• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.81 no.3
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• pp.367-378
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• 2022

In this study, combined size and shape optimization of spatial truss tower structures are presented by using new optimization algorithms named Rao-1, and Rao-2. The nodal displacements, allowable stress and buckling for compressive members are taken into account as structural constraints for truss towers. The discrete and continuous design variables are used as design variables for size and shape optimization. To show the efficiency of the proposed optimization algorithm, 25-bar, and 39-bar 3D truss towers are solved for combined size and shape optimization. The 72-bar, and 160-bar 3D truss towers are solved only by size optimization. The optimal results obtained from this study are compared to those given in the literature to illustrate the efficiency and robustness of the proposed algorithm. The structural analysis and the optimization process are coded in MATLAB programming.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.87 no.3
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• pp.243-254
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• 2023

Engineering structures usually suffer from cracks. The crack geometry has an influence on the structural mechanical properties and subsequent crack propagations. However, as an extensively utilized method in fracture analysis, the extended finite element method provided by Abaqus fails to output the specific location and dimensions of fractures. In this study, a technique to capture the crack geometry is proposed. The technique is based on the invariant level set method (I-LSM), which can avoid updating the level set function during crack development. The solution is achieved by an open-source plug-in programmed by Python. Three examples were performed to verify the effectiveness and robustness of the program. The result shows that the developed program can accurately output the crack geometry in both the 2D and 3D models. The open-source plug-in codes are included as supplementary material.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.60 no.5
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• pp.115-124
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• 2018

Resilience has been widely used in various fields including design and operation of infrastructures. The resilient infrastructures not only reduce the damage scale of various disasters but also reduce the time and cost required for restoration. However, resilience rarely applied to promote efficient management of agricultural infrastructures. Recently, drought is an aggravating disaster by climate change and need countermeasures. Therefore, we tried to demonstrate evaluating measures in case of drought under consideration of resilience. This study applied the robustness-cost index (RCI) to evaluate alternative solution of the supply problem of a large agricultural reservoir under drought conditions. Four structural alternatives were selected to estimate the robustness index (RI) and the cost index (CI) to obtain the RCI values. Structural alternatives are classified into temporary measures and permanent measures. Temporary measures include the development of a tube wells and the installation of the portable pump, while the permanent measures include the installation of a pumping stations and the pumping water to the reservoir (Yeongsan River-Naju reservoir). RCI values were higher in permanent measures than those of temporary measures. Initial storage of the reservoir also affected RCI values of the drought measures. Permanent measures installation and management of early stage of the reservoir storage shortage was identified as the most resilient system.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.777-783
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• 2021

Aircraft are affected by various vibrations during maneuvering. These vibrations may have a fatal effect on the survival of aircraft in some cases, so the safety of components applied to the aircraft should be proven against various vibrations through random vibration analysis. In this study, the structural robustness of an external fuel tank and pylon for military aircraft was evaluated under random vibration conditions using commercial software, MSC Random. In the random vibration analysis, a frequency response analysis was performed by imposing a unit load on the boundary condition point, and then excitation was performed with a PSD profile. In this process, the required mode data was extracted through a modal analysis method. In addition, the random vibration profile specified in the US Defense Environment Standard was applied as random vibration conditions, and the PSD profile given in units of G's was converted into units of gravitational acceleration. As a result of the numerical analysis, we evaluated the structural robustness of the external fuel tank and pylon by identifying the safety margins of beam elements, shell elements, and solid elements in a numerical model for random vibration in the x, y, and z directions.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.549-555
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• 2003

The objective of かis study is to investigate the feasibility of piezoelectric transducers as a damage detection system for civil infrastructures. There have been considerable amount of efforts by the modal analysis community to localize damage and evaluate its severity without looking at a reliable way to excite the structure. The detection of damages by modal analysis and similar vibration techniques depends upon the knowledge and estimation of various modal parameters. In addition to the associated difficulties, such low-frequency dynamic response based techniques fail to detect incipient damages. Smart piezoelectric ceramic (PZT) transducers which act as both actuators and sensors in a self-analyzing manner are emerging to be effective in non-parametric health monitoring of structural systems. In this paper, we present the results of an experimental study for the detection of damages using smart PZT transducers on the steel plate. The method of extracting the impedance characteristics of the PZT transducer, which is electro-mechanically coupled to the host structure, is adopted for damage detection. Two damages are simulated and assessed by the bonded PZT transducers for characterization. The experimental results verified the efficacy of the proposed approach and provided a demonstration of good robustness at the realistic steel structures, emphasizing the great potential for developing an automated in situ structural health monitoring system for application to large civil infrastructures without the need to blow the modal parameters.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.657-668
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• 2020

