• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.281-298
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• 2007

The load carrying capacity of a bridge needs to be properly assessed to operate the bridge safely and maintain it efficiently. For the evaluation of load carrying capacity considering the current state of a bridge, static and quasi-static loading tests with weight-controlled heavy trucks have been conventionally utilized. In these tests, the deflection (or strain) of the structural members loaded by the controlled vehicles are measured and analyzed. Using the measured data, deflection (or strain) correction factor and impact correction factor are calculated. These correction factors are used in the enhancement of the load carrying capacity of a bridge, reflecting the real state of a bridge. However, full or partial control of the traffic during the tests and difficulties during the installment of displacement transducers or strain gauges may cause not only inconvenience to the traffic but also the increase of the logistics cost and time. To overcome these difficulties, an alternative method is proposed using an excited response part of full measured ambient acceleration data by ordinary traffic on a bridge without traffic control. Based on the modal properties extracted from the ambient vibration data, the initial finite element (FE) model of a bridge can be updated to represent the current real state of a bridge. Using the updated FE model, the deflection of a bridge akin to the real value can be easily obtained without measuring the real deflection. Impact factors are obtained from pseudo-deflection, which is obtained by double-integration of the acceleration data with removal of the linear components on the acceleration data. For validation, a series of tests were carried out on a steel plategirder bridge of an expressway in Korea in four different seasons, and the evaluated load carrying capacities of the bridge by the proposed method are compared with the result obtained by the conventional load test method.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.38 no.12
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• pp.29-43
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• 2022

Various underground facilities are being constructed to improve the urban environment. Therefore, it is more necessary than ever to reasonably evaluate the seismic response of underground utility tunnels, playing a significant part in urban infrastructure. In this study, the major features and differences of two types of existing pseudo-static analysis methods are reviewed. Each method uses a simplified 2D frame model to represent the seismic behavior of underground structures. Applying each method to a one-barrel rectangular utility tunnel in Korea, the suitability in predicting seismic responses, especially the racking deformation of the tunnel, is examined. In addition, several precautions and suggestions are provided in this study against the inattentive application of the methods to seismic evaluation of underground structures.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.49-54
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• 2009

The seismic slope stability is most often evaluated by the pseudo-static limit analysis, in which the earthquake loading is simplified as static inertial loads acting in horizontal and/or vertical directions. The transient loading is represented by constant acceleration via the pseudostatic coefficients. The result of a pseudostatic analysis is governed by the selection of the value of the pseudostatic coefficient. However, selection of the value is very difficult and often done in an ad hoc manner without a sound physical reasoning. In addition, the maximum acceleration is commonly estimated from the design guideline, which cannot accurately estimate the dynamic response of a slope. There is a need to perform a 2D dynamic analysis to properly define the dynamic response characteristics. This paper develops a new hybrid pseudostatic method that links the modified one-dimensional seismic site response analysis and the pseudostatic algorithm. The modified site response analysis adjusts the density of the layers to simulate the change in mass and weight of the layers of the slope with depth. Multiple analyses were performed at various locations within the slope to estimate the change in seismic response of the slope. The calculated peak acceleration profiles with depth from the developed procedure were compared to those by the two-dimensional analyses. Comparisons show that the two methods result in remarkable match. The calculated profiles are used to perform pseudostatic analysis. The results show that use of peak or a fraction of acceleration at the surface can seriously underestimate or overestimate the factor of safety, and that the proposed procedure significantly enhances the reliability of a standard procedure.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.10 no.6 s.52
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• pp.103-114
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• 2006

Forced vibration testing is important for correlating the mathematical model of a structure with the real one and for evaluating the performance of the real structure. There exist various techniques available for evaluating the seismic performance using dynamic and static measurements. In this paper, full scale forced vibration tests simulating earthquake response are implemented by using a hybrid mass damper. The finite element (FE) model of the structure was analytically constructed using ANSYS and the model was updated using the results experimentally measured by the forced vibration test. Pseudo-earthquake excitation tests showed that HMD induced floor responses coincided with the earthquake induced ones which were numerically calculated based on the updated FE model.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.161-170
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• 2014

Newmark-type deformation analysis has rarely been done in Korea due to the popularity of simple pseudo-static limit equilibrium analysis and detailed time-history FE/FD dynamic analysis. However, the Korean seismic dam design code updated in 2011 prescribes Newmark-type deformation analysis as a major dynamic analysis method for the seismic evaluation of fill dams. In addition, a design PGA for dynamic analysis is significantly increased in the code. This paper aims to study the seismic evaluation of four existing large fill dams through advanced FEM/Newmark-type deformation analyses for the artificial earthquake time histories with the design PGA of 0.22g. Dynamic soil properties obtained from in-situ geo-physical surveys are applied as input parameters. For the FEM/Newmark analyses, sensitivity analyses are performed to study the effects of input PGA and $G_{max}$ of shell zone on the Newmark deformation. As a result, in terms of deformation, four fill dams are proved to be reasonably safe under the PGA of 0.22g with yield coefficients of 0.136 to 0.187, which are highly resistant for extreme events. Sensitivity analysis as a function of PGA shows that $PGA_{30cm}$ (a limiting PGA to cause the 30 cm of Newmark permanent displacement on the critical slip surface) is a good indicator for seismic safety check. CFRD shows a higher seismic resistance than ECRD. Another sensitivity analysis shows that $G_{max}$ per depth does not significantly affect the site response characteristics, however lower $G_{max}$ profile causes larger Newmark deformation. Through this study, it is proved that the amplification of ground motion within the sliding mass and the location of critical slip surface are the dominant factors governing permanent displacements.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.127-139
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• 2019

