• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.409-436
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• 2014

Although it is widely accepted that the interaction -between masonry infill and structural members significantly affects the seismic response of reinforced concrete (RC) frames, this interaction is generally neglected in current design-oriented seismic analyses of structures. Moreover, the role of masonry infill is expected to be even more relevant in the case of existing frames designed only for gravitational loads, as infill walls can significantly modify both lateral strength and stiffness. However, the additional contribution to both strength and stiffness is often coupled to a modification of the global collapse mechanisms possibly resulting in brittle failure modes, generally related to irregular distributions of masonry walls throughout the frame. As a matter of principle, accurate modelling of masonry infill should be at least carried out by adopting nonlinear 2D elements. However, several practice-oriented proposals are currently available for modelling masonry infill through equivalent (nonlinear) strut elements. The present paper firstly outlines some of the well-established models currently available in the scientific literature for modelling infill panels in seismic analyses of RC frames. Then, a parametric analysis is carried out in order to demonstrate the consequences of considering such models in nonlinear static and dynamic analyses of existing RC structures. Two bay-frames with two-, three- and four-storeys are considered for performing nonlinear analyses aimed at investigating some critical aspects of modelling masonry infill and their effects on the structural response. Particularly, sensitivity analyses about specific parameters involved in the definition of the equivalent strut models, such as the constitutive force-displacement law of the panel, are proposed.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.74 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2020

For the large deformation of shear walls under vertical and horizontal loads, there are difficulties in obtaining accurate simulation results using the response analysis method, even with fine mesh elements. Furthermore, concrete material nonlinearity, stiffness degradation, concrete cracking and crushing, and steel bar damage may occur during the large deformation of reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls. Matrix operations that are involved in nonlinear analysis using the traditional finite-element method (FEM) may also result in flaws, and may thus lead to serious errors. To solve these problems, a planar four-node element was developed based on vector mechanics. Owing to particle-based formulation along the path element, the method does not require repeated constructions of a global stiffness matrix for the nonlinear behavior of the structure. The nonlinear concrete constitutive model and bilinear steel material model are integrated with the developed element, to ensure that large deformation and damage behavior can be addressed. For verification, simulation analyses were performed to obtain experimental results on an RC shear wall subjected to a monotonically increasing lateral load with a constant vertical load. To appropriately evaluate the parameters, investigations were conducted on the loading speed, meshing dimension, and the damping factor, because vector mechanics is based on the equation of motion. The static problem was then verified to obtain a stable solution by employing a balanced equation of motion. Using the parameters obtained, the simulated pushover response, including the bearing capacity, deformation ability, curvature development, and energy dissipation, were found to be in accordance with the experimental observation. This study demonstrated the potential of the developed planar element for simulating the entire process of large deformation and damage behavior in RC shear walls.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.11-24
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• 2009

In China, the oil and natural gas resources of Bohai Bay are mainly marginal oil fields. It is necessary to build both ice-resistant and economical offshore platforms. However, risk is involved in the design, construction, utilization, maintenance of offshore platforms as uncertain events may occur within the life-cycle of a platform under the extreme ice load. In this study, the optimum design model of the expected life-cycle cost for ice-resistant platforms based on cost-effectiveness criterion is proposed. Multiple performance demands of the structure, facilities and crew members, associated with the failure assessment criteria and evaluation functions of costs of construction, consequences of structural failure modes including damage, revenue loss, death and injury as well as discounting cost over time are considered. An efficient approximate method of the global reliability analysis for the offshore platforms is provided, which converts the implicit nonlinear performance function in the conventional reliability analysis to linear explicit one. The proposed life-cycle optimum design formula are applied to a typical ice-resistant platform in Bohai Bay, and the results demonstrate that the life-cycle cost-effective optimum design model is more rational compared to the conventional design.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.703-710
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• 1994

A nonlinear FEM analysis of steel members under very-low-cycle loading has been performed in conjunction with experimental works. This analysis is an FEM tracing toward cracking of steel members under cyclic loads such as a strong earthquake. After verifying the procedure by comparing global hysteretic behaviors from the analytical and experimental results, the local stress-strain hysteresis at critical sections for large cyclic deformations was traced by the numerical analysis. Local strain history was discussed in relation to cracking. Based on the experimental and analytical results, a new approach to seismic safety assessment for steel members was proposed in this paper.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.145-171
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• 2015

