• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.463-475
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• 2019

In this paper, a procedure to develop fragility curves of structures equipped with semi-active tuned mass dampers (SATMDs) considering multiple failure criteria has been presented while accounting for the uncertainties of the input excitation, structure and control device parameters. In this procedure, Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) method has been employed to generate 30 random SATMD-structure systems and nonlinear incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) has been conducted under 20 earthquakes to determine the structural responses, where failure probabilities in each intensity level have been evaluated using Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) method. For numerical analysis, an eight-story nonlinear shear building frame with bilinear hysteresis material behavior has been used. Fragility curves for the structure equipped with optimal SATMDs have been developed considering single and multiple failure criteria for different performance levels and compared with that of uncontrolled structure as well as structure controlled using passive tuned mass damper (TMD). Numerical analysis has shown the capability of SATMDs in significant enhancement of the seismic fragility of the nonlinear structure. Also, considering multiple failure criteria has led to increasing the fragility of the structure. Moreover, it is observed that the influence of the uncertainty of input excitation with respect to the other uncertainties is considerable.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.459-474
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• 2019

This study develops a novel recursive algorithm to significantly enhance the computation efficiency of a recently proposed stochastic subspace identification (SSI) methodology based on an alternative stabilization diagram. Exemplified by the measurements taken from the two investigated office buildings, it is first demonstrated that merely one sixth of computation time and one fifth of computer memory are required with the new recursive algorithm. Such a progress would enable the realization of on-line and almost real-time monitoring for these two steel framed structures. This recursive SSI algorithm is further applied to analyze 20 months of monitoring data and comprehensively assess the environmental effects. It is certified that the root-mean-square (RMS) response can be utilized as an excellent index to represent most of the environmental effects and its variation strongly correlates with that of the modal frequency. More detailed examination by comparing the monthly correlation coefficient discloses that larger variations in modal frequency induced by greater RMS responses would typically lead to a higher correlation.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.169-189
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• 2015

Convergence difficulty and available complete measurement information have been considered as two primary challenges for the identification of large-scale engineering structures. In this paper, a time domain substructural identification approach by combining a weighted adaptive iteration (WAI) algorithm and an extended Kalman filter method with a weighted global iteration (EFK-WGI) algorithm was proposed for simultaneous identification of physical parameters of concerned substructures and unknown external excitations applied on it with limited response measurements. In the proposed approach, according to the location of the unknown dynamic loadings and the partially available structural response measurements, part of structural parameters of the concerned substructure and the unknown loadings were first identified with the WAI approach. The remaining physical parameters of the concerned substructure were then determined by EFK-WGI basing on the previously identified loadings and substructural parameters. The efficiency and accuracy of the proposed approach was demonstrated via a 20-story shear building structure and 23 degrees of freedom (DOFs) planar truss model with unknown external excitation and limited observations. Results show that the proposed approach is capable of satisfactorily identifying both the substructural parameters and unknown loading within limited iterations when both the excitation and dynamic response are partially unknown.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.7 no.5
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• pp.329-348
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• 2011

Large-scale earthquakes pose serious threats to infrastructure causing substantial damage and large residual deformations. Superelastic (SE) Shape-Memory-Alloys (SMAs) are unique alloys with the ability to undergo large deformations, but can recover its original shape upon stress removal. The purpose of this research is to exploit this characteristic of SMAs such that concrete Beam-Column Joints (BCJs) reinforced with SMA bars at the plastic hinge region experience reduced residual deformation at the end of earthquakes. Another objective is to evaluate the seismic performance of SMA Reinforced Concrete BCJs repaired with flowable Structural-Repair-Concrete (SRC). A $\frac{3}{4}$-scale BCJ reinforced with SMA rebars in the plastic-hinge zone was tested under reversed cyclic loading, and subsequently repaired and retested. The joint was selected from an RC building located in the seismic region of western Canada. It was designed and detailed according to the NBCC 2005 and CSA A23.3-04 recommendations. The behaviour under reversed cyclic loading of the original and repaired joints, their load-storey drift, and energy dissipation ability were compared. The results demonstrate that SMA-RC BCJs are able to recover nearly all of their post-yield deformation, requiring a minimum amount of repair, even after a large earthquake, proving to be smart structural elements. It was also shown that the use of SRC to repair damaged BCJs can restore its full capacity.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.2038-2045
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• 2021

The main objective of this work is to propose a reliable routine standard operation procedures (SOP) for structural health monitoring and diagnosis of nuclear power plants (NPPs). At present, NPPs have monitoring systems that can be used to obtain the quantitative health record of containment (CTMT) buildings through system identification technology. However, because the measurement signals are often interfered with by noise, the identification results may introduce erroneous conclusions if the measured data is directly adopted. Therefore, this paper recommends the SOP for signal screening and the required identification procedures to identify the dynamic characteristics of the CTMT of NPPs. In the SOP, three recommend methods are proposed including the Recursive Least Squares (RLS), the Observer Kalman Filter Identification/Eigensystem Realization Algorithm (OKID/ERA), and the Frequency Response Function (FRF). The identification results can be verified by comparing the results of different methods. Finally, a preliminary CTMT healthy record can be established based on the limited number of earthquake records. It can be served as the quantitative reference to expedite the restart procedure. If the fundamental frequency of the CTMT drops significantly after the Operating Basis Earthquake and Safe Shutdown Earthquake (OBE/SSE), it means that the restart actions suggested by the regulatory guide should be taken in place immediately.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.385-395
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• 2022

