• Journal of Advanced Research in Ocean Engineering
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.198-210
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• 2015

This paper presents the damage assessment of a free-fall dropped object on the seabed. The damage to a dropped object totally depends on the relationship between the impact energy and the soil strength at the mudline. In this study, unexpected dropping scenarios were first assumed by varying the relevant range of the impact velocity, structure geometry at the moment of impact, and soil strength profile along the penetration depth. Theoretical damage assessments were then undertaken for a free-fall dropping event with a fixed final embedment depth for the structure. This paper also describes the results of a three-dimensional large deformation finite element analysis undertaken for the purpose of validation. The analyses were carried out using the coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian approach, modifying the simple elastic-perfectly plastic Tresca soil model. The validation exercises for each dropping scenario showed good agreement, and the present numerical approach was capable of predicting the behavior of a free-fall dropped object.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.4 no.5
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• pp.377-402
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• 2007

The paper presents quasi-static plane strain FE-simulations of strain localization in reinforced concrete beams without stirrups. The material was modeled with two different isotropic continuum crack models: an elasto-plastic and a damage one. In case of elasto-plasticity, linear Drucker-Prager criterion with a non-associated flow rule was defined in the compressive regime and a Rankine criterion with an associated flow rule was adopted in the tensile regime. In the case of a damage model, the degradation of the material due to micro-cracking was described with a single scalar damage parameter. To ensure the mesh-independence and to capture size effects, both criteria were enhanced in a softening regime by nonlocal terms. Thus, a characteristic length of micro-structure was included. The effect of a characteristic length, reinforcement ratio, bond-slip stiffness, fracture energy and beam size on strain localization was investigated. The numerical results with reinforced concrete beams were quantitatively compared with corresponding laboratory tests by Walraven (1978).

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.111-121
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• 2018

It has been argued that fracture energy of composite laminates depends on their thickness and number of layers. In this paper a modified direct energy balance approach (DEBA) has been developed to evaluate the mode-II shear fracture energy for E-glass/Epoxy laminates from finite element model at an arbitrary thickness. This approach considers friction and damage/plasticity deformations using cohesive zone modeling (CZM) and nonlinear finite element modeling. The presence of compressive stress and resulting friction was argued to be a possible cause for the thickness dependency of fracture energy. In the finite element modeling, CZM formulation has been developed with bilinear cohesive constitutive law combined with friction consideration. Also ply element have been developed with shear plastic damage model. Modified direct energy balance approach has been proposed for estimation of mode-II shear fracture energy. Experiments were performed on laminates of glass epoxy specimens for characterization of material parameters and determination of mode-II fracture energies for different thicknesses. Effect of laminate thickness on fracture energy of transverse crack tension (TCT) and end notched flexure (ENF) specimens has been numerically studied and comparison with experimental results has been made. It is shown that the developed numerical approach is capable of estimating increase in fracture energy due to size effect.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.483-496
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• 2017

Earthquake excitations may induce important amount of seismic energy into structures. Current design philosophy mainly deals with the plastic deformations of replaceable energy dissipating devices rather than damages accumulated on structural members. Since earthquake damage is substantially concentrated on these devices they could be replaced after severe earthquakes. In this study, the efficiency of steel cushion (SC) on seismic improvement of a vulnerable reinforced concrete (RC) frame is determined by means of several numerical simulations. The cyclic shear behaviors of SCs were determined by performing quasi-static tests. The test results were the main basis of the theoretical model of SCs which were used in the numerical analysis. These analyses were performed on three types of RC frames namely bare frame (BF), full-braced frame (F-BF) and semi-braced frame (S-BF). According to analysis results; implementation of SCs has considerable effects in reducing the storey shear forces and storey drifts. Moreover plastic energy demands of structural elements were reduced which indicates a significant improvement in seismic behavior of the RC frame preventing damage accumulation on structural elements. Full-braced frame having SCs with the thickness of 25 mm has better performance than semi-braced frame interms of energy dissipation. However, global energy dissipation demand of S-BF and F-BF having SCs with the thickness of 18 mm are almost similar.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.1499-1528
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• 2015

The yielding mechanisms of reinforced concrete (RC) structures are the main cause of the collapse of RC buildings during earthquake excitation. Nowadays, the application of earthquake energy dissipation devices, such as viscous dampers (VDs), is being widely considered to protect RC structures which are designed to withstand severe seismic loads. However, the effect of VDs on the formation of plastic hinges and the yielding criteria of RC members has not been investigated extensively, due to the lack of an analytical model and a numerical means to evaluate the seismic response of structures. Therefore, this paper offers a comprehensive investigation of how damper devices influence the yielding mechanisms of RC buildings subjected to seismic excitation. For this purpose, adapting the Newmark method, a finite element algorithm was developed for the nonlinear dynamic analysis of reinforced concrete buildings equipped with VDs that are subjected to earthquake. A special finite element computer program was codified based on the developed algorithm. Finally, a parametric study was conducted for a three-story RC building equipped with supplementary VD devices, performing a nonlinear analysis in order to evaluate its effect on seismic damage and on the response of the structure. The results of this study showed that implementing VDs substantially changes the mechanism and formation of plastic hinges in RC buildings.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.307-322
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• 2021

