• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.735-743
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• 2004

A bridge which connects Mokpo North Harbor and Goha Island is going to be constructed until 2009. For the bridges being built in the navigable water area, it is indispensible to carry out vessel traffic safety assessment from the viewpoint of shiphandlers, however, there exist no specific guidelines for the necessary conditions which the bridge designers can rely on. In this paper, traffic safety assessment procedures for the layout of the bridge are briefly introduced, and the conditions which should be taken into account at the initial design stage of the bridge are surveyed For the safety assessment of the bridge design, ship navigation simulations, such as RTS( real time simulation) and FTS(fast time simulation), are carried out, the results of which are statistically analysed to estimate the probability of collision between the ship and the pier of the bridge.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.393-402
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• 2020

Long-span bridges with high flexibility and low structural damping are very susceptible to the vortex-induced vibration (VIV), which causes extremely negative impacts on the ride comfort of vehicles running on the bridges. To assess the ride comfort of vehicles running on the long-span bridges subjected to VIV, a coupled wind-vehicle-bridge system applicable to the VIV case is firstly developed in this paper. In this system, the equations of motion of the vehicles and the bridge subjected to VIV are established and coupled through the vehicle-bridge interaction. Based on the dynamic responses of the vehicles obtained by solving the coupled system, the ride comfort of the vehicles can be evaluated using the method given in ISO 2631-1. At last, the proposed framework is applied to several case studies, where a long-span suspension bridge and two types of vehicles are taken into account. The effects of vehicle speed, vehicle type, road roughness and vehicle number on the ride comfort are investigated.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.139-150
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• 2017

The structural strain plays a significant role in structural condition assessment of in-service bridges in terms of structural bearing capacity, structural reliability level and entire safety redundancy. Therefore, it has been one of the most important parameters concerned by researchers and engineers engaged in structural health monitoring (SHM) practices. In this paper, an SHM system instrumented on the Jiubao Bridge located in Hangzhou, China is firstly introduced. This system involves nine subsystems and has been continuously operated for five years since 2012. As part of the SHM system, a total of 166 fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors are installed on the bridge to measure the dynamic strain responses of key structural components. Based on the strain monitoring data acquired in recent two years, the strain-based structural condition assessment of the Jiubao Bridge is carried out. The wavelet multi-resolution algorithm is applied to separate the temperature effect from the raw strain data. The obtained strain data under the normal traffic and wind condition and under the typhoon condition are examined for structural safety evaluation. The structural condition rating of the bridge in accordance with the AASHTO specification for condition evaluation and load and resistance factor rating of highway bridges is performed by use of the processed strain data in combination with finite element analysis. The analysis framework presented in this study can be used as a reference for facilitating the assessment, inspection and maintenance activities of in-service bridges instrumented with long-term SHM system.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.65 no.5
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• pp.633-644
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• 2018

This paper presents the results of an assessment of the seismic fragility of a long, curved multi-frame bridge under multi-support earthquake excitations. To achieve this aim, the numerical model of columns retrofitted with elliptical steel jackets was developed and validated using existing experimental results. A detailed nonlinear numerical model of the bridge that can capture the inelastic response of various components was then created. Using nonlinear time-history analyses for a set of stochastically generated spatially variable ground motions, component demands were derived and then convolved with new capacity-based limit state models to obtain seismic fragility curves. The comparison of failure probabilities obtained from uniform and multi-support excitation analyses revealed that the consideration of spatial variability significantly reduced the median value of fragility curves for most components except for the abutments. This observation indicates that the assumption of uniform motions may considerably underestimate seismic demands. Moreover, the spatial correlation of ground motions resulted in reduced dispersion of demand models that consequently decreased the dispersion of fragility curves for all components. Therefore, the spatial variability of ground motions needs to be considered for reliable assessment of the seismic performance of long multi-frame bridge structures.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.281-303
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• 2009

The lack of safety of bridge deck structures causes frequent repair and strengthening of such structures. The repair induces great loss of economy, not only due to direct cost by repair, but also due to stopping the public use of such structures during repair. The major reason for this frequent repair is mainly due to the lack of realistic and accurate assessment system for the bridge decks. The purpose of the present research was to develop a realistic expert system, called Bridge Slab-Expert which can evaluate reasonably the condition as well as the service life of concrete bridge decks, based on the deterioration models that are derived from both the structural and environmental effects. The diagnosis assessment of deck slabs due to structural and environmental effects are developed based on the cracking in concrete, surface distress and structural distress. Fuzzy logic is utilized to handle uncertainties and imprecision involved. Finally, Bridge Slab-Expert is developed for prediction of safety and remaining service life based on the chloride ions penetration and fick's second law. Proposed expert system is based on user-friendly GUI environment. The developed expert system will allow the correct diagnosis of concrete decks, realistic prediction of service life, the determination of confidence level, the description of condition and the proposed action for repair.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.83-91
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• 2020

