• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.79-93
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• 2013

One of the biggest problems affecting bridges is the transverse cracking and deterioration of concrete bridge decks. The causes of early age cracking are primarily attributed to plastic shrinkage, temperature effects, autogenous shrinkage, and drying shrinkage. The cracks can be influenced by material characteristics, casting sequence, formwork, climate conditions, geometry, and time dependent factors. The cracking of bridge decks not only creates unsightly aesthetic condition but also greatly reduces durability. It leads to a loss of functionality, loss of stiffness, and ultimately loss of structural safety. This investigation consists of field, laboratory, and analytical phases. The experimental and field testing investigate the early age transverse cracking of bridge decks and evaluate the use of sealant materials. The research identifies suitable materials, for crack sealing, with an ability to span cracks of various widths and to achieve performance criteria such as penetration depth, bond strength, and elongation. This paper also analytically examines the effect of a wide range of parameters on the development of cracking such as the number of spans, the span length, girder spacing, deck thickness, concrete compressive strength, dead load, hydration, temperature, shrinkage, and creep. The importance of each parameter is identified and then evaluated. Also, the AASHTO Standard Specification limits liveload deflections to L/800 for ordinary bridges and L/1000 for bridges in urban areas that are subject to pedestrian use. The deflection is found to be an important parameter to affect cracking. A set of recommendations to limit the transverse deck cracks in bridge decks is also presented.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.8-14
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• 2016

Medical bed head consoles (BHC) are generally used to increase the efficiency of medical equipment and speed the medical treatment response time. The BHC design has been consistently improved including a movable shelf unit that is embedded to mount stably medical instruments on the lower part of the main console. The cost of a BHC can be reduced through design optimization to limit the overall weight. However, as the size of a head console might decrease due to design optimization, the BHC deflection could be increased. In this study, multi-objective optimal design was adopted to consider this BHC design problem. In order to reduce the cost of optimization planning, an approximate model was applied for the design optimization. In the context of approximate optimization, we used the response surface method and non-dominant sorting genetic algorithm developed from various fields. Multi-objective optimal solutions were also compared with a single objective optimal design.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.17 no.7 s.124
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• pp.632-637
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• 2007

The dynamic behavior of two steel bridges crossed by the Korean High Speed Train(KHST) has been investigated experimentally and the results are compared with the specification requirement of BRDM and other typical PSC Box bridge's responses. The investigated bridges are a 2-girder steel bridge of 1@40m span length(E-Won Bridge), 2@50m span length (Ji-Tan Bridge), and a PSC Box girder bridge of 2@40m span length (Yeon-Jae Bridge). A set of experimental tests were performed during operation of KHST, and a number of accelerometers, LVDTs and ring-type displacement transducers were utilized for measurement of three kinds of dynamic responses (acceleration, deflection, and end-rotation angle). Measured responses show that the vertical deflections and end-rotation angles of the three bridges are all satisfying the spec. requirement with large margin, but it was also found acceleration responses which are very close or exceed the limit value. Most of the excessive acceleration responses were found when the passing velocity of the KHST is close to the critical velocity ($V_{cr}$) which causes resonance. No noticeable differences of dynamic responses due to the different materials(steel or concrete) could be found within these experimental results.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.215-241
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• 2014

Steel catenary riser (SCR) is a popular/economical solution for the oil/gas production in deep and ultra-deep water. The behavioral characteristics of SCR have a high correlation with the motion of floating production facility at its survival and operational environments. When large motions of surface floaters occur, such as FPSO in 100-yr storm case, they can cause unacceptable negative tension on SCR near TDZ (touch down zone) and the corresponding elastic deflection can be large due to local dynamic buckling. The generation, propagation, and decay of the elastic wave are also affected by SCR and seabed soil interaction effects. The temporary local dynamic buckling vanishes with the recovery of tension on SCR with the upheaval motion of surface floater. Unlike larger-scale, an-order-of-magnitude longer period global buckling driven by heat and pressure variations in subsea pipelines, the sub-critical local dynamic buckling of SCR is motion-driven and short cycled, which, however, can lead to permanent structural damage when the resulting stress is greatly amplified beyond the elastic limit. The phenomenon is extensively investigated in this paper by using the vessel-mooring-riser coupled dynamic analysis program. It is found that the moment of large downward heave motion at the farthest-horizontal-offset position is the most dangerous for the local dynamic buckling.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.79-94
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• 2010

