• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.827-841
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• 2022

The rotation capacities of the plastic hinges located at beam-ends are significantly reduced in traditional steel framed-tube structures (SFTSs) because of the small span-to-depth ratios of the deep beams, leading to the low ductility and energy dissipation capacities of the SFTSs. High-strength steel framed-tube structures with replaceable shear links (HSSFTS-RSLs) are proposed to address this issue. A replaceable shear link is located at the mid-span of a deep spandrel beam to act as a ductile fuse to dissipate the seismic energy in HSSFTS-RSLs. A 2/3-scaled HSSFTS-RSL specimen with a shear link fabricated of high-strength low-alloy Q355 structural steel was created, and a cyclic loading test was performed to study the hysteresis behaviors of this specimen. The test results were compared to the specimens with soft steel shear links in previous studies to investigate the feasibility of using high-strength low-alloy steel for shear links in HSSFTS-RSLs. The effects of link web stiffener spaces on the cyclic performance of the HSSFTS-RSLs with Q355 steel shear links were investigated based on the nonlinear numerical analysis. The test results indicate that the specimen with a Q355 steel shear link exhibited a reliable and stable seismic performance. If the maximum interstory drift of HSSFTS-RSL is designed lower than 2% under earthquakes, the HSSFTS-RSLs with Q355 steel shear links can have similar seismic performance to the structures with soft steel shear links, even though these shear links have similar shear and flexural strength. For the Q355 steel shear links with web height-to-thickness ratios higher than 30.7 in HSSFTS-RSLs, it is suggested that the maximum intermediate web stiffener space is decreased by 15% from the allowable space for the shear link in AISC341-16 due to the analytical results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.327-340
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• 2022

A vast amount of experimental and analytical research has been conducted related to the seismic behavior and performance of concrete filled steel tubular (CFT) columns. This research has resulted in a wealth of information on the component behavior. However, analytical and experimental data for structural systems with CFT columns is limited, and the well-known behavior of steel or concrete structures is assumed valid for designing these systems. This paper presents the development of an analytical model for nonlinear analysis of composite moment resisting frame (CFT-MRF) systems with CFT columns and steel wide-flange (WF) beams under seismic loading. The model integrates component models for steel WF beams, CFT columns, connections between CFT columns and WF beams, and CFT panel zones. These component models account for nonlinear behavior due to steel yielding and local buckling in the beams and columns, concrete cracking and crushing in the columns, and yielding of panel zones and connections. Component tests were used to validate the component models. The model for a CFT-MRF considers second order geometric effects from the gravity load bearing system using a lean-on column. The experimental results from the testing of a four-story CFT-MRF test structure are used as a benchmark to validate the modeling procedure. An analytical model of the test structure was created using the modeling procedure and imposed-displacement analyses were used to reproduce the tests with the analytical model of the test structure. Good agreement was found at the global and local level. The model reproduced reasonably well the story shear-story drift response as well as the column, beam and connection moment-rotation response, but overpredicted the inelastic deformation of the panel zone.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.77-91
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• 2022

Various monitoring systems have been implemented in civil infrastructure to ensure structural safety and integrity. In long-term monitoring, these systems generate a large amount of data, where anomalies are not unusual and can pose unique challenges for structural health monitoring applications, such as system identification and damage detection. Therefore, developing efficient techniques is quite essential to recognize the anomalies in monitoring data. In this study, several machine learning techniques are explored and implemented to detect and classify various types of data anomalies. A field dataset, which consists of one month long acceleration data obtained from a long-span cable-stayed bridge in China, is employed to examine the machine learning techniques for automated data anomaly detection. These techniques include the statistic-based pattern recognition network, spectrogram-based convolutional neural network, image-based time history convolutional neural network, image-based time-frequency hybrid convolution neural network (GoogLeNet), and proposed ensemble neural network model. The ensemble model deliberately combines different machine learning models to enhance anomaly classification performance. The results show that all these techniques can successfully detect and classify six types of data anomalies (i.e., missing, minor, outlier, square, trend, drift). Moreover, both image-based time history convolutional neural network and GoogLeNet are further investigated for the capability of autonomous online anomaly classification and found to effectively classify anomalies with decent performance. As seen in comparison with accuracy, the proposed ensemble neural network model outperforms the other three machine learning techniques. This study also evaluates the proposed ensemble neural network model to a blind test dataset. As found in the results, this ensemble model is effective for data anomaly detection and applicable for the signal characteristics changing over time.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.139-152
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• 2022

Steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) L-shaped column is the vertical load-bearing member with high spatial adaptability. The seismic behavior of SRC L-shaped column is complex because of their irregular cross sections. In this study, the hysteretic performance of six steel truss reinforced concrete L-shaped columns specimens under the combined loading of compression, bending, shear, and torsion was tested. There were two parameters, i.e., the moment ratio of torsion to bending (γ) and the aspect ratio (column length-to-depth ratio (φ)). The failure process, torsion-displacement hysteresis curves, and bending-displacement hysteresis curves of specimens were obtained, and the failure patterns, hysteresis curves, rigidity degradation, ductility, and energy dissipation were analyzed. The experimental research indicates that the failure mode of the specimen changes from bending failure to bending-shear failure and finally bending-torsion failure with the increase of γ. The torsion-displacement hysteresis curves were pinched in the middle, formed a slip platform, and the phenomenon of "load drop" occurred after the peak load. The bending-displacement hysteresis curves were plump, which shows that the bending capacity of the specimen is better than torsion capacity. The results show that the steel truss reinforced concrete L-shaped columns have good collapse resistance, and the ultimate interstory drift ratio more than that of the Chinese Code of Seismic Design of Building (GB50011-2014), which is sufficient. The average value of displacement ductility coefficient is larger than rotation angle ductility coefficient, indicating that the specimen has a better bending deformation resistance. The specimen that has a more regular section with a small φ has better potential to bear bending moment and torsion evenly and consume more energy under a combined action.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.515-530
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• 2021

In a tall reinforced concrete (RC) core wall system subjected to strong ground motions, inelastic behavior near the base as well as mid-height of the wall is possible. Generally, the formation of plastic hinge in a core wall system may lead to extensive damage and significant repairing cost. A new configuration of core structures consisting of buckling restrained braced frames (BRBFs) and RC walls is an interesting idea in tall building seismic design. This concept can be used in the plan configuration of tall core wall systems. In this study, tall buildings with different configurations of combined core systems were designed and analyzed. Nonlinear time history analysis at severe earthquake level was performed and the results were compared for different configurations. The results demonstrate that using enough BRBFs can reduce the large curvature ductility demand at the base and mid-height of RC core wall systems and also can reduce the maximum inter-story drift ratio. For a better investigation of the structural behavior, the probabilistic approach can lead to in-depth insight. Therefore, incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) curves were calculated to assess the performance. Fragility curves at different limit states were then extracted and compared. Mean IDA curves demonstrate better behavior for a combined system, compared with conventional RC core wall systems. Collapse margin ratio for a RC core wall only system and RC core with enough BRBFs were almost 1.05 and 1.92 respectively. Therefore, it appears that using one RC core wall combined with enough BRBF core is an effective idea to achieve more confidence against tall building collapse and the results demonstrated the potential of the proposed system.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.28-42
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• 2023

Seed dispersal supports community structure, maintains genetic connectivity across fragmented landscapes, and influences vegetation assemblages. In the Philippines, only two seed dispersal studies have compared different dispersal agents. We examined the seed dispersal patterns of water, wind, birds, and bats in the Caliraya Watershed, Philippines. We aimed to determine the floral species that were dispersed and how the forest characteristics influenced seed dispersal. By running seed rain traps and drift litter collection from March to June 2022, we analyzed 14,090 seeds in a privately owned study site within the watershed. Water did not exclusively disperse any species and acted as a secondary disperser. Seed density (seeds/trap) was significantly higher for bird-dispersed (n=166) and bat-dispersed (n=145) seeds than for wind-dispersed (n=79) seeds (One-way analysis of variance [ANOVA]: F_2,87=16.21, P<0.0001). Species number (species/trap) was significantly higher for bird-dispersed (n=3.7) and bat-dispersed (n=3.9) seeds than for wind-dispersed (n=0.2) seeds (One-way ANOVA: F_2,87 =16.67, P<0.0001). Birds dispersed more species because they are more diverse and access a wider variety of fruits, unlike bats. Birds and bats target different fruits and provide separate seed dispersal services. Generalized linear model analyses revealed that the number and basal area of fleshy fruit trees most strongly influenced the bird seed dispersal patterns. Therefore, we recommend a three-way approach to restoration efforts in the Caliraya Watershed: (1) ensure the presence of fleshy fruit trees in restoration zones, (2) assist the establishment of mid-successional and wind-dispersed trees, and (3) intensify the conservation efforts for both flora and faunal diversity.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.203-211
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• 2023

