• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.261-272
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• 2020

Recent severe earthquakes in and around the vital public places worldwide indicate the severe vulnerability of ground excitation to be assailed. Reducing the effect of seismic lateral load in structural design is an important conception. Essentially, seismic isolation is required to shield the superstructure in such a way that the building superstructure would not move when the ground is shaking. This study explores the effectiveness, design, and practical feasibility of base isolation systems to reduce seismic demands on buildings of varying elevations. Thus, static and dynamic analyses were conducted based on site-specific bi-directional earthquakes for base-isolated as well as fixed-based buildings. Remarkably, it was discovered that isolators used in low-rise to high-rise structures tend to significantly decrease the structural responses of seismic prone buildings. The higher allowable horizontal displacement induces structural flexibility and ensure good structural health of the building stories. Reinforcement from vertical and horizontal members can be reduced in significant amounts for BI buildings. Thus, although incorporating base isolators increases the initial outlay, it considerably diminishes the total structural cost.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.699-706
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• 2014

The probabilistic seismic performance of a standard Korean nuclear power plant (NPP) with an idealized isolation is investigated in the present work. A probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) of the Wolsong site on the Korean peninsula is performed by considering peak ground acceleration (PGA) as an earthquake intensity measure. A procedure is reported on the categorization and selection of two sets of ground motions of the Tohoku earthquake, i.e. long-period and common as Set A and Set B respectively, for the nonlinear time history response analysis of the base-isolated NPP. Limit state values as multiples of the displacement responses of the NPP base isolation are considered for the fragility estimation. The seismic risk of the NPP is further assessed by incorporation of the rate of frequency exceedance and conditional failure probability curves. Furthermore, this framework attempts to show the unacceptable performance of the isolated NPP in terms of the probabilistic distribution and annual probability of limit states. The comparative results for long and common ground motions are discussed to contribute to the future safety of nuclear facilities against drastic events like Tohoku.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1998.10a
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• pp.439-446
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• 1998

One of the most important roles in the nonlinear dynamic structural analysis is to select a proper ground excitation, which dominates the response of a structure. Because of the lack of recorded accelerograms in Korea, a stochastic model of ground excitation with various dynamic properties rather than recorded accelerograms is necessarily required. If all information is not available at site, the information from other sites with similar features can be used by the procedure of seismic hazard analysis. Eliopoulos and Wen identified the parameters of the ground motion model by the empirical relations or expressions developed by Trifunac and Lee. Because the relations used in the parameter identification are largely empirical, it is required to apply the artificial neural networks instead of the empirical model. Additionally, neural networks have the advantage of the empirical model that it can continuously re-train the new recorded data, so that it can adapt to the change of the enormous data. Based on the redefined traditional processes, three neural-networks-based models (FAS_NN, PSD_NN and INT_NN) are proposed to individually substitute the Fourier amplitude spectrum, the parameter identification of power spectral density function and intensity function. The paper describes the first half of the research for the development of Neural-Networks-based model for the generation of an Artificial earthquake and a Response Spectrum(NNARS).

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.197-204
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• 2009

It bas been hypothesized that foot ulceration might be internally initiated. Current instruments which merely allow superficial estimate of plantar loading acting on the foot, severely limit the scope of many biomechanical/clinical studies on this issue. Recent studies have suggested that peak plantar pressure may be only 65% specific for the development of ulceration. These limitations are at least partially due to surface pressures not being representative of the complex mechanical stress developed inside the subcutaneous plantar soft-tissue, which are potentially more relevant for tissue breakdown. This study established a three-dimensional and nonlinear finite element model of a human foot complex with comprehensive skeletal and soft-tissue components capable of predicting both the external and internal stresses and deformations of the foot. The model was validated by experimental data of subject-specific plantar foot pressure measures. The stress analysis indicated the internal stresses doses were site-dependent and the observation found a change between 1.5 to 4.5 times the external stresses on the foot plantar surface. The results yielded insights into the internal loading conditions of the plantar soft-tissue, which is important in enhancing our knowledge on the causes of foot ulceration and related stress-induced tissue breakdown in diabetic foot.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.103-111
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• 2003

With the proliferation of nonlinear loads such as personal computer in an educational building, high neutral harmonic currents have been observed. High neutral currents in three-phase four ire distribution power systems can cause tots of harmonic problems such as overloaded neutral conductors and malfunction of protective equipment. On-site measurements of harmonic currents and voltages were made and the corresponding equivalent circuits was developed. The circuit model under study was simulated numerically and graphically through the use of the software MATLAB. Simulation results verifying the effect of a single-tuned passive filter for the neutral harmonic current reduction are presented.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1683-1693
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• 2017

