• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.477-488
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• 2022

Pile composite foundation (PCF) has been commonly applied in practice. Existing research has focused primarily on semi-infinite media having equal pile lengths with little attention given to the effects of inclined bedrock and dissimilar pile lengths. This investigation considers the effects of inclined bedrock on vertical loaded PCF with dissimilar pile lengths. The pile-soil system is decomposed into fictitious piles and extended soil. The Fredholm integral equation about the axial force along fictitious piles is then established based on the compatibility of axial strain between fictitious piles and extended soil. Then, an iterative procedure is induced to calculate the PCF characteristics with a rigid cap. The results agree well with two field load tests of a single pile and numerical simulation case. The settlement and load transfer behaviors of dissimilar 3-pile PCFs and the effects of inclined bedrock are analyzed, which shows that the embedded depth of the inclined bedrock significantly affects the pile-soil load sharing ratios, non-dimensional vertical stiffness N₀/wdE_s, and differential settlement for different length-diameter ratios of the pile l/d and pile-soil stiffness ratio k conditions. The differential settlement and pile-soil load sharing ratios are also influenced by the inclined angle of the bedrock for different k and l/d. The developed model helps better understand the PCF characteristics over inclined bedrock under vertical loading.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.32-43
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• 2023

The worldwide use of polyurethane foam products generates large amounts of waste, which in turn has detrimental effects on the surroundings. Hence, finding an economical and environmentally friendly way to dispose of or recycle foam waste is an utmost priority for researchers to overcome this problem. In that sense, the glycolysis of waste flexible polyurethane foam (WFPF) from automotive seat cushions using different industrial-grade glycols and potassium hydroxide as a catalyst to produce recovered polyol was investigated. The effect of different molecular weight polyols, catalyst concentration, and material ratio (PU foam: Glycols) on the reaction conversion and viscosity of the recovered polyols was determined. The obtained recovered polyols are obtained as single or split-phase reaction products. Besides, the foaming characteristics and physical properties such as cell morphology, thermal stability, and compressive stress-strain nature of the regenerated flexible foams based on the recovered polyols were discussed. It was observed that the regenerated flexible foams displayed good seating comfort properties as a function of hardness, sag factor, and hysteresis loss compared to the reference virgin foam. With the growing demand for a sustainable and circular economy, a global valorization of glycolysis products from polyurethane scraps can be realized by transforming them into profitable substances.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2023

Objectives: Previous studies have reported that people with disabilities are more likely to be impoverished and affected by excessive medical costs than people without disabilities. Public transfer income (PTI) reduces financial strain in low-income households. This study examined the impact of PTI on catastrophic health expenditures (CHE), focusing on low-income households and households with Medical Aid beneficiaries that contained people with disabilities. Methods: We constructed a panel dataset by extracting data on registered households with disabilities from the Korea Welfare Panel Study 2012-2019. We then used a generalized estimating equation model to estimate the impacts of PTI on CHE. A subgroup analysis was carried out to assess the moderating effects of family income levels and health insurance types. Results: As PTI increased, the odds ratio (OR) of CHE in households that contained people with disabilities decreased significantly (OR, 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.89 to 0.94; p<0.001). In particular, PTI effectively reduced the likelihood of CHE for low-income households (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.89; p<0.001) and those who received medical benefits (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68 to 0.89; p<0.001). Conclusions: This study highlights the positive effect of PTI on decreasing CHE. Household income and the health insurance type were significant effect modifiers, but economic barriers seemed to persist among low-income households with non-Medical Aid beneficiaries. Federal policies or programs should consider increasing the total amount of PTI targeting low-income households with disabilities that are not covered by the Medical Aid program.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.161-170
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• 2023

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is produced using high amount of cementitious materials, very low water/cementitious materials ratio, fine-sized fillers, and steel fibers. Due to the dense microstructure of UHPC, it possesses very high strength, elasticity, and durability. Besides that, the UHPC exhibits high ductility and fracture toughness due to presence of fibers in its matrix. While the high ductility of UHPC allows it to undergo high strain/deflection before failure, the high fracture toughness of UHPC greatly enhances its capacity to absorb impact energy without allowing the formation of severe cracking or penetration by the impactor. These advantages with UHPC make it a suitable material for construction of the structural members subjected to special loading conditions. In this research work, the UHPC mixtures having three different dosages of steel fibers (2%, 4% and 6% by weight corresponding to 0.67%, 1.33% and 2% by volume) were characterized in terms of their mechanical properties including facture toughness, before using these concrete mixtures for casting the slab specimens, which were tested under high-energy impact loading with the help of a drop-weight impact test setup. The effect of fiber content on the impact energy absorption capacity and central deflection of the slab specimens were investigated and the equations correlating fiber content with the energy absorption capacity and central deflection were obtained with high degrees of fit. Finite element modeling (FEM) was performed to simulate the behavior of the slabs under impact loading. The FEM results were found to be in good agreement with their corresponding experimentally generated results.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.491-505
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• 2023

