• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.627-641
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• 2024

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study to investigate the behavior of the precast segmental concrete beams (PSCBs) utilizing high-strength concrete (HSC) connected in the zone of the maximum bending moment using steel extended endplate connections (EECs). The experimental study consisted of five beams as follows: The first beam was the control beam for comparison, which was an unconnected one-piece beam made of HSC. The other four other beams consisted of two identical pieces of precast concrete. An important point to be noted is that at the end of each piece, a steel plate was used with a thickness of 10 mm. Moreover, this steel plate was welded to the lower and upper reinforcing bars of the beam. Furthermore, the steel plate was made to connect the two pieces using the technique of EECs. Several variables were taken in these four beams, whether from the shape of the connection or enhancing the behavior of the connection using the post-tensioning technique. EECs without stiffeners were used for some of the tested beams. The behavior of these connections was improved using stiffeners and shear bolts. To get accurate results, a comparison was made between the behaviors of the five beams. Another important point to be noted is that Abaqus and SAP2000 programs were used to investigate the behavior of PSCBs and to ensure the accuracy of the modeling process which showed a good agreement with the experimental results. Additionally, the simplified modeling using SAP2000 was able to model the nonlinear behavior of PSCBs connected using steel EECs. It was found that the steel pre-tensioned bolted EECs, reinforced with steel stiffeners and shear anchors, could be used to connect the precast HSC segmental beams via the internal pre-stressing technique.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 2014

In this study, the probabilistic internal pressure fragility analysis was performed by using the non-linear finite element analysis method. The target structure is one of the containment buildings of typical domestic pressurized water reactors(PWRs). The 3-dimensional finite element model of the containment building was developed with considering the large equipment hatches. To consider uncertainties in the material properties and structural capacities, we performed the sensitivity analysis of the ultimate pressure capacity with respect to the variation of four important uncertain parameters. The results of the sensitivity analysis were used to the selection of the probabilistic variables and the determination of their probabilistic parameters. To reflect the present condition of the tendon pre-stressing force, the data of the pre-stressing force acquired from the in-service inspections of tendon forces were used for the determination of the median value. Two failure modes(leak, rupture) were considered and their limit states were defined to assess the internal pressure fragility of target containment building. The internal pressure fragilities for each failure mode were evaluated in terms of median internal pressure capacity, high confidence low probability of failure(HCLPF) capacity, and fragility curves with respect to the confidence levels. The HCLPF capacity was 115.9 psig for leak failure mode, and 125.0 psig for rupture failure mode.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.177-183
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• 2015

Prestressed Concrete steel Cylinder Pipe (PCCP) is extensively used as seawater pipes for cooling in nuclear power plants. The internal surface of PCCP is exposed to seawater, while the external surface is in direct contact with underground soil. Therefore, materials and strategies that would reduce the corrosion of its cylindrical steel body and external steel wiring need to be employed. To prevent against the failure of PCCP, operators provided a cathodic protection to the pre-stressing wires. The efficiency of cathodic protection is governed by the anodic performance of the system. A mixed metal oxide (MMO) electrode was developed to meet criteria of low over potential and high corrosion resistance. Increasing coating cycles improved the performance of the anode, but cycling should be minimized due to high materials cost. In this work, the effects of $RuCl_3$ concentration on the electrochemical properties and lifespan of MMO anode were evaluated. With increasing concentration of $RuCl_3$, the oxygen evolution potential lowered and polarization resistance were also reduced but demonstrated an increase in passive current density and oxygen evolution current density. To improve the electrochemical properties of the MMO anode, $RuCl_3$ concentration was increased. As a result, the number of required coating cycles were reduced substantially and the MMO anode achieved an excellent lifespan of over 80 years. Thus, we concluded that the relationship between $RuCl_3$ concentration and coating cycles can be summarized as follows: No. of coating cycle = 0.48*[$RuCl_3$ concentration, $M]^{-0.97}$.