• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.34 no.6_4
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• pp.1479-1488
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• 2018

On September 3rd 2017, strong artificial seismic signals from North Korea were detected in KMA (Korea Meteorological Administration) seismic network. The location of the epicenter was estimated to be Punggye-ri nuclear test site and it was the most powerful to date. The event was not studied well due to accessibility and geodetic measurements. Therefore, we used remote sensing data to analyze surface changes around Mt. Mantap area. First of all, we tried to detect surface deformation using InSAR method with Advanced Land Observation Satellite-2 (ALOS-2). Even though ALOS-2 data used L-band long wavelength, it was not working well for this particular case because of decorrelation on interferogram. The main reason would be large deformation near the Mt. Mantap area. To overcome this limitation of decorrelation, we applied offset tracking method to measure deformation. However, this method is affected by window kernel size. So we applied various window sizes from 32 to 224 in 16 steps. We could retrieve 2D surface deformation of about 3 m in maximum in the west side of Mt. Mantap. Second, we used Pleiadas-A/B high resolution satellite optical images which were acquired before and after the 6th nuclear test. We detected widespread surface damage around the top of Mt. Mantap such as landslide and suspected collapse area. This phenomenon may be caused by a very strong underground nuclear explosion test. High-resolution satellite images could be used to analyze non-accessible area.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.543-563
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• 2002

The use of the epoxy pressure injection technique to rehabilitate reinforced concrete beam-column joints damaged by strong earthquakes is investigated experimentally and analytically. Two one-half-scale exterior beam-column joint specimens were exposed to reverse cyclic loading similar to that generated from strong earthquake ground motion, resulting in damage. Both specimens were typical of new structures and incorporated full seismic details in current building codes. Thus the first specimen was designed according to Eurocode 2 and Eurocode 8 and the second specimen was designed according to ACI-318 (1995) and ACI-ASCE Committee 352 (1985). The specimens were then repaired with an epoxy pressure injection technique. The repaired specimens were subjected to the same displacement history as that imposed on the original specimens. The results indicate that the epoxy pressure injection technique was effective in restoring the strength, stiffness and energy dissipation capacity of specimens representing a modem design.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.577-590
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• 2019

The seismic response of structures to strong ground motions is a complex problem that has been studied for decades. However, most of current seismic regulations do not assess the potential level of damage that a structure may undergo during a strong earthquake. This will happen in spite that the design objectives for any structural system are formulated in terms of acceptable levels of damage. In this article, we analyze the expected damage in single-degree-of-freedom systems subjected to long-duration ground motions generated in soft soil sites, such as those located in the lakebed of Mexico City. An energy-based methodology is formulated, under the consideration of input energy as the basis for the evaluation process, to estimate expected damage. The results of the proposed methodology are validated with damage curves established directly with nonlinear dynamic analyses.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1992.10a
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• pp.156-161
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• 1992

Over the past twenty years, the concept of structural control has been investigated for the application to large civil engineering structures. At the early years, passive control systems, such as tuned mass damper(TMD) and tuned liquid mass bamper(TLD), have been utilized to reduce the wind induced vibrations of tall buildings, decks and pylons of long-span bridges. More recently, the active control concept has been applied to reducing the structural vibration and increasing the human comfortness in tall buildings during strong wind. In this study, the effectiveness of the active tuned mass damper(ATMD) has been investigated for reducing vibration of large structures during strong earthquake. Stochastic optimal control theory has been employed. Example analyses are carried out through analytical simulation studies.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.761-786
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• 2016

This paper proposes an automated procedure for optimum seismic design of reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures. This procedure combines a smart pre-processing using a Tree Classification Method (TCM) and a nonlinear optimization technique. First, the TCM automatically creates sections database and assigns sections to structural members. Subsequently, a real valued model of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is employed in solving the optimization problem. Numerical examples on design optimization of three low- to high-rise RC frame structures under earthquake loads are presented with and without considering strong column-weak beam (SCWB) constraint. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of the TCMin seismic design optimization of the structures.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.313-324
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• 2018

In order to study the earthquake precursor in the Korean peninsula, long-term variations of chemical composition, radon-222, and water level were measured at depths (-60 m, -100 m) in the groundwater monitoring wells of the Daejeon and the Cheongwon area. The pH and electrical conductivity of groundwater in the monitoring wells showed some relationship with the Pohang earthquake. The ${HCO_3}^-$ and $Cl^-$ concentration of groundwater in the Daejeon and $Mg^{2+}$, $Cl^-$ and ${NO_3}^-$ in the Cheongwon showed some relation with the Pohang earthquake. However, it is not distinct to find the relationship between their variation and earthquake. The radon-222 concentration in Daejeon was observed a significant increase from a minimum of 162 Bq/L prior to the earthquake to 573 Bq/L right after the earthquake, that indicating a strong correlation with earthquakes. In the case of groundwater levels, it can not find some correlation between earthquakes and continuous decreasing trend in the monitoring wells of Daejeon and Cheongwon area. However, water level of a national groundwater observation well within 10 kilometers of Pohang epicenter was recorded as an abrupt drop right before the earthquake. Conclusively, although the location of monitoring wells is more than 180 kilometers apart from the epicenter of the Pohang earthquake, the radon gas in groundwater can be considered as a reliable candidate among earthquake precursors. The pH, electrical conductivity, ${HCO_3}^-$ and $Cl^-$ among hydrochemicals showed some correlation with earthquake should be monitored during a longer term to recognize distinctly as a precursor of earthquake.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.556-562
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• 2007