This study shows how uncertainties of data like material properties quantitatively have an influence on structural topology optimization results for dynamic problems, here such as both optimal topology and shape. In general, the data uncertainties may result in uncertainties of structural behaviors like deflection or stress in structural analyses. Therefore optimization solutions naturally depend on the uncertainties in structural behaviors, since structural behaviors estimated by the structural analysis method like FEM need to execute optimization procedures. In order to quantitatively estimate the effect of data uncertainties on topology optimization solutions of dynamic problems, a so-called interval analysis is utilized in this study, and it is a well-known non-stochastic approach for uncertainty estimate. Topology optimization is realized by using a typical SIMP method, and for dynamic problems the optimization seeks to maximize the first-order eigenfrequency subject to a given material limit like a volume. Numerical applications topologically optimizing dynamic wall structures with varied supports are studied to verify the non-stochastic interval analysis is also suitable to estimate topology optimization results with dynamic problems.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.66 no.6
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• pp.713-727
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• 2018

Thin-walled mental tubes under lateral crushing are desirable and reliable energy absorbers against impact or blast loads. However, the early formations of plastic hinges in the thin cylindrical wall limit the energy absorption performance. This study investigates the energy absorption performance of a simple, light and efficient energy absorber called the ring stiffened tube. Due to the increase of section modulus of tube wall and the restraining effect of the T-stiffener flange, key energy absorption parameters (peak crushing force, energy absorption and specific energy absorption) have been significantly improved against the empty tube. Its potential application in the offshore blast wall design has also been investigated. It is proposed to replace the blast wall endplates at the supports with the energy absorption devices that are made up of the ring stiffened tubes and springs. An analytical model based on beam vibration theory and virtual work theory, in which the boundary conditions at each support are simplified as a translational spring and a rotational spring, has been developed to evaluate the blast mitigation effect of the proposed design scheme. Finite element method has been applied to validate the analytical model. Comparisons of key design criterions such as panel deflection and energy absorption against the traditional design demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design in blast alleviation.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.43-57
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• 2011

Force-deformation modelling of cracked reinforced concrete is essential for a displacement-based seismic assessment of structures and can be achieved by fibre-element analysis of the cross-section of the major lateral resisting elements. The non-linear moment curvature relationship obtained from fibre-element analysis takes into account the significant effects of axial pre-compression and contributions by the longitudinal reinforcement. Whilst some specialised analysis packages possess the capability of incorporating fibre-elements into the modelling (e.g., RESPONSE 2000), implementation of the analysis on EXCEL is illustrated in this paper. The outcome of the analysis is the moment-curvature relationship of the wall cross-section, curvature at yield and at damage control limit states specified by the user. Few software platforms can compete with EXCEL in terms of its transparencies, versatility and familiarity to the computer users. The program has the capability of handling arbitrary cross-sections that are without an axis of symmetry. Application of the program is illustrated with examples of typical cross-sections of structural walls. The calculated limiting curvature for the considered cross-sections were used to construct displacement profiles up the height of the wall for comparison with the seismically induced displacement demand.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.703-718
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• 2016

Masonry arch bridges present a large segment of Iranian railway bridge stock. The ever increasing trend in traffic requires constant health monitoring of such structures to determine their load carrying capacity and life expectancy. In this respect, the performance of one of the oldest masonry arch bridges of Iranian railway network is assessed through field tests. Having a total of 11 sensors mounted on the bridge, dynamic tests are carried out on the bridge to study the response of bridge to test train, which is consist of two 6-axle locomotives and two 4-axle freight wagons. Finite element model of the bridge is developed and calibrated by comparing experimental and analytical mid-span deflection, and verified by comparing experimental and analytical natural frequencies. Analytical model is then used to assess the possibility of increasing the allowable axle load of the bridge to 25 tons. Fatigue life expectancy of the bridge is also assessed in permissible limit state. Results of F.E. model suggest an adequacy factor of 3.57 for an axle load of 25 tons. Remaining fatigue life of Veresk is also calculated and shown that a 0.2% decrease will be experienced, if the axle load is increased from 20 tons to 25 tons.

• Computational Structural Engineering
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.117-124
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• 1994

Multi-level Multi-objective optimization(MLMO) for reinforced concrete framed structure is performed, and compared with the results of single-level single-objective optimization. MLMO method allows flexibility to meet the design needs such as deflection and cost of structures using weighting factors. Using Multi-level formulation, the numbers of constraints and variables are reduced at each levels, and the optimization formulation becomes simplified. The force approximation method is used to reflect the variation in design variables between the substructures, and thus coupling is maintained. And the linear approximated constraints and objective function are used to reduce the number of structural analysis in optimization process. It is shown that the developed algorithm with move limit can converge effectively to optimal solution.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.523-533
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• 2011

The demand for the circular hollow section (CHS) has been increasing due to its structural advantage in long-span structures and high-rise buildings. There are not enough researches on the CHS structure, though. The behavior of the gusset plate CHS joint, to predict the ultimate strength, is not easy to predict because the load deflection curve does not show consistency. Therefore, in this study, experiments and finite element analysis (FEA) were carried out to determine the ultimate strength according to the proposed ultimate deformation limit. Finally, a reasonable ultimate strength formula was proposed through comparisons with other design guides.