For fast-built and safe precast concrete (PC) construction, the dry mechanical splicing method is a critical technique that enables a self-sustaining system (SSS) during construction with no temporary support and minimizes onsite jobs. However, due to limited experimental evidence, traditional wet splicing methods are still dominantly adopted in the domestic precast industry. For PC beam-column connections, the current design code requires achieving emulative connection performances and corresponding structural integrity to be comparable with typical reinforced concrete (RC) systems with monolithic connections. To this end, this study conducted the standard material tests on mechanical splices to check their satisfactory performance as the Type 2 mechanical splice specified in the ACI 318 code. Two PC beam-column connection specimens with dry mechanical splices and an RC control specimen as the special moment frame were subsequently fabricated and tested under lateral reversed cyclic loadings. Test results showed that the seismic performances of all the PC specimens were fully comparable to the RC specimen in terms of strength, stiffness, energy dissipation, drift capacity, and failure mode, and their hysteresis responses showed a mitigated pinching effect compared to the control RC specimen. The seismic performances of the PC and RC specimens were evaluated quantitatively based on the ACI 374 report, and it appeared that all the test specimens fully satisfied the seismic performance criteria as a code-compliant special moment frame system.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2023.05a
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• pp.172-172
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• 2023

The use of low-cost IoT sensors for flow measurement in open channels has gained significant attention due to their potential to provide continuous and real-time data at a low cost. However, the accuracy and reliability of these sensors in real-world scenarios are not well understood. This study aims to compare the performance of low-cost IoT sensors in the laboratory and real-world conditions to evaluate their accuracy and reliability. Firstly, a low-cost IoT sensor was integrated with an IoT platform to acquire real-time flow rate data. The IoT sensors were calibrated in the laboratory environment to optimize their accuracy, including different types of low-cost IoT sensors (HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor & YF-S201 sensor) using an open channel prototype. After calibration, the IoT sensors were then applied to a real-world case study in the Dorim-cheon stream, where they were compared to traditional flow measurement methods to evaluate their accuracy.The results showed that the low-cost IoT sensors provided accurate and reliable flow rate data under laboratory conditions, with an error range of less than 5%. However, when applied to the real-world case study, the accuracy of the IoT sensors decreased, which could be attributed to several factors such as the effects of water turbulence, sensor drift, and environmental factors. Overall, this study highlights the potential of low-cost IoT sensors for flow measurement in open channels and provides insights into their limitations and challenges in real-world scenarios.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.385-403
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• 2023

To avoid premature damage to the connection joints of a conventional precast concrete shear wall, a new precast concrete shear wall system (NPSW) based on a plastic damage relocation design concept was proposed. Five specimens, including one monolithic cast-in-place concrete shear wall (MSW) as a reference and four NPSWs with different connection details (TNPSW, INPSW, HNPSW, and TNPSW-N), were designed and tested by lateral low-cyclic loading. To accurately assess the damage relocation effect and quantify the damage and deformation, digital image correlation (DIC) and conventional data acquisition methods were used in the experimental program. The concrete cracking development, crack area ratio, maximum residual crack width, curvature of the wall panel, lateral displacement, and deformed shapes of the specimens were investigated. The results showed that the plastic damage relocation design concept was effective; the initial cracking occurred at the bottom of the precast shear wall panel (middle section) of the proposed NPSWs. The test results indicated that the crack area ratio and the maximum residual crack width of the NPSWs were less than those of the MSW. The NPSWs were deformed continuously; significant distortions did not occur in their connection regions, demonstrating the merits of the proposed NPSWs. The curvatures of the middle sections of the NPSWs were lower than that of the MSW after a drift ratio of 0.5%. Among the NPSWs, HNPSW demonstrated the best performance, as its crack area ratio, concrete damage, and maximum residual crack width were the lowest.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.437-454
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• 2022

Elliptic-braced simple resisting frame as a new lateral bracing system installed in the middle bay of frame in building facades has been recently introduced. This system not only creates a problem for opening space from the architectural viewpoint but also improves the structural behavior. Despite the researches on the seismic performance of lateral bracing systems, there are few studies performed on the effect of the stiffness parameters on the elastic story drift and calculation of period in simple braced steel frames. To overcome this shortcoming, in this paper, for the first time, an analytical solution is presented for calculating elastic lateral stiffness in a simple steel frame equipped with elliptic brace subjected to lateral load. In addition, for the first time, in this study, a precise formulation has been developed to evaluate the elastic stiffness variation in a steel frame equipped with a two-dimensional single-story single-span elliptic brace using strain energy and Castigliano's theorem. Thus, all the effective factors, including axial and shear loads as well as bending moments of elliptic brace could be considered. At the end of the analysis, the lateral stiffness can be calculated by an improved and innovative relation through the energy method based on the geometrical properties of the employed sections and specification of the used material. Also, an equivalent element of an elliptic brace was presented for the ease of modeling and use in linear designs. Application of the proposed relation have been verified through a variety of examples in OpenSees software. Based on the results, the error percentage between the elastic stiffness derived from the developed equations and the numerical analyses of finite element models was very low and negligible.