• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.639-652
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• 2005

In this paper, a full-scale K-joint specimen was tested to failure under cyclic combined axial and in-plane bending loads. In the fatigue test, the crack developments were monitored step by step using the alternating current potential drop (ACPD) technique. Using Paris' law, stress intensity factor, which is a fracture parameter to be frequently used by many designers to predict the integrity and residual life of tubular joints, can be obtained from experimental test results of the crack growth rate. Furthermore, a scheme of automatic mesh generation for a cracked K-joint is introduced, and numerical analysis of stress intensity factor for the K-joint specimen has then been carried out. In the finite element analysis, J-integral method is used to estimate the stress intensity factors along the crack front. The numerical stress intensity factor results have been validated through comparing them with the experimental results. The comparison shows that the proposed numerical model can produce reasonably accurate stress intensity factor values. The effects of different crack shapes on the stress intensity factors have also been investigated, and it has been found that semi-ellipse is suitable and accurate to be adopted in numerical analysis for the stress intensity factor. Therefore, the proposed model in this paper is reliable to be used for estimating the stress intensity factor values of cracked tubular K-joints for design purposes.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.433-449
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• 2010

Wind tunnel model tests were conducted for a residential apartment block located within the complex terrain of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). The test building is typical of medium-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong. The model study was conducted using modelling techniques and assumptions that are commonly used to predict design wind loads and pressures for buildings sited in regions of significant topography. Results for the building model with and without the surrounding topography were compared to investigate the effects of far-field and near-field topography on wind characteristics at the test building site and wind-induced external pressure coefficients at key locations on the building facade. The study also compared the wind tunnel test results to topographic multipliers and external pressure coefficients determined from nine international design standards. Differences between the external pressure coefficients stipulated in the various standards will be exacerbated when they are combined with the respective topographic multipliers.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.209-221
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• 2018

An empirical and efficient method is presented for calculating the dynamic increase factor to amplify the applied loads on the affected bays of a steel frame structure with semi-rigid connections. The nonlinear static alternate path analysis is used to evaluate the dynamic responses. First, the polynomial models of the extended end plate and the top and seat connection are modified, and the proposed polynomial model of the flush end plate connection shows good agreement as compared with experimental results. Next, a beam model with nonlinear spring elements and plastic hinges is utilized to incorporate the combined effect of connection flexibility and material nonlinearity. A new step-by-step analysis procedure is established to obtain quickly the dynamic increase factor based on a combination of the pushdown analysis and nonlinear dynamic analysis. Finally, the modified dynamic increase factor equation, defined as a function of the maximum ratio value of energy demand to energy capacity of an affected beam, is derived by curve fitting data points generated by the different analysis cases with different column removal scenarios and five types of semi-rigid connections.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 2018

This paper reports an experimental study that was accomplished to assess the seismic behavior of steel tube reinforced concrete bridge columns (SBCs). The motivation of this study was to verify a supposition that the core steel tube may be terminated at a rational position in the column to minimize the material cost while maintaining the seismic behavior of this composite column. Four SBC specimens were tested under combined constant axial load and cyclic reversed lateral loads. The unique variable in the test matrix was the core steel tube embedment length, which ranged from 1/3 to 3/3 of the column effective height. It is observed that SBCs showed two distinctly different failure patterns, namely brittle shear failure and ductile flexural failure. Tests results indicate that the hysteretic responses of SBCs were susceptible to the core steel tube embedment length. With the increase of this structural parameter, the lateral strength of SBC was progressively improved; the deformability and ductility, however, exhibited a tendency of first increase and then decrease. It is also found that in addition to maintained the rate of stiffness degradation and cumulative energy dissipation basically unchanged, both the ductility and deformability of SBC were significantly improved when the core steel tube was terminated at the mid-height of the column, and these were the most unexpected benefits accompanied with material cost reduction.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.74 no.2
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• pp.283-296
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• 2020

The coupled hydro-mechanical loading conditions commonly occur in the geothermal and petroleum engineering projects, which is significantly important influence on the stability of rock masses. In this article, the influence of flaw inclination angle of fracture behaviors in rock-like materials subjected to both mechanical loads and internal hydraulic pressures is experimentally studied using the 3-D X-ray computed tomography combined with 3-D reconstruction techniques. Triaxial compression experiments under confining pressure of 8.0 MPa are first conducted for intact rock-like specimens using a rock mechanics testing system. Four pre-flawed rock-like specimens containing a single open flaw with different inclination angle under the coupled hydro-mechanical loading conditions are carried out. Then, the broken pre-flawed rock-like specimens are analyzed using a 3-D X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning system. Subsequently, the internal damage behaviors of failed pre-flawed rock-like specimens are evaluated by the 3-D reconstruction techniques, according to the horizontal and vertical cross-sectional CT images. The present experimental does not only focus on the mechanical responses, but also pays attentions to the internal fracture characteristics of rock-like materials under the coupled hydro-mechanical loading conditions. The conclusion remarks are significant for predicting the rock instability in geothermal and unconventional petroleum engineering.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2001.06b
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• pp.404-409
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• 2001

