• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.145-154
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• 1997

The results of optimum design by the deterministic approach adopted in the current design codes depend upon the safety levels of the applied code. But, it is now generally recognized that structural problems are nondeterministic and, consequently, that engineering optimum design must cope with uncertainties. Therefore, it is not an overstatement to affirm that the combination of reliability-based design procedures and optimization techniques is the only means of providing a powerful tool to obtain a practical optimum design solution. In the paper, reliability based optimum design procedure as a rational approach to optimum structural design is presented. The design constraints are formulated based on the ASD, LRFD and reliability theories. The reliability analysis is based on an advanced first-order second moment approach. Uncertainties in the structural strength and loading due to inherent variability as well as modeling and prediction errors are included in failure due to combined bending and shear. For the realistic reliability-based optimization of continuous steel box girder bridges, interactive non-linear limit state model is formulated based on the von Mises's combined stress yield criterion. Comparative results are presented when the ASD criteria are used for the optimum design of a structure under reliability constraints. In addition, this study comparatively shows the results of the optimum design for various criteria of design codes.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.441-457
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• 2018

Characteristic parameter values of seismic isolators deviate from their nominal design values due to uncertainties and/or errors in their material properties and element dimensions, etc. Deviations may increase over service life due to environmental effects and service conditions. For accurate evaluation of the seismic safety level, all such effects, which would result in deviations in the structural response, need to be taken into account. In this study, the sensitivity of the probability of failure of the structures equipped with nonlinear base isolation systems to the uncertainties in various isolation system characteristic parameters is investigated in terms of various isolation system and superstructure response parameters in the context of a realistic three-dimensional base-isolated building model via Monte Carlo Simulations. The inherent record-to-record variability nature of the earthquake ground motions is also taken into account by carrying out analyses for a large number of ground motion records which are classified as those with and without forward-directivity effects. Two levels of nominal isolation periods each with three different levels of uncertainty are considered. Comparative plots of cumulative distribution functions and related statistical evaluation presented here portray the potential extent of the deviation of the structural response parameters resulting from the uncertainties and the uncertainty levels considered, which is expected to be useful for practicing engineers in evaluating isolator test results for their projects.

• Proceedings of the Korean Reliability Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.69-73
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• 2005

The failure of geogrids used for soil reinforcement application can be defined as an excessive creep strain which causes the collapse of slopes and embankments. Accordingly, the lifetime is evaluated as a time to reach the excessive creep strain using two accelerated creep testing methods, time-temperature superposition(TTS) and stepped isothermal methods(SIM). TTS is a well-accepted acceleration method to evaluate creep behavior of polymeric materials, while SIM was developed in the last ten years mainly to shorten testing time and minimize the uncertainty associated with inherent variability of multi-specimen tests. The SIM test is usually performed using single rib of geogrids for temperature steps of $14^{\circ}C$ and a dwell time of 10,000 seconds. However, for multi-ribs of geogrids, the applicability of the SIM has not been well established. In this study, the creep behaviors are evaluated using multi-ribs of polyester geogrids using SIM and TTS creep procedures and the newly designed test equipment. Then the lifetime of geogrids are predicted by analyzing the failure times to reach the excessive creep strains through reliability analysis.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.313-324
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• 2022

Rock properties are important in the design of mines and civil engineering excavations to prevent the imminent failure of slopes and collapse of underground excavations. However, the time, cost, and expertise required to perform experiments to determine those properties are high. Therefore, empirical models have been developed for estimating the mechanical properties of rock that are difficult to determine experimentally from properties that are less difficult to measure. However, the inherent variability in rock properties makes the accurate performance of the empirical models unrealistic and therefore necessitate the use of soft computing models. In this study, Gaussian process regression (GPR), artificial neural network (ANN) and response surface method (RSM) have been proposed to predict the static and dynamic rock properties from the P-wave and rock density. The outcome of the study showed that GPR produced more accurate results than the ANN and RSM models. GPR gave the correlation coefficient of above 99% for all the three properties predicted and RMSE of less than 5. The detailed sensitivity analysis is also conducted using the RSM and the P-wave velocity is found to be the most influencing parameter in the rock mechanical properties predictions. The proposed models can give reasonable predictions of important mechanical properties of sedimentary rock.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.82 no.2
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• pp.233-244
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• 2022

Following a loss of control, the impact against a road barrier in a turn predominates among the most severe motorcyclist accidents. These road restraint devices can be equipped with a motorcycle screen, the function of which is to restrain the rider and minimize the consequences of the impact in terms of the severity of injuries. The performance of these screens is evaluated by the European normative procedure EN1317-8, which specifies the test conditions, based on one or two configurations. In practice, however, these impact conditions are very diverse, difficult to extrapolate from accident analysis and therefore poorly investigated. This study is interested in improving knowledge of these impact conditions in terms of impact speed, impact angle and particularly position of the rider. A finite element model has been developed to simulate the dynamic behavior of the rider from loss of control to impact on the screen. Statistical analysis of the results shows a high variability of the impact conditions, in particular with regard to the direction of turn (to the right or to the left). Some improvements are suggested in order to overcome the limitations inherent in standard procedures.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.34.1-34.12
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• 2023

