• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제3권2호
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• pp.131-151
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• 2011

The electrical conductivity of a soil-water system is related to its engineering properties. By measuring the soil electrical conductivity, one may obtain quantitative, semi-quantitative, or qualitative information to estimate the in-situ soil behavior for site characterization. This paper presents the results of electrical conductivity measured on compacted kaolin clay samples using a circular two-electrode cell in conjunction with a specially designed compaction apparatus, which has the advantage of reducing errors due to sample handling and increasing measurement accuracy. The experimental results are analyzed to observe the effects of various parameters on soil electrical conductivity, i.e. porosity, unit weight, water content and pore water salinity. The performance of existing analytical models for predicting the electrical conductivity of saturated and unsaturated soils is evaluated by calculating empirical constants in these models. It is found that the Rhoades model gives the best fit for the kaolin clay investigated. Two general relationships between the formation factor and soil porosity are established based on the experimental data reported in the literature and measured from this study for saturated soils, which may provide insight for understanding electrical conduction characteristics of soils over a wide range of porosity.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• 제1권3호
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• pp.235-251
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• 2016

We have performed a design optimization of a stiffened panel with curvilinear stiffeners using an artificial neural network (ANN) residual kriging based surrogate modeling approach. The ANN residual kriging based surrogate modeling involves two steps. In the first step, we approximate the objective function using ANN. In the next step we use kriging to model the residue. We optimize the panel in an iterative way. Each iteration involves two steps-shape optimization and size optimization. For both shape and size optimization, we use ANN residual kriging based surrogate model. At each optimization step, we do an initial sampling and fit an ANN residual kriging model for the objective function. Then we keep updating this surrogate model using an adaptive sampling algorithm until the minimum value of the objective function converges. The comparison of the design obtained using our optimization scheme with that obtained using a traditional genetic algorithm (GA) based optimization scheme shows satisfactory agreement. However, with this surrogate model based approach we reach optimum design with less computation effort as compared to the GA based approach which does not use any surrogate model.

• Wind and Structures
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.235-252
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• 2016

A wind velocity power spectrum (WVPS) with high fidelity is extremely important for accurate prediction of structural buffeting response. WVPS heavily depends on the geographical locations, local terrains and topographies. Hence, field measurement of wind characteristics may be the unique way to obtain the accurate WVPS for a specific region. In this paper, a systematic analysis and discussions of existing WVPSs were performed. Six recorded strong wind data from the structural health monitoring systems (SHMS) of Runyang Suspension Bridge (RSB) and Sutong Cable-stayed Bridge (SCB) in Jiangsu Province of China were selected for analysis. The measured and pre-processed wind velocity data was first transformed from time domain to frequency domain to obtain the measured spectrum. The spectrum for each strong wind was then fitted using the nonlinear least square method and compared with both the fitted spectrum from statistical analysis and the recommended spectrum in specifications. The modified Kaimal spectrum was proved to be the "best" choice for the coastal area of East Jiangsu Province. Finally, a suitable WVPS formula fit for the coastal area of East Jiangsu Province was presented based on the modified Kaimal spectrum. Results in this study provide a more accurate and reliable WVPS for wind-resistant design of engineering structures in the coastal area of East Jiangsu Province.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.15-26
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• 2015

The compact structure and high-quality effluent of membrane bioreactors make them well-suited for decentralized greywater reclamation. However, the occurrence of membrane fouling continues to limit their effectiveness. To address this concern, a unique membrane module configuration was developed for use in a decentralized greywater treatment system. The module featured local aeration directly below a series of inclined membrane bundles, giving the overall module a twisted appearance compared to a module with vertically orientated fibres. The intent of this design was to increase the frequency and intensity of collisions between rising air bubbles and the membrane surface. Material related to the construction of custom-fit modules is rarely communicated. Therefore, detailed design and assembly procedures were provided in this paper. The twisted module was compared to two commercially available modules with diverse specifications in order to assess the relative performance and marketability of the twisted module with respect to existing products. Contaminant removal efficiencies were determined in terms of biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, ammonia, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and turbidity for each module. Membrane fouling was monitored in terms of permeate flux, transmembrane pressure, and membrane resistance. Following 168 h of operation, the twisted module configuration demonstrated competitive performance, indicating good potential for further development and commercialization.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.397-407
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• 2017

With the growing demand for metallic dampers in engineering practice, it is urgent to establish a reasonable approach to evaluating the mechanical performance of metallic dampers under seismic excitations. This paper introduces an effective method for parameter identification of the modified Bouc-Wen model and its application to evaluating the fatigue performance of metallic dampers (MDs). The modified Bouc-Wen model which eliminates the redundant parameter is used to describe the hysteresis behavior of MDs. Relations between the parameters of the modified Bouc-Wen model and the mechanical performance parameters of MDs are studied first. A modified Genetic Algorithm using real-integer hybrid coding with relative fitness as well as adaptive crossover and mutation rates (called RFAGA) is then proposed to identify the parameters of the modified Bouc-Wen model. A reliable approach to evaluating the fatigue performance of the MDs with respect to the Chinese Code for Seismic Design of Buildings (GB 50011-2010) is finally proposed based on the research results. Experimental data are employed to demonstrate the process and verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. It is shown that the RFAGA is able to converge quickly in the identification process, and the simulation curves based on the identification results fit well with the experimental hysteresis curves. Furthermore, the proposed approach is shown to be a useful tool for evaluating the fatigue performance of MDs with respect to the Chinese Code for Seismic Design of Buildings (GB 50011-2010).