A novel multistage approach is developed for structural model updating based on sensitivity ranking of the selected updating parameters. Modal energy-based sensitivities are formulated, and maximum-normalized indices are designed for sensitivity ranking. Based on the ranking strategy, a multistage approach is proposed, where these parameters to be corrected with similar sensitivity levels are updated simultaneously at the same stage, and the complete procedure continues sequentially at several stages, from large to small, according to the predefined levels of the updating parameters. At every single stage, a previously developed cross model cross mode (CMCM) method is used for structural model updating. The effectiveness and robustness of the multistage approach are investigated by implementing it on an offshore structure, and the performances are compared with non-multistage approach using numerical and experimental vibration information. These results demonstrate that the multistage approach is more effective for structural model updating of offshore platform structures even with limited information and measured noise. These findings serve as a preliminary strategy for structural model updating of an offshore platform in service.

• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.151-156
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• 2018

Because of its large differences in writing style, context-independency and high recognition accuracy requirement, free handwritten digital identification is still a very difficult problem. Analyzing the characteristic of handwritten digits, this paper proposes a new handwritten digital identification method based on combining structural features. Given a handwritten digit, a variety of structural features of the digit including end points, bifurcation points, horizontal lines and so on are identified automatically and robustly by a proposed extended structural features identification algorithm and a decision tree based on those structural features are constructed to support automatic recognition of the handwritten digit. Experimental result demonstrates that the proposed method is superior to other general methods in recognition rate and robustness.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.199-204
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• 2000

In this study, an optimum design algorithm using efficient reanalysis is proposed for seismic design of RC Piers. The proposed algorithm for optimization of RC Piers is based on efficient reanalysis technique. Considering structural behavior of RC Piers, several other approximation techniques, such as artificial constraint deletion is introduced to increase the efficiency of optimization. The efficiency and robustness of the proposed algorithm increase the proposed reanalysis technique is demonstrated by comparing it with a conventional optimization algorithm. A few of design examples are optimized to show the applicability of the proposed algorithm.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.71 no.4
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• pp.391-405
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• 2019

Compared to the ambient vibration test mainly identifying the structural modal parameters, such as frequency, damping and mode shapes, the impact testing, which benefits from measuring both impacting forces and structural responses, has the merit to identify not only the structural modal parameters but also more detailed structural parameters, in particular flexibility. However, in traditional impact tests, an impacting hammer or artificial excitation device is employed, which restricts the efficiency of tests on various bridge structures. To resolve this problem, we propose a new method whereby a moving vehicle is taken as a continuous exciter and develop a corresponding flexibility identification theory, in which the continuous wheel forces induced by the moving vehicle is considered as structural input and the acceleration response of the bridge as the output, thus a structural flexibility matrix can be identified and then structural deflections of the bridge under arbitrary static loads can be predicted. The proposed method is more convenient, time-saving and cost-effective compared with traditional impact tests. However, because the proposed test produces a spatially continuous force while classical impact forces are spatially discrete, a new flexibility identification theory is required, and a novel structural identification method involving with equivalent load distribution, the enhanced Frequency Response Function (eFRFs) construction and modal scaling factor identification is proposed to make use of the continuous excitation force to identify the basic modal parameters as well as the structural flexibility. Laboratory and numerical examples are given, which validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Furthermore, parametric analysis including road roughness, vehicle speed, vehicle weight, vehicle's stiffness and damping are conducted and the results obtained demonstrate that the developed method has strong robustness except that the relative error increases with the increase of measurement noise.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.191-210
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• 2012

The Force Density Method (FDM) is a well known and extremely versatile tool in form finding of cable nets. In its linear formulation such method makes it possible to find all the possible equilibrium configurations of a net of cables having a certain given connectivity and given boundary conditions on the nodes. Each singular configuration corresponds to an assumed force density distribution. Its improvement as Non-Linear Force Density Method (NLFDM) introduces the possibility of imposing assigned relative distances among the nodes, the tensile level in the elements and/or their initial undeformed length. In this paper an Extended Force Density Method (EFDM) is proposed, which makes it possible to set conditions in terms of given fixed nodal reactions or, in other words, to fix the positions of a certain number of nodes and, at the same time, to impose the intensity of the reaction force. Through such extension, the (EFDM) enables us to deal with form findings problems of cable nets subjected to given constraints and, in particular, with mixed structures, made of cables and struts. The efficiency and the robustness of method are assessed through comparisons with other form finding techniques in dealing with characteristic applications to the prestress design of cable systems. As a further extension, the EFDM is applied to structures having some parts not yet geometrically defined, as can happen in designing new creative forms.