• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.847-866
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to experimentally investigate the bond-related tension stiffening behavior of flexural reinforced concrete (RC) beams made with lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) under various high-cycle fatigue loading conditions. Based on strain measurements of tensile steel in the RC beams, fatigue-induced degradation of tension stiffening effects was evaluated and was, compared to reinforced normal weight concrete (NWC) beams with equal concrete compressive strengths (40 MPa). According to applied load-mean steel strain relationships, the mean steel strain that developed under loading cycles was divided into elastic and plastic strain components. The experimental results showed that, in the high-cycle fatigue regime, the tension stiffening behavior of LWAC beams was different from that of NWC beams; LWAC beams had a lesser reduction in tension stiffening due to a better bond between steel and concrete. This was reflected in the stability of the elastic mean steel strains and in the higher degree of local plasticity that developed at the primary flexural cracks.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.699-716
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• 2016

Buckling-restrained braced frames (BRBFs) are commonly used as lateral force-resisting systems in the structures located in seismic-active regions. The nearly symmetric load-displacement behavior of buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) helps in dissipating the input seismic energy through metallic hysteresis. In this study, an experimental investigation has been conducted on the reduced-core length BRB (RCLBRB) specimens to evaluate their hysteretic and overall performance under gradually increased cyclic loading. Detachable casings are used for the concrete providing confinement to the steel core segments of all test specimens to facilitate the post-earthquake inspection of steel core elements. The influence of variable core clearance and the local detailing of casings on the cyclic performance of RCLBRB specimens has been studied. The RCLBRB specimen with the detachable casing system and a smaller core clearance at the end zone as compared to the central region exhibited excellent hysteretic behavior without any slip. Such RCLBRB showed balanced higher yielding deformed configuration up to a core strain of 4.2% without any premature instability. The strength-adjustment factors for the RCLBRB specimens are found to be nearly same as that of the conventional BRBs as noticed in the past studies. Simple expressions have been proposed based on the regression analysis to estimate the strength-adjustment factors and equivalent damping potential of the RCLBRB specimens.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.75-89
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• 2019

The paper presents experimental and numerical studies carried out on low-rise RC frames, typically found in developing countries. Shake table tests were conducted on 1:3 reduced scaled two-story RC frames that included a code conforming SMRF model and another non-compliant model. The later was similar to the code conforming model, except, it was prepared in concrete having strength 33% lower than the design specified, which is commonly found in the region. The models were tested on shake table, through multiple excitations, using acceleration time history of 1994 Northridge earthquake, which was linearly scaled for multi-levels excitations in order to study the structures' damage mechanism and measure the structural response. A representative numerical model was prepared in finite element based program SeismoStruct, simulating the observed local damage mechanisms (bar-slip and joint shear hinging), for seismic analysis of RC frames having weaker beam-column joints. A suite of spectrum compatible acceleration records was obtained from PEER for incremental dynamic analysis of considered RC frames. The seismic performance of considered RC frames was quantified in terms of seismic response parameters (seismic response modification, overstrength and displacement amplification factors), for critical comparison.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.193-205
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• 2022

The face stability of shield tunnelling is the most important control index for safety risk management. Based on the reliability of the transparent clay (TC) model test, a series of TC model tests under different buried depth were conducted to investigate the progressive failure mechanism of tunnel face. The support pressure was divided into the rapid descent stage, the slow descent stage and the basically stable stage with company of the local failure and integral failure in the internal of the soil during the failure process. The relationship between the support pressure and the soil movement characteristics of each failure stage was defined. The failure occurred from the soil in front of the tunnel face and propagated as the slip zone and the loose zone. The fitted formulas were proposed for the calculation of the failure process. The failure mode in clay was specified as the basin shape with an inverted trapezoid shape for shallow buried and appeared as the basin shape with a teardrop-like shape in deep case. The implications of these findings could help in the safety risk management of the underground construction.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.235-242
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• 2010

Two moderate earthquakes with local magnitude 4.9 and 5.0 at the Yellow Sea area occurred successively around Hong island on March 22, 2003 and Baengnyeong island on March 30, 2003, respectively, close to the Korean Peninsula. Focal mechanisms by the waveform inversion analysis are strike slip faulting with a thrust component for the March 22 event, and normal faulting for the March 30 event. The direction of P-axes of two events were ENE-WSW which were similar to previous studies on that of P-axes in and around the Korean Peninsula. Moment magnitudes determined by the waveform inversion analysis were 4.7 and 4.5, respectively, whereas those determined by spectral analysis were 4.8 and 4.6, respectively. As regards the March 22 event, regional stress by combined tectonic forces from compressions of plates colliding to the Eurasian plate, rather than mere local stress, was indicated. However, it was estimated that the March 30 event took place when the weak zone generated from the existing collision zone was reactivated when subjected to local stress in the tensile direction. This seismological observation indirectly supports the idea that the collision zone may extend to the Korean Peninsula.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.169-193
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• 2016

