• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.529-538
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• 2010

This paper presents a reliability-based topology optimization (RBTO) based on bidirectional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO). In design of a structure, uncertain conditions such as material property, operational load and dimensional variation should be considered. Deterministic topology optimization (DTO) is performed without considering the uncertainties related to the design variables. However, the RBTO can consider the uncertainty variables because it can deal with the probabilistic constraints. The reliability index approach (RIA) and the performance measure approach (PMA) are adopted to evaluate the probabilistic constraints in this study. In order to apply the BESO to the RBTO, sensitivity number for each element is defined as the change in the reliability index of the structure due to removal of each element. Smoothing scheme is also used to eliminate checkerboard patterns in topology optimization. The limit state indicates the margin of safety between the resistance (constraints) and the load of structures. The limit State function expresses to evaluate reliability index from finite element analysis. Numerical examples are presented to compare each optimal topology obtained from RBTO and DTO each other. It is verified that the RBTO based on BESO can be effectively performed from the results.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.289-299
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• 2019

The tendency to use a probabilistic design method rather than a deterministic design method for the design of nuclear power plants (NPPs) will increase because their safety should be considered and strictly controlled in relation to various causes of damage. The distance between a seismically isolated NPP structure and a moat wall is called the clearance to stop. The clearance to stop is obtained from the 90th percentile displacement response of a seismically isolated NPP subject to a beyond design basis earthquake (BDBE) in the probabilistic design method. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of heating and buckling effects on the 90th percentile displacement response of a lead-rubber bearing (LRB) subject to a BDBE. The analysis results show that considering the heating and buckling effects to estimate the clearance to stop is conservative in the evaluation of the 90th percentile displacement response. If these two effects are not taken into account in the calculation of the clearance to stop, the underestimation of the clearance to stop causes unexpected damage because of an increase in the collision probability between the moat wall and the seismically isolated NPP.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2019

The objective of this study is to develop a model which can predict the seismic performance of the slope relatively accurately and efficiently by using artificial neural network(ANN) technique. The quantification of such the seismic performance of the slope is not easy task due to the randomness and the uncertainty of the earthquake input and slope model. Under these circumstances, probabilistic seismic fragility analyses of slope have been carried out by several researchers, and a closed-form equation for slope seismic performance was proposed through a multiple linear regression analysis. However, a traditional statistical linear regression analysis has shown a limit that cannot accurately represent the nonlinearistic relationship between the slope of various conditions and seismic performance. In order to overcome these problems, in this study, we attempted to apply the ANN to generate prediction models of the seismic performance of the slope. The validity of the derived model was verified by comparing this with the conventional multi-linear and multi-nonlinear regression models. As a result, the models obtained through the ANN basically showed excellent performance in predicting the seismic performance of the slope, compared to the models obtained by the statistical regression analyses of the previous study.

• Journal of The Korean Society For Urban Railway
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.319-326
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• 2018

The safety interval to prevent collision between trains in a train control system is based on the braking distance according to the emergency braking of the train. The evaluation of the braking performance is based on the longitudinal train dynamics or the commissioning test in the test track, but since the conditions such as the weakening of the adhesion coefficient between the wheel and rail can not all be considered, these conventional methods are not sufficient to design of the train control systems. Therefore, in this study, the Monte Carlo Method (MCM) which can consider various environments is used to analyze braking performance and limitations. The braking model is based on the air braking used in the emergency braking and is modeled to take into account the braking pressure, efficiency, friction coefficient, adhesion condition, and vehicle mass distribution. It is confirmed that braking performance can be improved by controlling the quality of braking device. In addition, the change of the braking performance was confirmed according to the vehicle constituting the train. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic information for designing safety clearance for the train control systems and as a basis for improving the braking performance of railway vehicles.

• Bulletin of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.9-20
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• 1989

It is important to enhance the safety of ship structures as much as possible in order to prevent the disastrous collapse of structures. In fact, the strength problem of structures is closely related with the safety problem of structures. Recently, the direct calculation method using a rational approach based on the first principle is implemented into the structural design process instead of adopting empirical approach based on the rules. The structural designer have shown increased concern with the problem of adequacy of conventional design method based on the safety factor since it does not fully take into account some degree of variability of the applied loads on and the strength of ship structures. To deal with the analysis of structures effectively, it is necessary to have three stages being equally treated. The first one is load analysis, second one response analysis, third one safety analysis. For marine structures, most of research effort has been however put into the first and second stages. The third stage is normally done by simple procedures. Hence, the various probabilistic methods are compared in order to establish the reliability analysis techniques for ship structures. As a result, the advanced level 2 method is selected as a most effective and accurate reliability method. The validity of this method is further demonstrated by comparing the results with the conventional method for the problem of the longitudinal strength of hull girder of Ro-Ro ship.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2020

