• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.625-639
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• 2019

The concept of the combined seismic and energy retrofitting of existing reinforced concrete (RC) buildings was examined in this paper through a number of case studies conducted on model buildings (simulating buildings of the '60s-'80s in southern Europe) constructed according to outdated design standards. Specifically, seismic and thermal analyses have been conducted prior to and after the application of selected retrofitting schemes, in order to quantify the positive effect that retrofitting could provide to RC buildings both in terms of their structural and energy performance. Advanced materials, namely the textile reinforced mortars (TRM), were used for providing seismic retrofitting by means of jacketing of masonry infills in RC frames. Moreover, following the application of the TRM jackets, thermal insulation materials were simultaneously provided to the RC building envelope, exploiting the fresh mortar used to bind the TRM jackets. In addition to the externally applied insulation material, all the fenestration elements (windows and doors) were replaced with new high energy efficiency ones. Afterwards, an economic measure, namely the expected annual loss (EAL) was used to evaluate the efficiency of each retrofitting method, but also to assess whether the combined seismic and energy retrofitting is economically feasible. From the results of this preliminary study, it was concluded that the selected seismic retrofitting technique can indeed enhance significantly the structural behaviour of an existing RC building and lower its EAL related to earthquake risks. Finally, it was found that the combined seismic and energy upgrading is economically more efficient than a sole energy or seismic retrofitting scenario for seismic areas of south Europe.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.62-67
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• 2024

In this paper, we developed and optimized a chitosan-based polymer microbial bead carrier that is cell-friendly, has a high moisture absorption rate, and effectively provides the conditions for microbial biomineral formation as an optimal microbial carrier that protects microorganisms in concrete, and evaluated the self-healing performance of mortar using it. In order to incorporate circular-shaped microbial endospores, a circular-shaped microbial bead carrier was developed by combining chitosan and alginate polymers, and the amount of calcium carbonate produced could be actively controlled by adjusting the composition of the carrier. The amount of biominerals formed and the size of crystals were maximized in the hydrogel bead carrier containing chitosan, and in the case of mortar cracks using this, it was confirmed that self-healing of cracks with a maximum crack width of 0.3mm was achieved within 96 hours after crack generation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.209-232
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• 2023

A comprehensive study was conducted to design economical foundations for a number of buildings on soft cohesive soil in the southern coastal regions of Iran. Both static and seismic loads were considered in the design process. Cyclic experiments indicated that the cohesive soil of the area has potential for softening. Consequently, the major challenge in the design stages was relatively high dimensions of settlement, under both static and seismic loadings. Routine soil-improvement methods were too costly for the vast area of the project. After detailed numerical modeling of different scenarios, we concluded that, in following a performance-based design approach and applying a special time schedule of construction, most of the settlement would dissipate during the construction of the buildings. Making the foundation as rigid as possible was another way to prevent any probable differential settlement. Stiff subgrade of stone and lime mortar under the grid foundation and a reinforced concrete slab on the foundation were considered as appropriate to this effect. In favor of an economical design, in case the design earthquake strikes the site, the estimations indicate no collapse of the buildings even if considerable uniform settlements may occur. This is a considerable alternative design to costly soil-improvement methods.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.75-92
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• 2023

The novel composite cold-formed steel (CFS)/engineered cementitious composites (ECC) beams have been recently presented. The new composite section exhibited superior structural performance as a flexural member, benefiting from the lightweight thin-walled CFS sections with improved buckling and torsional properties due to the restraints provided by thinlayered ECC. This paper investigated the shear performance of the new composite CFS/ECC section. Twenty-eight simply supported beams, with a shear span-to-depth ratio of 1.0, were assembled back-to-back and tested under a 3-point loading scheme. Bare CFS, composite CFS/ECC utilising ECC with Polyethylene fibres (PE-ECC), composite CFS/MOR, and CFS/HSC utilising high-strength mortar (MOR) and high-strength concrete (HSC) as replacements for PE-ECC were compared. Different failure modes were observed in tests: shear buckling modes in bare CFS sections, contact shear buckling modes in composite CFS/MOR and CFS/HSC sections, and shear yielding or block shear rupture in composite CFS/ECC sections. As a result, composite CFS/ECC sections showed up to 96.0% improvement in shear capacities over bare CFS, 28.0% improvement over composite CFS/MOR and 13.0% over composite CFS/HSC sections, although MOR and HSC were with higher compressive strength than PE-ECC. Finally, shear strength prediction formulae are proposed for the new composite sections after considering the contributions from the CFS and ECC components.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.575-583
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• 2010

This research investigated the influence of the number of twist on single fiber pullout behavior of Twisted steel (T-) fiber and tensile behavior of high performance cementitious composites reinforced with the (T-) fibers (HPFRCC). Micromechanical pullout model for T- fibers has been applied to analytically investigate the influence of various fiber parameters including the number of twist on single fiber pullout behavior; and, to optimize the number of twist to generate larger pullout energy during fiber pullout without fiber breakage. In addition, an experimental program including single fiber pullout and tensile tests has been performed to investigate the influence of twist ratio experimentally. Two types of T- fiber with different twisted ratios, T(L)- fiber (6ribs/30 mm) and T(H)- fiber (18ribs/30 mm), were tested. T(L)- fiber produced higher equivalent bond strength (larger pullout energy) although T(H)- fiber produced higher pullout stress during pullout since T(H)- fiber showed fiber breakage during pullout. Tensile test results confirmed that T(L)- fiber in high strength mortar generates better tensile performance of HPFRCC, e.g., load carrying capacity, strain capacity and multiple micro-cracking behavior.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.465-473
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• 2013