The recent bridge construction projects is demanded more sophisticated risk management measures and loss forecasts to brace for risk losses from an increase in the trend of bridge construction. This study aims to analyze the risk factors that caused the loss of material in actual bridge construction and to develop a quantified predictive loss model, based on the past record of insurance payment by major domestic insurance companies for bridge construction projects. For the development of quantitative bridge construction loss model, the dependent variable was selected as the loss ratio, i.e., the ratio of insurance payout divided by the total project cost, while the independent variable adopted 1) Technical factors: superstructure type, foundation type, construction method, and bridge length 2) Natural hazards: typhoon and flood 3) Project information: construction period and total project cost. Among the selected independent variables, superstructure type, construction method, and project period were shown to affect the ratio of bridge construction losses. The results of this study can provide government agencies, bridge construction design and construction and insurance companies with the quantitative damage prediction and risk assessment services, using risk indicators and loss prediction functions derived from the findings of this study and can be used as a guideline for future basic bridge risk assessment development research.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.321-329
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• 2002

Artificial neural network has been used for damage assessment by many researchers, but there are still some barriers that must be overcome to improve its accuracy and efficiency. The major problems with the conventional neural network are the necessity of many training patterns for neural network teaming process and ambiguity in the relationship of neural network structure to the convergence of solution. In this paper, the PNN is used as a pattern classifier to detect the damages of the railway bridge using dynamic response. The comparison between the mode shape and the natural frequency of structure as training pattern is investigated for approriate selection of the training pattern in the damage detection of railway bridge using the PNN.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.135-154
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• 2008

This paper presents a nonlinear finite element analysis procedure for the seismic performance assessment of reinforced concrete bridge piers with unbonded reinforcing or prestressing bars. A computer program named RCAHEST (Reinforced Concrete Analysis in Higher Evaluation System Technology) is used to analyze reinforced concrete structures; this program was also used in our study. Tensile, compressive and shear models of cracked concrete and models of reinforcing and prestressing steel were used account for material nonlinearity of reinforced concrete. The smeared crack approach was incorporated. To represent the interaction between unbonded reinforcing or prestressing bar and concrete, an unbonded reinforcing or prestressing bar element based on the finite element method was developed in this study. The proposed numerical method for the seismic performance assessment of reinforced concrete bridge piers with unbonded reinforcing or prestressing bars is verified by comparison of its results with reliable experimental results.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.19-34
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• 2015

One of the main causes of a limited use of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technologies in bridge deck assessment is the speed of data collection and analysis. The paper describes development and implementation of the RABIT (Robotics Assisted Bridge Inspection Tool) for data collection using multiple NDE technologies. The system is designed to characterize three most common deterioration types in concrete bridge decks: rebar corrosion, delamination, and concrete degradation. It implements four NDE technologies: electrical resistivity (ER), impact echo (IE), ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and ultrasonic surface waves (USW) method. The technologies are used in a complementary way to enhance the interpretation. In addition, the system utilizes advanced vision to complement traditional visual inspection. Finally, the RABIT collects data at a significantly higher speed than it is done using traditional NDE equipment. The robotic system is complemented by an advanced data interpretation. The associated platform for the enhanced interpretation of condition assessment in concrete bridge decks utilizes data integration, fusion, and deterioration and defect visualization. This paper concentrates on the validation and field implementation of two NDE technologies. The first one is IE used in the delamination detection and characterization, while the second one is the USW method used in the assessment of concrete quality. The validation of performance of the two methods was conducted on a 9 m long and 3.6 m wide fabricated bridge structure with numerous artificial defects embedded in the deck.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.395-402
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• 2007

Probabilistic risk assessment was conducted on a hybrid cable-stayed bridge consisting of a steel-composite plate girder and a concrete girder with a long span, designed using the working stress design and strength design methods. The component reliabilities of the bridge's cables, pylons, girders, and steel-concrete conjunction were evaluated using the AFOSM(Advanced First Order Second Moment) algorithm and the simulation technique at the critical sections, based on the maximum axial force, shear, and positive and negative moments of the selected sections. For the analysis of system reliability, the hybrid cable-stayed bridge consisting of cables, pylons, and plate girders was modeled into combined failure modes, and for system reliability, the probabilities of failure and reliability index of the structural system were evaluated. Based on the results of this study, the critical failure modes of the hybrid cable-stayed bridge based on the bridge's structural characteristics are suggested, and the efficiency of the partial ETA technique for use in the risk assessment method was confirmed.