• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.207-230
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• 2012

Full-scale shake table seismic experiments and low-amplitude vibration tests on a masonry building are carried out to assess its seismic performance as well as study the effectiveness of a new multifunctional textile material for retrofitting masonry structures against earthquakes. The un-reinforced and the retrofitted with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) strips masonry building was subjected to a series of earthquake excitations of increasing magnitude in order to progressively induce various small, moderate and severe levels of damage to the masonry walls. The performance of the original and retrofitted building states is evaluated. Changes in the dynamic characteristics (lowest four modal frequencies and damping ratios) of the building are used to assess and quantify the damage states of the masonry walls. For this, the dynamic modal characteristics of the structure states after each earthquake event were estimated by performing low-amplitude impulse hammer and sine-sweep forced vibration tests. Comparisons between the modal results calculated using traditional accelerometers and those using Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors embedded in the reinforcing textile were carried on to investigate the reliability and accuracy of FBG sensors in tracking the dynamic behaviour of the building. The retrofitting actions restored the stiffness characteristics of the reinforced masonry structure to the levels of the original undamaged un-reinforced structure. The results show that despite a similar dynamic behavior identified, corresponding to reduction of the modal frequencies, the un-reinforced masonry building was severely damaged, while the reinforced masonry building was able to withstand, without visual damage, the induced strong seismic excitations. The applied GFRP reinforcement architecture for one storey buildings was experimentally proven reliable for the most severe earthquake accelerations. It was easily placed in a short time and it is a cost effective solution (covering only 20% of the external wall surfaces) when compared to the cost for full wall coverage by GFRPs.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.455-473
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• 2016

Methods for the seismic demands evaluation of structures require iterative procedures. Many studies dealt with the development of different inelastic spectra with the aim to simplify the evaluation of inelastic deformations and performance of structures. Recently, the concept of inelastic spectra has been adopted in the global scheme of the Performance-Based Seismic Design (PBSD) through Capacity-Spectrum Method (CSM). For instance, the Modal Pushover Analysis (MPA) has been proved to provide accurate results for inelastic buildings to a similar degree of accuracy than the Response Spectrum Analysis (RSA) in estimating peak response for elastic buildings. In this paper, a simplified nonlinear procedure for evaluation of the seismic demand of structures is proposed with its applicability to multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) systems. The basic concept is to write the equation of motion of (MDOF) system into series of normal modes based on an inelastic modal decomposition in terms of ductility factor. The accuracy of the proposed procedure is verified against the Nonlinear Time History Analysis (NL-THA) results and Uncoupled Modal Response History Analysis (UMRHA) of a 9-story steel building subjected to El-Centro 1940 (N/S) as a first application. The comparison shows that the new theoretical approach is capable to provide accurate peak response with those obtained when using the NL-THA analysis. After that, a simplified nonlinear spectral analysis is proposed and illustrated by examples in order to describe inelastic response spectra and to relate it to the capacity curve (Pushover curve) by a new parameter of control, called normalized yield strength coefficient (${\eta}$). In the second application, the proposed procedure is verified against the NL-THA analysis results of two buildings for 80 selected real ground motions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1999.03a
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• pp.431-438
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• 1999

An assessment of liquefaction potential is made in principle by comparing the shear stress induced by earthquake to the liquefaction strength of the soil. In this study, a modified method based on Seed and Idriss theory is developed for evaluating liquefaction potential. The shear stress in the ground can be evaluated with seismic response analysis and the liquefaction strength of the soil can be investigated by using cyclic triaxial tests. The cyclic triaxial tests are conducted in two different conditions in order to investigate the factors affecting liquefaction strength such as cyclic shear stress amplitude and relative density. And performance of the modified method in practical examples is demonstrated by applying it to liquefaction analysis of artificial zones with dimensions and material properties similar to those in a typical field. From the result, the modified method for assessing liquefaction potential can successfully evaluate the safety factor under moderate magnitude(M=6.5) of earthquake.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2005.03a
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• pp.521-528
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• 2005

In our previous study, we have developed a preliminary design procedure of MR dampers for controlling seismic response of building structures. In this paper, the effectiveness the proposed method is verified through the numerical analysis of the structures with various period and story number, and twenty earthquake loads are used for statistical assessment. The comparison between the proposed method and simplified sequential search algorithm indicates that the capacity, number and the placement of the MR damper which can achieve the given performance objective are reasonably determined using the proposed design procedure.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.505-511
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• 2003