The practical usage of underground space and demand for vehicular tunnels necessitate the construction of non-circular wide rectangular tunnels. However, constructing large tunnels in soft clayey soil conditions with no ground improvement can lead to excessive ground deformations and collapse. In recent years, in situ ground improvement techniques such as jet grouting and deep cement mixing are often utilized to perform cement-stabilisation around the tunnel boundary to prevent large deformations and failure. This paper discusses the stability characteristics and failure behaviour of a wide rectangular tunnel in cement-treated soft clays. First, the plane strain finite element model is developed and validated with the results of centrifuge model tests available in the past literature. The critical tunnel support pressures computed from the numerical study are found to be in good agreement with those of centrifuge model tests. The influence of varying strength and thickness of improved soil surround, and cover depth are studied on the stability and failure modes of a rectangular tunnel. It is observed that the failure behaviour of the tunnel in improved soil surround depends on the ratio of the strength of improved soil surround to the strength of surrounding soil, i.e., q_ui/q_us, rather than just q_ui. For low q_ui/q_us ratios,the stability increases with the cover; however, for the high strength improved soil surrounds with q_ui >> q_us, the stability decreases with the cover. The failure chart, modified stability equation, and stability chart are also proposed as preliminary design guidelines for constructing rectangular tunnels in the improved soil surrounded by soft clays.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.105-116
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• 2010

The estimation of surface settlement, ground behavior and tunnel displacement are the main factors in urban tunnel design with shallow depth and unconsolidated soil. On deformation analysis of shallow tunnel, it is important to identify possible deformation mechanism of shear bands developing from tunnel shoulder to the ground surface. This paper investigated the effects of key design parameter affecting deformation behavior by numerical analysis using nonlinear model incorporating the reduction of shear stiffness and strength parameters with the increment of the maximum shear strain after the initiation of plastic yielding. Numerical parametric studies are carried out to consider the reduction of shear stiffness and strength parameters, horizontal stress ratio, cohesion and shotcrete thickness.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.773-791
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• 2023

Connections with damage concentrated to pre-selected components can enhance seismic resilience for moment resisting frames. These pre-selected components always yield early to dissipate energy, and their energy dissipation mechanisms vary from one to another, depending on their position in the connection, geometry configuration details, and mechanical characteristics. This paper presents behaviour insights on two types of beam-to-beam connections that the angles were designed as energy dissipation components, through the results of experimental study and finite element analysis. Firstly, an experimental programme was reviewed, and key responses concerning the working mechanism of the connections were presented, including strain distribution at the critical section, section force responses of essential components, and initial stiffness of test specimens. Subsequently, finite element models of three specimens were established to further interpret their behaviour and response that were not observable in the tests. The moment and shear force transfer paths of the composite connections were clarified through the test results and finite element analysis. It was observed that the bending moment is mainly resisted by axial forces from the components, and the dominant axial force is from the bottom angles; the shear force at the critical section is primarily taken by the slab and the components near the top flange. Lastly, based on the insights on the load transfer path of the composite connections, preliminary design recommendations are proposed. In particular, a resistance requirement, quantified by a moment capacity ratio, was placed on the connections. Design models and equations were also developed for predicting the yield moment resistance and the shear resistance of the connections. A flexible beam model was proposed to quantify the shear resistance of essential components.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.3D
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• pp.399-405
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• 2008

Development of the paved track is required as a low-maintenance of conventional line. The paved tracks are one of the types of the ballast reinforced tracks those are manufactured by adopting the prepacked concrete technique. The main elements of this tracks are large sleeper, low elastic pad, fastener, cement mortar, geotextile and recycled ballast. Low elastic pad is the most effective element of such tracks on the basis of stress-displacement characteristics, dynamic response and fatigue characteristics. The stiffness of the pad determine the stiffness of the track. Consequently, it is more important in case of concrete track structure such as paved track because application of low elastic pad seriously effect the durability and stability of the track. The main objective of this study is to confirm the reduction of train load, which transfer to roadbed through various pad effects. To achieve this task static, numerical analysis and real scale repeated loading test was performed while load reduction effect of low elastic pad was analyzed by using displacement, stress and strain ratio characteristics of the paved track.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.4A
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• pp.291-297
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• 2009

Relaxation of high strength bolts was investigated. Block type and splice type specimens were fabricated with different types of bolts and different clamping lengths. Bolts were tightened to the specified torque. Clamping forces were measured through strain gauges installed on the shafts of bolts, while specimens were kept in a constant temperature and humidity. In all cases, ratio of clamping force reduction is less than 10%. Test results of different types of specimens and bolts and different clamping lengths were compared each other by using a simple model, which is suggested in this study for the estimation of bolt relaxation. The suggested model shows reasonably good agreements with test results for all cases. No difference is found between F13T and F10T bolts, but Dacro coated bolts shows higher relaxation than black bolts by approx. 30%. And also the comparison of test results shows that ratios of bolt relaxation become larger as clamping lengths of bolt shorter and the number of faying surfaces greater.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.302-308
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• 2023

The influence of specimen geometry and notch on the hydrogen embrittlement of an SA372 steel for pressure vessels was investigated in this study. A slow strain-rate tensile (SSRT) test after the electrochemical hydrogen charging method was conducted on four types of tensile specimens with different directions, shapes (plate, round), and notches. The plate-type specimen showed a significant decrease in hydrogen embrittlement resistance owing to its large surface-to-volume ratio, compared to the round-type specimen. It is well established that most of the hydrogen distributes over the specimen surface when it is electrochemically charged. For the round-type specimens, the notched specimen showed increased hydrogen susceptibility compared with the unnotched one. A notch causes stress concentration and thus generates lots of dislocations in the locally deformed regions during the SSRT test. The solute hydrogen weakens the interactions between these dislocations by promoting the shielding effect of stress fields, which is called hydrogen-enhanced localized plasticity mechanisms. These results provide crucial insights into the relationship between specimen geometry and hydrogen embrittlement resistance.