This study developed an analytical methodology for the mechanical integrity of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) cladding tubes under external pinch loads during transportation, with reference to the failure mode specified in the relevant guidelines. Special consideration was given to the degraded characteristics of SNF during dry storage, including oxide and hydride contents and orientations. The developed framework reflected a composite cladding model of elastic and plastic analysis approaches and correlation equations related to the mechanical parameters. The established models were employed for modeling the finite elements by coding their physical behaviors. A mechanical integrity evaluation of 14 × 14 PWR SNF was performed using this system. To ensure that the damage criteria met the applicable legal requirements, stress-strain analysis results were separated into elastic and plastic regions with the concept of strain energy, considering both normal and hypothetical accident conditions. Probabilistic procedures using Monte Carlo simulations and reliability evaluations were included. The evaluation results showed no probability of damage under the normal conditions, whereas there were small but considerably low probabilities under accident conditions. These results indicate that the proposed approach is a reliable predictor of SNF mechanical integrity.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.222-229
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• 2017

High manganese steel exhibits excellent mechanical properties with respect to strength and durability at low temperatures. Recently, high manganese steel has been considered as an alternative to existing materials, such as nickel steel and SUS304L for application as tank material for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) cargo containment systems. In the present study, tensile tests were performed at room and cryogenic temperatures in order to investigate the mechanical properties and non-linear tensile behavior of high manganese steel. In addition, elasto-plastic damage model was applied using the finite element analysis software ABAQUS via a user defined material subroutine (UMAT) to describe the material behavior. Finally, the results of the finite element simulations using the UMAT were compared to those of the tensile tests in order to validate the proposed UMAT. It has been demonstrated that the UMAT can effectively describe the non-linear tensile behavior of high manganese steel.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.303-314
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• 2018

Shear walls are a typical member under a complex stress state and have complicated mechanical properties and failure modes. The separated-elements model Genetic Evolutionary Structural Optimization (GESO), which is a combination of an elastic-plastic stress method and an optimization method, has been introduced in the literature for designing such members. Although the separated-elements model GESO method is well recognized due to its stability, feasibility, and economy, its adequacy has not been experimentally verified. This paper seeks to validate the adequacy of the separated-elements model GESO method against experimental data and demonstrate its feasibility and advantages over the traditional elastic stress method. Two types of reinforced concrete shear wall specimens, which had the location of an opening in the middle bottom and the center region, respectively, were utilized for this study. For each type, two specimens were designed using the separated-elements model GESO method and elastic stress method, respectively. All specimens were subjected to a constant vertical load and an incremental lateral load until failure. Test results indicated that the ultimate bearing capacity, failure modes, and main crack types of the shear walls designed using the two methods were similar, but the ductility indexes including the stiffness degradation, deformability, reinforcement yielding, and crack development of the specimens designed using the separated-elements model GESO method were superior to those using the elastic stress method. Additionally, the shear walls designed using the separated-elements model GESO method, had a reinforcement layout which could closely resist the actual critical stress, and thus a reduced amount of steel bars were required for such shear walls.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.561-572
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• 2019

In the design criterion for the nuclear power plant piping system, the limit state of the piping against an earthquake is assumed to be plastic collapse. The failure of a common piping system, however, means the leakage caused by the cracks. Therefore, for the seismic fragility analysis of a nuclear power plant, a method capable of quantitatively expressing the failure of an actual piping system is required. In this study, it was conducted to propose a quantitative failure criterion for piping system, which is required for the seismic fragility analysis of nuclear power plants against critical accidents. The in-plane cyclic loading test was conducted to propose a quantitative failure criterion for steel pipe elbows in the nuclear power plant piping system. Nonlinear analysis was conducted using a finite element model, and the results were compared with the test results to verify the effectiveness of the finite element model. The collapse load point derived from the experiment and analysis results and the damage index based on the stress-strain relationship were defined as failure criteria, and seismic fragility analysis was conducted for the piping system of the BNL (Brookhaven National Laboratory) - NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) benchmark model.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.23-34
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• 2022

This paper presents experimental studies on reinforced concrete moment resisting frames that have engineered cementitious composite (ECC) in plastic hinge length (PHL) of beam/column members and beam-column joints. A two-story frame structure reduced by a 1:3 scale was further tested through a shake-table (seismic simulator) using multiple levels of simulated earthquake motions. One model conformed to all the ACI-318 requirements for IMRF, whereas the second model used lower-strength concrete in the beam/column members outside PHL. The acceleration time history of the 1994 Northridge earthquake was selected and scaled to multiple levels for shake-table testing. This study reports the observed damage mechanism, lateral strength-displacement capacity curve, and the computed response parameters for each model. The tests verified that nonlinearity remained confined to beam/column ends, i.e., member joint interface. Calculated response modification factors were 11.6 and 9.6 for the code-conforming and concrete strength deficient models. Results show that the RC-ECC frame's performance in design-based and maximum considered earthquakes; without exceeding maximum permissible drift under design-base earthquake motions and not triggering any unstable mode of damage/failure under maximum considered earthquakes. This research also indicates that the introduction of ECC in PHL of the beam/column members' detailing may be relaxed for the IMRF structures.