Experimental investigation was conducted into the flexure/shear-critical behavior of earthquake-damaged reinforced concrete columns with lap splicing of longitudinal reinforcement in the plastic hinge region. Six test specimens in the aspect ratio of 2,5 were made with test parameters: confinement ratios, lap splices, and retrofitting FRP materials. They were damaged under series of artificial earthquakes of which magnitude could be compatible in Korean peninsula. Directly after the pseudo-dynamic test, damaged columns were retested under inelastic reversal cyclic loading simultaneously under a constant axial load, P=$0.1f_{ck}A_g. Residual seismic performance of damaged columns was evaluated and compared to that of the corresponding original columns. Test results show that RC bridge piers with lap-spliced longitudinal steels in the plastic hinge region appeared to fail at low ductility. This was due to the debonding of the lap splice, which resulted from insufficient development of the longitudinal steels. The specimens externally wrapped with composite FRP straps in the potential plastic hinge region indicated significant improvement both in flexural strength and displacement ductility, and strain energy ductility.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.203-206
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• 2005

Reinforced concrete(RC) column-bent piers represent one of the popular piers used in highway bridges of Korea. Seismic performance of RC column-bent piers under bi-directional seismic loadings was experimentally investigated. Six column bent piers were constructed with two circular supporting columns which were made in 400 mm diameter and 2,000 mm height. Test parameters are different transverse reinforcement ratio and loading pattern. Three specimens were loaded with bi-directional lateral forces which were main cyclic loads in the longitudinal direction and sub-cyclic loads in the transverse direction. Other three specimens were loaded in the opposite way. Test results indicated that lateral strength and ductility of the latter specimens were bigger than those of the former specimens. Plastic hinge was formed with the spall of cover concrete and the fracture of the longitudinal reinforcing steels in the bottom part of two supporting columns for the former three specimens. Similar behavior was observed in the top and bottom parts of two supporting columns for the latter three specimens.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.297-313
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• 2007

A preliminary performance-based seismic design methodology is proposed. The top yield displacement of the system is computed from these of the components, which are assumed constant. Besides, a simple procedure to evaluate the top yield displacement of frames is developed. Seismic demands are represented in the form of yield point spectra. The methodology is general, conceptually transparent, uses simple calculations based on first principles and is applicable to asymmetric systems. To consider a specific situation two earthquake levels, occasional and rare are considered. The advantage of an arbitrary assignment of strength to the different components to reduce eccentricities and improved the torsional response of the system is addressed. The methodology is applied to an asymmetric five story building, and the results are verified by push-over analysis and non linear dynamic analysis.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.123-138
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• 2018

Eccentrically braced frames (EBF) represent an optimal structural solution for seismic prone areas, being able to provide high dissipative capacity and good elastic stiffness, to withstand strong seismic events without significant loss of bearing capacity and to avoid damage to non-structural elements in case of low and moderate earthquakes. The accurate knowledge of the cyclic behaviour of the dissipative links, characterizing the whole performance of EBFs, is required to optimize the structural properties and to refine the design techniques adopted for multi-storey buildings' analysis. Reliable numerical models for the links, at the same time requiring a limited computational effort, are then needed. The present work shows the results of a wide experimental test campaign executed on real-scale one storey/one bay frames with horizontal and vertical links, together with the elaboration of a simple semi-analytical model for the quick representation of the cyclic behaviour of shear links.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.09c
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• pp.61-65
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• 2010

The performance of slopes during earthquake is often accessed in terms of permanent deformation. In the assessment of permanent deformation, Newmark-type rigid block analysis is widely used. Original Newmark-type block approach, however, assumes the potential sliding mass to be rigid, and has been criticized to be potentially unconservative. The paper reviews analytically the impact of this noncompliance assumption on computed permanent deformations. The results indicate that there is a simple criterion that can be used to determine the level of conservativeness of the rigid block approach in cases of gently-sloping slip surfaces and retaining walls.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.157-179
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• 2013

Vulnerability studies on the existing building stock require that a large number of buildings is analyzed to obtain statistically significant evaluations of the seismic performance. Therefore, analytical evaluation methods need to be based on simplified methodologies of analysis which can afford the treatment of a large building population with a reasonable computational effort. Simplified Pushover-Based Earthquake Loss Assessment approach (SP-BELA), where a simplified methodology to identify the structural capacity of the building through the definition of a pushover curve is adopted, was developed on these bases. Main objective of the research work presented in this paper is to validate the simplified methodology implemented in SP-BELA against the results of more sophisticated nonlinear dynamic analyses (NLDAs). The comparison is performed for RC buildings designed only to vertical loads, representative of the "as built" in Italy and in Mediterranean countries with a building stock very similar to the Italian one. In NLDAs the non linear and degrading behaviour, typical of the structures under consideration when subjected to high seismic loads, is evaluated using models able to capture, with adequate accuracy, the non linear behaviour of RC structural elements taking into account stiffness degradation, strength deterioration, and pinching effect. Results show when simplified analyses are in good agreement with NLDAs. As a consequence, unsatisfactory results from simplified analysis are pointed out to address their current applicability limits.