• International journal of steel structures
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1577-1588
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• 2018

As the excellent mechanical performance and easy construction of concrete filled steel tubes (CFST) composite structure, it has the potential to be used to strengthen RC pier columns. Therefore, tests were conducted on 2 reinforcement concrete (RC) stub columns and 9 RC columns strengthened with circular CFST under axial loading. The test results show that the circular CFST strengthening method is effective since the mean bearing capacity of the RC columns is increased at least 3.69 times and the ductility index is significantly improved more than 30%. One of the reasons for enhancement is obvious confinement provided by steel tube besides the additional bearing capacity supplied by the strengthening materials. From the analysis of the enhancement ratio, the strengthening structure has at least an extra 20% amplification except for taking full advantage of the strength of the strengthening material. Through the analysis of confining stress provided by steel tube and the stress-strain relationship of confined concrete, it is found that the strength of the core concrete can be increased by 21-33% and the ultimate strain can be enhanced to beyond $15,000{\mu}{\varepsilon}$.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.442-450
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• 2020

A small-signal modeling approach for a three-level boost (TLB) converter and a design methodology for a double-loop controller are proposed in this study. Conventional modeling of TLB converters involves three state variables. Moreover, TLB converters have two operation modes depending on the duty ratio. Consequently, complex mathematical calculations are required for controller design. This study proposes a simple system modeling method that uses two state variables, unlike previous methods that require three state variables. Analysis shows that the transfer functions of the two operation modes can be expressed as identical equations. This condition means that the linear feedback controller can be applied to all operational ranges, that is, for full duty ratios. The design method for a double-loop controller using a PI controller is presented in step-by-step sequences. Simulation and experimental verifications are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the small-signal analysis and control system design.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.189-206
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• 2020

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to clarify the mediating effect of profitability and activity in the relationship between productivity and stock return, assuming that the productivity of the company will affect share prices with the parameters of profitability and activity. Design/methodology/approach - The study extracted productivity indicators, profitability indicators, activity indicators, and share price-related indicators from 1999 to 2018 of non-financial enterprises listed on the securities market, and then classified them into three factors: productivity (labor productivity LP, capital productivity CP), activity (TT), and profitability (net profit rate NI, operating profit ratio OI) through the factor analysis method, and analyzed the impact of each factor on the stock return through steps 1 to 3. Findings - The regression analysis shows that productivity has a significant positive effect on the stock return through the full mediating effect of profitability and activity. Research implications or Originality - In a situation where the relationship between productivity and profitability is not clear, this study is meaningful in that it has empirically analyzed that productivity has a positive effect on the stock return by mediating effects of profitability and activity.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.2898-2914
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• 2022

When evaluating energy balance and temperature in reduced-scale fire experiments, which are conducted as an alternative to full-scale fire experiments, it is important to consider the similarity in the scale among these experiments. In this paper, a method considering the similarity of energy balance is proposed for setting the conditions for reduced-scale experiments of mechanically ventilated compartment fires. A small-scale fire experiment consisting of various cases with different compartment geometries (aspect ratios between 0.2 and 4.7) and heights of vents and fire sources was conducted under mechanical ventilation, and the energy balance in the quasi-steady state was evaluated. The results indicate the following: (1) although the compartment geometry varies the energy balance in a mechanically ventilated compartment, the variation in the energy balance can be evaluated irrespective of the compartment size and geometry by considering scaling factor F (∝h_effA_wR_T, where h_eff is the effective heat transfer coefficient, A_w is the total wall area, and R_T is the ratio of the spatial mean gas temperature to the exhaust temperature); (2) the value of R_T, which is a part of F, reflects the effects of the compartment geometry and corresponds to the distributions of the gas temperature and wall heat loss.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.83 no.6
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• pp.799-810
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• 2022

This study investigated the effect of the strengthening efficiency of unbonded steel-bar truss system on the out-of-plane behavior of perforated masonry walls. Four full-scale unreinforced masonry (URM) walls with two different planes were prepared using the unbonded steel-bar truss system and a URM walls without strengthening. All masonry walls were tested under constant axial and cyclic lateral loads. The obtained test results indicated that the pinching effect in the out-plane behavior of masonry walls tends to decrease in the in- and out-of-plane strengthened URM walls using the unbonded steel-bar truss system with the higher prestressing force ratio (R_p) of vertical reinforcing bars in the unbonded steel-bar truss system, regardless of the perforated type of the masonry wall. Consequently, the highest maximum shear resistance and cumulative dissipated energy at peak load in the post-peak behavior were observed in the in- and out-plane strengthened URM walls with the highest R_p values, which are 2.7 and 6.0 times higher than those of URM. In particular, the strengthening efficiency of the unbonded steel-bar truss system was primarily attributed to the vertical prestressed steel-bars rather than the diagonal steel-bars, which indicates that the strains in the vertical prestressed steel-bars at the peak load were approximately 1.6 times higher than those in the diagonal steel-bars.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.395-410
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• 2022

