• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.25 no.6
• /
• pp.417-427
• /
• 2023

If the center of mass and center of stiffness or strength of a structure plan do not coincide, the structure is considered asymmetric. During an earthquake, in addition to lateral vibration, the structure experiences torsional vibration as well. Lateraltorsional coupling in asymmetric structures in the plan will increase lateral displacement at the ends of the structure plan and, as a result, uneven deformation demand in seismically resistant frames. The demand for displacement in resistant frames depends on the magnitude of transitional displacement to rotational displacement in the plan and the correlation between these two. With regard to the inability to eliminate the asymmetrical condition due to various reasons, such as architectural issues, this study has attempted to use supplemental viscous dampers to decrease the correlation between lateral and torsional acceleration or displacement in the plan. This results in an almost even demand for lateral deformation and acceleration of seismic resistant frames. On this basis, using the concept of Torsional Balance, adequate distribution of viscous dampers for the decrease of this correlation was determined by transferring the "Empirical Center of Balance" (ECB) to the geometrical center of the structure plan and thus obtaining an equal mean square value of displacement and acceleration of the plan edges. This study analyzed stiff and flexible torsional structures with one-way and two-way mass asymmetry in the Opensees software. By implementing the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm, the optimum formation of dampers for controlling lateral displacement and acceleration is determined. The results indicate that with the appropriate distribution of viscous dampers, not only does the lateral displacement and acceleration of structure edges decrease but the lateral displacement or acceleration of the structure edges also become equal. It is also observed that the optimized center of viscous dampers for control of displacement and acceleration of structure depends on the amount of mass eccentricity, the ratio of uncoupled torsional-to-lateral frequency, and the amount of supplemental damping ratio. Accordingly, distributions of viscous dampers in the structure plan are presented to control the structure's torsion based on the parameters mentioned.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.217-246
• /
• 2018

During the selection and characterization of target formations in the Small-scale Offshore $CO_2$ Storage Demonstration Project in the Pohang Basin, we have carefully investigated the possibility of induced earthquakes and leakage of $CO_2$ during the injection, and have designed the storage processes to minimize these effects. However, people in Pohang city have a great concern on $CO_2$-injection-intrigued seismicity, since they have greatly suffered from the 5.4 magnitude earthquake on Nov. 15, 2017. The research team of the project performed an extensive self-investigation on the safety issues, especially on the possible $CO_2$ leakage from the target formation and induced earthquakes. The target formation is 10 km apart from the epicenter of the Pohang earthquake and the depth is also quite shallow, only 750 to 800 m from the sea bottom. The project performed a pilot injection in the target formation from Jan. 12 to Mar. 12, 2017, which implies that there are no direct correlation of the Pohang earthquake on Nov. 15, 2017. In addition, the $CO_2$ injection of the storage project does not fracture rock formations, instead, the supercritical $CO_2$ fluid replaces formation water in the pore space gradually. The self-investigation results show that there is almost no chance for the injection to induce significant earthquakes unless injection lasts for a very long time to build a very high pore pressure, which can be easily monitored. The amount of injected $CO_2$ in the project was around 100 metric-tonne that is irrelevant to the Pohang earthquake. The investigation result on long-term safety also shows that the induced earthquakes or the reactivation of existing faults can be prevented successfully when the injection pressure is controlled not to demage cap-rock formation nor exceed Coulomb stresses of existing faults. The project has been performing extensive studies on critical stress for fracturing neighboring formations, reactivation stress of existing faults, well-completion processes to minimize possible leakage, transport/leakage monitoring of injected $CO_2$, and operation procedures for ensuring the storage safety. These extensive studies showed that there will be little chance in $CO_2$ leakage that affects human life. In conclusion, the Small-scale Offshore $CO_2$ Storage Demonstration Project in the Pohang Basin would not cause any induced earthquakes nor signifiant $CO_2$ leakage that people can sense. The research team will give every effort to secure the safety of the storage site.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.51-62
• /
• 2004

