading is considered. It is assumed that the mechanical and thermal nonhomogeneous properties of FGP sandwich plate vary smoothly by distribution of power law across the thickness of sandwich plate. In this paper, porosity defects are modeled as stiffness reduction criteria and included in the rule of mixture. The thermal environments are considered as uniform, linear and nonlinear temperature rises. The critical buckling temperature response of FGM sandwich plates has been analyzed under various boundary conditions. By comparing several numerical examples with the reference solutions, the results indicate that the present analysis has good accuracy and rapid convergence. Further, the effects of various parameters like distribution shape of porosity, sandwich combinations, aspect ratio, thickness ratio, boundary conditions on critical buckling temperature of FGP sandwich plate have been studied in this paper.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
• /
• 2000.04a
• /
• pp.411-416
• /
• 2000

The behavior of high strength reinforced concrete columns subjected to uniaxal reversal loading and biaxial reversal circle path loading was investigated. Four full scale test specimens were tested. All specimens were adopted cantilever type, in order that the critical region is to locate only at the bottom of column. The parameters studied were transverse reinforcement ratio, uniaxial lateral loading and biaxial lateral loading. The damage features of columns by the biaxial loading are different from those of the uniaxial loading, However, the maximum strength and the draft angle at maximum strength were almost the same under uniaxial and biaxial loading. The transverse reinforcement under biaxial loading was very effective for increasing ductility of specimens.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.80-85
• /
• 1999

The purpose of this work is to investigate fatigue damage of quasi-isotropic laminates under tensile loading in different directions. Low cycle fatigue tests of [0/-60/+60]a laminates and [+30/-30/90]s lamina tes were carried out. Material systems used are AS4/Epoxy and AS4/PEEK. The fatigue damage of [+30/-30/90]s is very different from that of [0/-60/+60]s. The position of delamination generated at AS4/Epoxy and AS$/PEEK laminates were differentiated by the matrix difference that is, we suppose, the value of both GIcr(critical energy release rate of mode-I) and GIIIcr(critical energy release rate of mode-III) difference.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery Conference
• /
• 1993.10a
• /
• pp.1053-1062
• /
• 1993

The effect of loading speed on soil failure was studied by using a high speed triaxial compression test. Tests were conducted at 0.35-6.2m/s loading speed to compress soil specimens of sandy loam at different moisture contents. The axial stress at fracture increased with increase in loading speed up to certain critical speeds, however they decreased as the speed up to certain critical speeds, however they decreased as the speed increased further. Experiments were also conducted in the field of sandy loam soil with the vibrating tillage tool. Tests were done at 0.33-0.85m/s tractor speed oscillating frequency 13.7hz and oscillating amplitude 59mm. The maximum oscillating velocity of tillage tool was 2.5m/s. It was observed that for the oscillating operation, initially draft slightly increased with increase in forward speed and then it decreased .For the non-oscillating operation, draft increased continuously with increase in forward speed. Approach of studying soil failure in the laboratory test can be related to the field experiments.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.29-36
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this paper is the assessment of the capacity of the reinforced concrete (RC) elements of an arch bridge when they are subjected to contact and near-contact explosive charges of various amounts, and the estimation of the critical charges for these components. The bridge considered is the Tenza Viaduct, a decommissioned structure south of Naples, Italy. Its primary elements, deck, piers and arches were analyzed. The evaluation was accomplished via numerical analyses that made possible to obtain the elements dynamic response when they are exposed to blast loading conditions. To evaluate the member's capacities, failure criteria for deck, piers and arches were proposed based on concrete damage parameters. Additionally, curves relating the explosive charge to the residual capacity and to damage level of the elements were also developed. The results of this work were taken into account to investigate the progressive collapse of the global structure.