Seismic qualification of the Air Cleaning Units for nuclear power plant Ulchin 5&6 has been performed with the guideline of ASME Section III and IEEE 344 code. By using the structural and geometrical similarity analysis, the three models to be analyzed is condensed into a single model and, at the same time, the excitation forces and other operating loads for each model are encompassed with respect to different loading conditions. As the fundamental frequencies of the structure are found to be less than 33Hz, which is the upper frequency limit of the seismic load, response spectrum analysis using ANSYS is performed in order to combine the modal stresses within the frequency limit. In order to confirm the structural and electric stability of the major components, modal analysis theory is adopted to derive the required response spectrum at the component locations. As the all combined stresses obtained from the above procedures are less than allowable stresses and no mechanical or electrical failures are found from the seismic testing, the authors confirm the safety of the nuclear equipments Air Cleaning Units studied in this paper.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.841-855
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• 1999

In the present work, the effect of a flow maldistribution on the thermal and conversion response of 8 monolith catalytic converter is Investigated. To achieve this goal, a combined chemical reaction and multi-dimensional fluid dynamic mathematical model has been developed. The present results show that flow uniformity within the monolith brick has 8 great impact on light-off performance of the catalytic converter. In the case of lower flow uniformity, large portions of the monolith remain cold due to locally concentrated high velocities and CO, HC are unconverted during warm-up period, which loads to retardation of light-off. It has been also found that the heat-up pattern of the monolith ill similar to the flow distribution profile, In the early stage of the reaction. It may be concluded that flow maldistribution can cause a significant retardation of the light-off and hence can eventually worsen tho conversion efficiency of automotive catalytic converter.

• Bulletin of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 1980

The nonlinear analysis of ship plating with flat bar stiffners has been carried out by the finite element method based on the load incremental approach. The large deflection analysis has been done by using the Lagrangian description. The elastoplastic analysis has been performed by adopting the flow theory of plasticity and the von Mises yield condition. The layered elements are used to show the process of yielding through the plate thickness in the elasto-plastic analysis. The following results are obtained; 1) According to the large deflection analysis, it is shown that the small deflection theory to the plate is applicable in the range of the lateral deflection-the thickness ratio $w/h{\leqq}0.3$ and ship plating in the range of $w/h{\leqq}0.5$. 2) By means of the elasto-plastic analysis, it is found that the maximum load-carrying capacity of the plate increases as much as 1.8 times of the initial yield load in the case of the simply supported condition and 2.2 times in the clamped condition. It is also shown that the maximum load-carrying capacity of ship plating increase as much as 4.3 times in the simply supported condition and 4.2 times in the clamped condition. This method would be applied and extended to solve combined nonlinear problems which involve both material nonlinearity and geometric nonlinearity.

• Bulletin of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.9-20
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• 1985

Generally the stiffened plate in the ship structure is subjected to not only axial load but shear load. With respect to those combined loads buckling analysis in necessary. In this paper, buckling strength is analyzed by using Finite Element Method when the stiffened plate with hole is under loading conditions mentioned above. To obtain the higher buckling strength, we need some reinforcement. The methods of reinforcement are attaching doubler around hole and stiffeners in the arbitrary directions For the sake of convenience those arbitrary directions were selected paralleled($0^{\circ}C$), vertical($90^{\circ}C$)and oblique($45^{\circ}C$) to the edge. Two kinds of method mentioned above are investigated, it is clarified that which of the two is more effective reinforcement. From the viewpoint of buckling strength, following conclusions were obtained. When external load direction is unknown, doubler reinforcement is more effective than those of parallel and vertical stiffener. And oblique stiffener reinforcement is more effective than that of doubler when external load direction is know.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.67-84
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• 2002

Traffic decks of steel or composite motorway bridges sometimes provide the opportunity of using the composite action between an existing steel deck and a reinforced concrete plate (RC plate) in the process of rehabilitation, i.e., to increase the load-carrying capacity of the deck for concentrated traffic loads. The steel decks may be orthotropic decks or also unstiffened steel plates, which during the rehabilitation are connected with the RC plate by shear studs, such developing an improved local load distribution by the joint behaviour of the two plate elements. Investigations carried out, both experimentally and numerically, were performed in order to quantitatively assess the combined static behaviour and to qualitatively verify the usability of the structure for dynamic loading. The paper reports on the testing, the numerical simulation as well as the comparison of the results. Conclusions drawn for practical design indicated that the static behaviour of these structures may be very efficient and can also be analysed numerically. Further, the results gave evidence of a highly robust behaviour under fatigue equivalent cyclic traffic loading.