Granular compaction piles have the load bearing capacity of the soft ground increase and have the settlement of foundation built on the reinforced soil reduce. The granular compaction group piles also have the consolidation of the soft ground accelerate and have the liquefaction caused by earthquake prevent using the granular materials such as sand, gravel, stone etc. However, this method is one of unuseful methods in Korea. The Granular compaction piles are constructed by grouping it with a raft system. The confining pressure at the center of bulging failure depth is a major variable in relation to estimate for the ultimate bearing capacity of the granular compaction piles. Therefore, a share of loading is determined considering the effect of load concentration ratio between the granular compaction piles and surrounding soils, and varies the magnitude of the confining pressure. In this study, method for the determination of the ultimate bearing capacity is proposed to apply a change of the horizontal pressure considering bulging failure depth, surcharge and loaded area. Also, the ultimate bearing capacity of the granular compaction piles is evaluated on the basis of previous study on the estimation of the ultimate bearing capacity and compared with the results obtained from laboratory scale model tests. And using the result from laboratory model tests, it is studied increase effect of the bearing capacity on the granular compaction piles and variance of coefficient of consolidation for the ground.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.230-242
• /
• 2020

We performed a magnetotelluric (MT) survey to delineate the geological structures below the depth of 20 km in the Gyeongju area where an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 occurred in September 2016. The measured MT data were severely distorted by electrical noise caused by subways, power lines, factories, houses, and farmlands, and by vehicle noise from passing trains and large trucks. Using machine-learning methods, we classified the MT time series data obtained near the railway and highway into two groups according to the inclusion of traffic noise. We applied three schemes, stochastic gradient descent, support vector machine, and random forest, to the time series data for the highspeed train noise. We formulated three datasets, Hx, Hy, and Hx & Hy, for the time series data of the large truck noise and applied the random forest method to each dataset. To evaluate the effect of removing the traffic noise, we compared the time series data, amplitude spectra, and apparent resistivity curves before and after removing the traffic noise from the time series data. We also examined the frequency range affected by traffic noise and whether artifact noise occurred during the traffic noise removal process as a result of the residual difference.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.236-247
• /
• 2009

Overpopulation has significantly increased the use of underground spaces in urban areas, and led to the developments of shallow-depth underground space. Due to unexpected rock fall, however, it is very necessary to understand and categorize the rock mass behaviors prior to the tunnel excavation, by which unnecessary casualties and economic loss could be prevented. In case of cave-in, special attention should be drawn since it occurs faster and greater in magnitude compared to rock fall and plastic deformation. Types of cave-in behavior are explained and categorized using seven parameters - Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS), Rock Quality Designation (RQD), joint surface condition, in-situ stress condition, ground water condition, earthquake & ground vibration, tunnel span. This study eventually introduces a new index called Cave-in Behavior Index (CBI) which explains the behavior of cave-in under given in-situ conditions expressed by the seven parameters. In order to assess the mutual interactions of the seven parameters and to evaluate the weighting factors for all the interactions, survey data of the experts' opinions and Rock Engineering Systems (RES) were used due to lack of field observations. CBI was applied to the tunnel site of Seoul Metro Line No. 9. UDEC analyses on 288 cases were done and occurrences of cave-in in every simulation were examined. Analyses on the results of 288 cases of simulations revealed that the average CBI for the cases when cave-in for different patterns of tunnel support was estimated by a logistic regression analysis.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.594-605
• /
• 2003

Pinching is an important property of reinforced concrete member which characterizes its cyclic behavior. In the present study, numerical studies were performed to investigate the characteristics of pinching behavior and the energy dissipation capacity of flexure-dominated reinforced concrete members. By investigating existing experiments and numerical results, it was found that flexural pinching which has no relation with shear action appears in RC members subject to axial compression force. However, members with specific arrangement and amount of re-bars, have the same energy dissipation capacity regardless of the magnitude of the axial force applied even though the shape of the cyclic curve varies due to the effect of the axial force. This indicates that concrete as a brittle material does not significantly contribute to the energy dissipation capacity though its effect on the behavior increases as the axial force increases, and that energy dissipation occurs primarily by re-bars. Therefore, the energy dissipation capacity of flexure-dominated member can be calculated by the analysis on the cross-section subject to pure bending, regardless of the actual compressive force applied. Based on the findings, a practical method and the related design equations for estimating energy dissipation capacity and damping modification factor was developed, and their validity was verified by the comparisons with existing experiments. The proposed method can be conveniently used in design practice because it accurately estimates energy dissipation capacity with general design parameters.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.313-324
• /
• 2010