The purpose of this paper is to develop a fire HRA (Human Reliability Analysis) procedure for full power operation of domestic NPPs (Nuclear Power Plants). For the development of fire HRA procedure, the recent research results of NUREG-1921 in an effort to meet the requirements of the ASME/ANS PRA Standard were reviewed. The K-HRA method, a standard method for HRA of a domestic level 1 PSA (Probabilistic Safety Assessment) and fire related procedures in domestic NPPs were reviewed. Based on the review, a procedure for the fire HRA required for a domestic fire PSA based on the K-HRA method was developed. To this end, HRA issues such as new operator actions required in the event of a fire and complexity of fire situations were considered. Based on the four kinds of HFE (Human Failure Event) developed for a fire HRA in this research, a qualitative analysis such as feasibility evaluation was suggested. And also a quantitative analysis process which consists of screening analysis and detailed analysis was proposed. For the qualitative analysis, a screening analysis by NUREG-1921 was used. In this research, the screening criteria for the screening analysis was modified to reduce vague description and to reflect recent experimental results. For a detailed analysis, the K-HRA method and scoping analysis by NUREG-1921 were adopted. To apply K-HRA to fire HRA for quantification, efforts to modify PSFs (Performance Shaping Factors) of K-HRA to reflect fire situation and effects were made. For example, an absence of STA (Shift Technical Advisor) to command a fire brigade at a fire area is considered and the absence time should be reflected for a HEP (Human Error Probability) quantification. Based on the fire HRA procedure developed in this paper, a case study for HEP quantification such as a screening analysis and detailed analysis with the modified K-HRA was performed. It is expected that the HRA procedure suggested in this paper will be utilized for fire PSA for domestic NPPs as it is the first attempt to establish an HRA process considering fire effects.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.231-238
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• 2017

Water supply safety index plays an important role on assessing the water supply capacity of hydrologic system. Due to the absence of consistent guidance, however, practical problems have been brought up on data period used for dam design and performance evaluation. Therefore, this study employed bivariate drought frequency analysis which is able to consider drought severity and duration simultaneously, in order to evaluate water supply capacity of multi-purpose dams. Drought characteristics were analyzed based on the probabilistic approach, and water supply capacity of five multi-purpose dams in Korea (Soyang River, Chungju, Andong, Daecheong, Seomjin River) were evaluated under the specific drought conditions. As a result, it would be possible to have stable water supply with their own inflow during summer and fall, whereas water shortage would occur even under the 1-year return period drought event during spring and winter due to low rainfall.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.171-210
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• 2024

This paper focuses on the rigorous and holistic fatigue analysis of mooring chains for a deep draft semi-submersible platform in the challenging environment of the central Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Known for severe hurricanes and strong loop/eddy currents, this region significantly impacts offshore structures and their mooring systems, necessitating robust designs capable of withstanding extreme wind, wave and current conditions. Wave scatter and current bin diagrams are utilized to assess the probabilistic distribution of waves and currents, crucial for calculating mooring chain fatigue. The study evaluates the effects of Vortex Induced Motion (VIM), Out-of-Plane-Bending (OPB), and In-Plane-Bending (IPB) on mooring fatigue, alongside extreme single events such as 100-year hurricanes and loop/eddy currents including ramp-up and ramp-down phases, to ensure resilient mooring design. A detailed case study of a deep draft semi-submersible platform with 16 semi-taut moorings in 2,500 meters of water depth in the central GoM provides insights into the relative contributions of wave scatter diagram, VIMs from current bin diagram, the combined stresses of OPB/IPB/TT and extreme single events. By comparing these factors, the study aims to enhance understanding and optimize mooring system design for safety, reliability, and cost-effectiveness in offshore operations within the central GoM. The paper addresses a research gap by proposing a holistic approach that integrates findings from various contributions to advance current practices in mooring design. It presents a comprehensive framework for fatigue analysis and design optimization of mooring systems in the central GoM, emphasizing the critical importance of considering environmental conditions, OPB/IPB moments, and extreme single events to ensure the safety and reliability of mooring systems for offshore platforms.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.53-72
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• 1991

An integrated model is developed in this paper for the performance assessment of high level radioactive waste repository. This integrated model consists of two simple mathematical models. One is a multiple-barrier failure model of the repository system based on constant failure rates which provides source terms to biosphere. The other is a biosphere model which has multiple pathways for radionuclides to reach to human. For the parametric uncertainty and sensitivity analysis for the risk assessment of high level radioactive waste repository, Latin hypercube sampling and rank correlation techniques are applied to this model. The former is cost-effective for large computer programs because it gives smaller error in estimating output distribution even with smaller number of runs compared to crude Monte Carlo technique. The latter is good for generating dependence structure among samples of input parameters. It is also used to find out the most sensitive, or important, parameter groups among given input parameters. The methodology of the mathematical modelling with statistical analysis will provide useful insights to the decision-making of radioactive waste repository selection and future researches related to uncertain and sensitive input parameters.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.74 no.4
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• pp.481-494
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• 2020

In this paper, a probability-based procedure to evaluate the performance of existing RC structures exposed to seismic and fire actions is presented. The procedure is demonstrated with reference to an existing old school building, located in Italy. The vulnerability assessment of the building highlights deficiencies under both static and seismic loads. Retrofit operations are designed to achieve the seismic safety. The idea of the work consists in assessing the performance of the existing and retrofitted building in terms of both the seismic and fire resistance. The seismic retrofit and fire resistance upgrading follow different paths, depending on the specific configuration of the building. A good seismic retrofit does not entail an improving of the fire resistance and vice versa. The goal of the current work is to study the variation of response due to the uncertainties considered in records/fire curves selection and to carry out the assessment of the studied RC structure by obtaining fragility curves under the effect of different records/temperature. The results show the fragility curves before and after retrofit operations and both in terms of seismic performance and fire resistance performance, measuring the percent improving for the different limit states.