This paper presents the use of a novel fiber optic accelerometer system to monitor ambient vibration (both wind-induced one and vehicle-induced) of a real bridge structure. This sensor system integrates the $Moir\'{e}$ fringe phenomenon with fiber optics to achieve accurate and reliable measurements. A low-cost signal processing unit implements unique algorithms to further enhance the resolution and increase the dynamic bandwidth of the sensors. The fiber optic accelerometer has two major benefits in using this fiber optic accelerometer system for monitoring civil engineering structures. One is its immunity to electromagnetic (EM) interference making it suitable for difficult applications in such environments involving strong EM fields, electrical spark-induced explosion risks, and cabling problems, prohibiting the use of conventional electromagnetic accelerometers. The other is its ability to measure both low- and high-amplitude vibrations with a constantly high resolution without pre-setting a gain level, as usually required in a conventional accelerometer. The second benefit makes the sensor system particularly useful for real-time measurement of both ambient vibration (that is often used for structural health monitoring) and strong motion such as earthquake. Especially, the semi-strong motion and the small ambient one are successfully simulated and measured by using the new fiber optic accelerometer in the experiment of the structural health monitoring of a real bridge.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.215-227
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• 2018

Supplemental passive control devices are widely considered as an important tool to mitigate the dynamic response of a building under seismic excitation. Nevertheless, a systematic method for strategically placing dampers in the buildings is not prescribed in building codes and guidelines. Many deterministic and stochastic methods have been proposed by previous researchers to investigate the optimum distribution of the viscous dampers in the steel frames. However, the seismic performances of the retrofitted buildings that are under large earthquake intensity levels or near collapse state have not been evaluated by any seismic research. Recent years, an increasing number of studies utilize genetic algorithms (GA) to explore the complex engineering optimization problems. GA interfaced with nonlinear response history (NRH) analysis is considered as one of the most powerful and popular stochastic methods to deal with the nonlinear optimization problem of damper distribution. In this paper, the effectiveness and the efficiency of GA on optimizing damper distribution are first evaluated by strong ground motions associated with the collapse failure. A practical optimization framework using GA and NRH analysis is proposed for optimizing the distribution of the fluid viscous dampers within the moment resisting frames (MRF) regarding the improvements of large drifts under intensive seismic context. Both a 10-storey and a 20-storey building are involved to explore higher mode effect. A far-fault and a near-fault earthquake environment are also considered for the frames under different seismic intensity levels. To evaluate the improvements obtained from the GA optimization regarding the collapse performance of the buildings, Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) is conducted and comparisons are made between the GA damper distribution and stiffness proportional damping distribution on the collapse probability of the retrofitted frames.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.527-538
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• 2017

The evaluation of the loss-of-support conditions of frictional beam-to-column connections using simplified numerical models describing the transverse response of a portal-like structure is presented in this paper considering the effects of the seismic-hazard disaggregation. Real earthquake time histories selected from European Strong-motion Database (ESD) are used to show the effects of the seismic-hazard disaggregation on the beam loss-of-support conditions. Seismic events are classified according to different values of magnitudes, epicentral distances and soil conditions (stiff or soft soil) highlighting the importance of considering the characteristics of the seismic input in the assessment of the loss-of-support conditions of frictional beam-to-column connections. A rigid and an elastic model of a frame of a precast industrial building (2-DoF portal-like model) are presented and adopted to find the minimum required friction coefficient to avoid sliding. Then, the mean value of the minimum required friction coefficient with an epicentral distance bin of 10 km is calculated and fitted with a linear function depending on the logarithm of the epicentral distance. A complete parametric analysis varying the horizontal and vertical period of vibration of the structure is performed. Results show that the loss-of-support condition is strongly influenced by magnitude, epicentral distance and soil conditions determining the frequency content of the earthquake time histories and the correlation between the maxima of the horizontal and vertical components. Moreover, as expected, dynamic characteristics of the structure have also a strong influence. Finally, the effect of the column nonlinear behavior (i.e. formation of plastic hinges at the base) is analyzed showing that the connection and the column are a series system where the maximum force is limited by the element having the minimum strength. Two different longitudinal reinforcement ratios are analyzed demonstrating that the column strength variation changes the system response.

• Computational Structural Engineering
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.67-80
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• 1993

This paper presents the results of an analytical study to evaluate the inelastic seismic response characteristics of multistory building structures, the effects of gravity load on the seismic responses and its implications on the earthquake resistant design. Static analyses for incremental lateral force and nonlinear dynamic analyses for earthquake motions were performed to evaluate the seismic response of example multistory building structures. Most of considerations are placed on the distribution of inelastic responses over the height of the structure. When an earthquake occurs, bending moment demand is increased considerably from the top to the bottom of multistory structures, so that differences between bending moment demands and supplies are greater in lower floos of multistory structures. As a result, for building structures designed by the current earthquake resistant design procedure, inelastic deformations for earthquake ground motions do not distribute uniformly over the height of structures and those are induced mainly in bottom floors. In addition, gravity load considerded in design procedure tends to cause much larger damages in lower floors. From the point of view of seismic responses, gravity load affects the initial yield time of griders in earlier stage of strong earthquakes and results in different inelastic responses among the plastic hinges that form in the girders of a same floor. However, gravity load moments at beam ends are gradually reduced and finally fully relaxed after a structure experiences some inelastic excursions as a ground motion is getting stronger. Reduction of gravity load moment results in much increased structural damages in lower floors building structures. The implications of the effects of gravity load for seismic design of multistory building structures are to reduce the contributions of gravity load and to increased those of seismic load in determination of flexual strength for girders and columns.