Detecting cracks on a concrete structure is crucial for structural maintenance, a crack being an indicator of possible damage. Conventional crack detection methods which include visual inspection and non-destructive equipment, are typically limited to a small region and require time-consuming processes. Recently, to reduce the human intervention in the inspections, various researchers have sought computer vision-based crack analyses: One class is filter-based methods, which effectively transforms the image to detect crack edges. The other class is using deep-learning algorithms. For example, convolutional neural networks have shown high precision in identifying cracks in an image. However, when the objective is to classify not only the existence of crack but also the types of cracks, only a few studies have been reported, limiting their practical use. Thus, the presented study develops an image processing procedure that detects cracks and classifies crack types; whether the image contains a crazing-type, single crack, or multiple cracks. The properties and steps in the algorithm have been developed using field-obtained images. Subsequently, the algorithm is validated from additional 227 images obtained from an open database. For test datasets, the proposed algorithm showed accuracy of 92.8% in average. In summary, the developed algorithm can precisely classify crazing-type images, while some single crack images may misclassify into multiple cracks, yielding conservative results. As a result, the successful results of the presented study show potentials of using vision-based technologies for providing crack information with reduced human intervention.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.545-559
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• 2023

Nanoparticle strips (NPS) are widely used as external reinforcers for two-way reinforced concrete slabs. However, the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of these slabs is a very important issue and was evaluated in this study. This study has been done analytically and numerically to optimize the placement of sensors. The properties of slabs and carbon nanotubes as composite sheets were considered isotopic and orthotropic, respectively. The nonlinear Finite Element Method (FEM) approach and suitable optimal placement of sensor approach were developed as a new MATLAB toolbox called DECOMAC by the authors of this paper. The Suitable multi-objective function was considered in optimized processes based on distributed ECOMAC method. Some common concrete slabs in construction with different aspect ratios were considered as case studies. The dimension and distance of nano strips in retrofitting process were selected according to building codes. The results of Optimal Sensor Placement (OSP) by DECOMAC algorithm on un-retrofitted and retrofitted slabs were compared. The statistical analysis according to the Mann-Whitney criteria shows that there is a significant difference between them (mean P-value = 0.61).

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.10
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• pp.3677-3691
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• 2023

Since containment building is the major shielding structure to ensure safety of nuclear power plant, the structural behavior and ultimate pressure capacity of containments must be studied in depth. This paper addresses ambiguous issue of determining free-field position for liner failure by suggesting an expanded free-field region and comparing internal pressure capacities obtained by test data, conservative assumption and suggested free-field region. For this purpose, a practical approach to determine the free-field position for the evaluation of liner tearing is carried out. The maximum principal strain histories versus internal pressure capacities among different free-field positions at various azimuths and elevations are compared with those at the equipment hatch as a conservative assumption. The comparison shows that there are considerable differences in the internal pressure capacity at liner failure within the expanded free-field region compared to the vicinity of the equipment hatch. Additionally, this study proposes an approximate correlation with conservative factors by considering the expanded free-field ranges and material characteristics to determine realistic failure criteria for liner. The applicability of the proposed correlation is demonstrated by comparing the internal pressure capacities of full-scale containment buildings following liner failure criteria according to RG 1.216 and an approximate correlation.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.61-75
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• 2024

Thin-walled concrete-filled U-shaped steel beams have been recently used in building structures for shortening the construction period and cost efficiency of structural members. In this study, the flexural and shear behavior of newly developed bolt-connected U-shaped steel beams filled with concrete was experimentally evaluated considering load conditions for positive and negative moments, and types of U-shaped steel sections. Because the cross sections are not symmetrical about a horizontal axis, compressive buckling of bottom plates was observed along with web shear buckling under negative moment loading, while the slab concrete under compression was crushed under a positive moment loading. Despite such different shear failure modes depending on load conditions, the shear strength of the composite beams can be conservatively predicted using AISC 360-16 and Eurocode 4. Although the shear contribution of filled concrete is neglected according to the current design codes, the shear capacity of the steel web considering the shear buckling coefficient corresponding to the web width-to-thickness ratio reasonably predicts the test results. In addition, for deep composite beams, the longitudinal lips of a U-shaped steel section anchored into filled concrete can improve the interfacial bond between steel and concrete, thereby enhancing the shear contribution of the steel web.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.625-633
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• 2015

In this study, a coupled probabilistic framework is developed to assess wind risk on apartment buildings by using the convolution of wind hazard and fragility functions. In this framework, typhoon induced extreme wind is estimated by applying the developed Monte Carlo simulation model to the climatological data of typhoons affecting Korean peninsular from 1951 to 2013. The Monte Carlo simulation technique is also used to assess wind fragility function for 4 different damage states by comparing the probability distributions of the window system's resistance performance and wind load. Wind hazard and fragility functions are modeled by the Weibull and lognormal probability distributions based on simulated wind speeds and failure probabilities. The modeled functions are convoluted to obtain the wind risk for the different damage levels. The developed probabilistic framework clearly shows that wind risk are influenced by various important characteristics of terrain and apartment building such as location of building, exposure category, topographic condition, roof angle, height of building, etc. The risk model presented in this paper can be used as tools to predict economic loss estimation and to establish wind risk mitigation plan for the existing building inventory.