Concrete is an outstanding material in terms of its impact and blast resistance performance. However, there a limitation of concrete is its risk of collapse due to the brittle failure and spalling. Increasing the thickness of members was used as a method to enhance the protective performance of concrete, despite the resulting inefficient space. To solve this problem, different types of fiber reinforced concrete were developed. Recently, another type of fiber reinforced concrete is also being developed and applied as a material that offers protection against impacts and blasts by increasing the flexural toughness of concrete. In this study, the test was conducted to evaluate the impact resistance performance of fiber reinforced concrete and mortar according to impact of high-velocity projectile. A concrete T-wall was also tested to evaluate its protective performance from fragment by 155mm-thick artillery shell. The test results revealed that improving flexural strength through fiber reinforcement inhibited cracks and spalling of rear, and spalling of front by high-velocity impact. As such, it is expected to improve the protective performance of the T-wall and reduce the thickness of the member.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.441-453
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• 2016

This study aimed to develop a two-component TSL suitable for reducing dust and guaranteeing homogeneous qualities during its spraying. Its performance was evaluated by a series of laboratory and field tests. High ductility of two-component TSL prototypes resulted in increasing their elongation at break even though their tensile strengths were slightly lower than those of one-component powder TSLs. One prototype of the two-component TSLs developed in this study was verified to satisfy every criterion specified by EFNARC (2008). Especially, it increased the average compressive strength of mortar specimens by 50% even when it coated them only with the thickness of 3 mm. From a preliminary spraying test, a spraying machine suitable for the developed TSL prototype was derived and modified. After its field application, dust and rebound generated during its spraying works were found to be very minimal. Its spraying rate was recorded to be approximately $60m^2/hr$. In addition, it showed a very rapid hardening characteristic compared with general sprayable waterproofing membranes.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.131-149
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• 2013

Various types of reinforcement splicing methods have been developed and implemented in reinforced concrete construction projects for achieving the continuity of reinforcements. Due to the complicated reinforcement arrangements and the difficulties in securing bar spacing, the traditional lap splicing method, which has been widely used in reinforced concrete constructions, often shows low constructability and difficulties in quality control. Also, lap spliced regions are likely to be over-reinforced, which may not be desirable in seismic design. On the other hand, mechanical splicing methods can offer simple and clear arrangements of reinforcement. In order to utilize the couplers for the ribbed-deformed bars, however, additional screw processing at the ends of reinforcing bars is typically required, which often lead to performance degradations of reinforced concrete members due to the lack of workmanship in screw processing or in adjusting the length of reinforcing bars. On the contrary, the use of screw-ribbed reinforcements can easily solve these issues on the mechanical splicing methods, because it does not require the screw process on the bar. In this study, the mechanical coupler suitable for the screw-ribbed reinforcements has been developed, in which any gap between the reinforcements and sleeve device can be removed by grouting high-flow inorganic mortar. This study presents the uniaxial tension tests on the screw-ribbed reinforcement with the mechanical sleeve devices and the cyclic loading tests on RC columns with the developed coupler. The test results show that the mechanical sleeve connection developed in this study has an excellent splicing performance, and that it is applicable to reinforced concrete columns with a proper confinement by hoop reinforcement.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.71-84
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• 2019

Effective waterproofing of structures was a compulsory constraint to avoid leaks and dampness or humidity in walls, ceilings, roofs underground tank and underground room. Traditionally used methods of roof waterproofing were bitumen with tinny seared clay tiles are very troublesome, overwhelming time and involving high labor cost. These waterproofing methods are not allocation the purpose due to their intrinsic disadvantages. Prepackaged polymer modified slurries (PPPMS) are now attainment the vogue and easy to use, easily available in the market, cheaper in cost and more workable than the traditional methods of waterproofing. An experimental study has shown that prepackaged polymer modified slurries (PPPMS) are superior in cost and performance to as a roof water proof coatings. Bituminous coatings were mixed with water and different combination of prepackaged polymer modified slurries and primer respectively, to find optimum coverage underneath worst atmospheric conditions. Every specimen of different proportioned was applied on plane roofs and through the passage of time, their performance was checked, assessed and associated with each other. The roof of approximately 40000 ft² area of prepackaged polymer modified slurries was used will give us hundred percent result (no water seepage or no water absorption) therefore no complaints as compare to roofs area of approximately 24000 ft² bituminous coating was used for waterproofing they have shown the result of 30 to 40 percent water seepage. This result shows that prepackaged polymer modified slurries were two times cheaper than bituminous coating. Comparing an equal number of surfaces coated with a polymer modified prepackaged mortar and bitumen the prepackaged polymer modified slurries (PPPMS) showed excellent performance, ease of application and low bitumen coating cost.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.397-404
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• 1999

It is essential to measure load transfer mechanism of pile to check the appropriateness of assumptions made for design purpose and to continuously monitor the behavior of pile foundation. Through many attempts to monitor the behavior of super-structure in civil engineering area using several optical fiber sensors have been made, application of optical fiber sensor technology on pile foundation has not been tried up to now. Load transfer of model piles during compression loading was measured by optical fiber sensors and compared with the measurement by strain gauges. Fiber Bragg Grating(FBG) sensor system was used since it has many advantages, such as easy multiplexing, high sensitivity, and simple fabrication. Besides the model pile tests, uniaxial tension test of steel bar and compression tests of mortar specimen were carried out to evaluate the performance of FBG sensors in embedded environments. The shift of refilming wavelength due to the strain in FBG sensor is converted to the strain at sensor location and the dependence between them is 1.28 pm/${\mu}$ strain. FBG sensors embedded in model pile showed a better survivability than strain gauges. Measured results of load transfer by both FBG sensors and strain gauges were similar, but FBG sensors showed a smoother trend than those by strain gauge. Based on the results of model pile test, it was concluded that the use of FBG sensor for strain measurement in pile has a great potential for the analysis of pile load transfer.