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.141-154
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• 2006

Recently, the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) has gained considerable attention as a novel technique of signal processing, which shows promise for the system identification and damage detection of structures. This study investigates the effectiveness and accuracy of the HHT method for the system identification and damage detection of structures through a series of experiments. A multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) structural model has been constructed with modular members, and the columns of the model can be replaced or removed to simulate damages at different locations with different severities. The measured response data of the structure due to an impulse loading is first decomposed into modal responses using the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) approach with a band-pass filter technique. Then, the Hilbert transform is subsequently applied to each modal response to obtain the instantaneous amplitude and phase angle time histories. A linear least-square fit procedure is used to identify the natural frequencies and damping ratios from the instantaneous amplitude and phase angle for each modal response. When the responses at all degrees of freedom are measured, the mode shape and the physical mass, damping and stiffness matrices of the structure can be determined. Based on a comparison of the stiffness of each story unit prior to and after the damage, the damage locations and severities can be identified. Experimental results demonstrate that the HHT method yields quite accurate results for engineering applications, providing a promising tool for structural health monitoring.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제41권6호
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• pp.759-773
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• 2012

The objective of this paper is to present an energy-based method for calculating target displacement of RC structures. The method, which uses the Newmark-Hall pseudo-velocity spectrum, is called the "Pseudo-velocity Spectrum (PSVS) Method". The method is based on the energy balance concept that uses the equality of energy demand and energy capacity of the structure. First, nonlinear static analyses are performed for five, eight and ten-story RC frame structures and pushover curves are obtained. Then the pushover curves are converted to energy capacity diagrams. Seven strong ground motions that were recorded at different soil sites in Turkey are used to obtain the pseudo-acceleration and the pseudo-velocity response spectra. Later, the response spectra are idealised with the Newmark-Hall approximation. Afterwards, energy demands for the RC structures are calculated using the idealised pseudo-velocity spectrum. The displacements, obtained from the energy capacity diagrams that fit to the energy demand values of the RC structures, are accepted as the energy-based performance point of the structures. Consequently, the target displacement values determined from the PSVS Method are checked using the displacement-based successive approach in the Turkish Seismic Design Code. The results show that the target displacements of RC frame structures obtained from the PSVS Method are very close to the values calculated by the approach given in the Turkish Seismic Design Code.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• 제6권4호
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• pp.293-308
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• 2015

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) was produced in huge amounts in Malaysia, and if it discharged into the environment, it causes a serious problem regarding its high content of nutrients and high levels of COD and BOD concentrations. This study was devoted on POME treatment and purification using an integrated process consisting of microalgae treatment followed by membrane filtration. The main objective was to find the optimum conditions as retention time and pH in the biological treatment of POME. Since after the optimum conditions there is a diverse effect of time and the process become costly. According to our knowledge, there is no existing study optimized the retention time and percentage removal of nutrients for microalgae treatment of POME wastewater. In order to achieve with optimization, a second order polynomial model regression coefficients and goodness of fit results in removal percentages of ammonia nitrogen ($NH_3-N$), orthophosphorous ($PO_4{^{-3}}$), COD, TSS, and turbidity were estimated. WinQSB technique was used to optimize the objective function of the developed model, and the optimum conditions were found. Also, ultrafiltration membrane is useful for purification of POME samples as verified by experiments.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제35권4호
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• pp.431-457
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• 2010

This article provides a discussion of the mathematic modeling of connections for designing and qualifying structures, systems, and components subject to monotonic or cyclic loading. To characterize the force-deformation behavior of connections under monotonic loading, a review of the Ramberg-Osgood, Richard-Abbott, and Menegotto-Pinto models is conducted, and it is shown that these nonlinear functions can be mathematically derived by scaling up or down a linear force-deformation function. A generalized four-parameter model for simulating connection behavior is investigated to facilitate nonlinear regression analysis. In order to perform seismic analysis of frameworks, a hysteretic model accounting for loading, unloading, and reloading is described using the established monotonic model. For preliminary analysis, a method is provided to quickly determine the model parameters that fit approximately with the observed data. To reach more accurate values of the parameters, the methods of nonlinear regression analysis are investigated and the modified Levenberg-Marquardt and separable nonlinear least-square algorithms are applied in determining the model parameters. Example case studies illustrate the procedure for the computation through the use of experimental/analytical data taken form the literature. Transformation of connection curves from the three-parameter model to the four-parameter model for structural analysis is conducted based on the modeling of connections subject to fire.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.289-300
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• 2008

The use of metric trial functions to represent the real stress field in what is called the unsymmetric finite element formulation is an effective way to improve predictions from distorted finite elements. This approach works surprisingly well because the use of parametric functions for the test functions satisfies the continuity conditions while the use of metric (Cartesian) shape functions for the trial functions attempts to ensure that the stress representation during finite element computation can retrieve in a best-fit manner, the actual variation of stress in the metric space. However, the issue of how to handle situations where there is locking along with mesh distortion has never been addressed. In this paper, we show that the use of a consistent definition of the constrained strain field in the metric space can ensure a lock-free solution even when there is mesh distortion. The three-noded Timoshenko beam element is used to illustrate the principles. Some significant conclusions are drawn regarding the optimal strategy for finite element modelling where distortion effects and field-consistency requirements have to be reconciled simultaneously.