This paper analyses the harmonic pollution to power grids caused by thyristor-controlled devices. It also formulates a mathematic derivation for the voltage spikes in thyristor-controlled branches to explain the harmonic and EMI derived from the reverse-recovery characteristics of the thyristor. With an equivalent nonlinear time-varying voltage source, a detailed simulation model is established, and the periodic dynamic switching characteristic of the thyristor can be explicitly implied. The simulation results are consistent with the probed results from on-site measurements. An improved trigger system with gate-shorted circuit structure is proposed to reduce the voltage spikes that cause EMI. The experimental results indicate that a prototype with the improved trigger system can effectively suppress the voltage spikes.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.03a
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• pp.70-77
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• 2006

Stress drops of Brune's single-corner ${\omega}^2$ source model were estimated for the earthquakes (2.0$M3.5{\sim}4.0$ and increase up to $M4.5{\sim}5.0$ above which the level of the stress drop could be assumed to be flat or decrease according to whether the rupture process accompanies buried fault or surface rupturing. The converted data of corner frequency and seismic moment were nicely fitted to the relation of $M_0{\propto}f^3$ but show systematically higher corner frequencies for $M_0>10^15$ Nm. This relationship enables systematic evaluation of a scaling relation between magnitude and stress drop. The inverted level of the stress drop is comparable to the recent studies conducted domestic and abroad. A result of lower stress drop estimated by Jun(1991) is supposed to be due to the use of low frequency spectra and existence of two-comer source model around the Korean Peninsula.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.4 no.6
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• pp.629-647
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• 2013

Loading protocols have been developed for quasi-static cyclic testing of structures and components. However, it is uncertain if protocols developed for conditions of intense ground shaking in regions of high seismicity would also be applicable to regions of low-moderate seismicity that are remote from the tectonic plate boundaries. This study presents a methodology for developing a quasi-static cyclic displacement loading protocol for experimental bracing evaluation of cold-formed steel stud shear walls. Simulations presented in the paper were based on conditions of moderate ground shaking (in Australia). The methodologies presented are generic in nature and can be applied to other regions of similar seismicity conditions (which include many parts of China, Korea, India and Malaysia). Numerous response time histories including both linear and nonlinear analyses have been generated for selected earthquake scenarios and site classes. Rain-flow cycle counting method has been used for determining the number of cycles at various ranges of normalized displacement amplitude. It is found that the number of displacement cycles of the loading protocol increases with increasing intensity of ground shaking (associated with a longer return period).

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.271-282
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• 2019

Knowing the response of buildings to earthquakes is very important in order to ensure that a structure is able to withstand a given level of ground shaking. Thus, nonlinear dynamic earthquake engineering analyses are unavoidable and are preferable procedure in the seismic assessment of buildings. In order to estimate seismic performance on the basis of the hazard at the site where the structure is located, the selection of appropriate seismic input is known to be a critical step while performing this kind of analysis. In this paper, seismic analysis is performed for a four-story reinforced concrete ISPRA frame structure which is designed according to Eurocode 8 (EC8). A total of 90 different earthquake scenarios were selected, 30 for each of three target spectrums, EC8 spectrum, Uniform Hazard Spectrum (UHS), and Conditional Mean Spectrum (CMS). The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the average maximum Inter-story Drift Ratio (IDR) for each target spectrum. Time history analysis for every earthquake record was obtained and, as a result, IDR as the main measure of damage were presented in order to compare with defined performance levels of reinforced concrete bare frames.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.209-219
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• 2022

Offshore platforms in seismically active areas must be designed to survive in the face of intense earthquakes without a global structural collapse. This paper scrutinizes the seismic performance of a newly designed and established jacket type offshore platform situated in the entrance of the Gulf of Suez region based on the API-RP2A normalized response spectra during seismic events. A nonlinear finite element model of a typical jacket type offshore platform is constructed taking into consideration the effect of structure-soil-interaction. Soil properties at the site were manipulated to generate the pile lateral soil properties in the form of load deflection curves, based on API-RP2A recommendations. Dynamic characteristics of the offshore platform, the response function, output power spectral density and transfer functions for different elements of the platform are discussed. The joints deflection and acceleration responses demands are presented. It is generally concluded that consideration of the interaction between structure, piles and soil leads to higher deflections and less stresses in platform elements due to soil elasticity, nonlinearity, and damping and leads to a more realistic platform design. The earthquake-based analysis for offshore platform structure is essential for the safe design and operation of offshore platforms.