• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.205-213
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• 2024

In the seismic evaluation of underground utility tunnels, selecting an analytical method is critical to estimating reasonable seismic responses. In simplified pseudo-static analysis methods widely applied to typical seismic design and evaluation of underground tunnels in practice, it is essential to check whether the methods provide valid results for cut-and-cover tunnels buried in shallow to medium depth. The differences between the two simplified pseudo-static methods are discussed in this study, and the analysis results are compared to those obtained from FLAC models. In addition to the analysis methods, seismic site classification, overburden soil depth, and sectional configuration are considered variables to examine their effects on the seismic response of underground utility tunnels. Based on the analysis results, the characteristics derived from the concepts and details of each simplified model are discussed. Also, general observations are made for the application of simplified analysis methods.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.321-333
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• 2018

Simplified Dolphin Echolocation (SDE) algorithm is a recently developed meta-heuristic algorithm. This algorithm is an improved and simplified version of the Dolphin Echolocation Optimization (DEO) method, based on the baiting behavior of the dolphins. The main advantage of the SDE algorithm is that it needs no empirical parameter. In this paper, the SDE algorithm is applied for optimization of three well-studied frame structures. The designs are then compared with those of other meta-heuristic methods from the literature. Numerical results show the efficiency of the SDE algorithm and its competitive ability with other well-established meta-heuristics methods.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.50-57
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• 2022

Background: There are several proton therapy facilities in operation or planned in Taiwan, and these facilities are anticipated to not only treat cancer but also provide beam services to the industry or academia. The simplified approach based on the Monte Carlo-based data sets (source terms and attenuation lengths) with the point-source line-of-sight approximation is friendly in the design stage of the proton therapy facilities because it is intuitive and easy to use. The purpose of this study is to expand the Monte Carlo-based data sets to allow the simplified approach to cover the application of proton beams more widely. Materials and Methods: In this work, the MCNP6 Monte Carlo code was used in three simulations to achieve the purpose, including the neutron yield calculation, Monte Carlo-based data sets generation, and dose assessment in simple cases to demonstrate the effectiveness of the generated data sets. Results and Discussion: The consistent comparison of the simplified approach and Monte Carlo simulation results show the effectiveness and advantage of applying the data set to a quick shielding design and conservative dose assessment for proton therapy facilities. Conclusion: This study has expanded the existing Monte Carlo-based data set to allow the simplified approach method to be used for dose assessment or shielding design for beam services in proton therapy facilities. It should be noted that the default model of the MCNP6 is no longer the Bertini model but the CEM (cascade-exciton model), therefore, the results of the simplified approach will be more conservative when it was used to do the double confirmation of the final shielding design.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.489-508
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• 2015

In this paper, a novel methodology is proposed to obtain optimum location of outriggers. The method utilizes genetic algorithm (GA) for shape and size optimization of outrigger-braced tall structures. In spite of previous studies (simplified methods), current study is based on exact modeling of the structure in a computer program developed on Matlab in conjunction with OpenSees. In addition to that, exact wind loading distribution is calculated in accordance with ASCE 7-10. This is novel since in previous studies wind loading distributions were assumed to be uniform or triangular. Also, a new penalty coefficient is proposed which is suitable for optimization of tall buildings. Newly proposed penalty coefficient improves the performance of GA and results in a faster convergence. Optimum location and number of outriggers is investigated. Also, contribution of factors like central core and outrigger rigidity is assessed by analyzing several design examples. According to the results of analysis, exact wind load distribution and modeling of all structural elements, yields optimum designs which are in contrast of simplified methods results. For taller frames significant increase of wind pressure changes the optimum location of outriggers obtained by simplified methods. Ratio of optimum location to the height of the structure for minimizing weight and satisfying serviceability constraints is not a fixed value. Ratio highly depends on height of the structure, core and outriggers stiffness and lateral wind loading distribution.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.75 no.3
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• pp.377-387
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• 2020

Modern long-span floor system typically possesses low damping and low natural frequency, presenting a potential vibration sensitivity problem induced by human activities. Field test and numerical analysis methods are available to study this kind of problems, but would be inconvenient for design engineers. This paper proposes a simplified method to determine the acceleration amplitudes of long-span floor system subjected to walking or running load, which can be carried out manually. To theoretically analyze the acceleration response, the floor system is simplified as an anisotropic rectangular plate and the mode decomposition method is used. To facilitate the calculation of acceleration amplitude a_P, a coefficient α_wmn or α_Rmn is introduced, with the former depending on the geometry and support condition of floor system and the latter on the contact duration t_R and natural frequency. The proposed simplified method is easy for practical use and gives safe structural designs.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.455-480
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• 2015