In order to characterize the Neotectonic crustal deformation and current stress field in and around the Korean Peninsula and to interpret their tectonic implications, this paper synthetically analyzes the previous Quaternary fault and focal mechanism solution data and recent geotechnical in-situ stress data and examines the characteristics of crustal deformations and tectonic settings in and around East Asia after the Miocene. Most of the Quaternary fault outcrops in SE Korea occur along major inherited fault zones and show a NS-striking top-to-the-west thrust geometry, indicating that the faults were produced by local reactivation of appropriately oriented preexisting weaknesses under EW-trending pure compressional stress field. The focal mechanism solutions in and around the Korean Peninsula disclose that strike-slip faulting containing some reverse-slip component and reverse-slip faulting are significantly dominant on land and in sea area, respectively. The P-axes are horizontally clustered in ENE-WSW direction, whereas the T-axes are girdle-distributed in NNW direction. The geotechnical in-situ stress data in South Korea also indicate the ENE-trending maximum horizontal stress. The current crustal deformation in the Korean Peninsula is thus characterized by crustal contraction under regional ENE-WSW or E-W compression stress field. Based on the regional stress trajectories in and around East Asia, the current stress regime is interpreted to have resulted from the cooperation of westward shallow subduction of the Pacific Plate and collision of Indian and Eurasian continents, whereas the Philippine Sea plate have not a decisive effect on the stress-regime in the Korean Peninsula due to its high-angle subduction that resulted in dominant crust extension of the back-arc region. It is also interpreted that the Neotectonic crustal deformation and present-day tectonic setting of East Asia commenced with the change of the Pacific Plate motion during 5~3.2 Ma.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.23-29
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• 2009

On December 13, 1996, an earthquake with local magnitude (M$_L$) 4.5 occurred in the Yeongwol area of South Korea. The epicenter was 37.2545$^{\circ}$N and 128.7277$^{\circ}$E, which is located inside the Okcheon Fold Belt. The waveform inversion analysis was carried out to estimate source parameters of the event according to the filtering bandwidth of seismic data. Using 0.02$\sim$0.2 Hz filtering bandwidth, focal depth and seismic moment were estimated to be 6 km and 1.3$\times$10$^{16}$ N$\cdot$m, respectively. This seismic moment corresponds to the moment magnitude (M$_W$) 4.7. The focal mechanism by the waveform inversion and P wave first motion polarity analysis is a strike slip faulting including a small thrust component, and the direction of P-axis is ENE-WSW. The moment magnitude estimated by spectral analysis was 4.8, which is similar to that estimated by waveform inversion. Average stress drop was estimated to be 14.3 MPa.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.115-122
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• 2005

In this paper, a new method composed of discrete element method and genetic algorithm has been introduced to estimate the safety factor and search critical slip surface on slope stability analysis. In case of estimating the safety factor, conventional methods of slope analysis based on the limit equilibrium do not satisfy the overall equilibrium condition; they must make assumptions regarding the inclination and location of the interstice forces. An alternative slope analysis method based on the discrete element method, which can consider the compatibility condition between force and displacement, is presented. Real-coded genetic algorithm is applied to the search for the minimum factor of safety in proposed analysis method. This search method is shown to be more robust than simple optimization routines, which are apt to find local minimum. Examples are also shown to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.545-556
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• 2019

Bridge piers with bending failure mode are seriously damaged only in the area of plastic hinge length in earthquakes. For this situation, a modified method for the layout of longitudinal reinforcement is presented, i.e., the number of longitudinal reinforcement is increased in the area of plastic hinge length at the bottom of piers. The quasi-static test of three scaled model piers is carried out to investigate the local longitudinal reinforcement at the bottom of the pier on the seismic performance of the pier. One of the piers is modified by increased longitudinal reinforcement at the bottom of the pier and the other two are comparative piers. The results show that the pier failure with increased longitudinal bars at the bottom is mainly concentrated at the bottom of the pier, and the vulnerable position does not transfer. The hysteretic loop curve of the pier is fuller. The bearing capacity and energy dissipation capacity is obviously improved. The bond-slip displacement between steel bar and concrete decreases slightly. The finite element simulations have been carried out by using ANSYS, and the results indicate that the seismic performance of piers with only increasing the number of steel bars (less than65%) in the plastic hinge zone can be basically equivalent to that of piers that the number of steel bars in all sections is the same as that in plastic hinge zone.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.77-83
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• 2015

PURPOSES : In this study, a fracture-based finite element (FE) model is proposed to evaluate the fracture behavior of fiber-reinforced asphalt (FRA) concrete under various interface conditions. METHODS : A fracture-based FE model was developed to simulate a double-edge notched tension (DENT) test. A cohesive zone model (CZM) and linear viscoelastic model were implemented to model the fracture behavior and viscous behavior of the FRA concrete, respectively. Three models were developed to characterize the behavior of interfacial bonding between the fiber reinforcement and surrounding materials. In the first model, the fracture property of the asphalt concrete was modified to study the effect of fiber reinforcement. In the second model, spring elements were used to simulated the fiber reinforcement. In the third method, bar and spring elements, based on a nonlinear bond-slip model, were used to simulate the fiber reinforcement and interfacial bonding conditions. The performance of the FRA in resisting crack development under various interfacial conditions was evaluated. RESULTS : The elastic modulus of the fibers was not sensitive to the behavior of the FRA in the DENT test before crack initiation. After crack development, the fracture resistance of the FRA was found to have enhanced considerably as the elastic modulus of the fibers increased from 450 MPa to 900 MPa. When the adhesion between the fibers and asphalt concrete was sufficiently high, the fiber reinforcement was effective. It means that the interfacial bonding conditions affect the fracture resistance of the FRA significantly. CONCLUSIONS : The bar/spring element models were more effective in representing the local behavior of the fibers and interfacial bonding than the fracture energy approach. The reinforcement effect is more significant after crack initiation, as the fibers can be pulled out sufficiently. Both the elastic modulus of the fiber reinforcement and the interfacial bonding were significant in controlling crack development in the FRA.