• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.383-398
• /
• 2009

Applying nonlinear statistical analysis methods in estimating the performance of structures in earthquakes is strongly considered these days. This is due to the methods' simplicity, timely lower cost and reliable estimation in seismic responses in comparison with time-history nonlinear dynamic analysis. Among nonlinear methods, simplified to be incorporated in the future guidelines, Modal Pushover Analysis, known by the abbreviated name of MPA, simply models nonlinear behavior of structures; and presents a very proper estimation of nonlinear dynamic analysis using lateral load pattern appropriate to the mass. Mostly, two kinds of connecting joints, 'hinge' and 'rigid', are carried out in different type of steel structures. However, it should be highly considered that nominal hinge joints usually experience some percentages of fixity and nominal rigid connections do not employ totally rigid. Therefore, concerning the importance of these structures and the significant flexibility effect of connections on force distribution and elements deformation, these connections can be considered as semi-rigid with various percentages of fixity. Since it seems, the application and implementation of MPA method has not been studied on moment-resistant steel frames with semi rigid connections, this research focuses on this topic and issue. In this regard several rigid and semi-rigid steel bending frames with different percentages of fixity are selected. The structural design is performed based on weak beam and strong column. Followed by that, the MPA method is used as an approximated method and Nonlinear Response History Analysis (NL-RHA) as the exact one. Studying the performance of semi-rigid frames in height shows that MPA technique offers reasonably reliable results in these frames. The methods accuracy seems to decrease, when the number of stories increases and does decrease in correlation with the semi-rigidity percentages. This generally implies that the method can be used as a proper device in seismic estimation of different types of low and mid-rise buildings with semi-rigid connections.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.211-228
• /
• 2013

The structure analyzed in this paper has particular building style and special structural system. It is a rigid-connected twin-tower skyscraper with asymmetrical distribution of stiffness and masses in two towers. Because of the different stiffness between the north and the south towers, the torsion seismic vibration is significant. In this paper, in order to study the seismic response of the structure under both frequent low-intensity earthquakes as well as rare earthquakes at the levels of intensity 7, the analysis model is built and analyzed with NosaCAD. NosaCAD is an nonlinear structure analysis software based on second-development of AutoCAD with ObjectARX. It has convenient modeling function, high computational efficiency and diversity post-processing functions. The deformations, forces and damages of the structure are investigated based on the analysis. According to the analysis, there is no damage on the structure under frequent earthquakes, and the structure has sufficient capacity and ductility to resist rare earthquakes. Therefore the structure can reach the goal of no damage under frequent earthquakes and no collapse under rare earthquakes. The deformation of the structure is below the limit in Chinese code. The time sequence and distribution of damages on tubes are reasonable, which can dissipate some dynamic energy. At last, according to forces, load-carrying capacity and damage of elements, there are some suggestions on increasing the reinforcement in the core tube at base and in stiffened stories.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.149-160
• /
• 2018

This study experimentally and analytically examines the seismic vulnerability of steel rack storage frames subjected to Korea earthquakes (2016 Gyeongju earthquake and 2017 Pohang earthquake). To achieve this aim, this study selects a three-story, one-bay steel rack frame with a typical configuration of rack frame in Korea. Firstly, the local behavior for frame components is examined by performing monotonic and/or cyclic load tests and the global response and dynamic characteristics of the subject rack frame are investigated by conducting a shaking table test. The analytical model of the rack frame is then created based on the experimental results and is used to perform nonlinear time history analyses with recorded Korea earthquakes. The seismic demand of the rack frame is considerably affected by the spectral acceleration response, instead of peak ground accelerations (peak floor accelerations). Moreover, the collapse fragility curve of the rack frame is developed using incremental dynamic analyses for the Gyeongju and Pohang earthquakes. Fragility results indicate that the ground motion characteristics of these earthquakes do not significantly affect the frame vulnerability at the collapse state.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.241-256
• /
• 2000

The major sources of energy dissipation in steel frames with partially restrained (PR) connections are evaluated. Available experimental results are used to verify the mathematical model used in this study. The verified model is then used to quantify the energy dissipation in PR connections due to hysteretic behavior, due to viscous damping and at plastic hinges if they are formed. Observations are made for two load conditions: a sinusoidal load applied at the top of the frame, and a sinusoidal ground acceleration applied at the base of the frame representing a seismic loading condition. This analytical study confirms the general behavior, observed during experimental investigations, that PR connections reduce the overall stiffness of frames, but add a major source of energy dissipation. As the connections become stiffer, the contribution of PR connections in dissipating energy becomes less significant. A connection with a T ratio (representing its stiffness) of at least 0.9 should not be considered as fully restrained as is commonly assumed, since the energy dissipation characteristics are different. The flexibility of PR connections alters the fundamental frequency of the frame. Depending on the situation, it may bring the frame closer to or further from the resonance condition. If the frame approaches the resonance condition, the effect of damping is expected to be very important. However, if the frame moves away from the resonance condition, the energy dissipation at the PR connections is expected to be significant with an increase in the deformation of the frame, particularly for low damping values. For low damping values, the dissipation of energy at plastic hinges is comparable to that due to viscous damping, and increases as the frame approaches failure. For the range of parameters considered in this study, the energy dissipations at the PR connections and at the plastic hinges are of the same order of magnitude. The study quantitatively confirms the general observations made in experimental investigations for steel frames with PR connections; however, proper consideration of the stiffness of PR connections and other dynamic properties is essential in predicting the dynamic behavior.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2005