In this study, an unbraced five-story steel-framed structure was designed in accordance with KBC2005 to understand the features of structural behavior for the arrangement of semi-rigid connections. An inelastic time history analysis of structural models was performed, wherein all the connections were idealized as fully rigid and semi-rigid. Additionally, horizontal and vertical arrangements of semi-rigid connections were used for the models. A fiber model was utilized for the moment-curvature relationship of a steel beam and a column, a three-parameter power model for the moment-rotation angle of the semi-rigid connection, and a three-parameter model for the hysteretic behavior of a steel beam, column, and connection. The base-shear force, top displacement, story drift, required ductility for the connection, maximum bending moment of the column, beam, and connection, and distribution of the plastic hinge were investigated using four earthquake excitations with peak ground acceleration for a mean return period of 2,400 years and for the maximum base-shear force in the pushover analysis of a 5% story drift. The maximum base-shear force and story drift decreased with the outer vertical distribution of the semi-rigid connection, and the required ductility for the connection decreased with the higher horizontal distribution of the semi-rigid connection. The location of the maximum story drift differed in the pushover analysis and the time history analysis, and the magnitude was overestimated in the pushover analysis. The outer vertical distribution of the semi-rigid connection was recommended for the base-shear force, story drift, and required ductility for the connection.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.436-442
• /
• 2005

We have performed multiple geophysical surveys comprised of gravity, magnetic and resistivity methods at the Yangsan fault zone which runs through the Eonyang area, the eastern part of Kyeongsang in southeast Korea. The gravity and magnetic data provide information about geological structures. Furthermore, sections of electrical resistivity show the sharp contrast of electrical resistivity distribution across the fault zone. Since the fractured zone tends to be more conductive than fresh host rocks, the electrical resistivity survey is effective in determining the detailed structure of the fault zone. We have made gravity measurements at a total of 71 points alongside two profiles across the fault zone, and carried out an electrical resistivity survey with a dipole-dipole array at the same location using 40m dipole length. In addition, we have analyzed the aeromagnetic data on the corresponding area. The multiple geophysical properties appear to be abruptly changed in electrical resistivity, gravity and aeromagneticclearly show the different appearance across the fault zone. The fault is identified by its sub vertical attitude which is well known in the Yangsan fault zone. We have also confirmed that the magnitude of the response of the fault is much larger in the southern part of the survey area than the northern area. These results most likely to provide basic information for the further studies about the physical properties and the structures at the Yangsan fault.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.281-291
• /
• 2010

In this study, a five-story steel frame was designed in accordance with KBC2005 to evaluate the effects of the beam-column connection on the structural behavior. The connections were designed as fully rigid and semi-rigid. The fiber model was used to describe the moment-curvature relationship of the steel beam and the column, the power model for the moment-rotation angle of the semi-rigid connection and the three-parameter model for the hysteretic behavior of the steel beam, column, and connection. The structure was idealized as separate 2-D frames and as connected 2-D frames. The peak ground accelerations of four earthquake records were modified in a time-history analysis for the levels of the mean return period and for the maximum base-shear force in a pushover analysis. The top story displacement, base-shear force, story drift, demanded ductility ratio for the semi-rigid connection, maximum bending moment of the column, beam, and connection, and distribution of the plastic hinge were examined in the time-history analysis. The frame with the semi-rigid connection yielded a lower base-shear force, less magnitude, and increasing ratio in the bending moment of the column, beam, and connection than the frame with a fully rigid connection. The TSD connection was deemed to have secured the economy and safety of the sample structure that was subjected to seismic excitation for the Korean design level.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.115-124
• /
• 2004

Granular compaction pile has the load bearing capacity of the soft ground increase and has the settlement of foundation built on the reinforced soil reduce. The granular compaction group piles also have the consolidation of the soft ground accelerate and prevent the liquefaction caused by earthquake using the granular materials such as sand, gravel, stone etc. However, this method is not widely used in Korea. The granular compaction piles are constructed by grouping them with a raft system. The confining pressure at the center of bulging failure depth is a major variable in estimating the ultimate bearing capacity of the granular compaction piles. Therefore, a share of loading is determined considering the effect of load concentration ratio between the granular compaction piles and surrounding soils, and the variation of the magnitude of the confining pressure. In this study, a method for the determination of the ultimate bearing capacity is proposed to apply a change of the horizontal pressure considering bulging failure depth, surcharge, and loaded area. Also, the ultimate bearing capacity of the granular compaction pile is evaluated on the basis of previous study(Kim et al., 1998) on the estimation of the ultimate bearing capacity and compared with the results obtained from laboratory scale model tests and DEM numerical analysis using the PFC-2D program.