This study collected the results of material tests and full-scale pumping tests using 127 types of concrete mixtures with compressive strength ranging from 24 to 200 MPa. The results of 242 material tests showed high correlations between the viscosity of the lubricating layer and concrete, between the slump and the yield stress of concrete, between the water-binder ratio and the viscosity of lubricating layer, and between the time required to reach 500 mm of slump flow and concrete viscosity. Based on these correlations, pumpability was predicted using 101 pumping test conditions, and their accuracy was compared to the actual test results. When the rheological properties of concrete and the lubricating layer were directly measured, the prediction result showed the highest accuracy. A high accuracy can be achieved when the measured viscosity of the lubricating layer, a key determinant of concrete pumpability, is reflected in the prediction of pumpability. When measuring rheological properties is difficult, the slump test can be used to quantitatively predict the pumpability despite the lower accuracy than those of other prediction methods.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.225-240
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• 2022

Local responses of steel plate-concrete composite (SC) walls under impact loads are typically evaluated using design equations available in the AISC N690s1-15. These equations enable design of impact-resistant SC walls, but some essential parts such as the effects of wall size and shear reinforcement ratio have not been addressed. Also, since they were developed for design basis events, improved equations are required for accurate prediction of the impact behaviors of SC walls for beyond design basis impact evaluation. This paper presents a numerical study to construct a robust numerical model of SC walls subjected to impact loads to reasonably predict the SC-wall impact behavior, to evaluate the findings observed from the impact tests including the effects of the key design parameters, and to assess the actual responses of full-scale SC walls. The numerical calculations are validated using intermediate-scale impact tests performed previously. The influences of the fracture energy of concrete and the conservative aspects of the current design equations are discussed carefully. Recommendations are made for design practice.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-27
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• 2022

Extensive laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the effect of load amplitude, geogrid position, and number of geogrid layers, thickness of ballast layer and clay stiffness on behavior of reinforced ballast layer and induced strains in geogrid. A half full-scale railway was constructed for carrying out the tests, the model consists of two rails 800 mm in length with three wooden sleepers (900 mm × 10 mm × 10 mm). The ballast was overlying 500 mm thickness clay in two states, soft and stiff state. Laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the response of the ballast and the clay layers where the ballast was reinforced by a geogrid. Settlement in ballast and clay, soil pressure and pore water pressure induced in the clay were measured in reinforced and unreinforced ballast cases. It was concluded that the effect of frequency on the settlement ratio is almost constant after 500 cycles. This is due to that the total settlement after 500 cycles, almost reached its peak value, which means that the ballast particles become very close to each other, so the frequency is less effective for high contact particles forces. The average maximum vertical stress and pore water pressure increased with frequency.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.82 no.3
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• pp.385-400
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• 2022

Sky-bridges between adjacent buildings can enhance lateral stiffness and limit the impact of lateral forces. This study analysed the structural capabilities and dynamic performances of sky-bridge-coupled buildings under various sets of ground motions. Finite Element (FE) analyses were carried out with the link being iteratively repositioned along the full height of the structures. Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) and probabilistic damage distribution were also applied. The results indicated that the establishment of sky-bridges caused a slight change in the natural frequency and mode shapes. The sky-bridge system was shown to be efficient in controlling displacement and Inter-Storey Drift Ratio (%ISDR) and reducing the probability of damage in the higher floors. The most efficient location of the sky-bridge, for improving its rigidity, was found to be at 88% of the building height. Finally, the effects of two types of materials (steel and concrete) and end conditions (hinged and fixed) were studied. The outcomes showed that coupled buildings with a sky-bridge made of steel with hinged connection could withstand ground motions longer than those made of concrete with fixed connection.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.489-503
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• 2022

A 1257-m-long irregular deep foundation pit located in the central of Nanjing, China was constructed using the combined full-width and half-width top-down method. Based on the long-term field monitoring data, this study analyzed the evolution characteristics of the vertical movement of the columns, internal force of the struts, and axial force of the structural beam and slab. The relevance of the three mentioned above and their relationship with the excavation process, structural system, and geological conditions were also investigated. The results showed that the column uplift was within the range of 0.08% to 0.22% of the excavation depth, and the embedded depth ratio of the diaphragm wall and the bottom heave affected significantly on the column uplift. The differential settlement between the column and diaphragm wall remained unchanged after the base slab was cast. The final settlement of the diaphragm wall was twice the column uplift. The internal force of the struts did not varied monotonically but was related to numerous factors such as the excavation depth, number of struts, and environmental conditions. Additionally, the dynamic force and deformation of the columns, beams, and slabs were analyzed to investigate the inherent relationship and variation patterns of the responses of different parts of the structure.