Due to earthquakes, many structures suffered extensive damages that were attributed to the torsional effect caused by mass, stiffness or strength eccentricity. Due to this type of asymmetry torsional moments are generated that are imposed by means of additional shear forces developed at the vertical resisting structural elements of the buildings. Although the torsional effect on the response of reinforced concrete buildings was the subject of extensive research over the last decades, a quantitative index measuring the amplification of the shear forces developed at the vertical resisting elements due to lateral-torsional coupling valid for both elastic and elastoplastic response states is still missing. In this study a reliable index capable of assessing the torsional effect is proposed. The performance of the proposed index is evaluated and its correlation with structural response quantities like displacements, interstorey drift, base torque, shear forces and upper diaphragm's rotation is presented. Torsionally stiff, mass eccentric single-story and multistory structures, subjected to bidirectional excitation, are considered and nonlinear dynamic analyses are performed using natural records selected for three hazard levels. It was found that the proposed index provides reliable prediction of the magnitude of torsional effect for all test examples considered.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.113-139
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• 2016

The nonlinear seismic responses of steel buildings with perimeter moment resisting frames (PMRF) and interior gravity frames (IGF) are estimated, modeling the interior connections first as perfectly pinned (PPC), and then as partially restrained (PRC). Two 3D steel building models, twenty strong motions and three levels of the PRC rigidity, which are represented by the Richard Model and the Beam Line Theory, are considered. The RUAUMOKO Computer Program is used for the required time history nonlinear dynamic analysis. The responses can be significantly reduced when interior connections are considered as PRC, confirming what observed in experimental investigations. The reduction significantly varies with the strong motion, story, model, structural deformation, response parameter, and location of the structural element. The reduction is larger for global than for local response parameters; average reductions larger than 30% are observed for shears and displacements while they are about 20% for bending moments. The reduction is much larger for medium- than for low-rise buildings indicating a considerable influence of the structural complexity. It can be concluded that, the effect of the dissipated energy at PRC should not be neglected. Even for connections with relative small stiffness, which are usually idealized as PPC, the reduction can be significant. Thus, PRC can be used at IGF of steel buildings with PMRF to get more economical construction, to reduce the seismic response and to make steel building more seismic load tolerant. Much more research is needed to consider other aspects of the problem to reach more general conclusions.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2008.07a
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• pp.52-53
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• 2008

전력 설비가 증대되고 복잡해짐에 따라 보다 정밀한 제어가 요구되어지고 있다. 그러나 전력시스템의 비선형성으로 인해 정확한 해석이 용이하지 않다. T-S 퍼지 모델링 기법은 시스템의 비선형성을 선형행렬 부등식을 이용하여 해석 가능하게 한다. 본 논문에서는 비선형 4차 동기발전기 모델에 T-S 퍼지 모델링 기법을 적용하여 시스템 안정도를 해석하였다.

• Nonlinear Functional Analysis and Applications
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.781-792
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• 2021

In this paper, we study well-posed problems and variational inequalities in locally convex Hausdorff topological vector spaces. The necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained for the existence of solutions of variational inequality problems and quasi variational inequalities even when the underlying set K is not convex. In certain cases, solutions obtained are not unique. Moreover, counter examples are also presented for the authenticity of the main results.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.403-411
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• 2009

In the present study, nonlinear earthquake analysis was carried out for a steel girder bridge that had been damaged by the 1995 Kobe earthquake. For such analysis, the use of hysteretic models describing flexure-axial and shear-axial interaction was suggested. The models were incorporated into a structural analysis program in terms of the joint elements representing hinge models, and then a simplified analysis scheme using the hinge models was employed for bridge piers. The analytical predictions of the flexure-axial interactive hinge model show a good correlation with those of the detailed fiber element model. In addition, the analytical predictions of the flexure-shear-axial interactive hinge model enable a displacement component to be separately captured. It is thus recognized that the present study can be a useful scheme for the healthy evaluation of the global displacement performance of piers subjected to earthquake excitation.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.357-366
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• 2000

Longitudinal dynamic behaviors of a bridge system under seismic excitations are examined with various magnitudes of peak ground accelerations. The stiffness degradation due to abutment-soil interaction is considered in the bridge model which may play the major role upon the global dynamic characteristics. The idealized mechanical model for the whole ridge system is proposed by adopting the multiple-degree-of-freedom system which can consider components such as pounding phenomena friction at the movable supports rotational and translational motions of foundations and the nonlinear pier motions. The abutment-soil interaction is simulated by utilizing the one degree-of-freedom system with nonlinear spring. The stiffness degradation of the abutment-soil system is found to increase the relative displacement under moderate seismic excitations.