An end beam is one of the most important structural members supporting uncovered freight under in-service loading. In general, it needs to endure over 25 years. However fatigue fracture has occurred at dynamic stress concentration location of the end beam because user's specifications demanded high speed and vehicle manufacturer made the uncovered freight car with comparatively low strength and stiffness. For durability analysis, finite element analysis is performed to evaluate the problem of uncovered freight structure and local strain. The uncovered freight car was operated on actual problematic railroad line to measure dynamic stress versus time history on the critical part from which a crack is initiated often. Rainflow cycle counting method was used to estimate fatigue damage at dangerous area under operating condition. Therefore, this study shows that analytical fatigue life at the end beam can be predicted on the basis of S-N curve and structure analysis and has a fairly good correlation with experimental fatigue life.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.26 no.3A
• /
• pp.497-512
• /
• 2006

In this paper, a simple but effective analysis procedure to estimate seismic capacities of multi-span continuous bridge structures is proposed on the basis of modal pushover analysis considering all the dynamic modes of structure. Unlike previous studies, the proposed method eliminates the coupling effects induced from the direct application of modal decomposition by introducing an identical stiffness ratio and an approximate elastic deformed shape. Moreover, in addition to these two introductions, the use of an appropriate distributed load {P} makes it possible to predict the dynamic responses for all kinds of bridge structures through a simpler analysis procedure. Finally, in order to establish the validity and applicability of the proposed method, correlation studies between rigorous nonlinear time history analysis and the proposed method are conducted for multi-span continuous bridges.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.129-136
• /
• 2005

The vehicle loading test under the strict traffic control is generally carried out as a present practice in an evaluation process of the bearing capacity of a bridge. The quasi-static load test is recently proposed to mitigate the traffic condition of test, and analyze the disturbed acceleration time-history data of free vibration due to the ambient traffic on the bridge by Fourier transform to calculate only the natural frequencies of the bridge. The calculated frequencies have some errors due to the analysis technique as well as the influence of ambient traffic loads, and in addition to it is cumbersome to obtain the free vibration data during a quasi-static load test. In this study, the wavelet transform technique using Morlet wavelet is used to analyze the acceleration data recorded during a quasi-static load test on a bridge and calculate the natural frequencies and the modal damping ratios of the bridge. The study results show that the wavelet transform technique is a reliable and reasonable method to analyze test data and obtain the natural frequencies and the modal damping ratios of a bridge regardless of the data types i.e. free or forced vibrations.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.16-24
• /
• 2009

In this study, fatigue crack growth rate of a cracked railway bogie frame under variable amplitude loading is predicted by applying linear elastic fracture mechanics. For this purpose, we find the critical points by reference surveying on cracked railway bogie frames. And we make an effective load history by synthesizing the dynamic load measured from the critical points of railway bogie frame during commercial line operation and the static load calculated from structural analysis. Crack growth analyses are performed at the 3 critical points under the commercial operation loading condition by assuming an initial crack size as 40 mm. and the results are compared with the experimental results from Japanese railway bogie frame crack growth case. From the analysis results, we find that around 500,000 km operating distance is necessary to bring crack growth from the initial crack to unstable crack. And it takes around 3.8 normal operating years. We conclude that it is enough time to detect the crack between normal maintenance period.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.39-58
• /
• 2004

It is very important that predict the inelastic seismic behavior exactly for seismic performance evaluation of a building in the performance based seismic design. Evaluation method of seismic performance based on the pushover analysis reflected in PBSE was developed by some researchers. For the evaluation of inelastic global and local seismic responses by pushover analysis exactly. lateral load distribution should be adjusted and reflected the dynamic characteristics of structural system and various seismic ground motions. And performance point should be determined based on the evaluation of reasonable deformation capacity of a building more exactly. An effective method based on the improved the adaptive lateral load distribution and the equivalent responses of a multistory building is proposed in this study to efficiently estimate the accurate inelastic seismic responses. The proposed method can be used to evaluate the seismic performance for the global inelastic behavior of a building and to accurately estimate its local inelastic seismic responses. In order to demonstrate the accuracy and validity of this method, inelastic seismic responses estimated by the proposed method are compared with those obtained from other analytical methods.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.715-722
• /
• 2011

In this paper, the behavior of nuclear-power plant subjected to an aircraft impact is performed using the parallel analysis. In the erstwhile study of an aircraft impact to the nuclear-power plant, it has been used that the impact load is applied at the local area by using the impact load-time history function of Riera, and the target structures have been restricted to the simple RC(Reinforced Concrete) walls or RC buildings. However, in this paper, the analysis of an aircraft impact is performed by using a real aircraft model similar to the Boeing 767 and a fictitious nuclear-power plant similar to the real structure, and an aircraft model is verified by comparing the generated history of the aircraft crash against the rigid target with another history by using the Riera's function which is allowable in the impact evaluation guide, NEI07-13(2009). Also, in general, it is required too much time for the hypervelocity impact analysis due to the contact problems between two or more adjacent physical bodies and the high nonlinearity causing dynamic large deformation, so there is a limitation with a single CPU alone to deal with these problems effectively. Therefore, in this paper, Message-Passing MIMD type of parallel analysis is performed by using self-constructed Linux-Cluster system to improve the computational efficiency, and in order to evaluate the parallel performance, the four cases of analysis, i.e. plain concrete, reinforced concrete, reinforced concrete with bonded containment liner plate, steel-plate concrete structure, are performed and discussed.