This systematic review aimed to investigate whether minimally invasive root canal preparation ensures higher fracture resistance compared to conventional root canal preparation in endodontically treated teeth (ETT). A comprehensive search strategy was conducted on the "PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus" databases, alongside reference and hand searches, with language restrictions applied. Two independent reviews selected pertinent laboratory studies that explored the effect of minimally invasive root canal preparation on fracture resistance, in comparison to larger preparation counterparts. The quality of the studies was assessed, and the risk of bias was categorized as low, moderate, or high. The electronic search yielded a total of 1,767 articles. After applying eligibility criteria, 8 studies were included. Given the low methodological quality of these studies and the large variability of fracture resistance values, the impact of reduced apical size and/or taper on the fracture resistance of the ETT can be considered uncertain. This systematic review could not reveal sufficient evidence regarding the effect of minimally invasive preparation on increasing fracture resistance of ETT, primarily due to the inherent limitations of the studies and the moderate risk of bias.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.309-323
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• 2024

The gust factor and turbulence intensity are two crucial parameters that characterize the properties of turbulence. In tropical cyclones (TCs), these parameters exhibit significant variability, yet there is a lack of established formulas to account for their probabilistic characteristics with consideration of their inherent connection. On this condition, a probabilistic analysis of gust factors and turbulence intensities of TCs is conducted based on fourteen sets of wind data collected at the Sutong Cable-stayed Bridge site. Initially, the turbulence intensities and gust factors of recorded data are computed, followed by an analysis of their probability densities across different ranges categorized by mean wind speed. The Gaussian, lognormal, and generalized extreme value (GEV) distributions are employed to fit the measured probability densities, with subsequent evaluation of their effectiveness. The Gumbel distribution, which is a specific instance of the GEV distribution, has been identified as an optimal choice for probabilistic characterizations of turbulence intensity and gust factor in TCs. The corresponding empirical models are then established through curve fitting. By utilizing the Gumbel distribution as a template, the nexus between the probability density functions of turbulence intensity and gust factor is built, leading to the development of a generalized probabilistic model that statistically describe turbulence intensity and gust factor in TCs. Finally, these empirical models are validated using measured data and compared with suggestions recommended by specifications.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.43-49
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• 2024

Ecological monitoring provides indispensable data for biodiversity conservation and sustainable resource management. However, the complexity and variability inherent in ecological monitoring data necessitate robust verification processes to ensure data integrity. This study employed Benford's Law, a statistical principle traditionally used in fields such as finance and health sciences, to evaluate the authenticity of ecological monitoring data related to the abundance of migratory bird species across various locations in South Korea. Benford's Law anticipates a specific logarithmic distribution of leading digits in naturally occurring numerical datasets. Our investigation involved two stages of analysis: a first-order analysis considering the leading digit and a second-order analysis examining the first two digits of bird population counts. While the first-order analysis displayed moderate conformity to Benford's Law that suggested overall data integrity, the second-order analysis revealed more pronounced deviations, indicating potential inconsistencies or inaccuracies in certain subsets of the data. Although our data did not perfectly align with Benford's Law, these deviations underscore the complex nature of ecological research, which is influenced by a multitude of environmental, methodological, and human factors.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.789-796
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• 2009

The randomness in the strength of a RC member is caused mainly by the variability of the mechanical properties of concrete and steel, the dimensions of concrete cross sections, and the placement of reinforcing bars and so on . Among those variations, the randomness and uncertainty of mechanical properties of concrete, such as compressive strength, tensile strength, and elastic modulus give the most significant influences and show relatively large statistical variations. In Korea, there has been little effort for the construction of its own statistical models for mechanical properties of concrete and steel, thus the foreign data have been utilized till now. In this paper, variability of compressive strength, tensile strength and elastic modulus of normal-weight structural concrete with various specified design compressive strength levels are examined based on the data obtained from a number of published and unpublished sources in this country and additional laboratory tests done by the authors. The inherent probabilistic models for compressive and tensile strength of normal-weight concrete are proposed as Gaussian distribution. Also, the relationships between compressive and splitting tensile strength and between compressive strength and elastic modulus in current KCI Code are verified and new ones are suggested based on local data.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.91-103
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• 2024

In this study, we propose an outlier detection method that considers the spatial distribution of intelligent compaction measurement values (ICMVs) to address the high variability of ICMVs measured continuously across an entire construction area. The proposed method initially identified cases where the CMV at a specific location decreased despite an increase in the number of compaction passes. Among these, values that significantly differed from those measured within a 1.5-m radius were classified as outliers. Applying this method to CMV data obtained from field tests, we found that it effectively excluded the influence of changes in roller operating conditions unrelated to compaction quality while considering the inherent heterogeneity of the soil. However, after removing the outliers, the coefficient of variation of CMV (21.4%-26.3%) remained higher than the 20% suggested by relevant standards. Further field tests are needed to modify the proposed outlier detection method and to establish reasonable criteria for the variability of ICMV.