In the last decade, displacement-based (DB) methods have become established design procedures for reinforced concrete (RC) structures. They use strain and displacement measures as seismic performance control parameters. As for other simplified seismic design methods, it is of great interest to prove if they are usually conservative in respect to more refined, nonlinear, time history analyses, and can estimate design parameters with acceptable accuracy. In this paper, the current Direct Displacement-Based Design (DDBD) procedure is evaluated for designing simple single degree of freedom (SDOF) systems with specific reference to simply supported RC bridge piers. Using different formulations proposed in literature for the equivalent viscous damping and spectrum reduction factor, a parametric study is carried out on a comprehensive set of SDOF systems, and an average error chart of the method is derived allowing prediction of the expected error for an ample range of design cases. Following the chart, it can be observed that, for the design of actual RC bridge piers, underestimation errors of the DDBD method are very low, while the overestimation range of the simplified displacement-based procedure is strongly dependent on design ductility.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.515-525
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• 2018

This paper presents a numerical study on the performance of reinforced concrete (RC) bridge structures subjected to heavy goods vehicle (HGV) collision. The objectives of this study are to investigate the dynamic response and failure modes of different types of bridges under impact loading as well as to give an insight into the simplified methods for modeling bridge structures. For this purpose, detailed finite-element models of HGV and bridges are established and verified against the full-scale collision experiment and a recent traffic accident. An intensive parametric study with the consideration of vehicle weight, vehicle velocity, structural type, simplified methods for modeling bridges is conducted; then the failure mode, impact force, deformation and internal force distribution of the validated bridge models are discussed. It is observed that the structural type has a significant effect on the force-transferring mechanism, failure mode and dynamic response of bridge structures, thus it should be considered in the anti-impact design of bridge structures. The impact force of HGV is mainly determined by the impact weight, impact velocity and contact interface, rather than the simplification of the superstructure. Furthermore, to reduce the modeling and computing cost, it is suggested to utilize the simplified bridge model considering the inertial effect of the superstructure to evaluate the structural impact behavior within a reasonable precision range.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.19-30
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• 2000

The major design parameters of the anchored sheet-pile wall include the determination of required penetration depth, the force acting on the anchor, and the maximum bending moment in the piling. Blum solved the fixed earth supported wall using the equivalent beam method, assuming that the wall can be separated into upper and lower parts of the point of contraflexure. Design charts help designer by simplifying the design procedure. But they have some difficulties under some Geotechnical and geometrical conditions. For example, the conventional design charts can compute design parameters only when the ground water table exists above the dredge line. In this paper, the design charts which can be used for the ground water table existing under the dredge line are presented. And simplified formulae are developed by regression analysis. It is found that simplified formulae are not only very useful for the practice of design but also they can evaluate the result of numerical methods or design charts.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.947-955
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• 2018

In this study, we propose a three-dimensional simplified slope stability analysis using a hybrid-type penalty method (HPM). In this method, a solid element obtained by the HPM is applied to a column that divides the slope into a lattice. Therefore, it can obtain a safety factor in the same way as simplified methods on the slip surface. Furthermore, it can obtain results (displacement and strain) that cannot be obtained by conventional limit equilibrium methods such as the Hovland method. The continuity condition of displacement between adjacent columns and between elements for each depth is considered to incorporate a penalty function and the relative displacement. For a slip surface between the bottom surface and the boundary condition to express the slip of slope, we introduce a penalty function based on the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. To compute the state of the slip surface, an r-min method is used in the load incremental method. Using the result of the simple three-dimensional slope stability analysis, we obtain a safety factor that is the same as the conventional method. Furthermore, the movement of the slope was calculated quantitatively and qualitatively because the displacement and strain of each element are obtained.

• 한국항공운항학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2015.11a
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• pp.25-28
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• 2015

Aircraft conceptual design usually uses low to medium fidelity analysis to determine the basic configuration of an aircraft. Optimum solution is bounded by at least one of the constraints in most cases. This solution has risk to fail at later stage when analyzed with more sophisticated analysis tools. This research uses pre-constructed database to estimate the analysis prediction errors associated with simplified analysis methods. A possibility based design optimization framework is developed to utilize the newly proposed piecewise-linear fuzzy membership functions that compensate the discrepancies caused by simplified analysis. The proposed approach for aircraft design produces the optimum aircraft configurations that are less likely to fall into infeasible region when analyzed using higher fidelity analysis at later design stages.