Residual drifts after an earthquake can incur huge repair costs and might need to replace the infrastructure because of its non-reparability. Proper functioning of bridges is also essential in the aftermath of an earthquake. In order to mitigate pounding and unseating damage of bridges subjected to earthquakes, a self-adaptive Ni-Ti shape memory alloy (SMA)-cable-based frictional sliding bearing (SMAFSB) is proposed considering self-adaptive centering, high energy dissipation, better fatigue, and corrosion resistance from SMA-cable component. The developed novel bearing is associated with the properties of modularity, replaceability, and earthquake isolation capacity, which could reduce the repair time and increase the resilience of highway bridges. To evaluate the super-elasticity of the SMA-cable, pseudo-static tests and numerical simulation on the SMA-cable specimens with a diameter of 7 mm are conducted and one dimensional (1D) constitutive hysteretic model of the SMAFSB is developed considering the effects of gap, self-centering, and high energy dissipation. Two types of the SMAFSB (i.e., movable and fixed SMAFSBs) are applied to a two-span continuous reinforced concrete (RC) bridge. The seismic vulnerabilities of the RC bridge, utilizing movable SMAFSB with the constant gap size of 60 mm and the fixed SMAFSBs with different gap sizes (e.g., 0, 30, and 60 mm), are assessed at component and system levels, respectively. It can be observed that the fixed SMAFSB with a gap of 30 mm gained the most retrofitting effect among the three cases.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.87-98
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• 1990

The present Study dealt with the earthquake-resistant design of cantilever retaining walls supporting cohesionless soils. With design examples of three different types of cantilever retaining walls, the factors of safety against sliding were computed at various values of horizontal acceleration coefficient and compared with each other. The horizontal inertia effect due to the weights of concrete wall itself and a portion of backfill was taken into account in the analyses, and also Mononobe-Okabe pseudo-static solution method was modified to deal with various states different from limiting equilibrium state. From the analyses of safety against sliding, it was found that a cantilever retaining wall with sloped base was the most efficient type in earthquake resistant design. It was also found that by sloping the base, the width of the base slab could be reduced, resulting in the least volume of concrete, excavation and backfill as compared to the other types of walls. In the case of a cantilever retaining wall with sloped feel, the efficiency similar to that of a wall with sloped base could be expected under static loading as well as at relatively low level of earthquake loading. However, this efficiency became vanished with the increase of horizontal acceleration coefficient, since the rate of reduction in developed earth pressures on the heel became smaller. In addition, the design charts with different soil friction angles as well as with different earthquake resistant design criteria of safety factor against sliding were presented for the design of cantilever retaining walls sith sloped base.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.57-70
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• 2010

Recent earthquakes have demonstrated that the tunnels, which were once considered to be highly resistant to earthquakes, are susceptible to substantial damage under severe seismic loading. Among various modes of deformation under an earthquake loading, the response of the tunnel in the transverse direction is known to be the critical mode. This paper investigates the seismic response of the tunnel in the transverse direction using the method of seismic displacement, which is a type of pseudo-static analysis. Firstly, the methods of calculating the ground deformation are compared. It is shown that the single and double cosine may not provide an accurate estimation of the ground deformation, and that a one-dimensional site response analysis needs to be performed for a more reliable evaluation. Secondly, the tunnel responses are calculated using the simplified, analytical, and numerical solutions. It is demonstrated that the simplified method provides poor estimates of the tunnel response ground deformation. The analytical solution is shown to be effective in modeling circular tunnels in uniform ground, but has serious limitation in modeling tunnel response in non-uniform ground. Numerical analyses are shown to be applicable to all cases, and give the most accurate estimates of the tunnel response. It is also demonstrated that the linear solutions can be so conservative that the soil nonlinearity needs to be accounted for more accurate evaluation of the tunnel response.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.97-110
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• 2019

Piles that support offshore wind turbine structures are dominantly subjected to cyclic lateral loads of wind, waves, and tidal forces. For a successful design, it is imperative to investigate the behavior of the cyclic laterally loaded piles; the p-y curve method, in which the pile and soil are characterized as an elastic beam and nonlinear springs, respectively, has been typically utilized. In this study, model pile tests were performed in a 1 g gravitational field so as to investigate the p-y behaviors of cyclic laterally loaded piles installed in saturated dense silty sand. Test results showed that cyclic lateral loads gradually reduced the overall stiffness of the p-y curves (initial stiffness and ultimate soil reaction). This is because the cyclic lateral loads disturbed the surrounding soil, which led to the decrement of the soil resistance. The decrement effects of the overall stiffness of the p-y curves became more apparent as the magnitude of cyclic lateral load increased and approached the soil surface. From the test results, the cyclic p-y curve was developed using a p-y backbone curve method. Pseudo-static analysis was also performed with the developed cyclic p-y curve, confirming that it was able to properly predict the behaviors of cyclic laterally loaded pile installed in saturated dense silty sand.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.549-562
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• 2017

The US railroad network carries 40% of the nation's total freight. Railroad bridges are the most critical part of the network infrastructure and, therefore, must be properly maintained for the operational safety. Railroad managers inspect bridges by measuring displacements under train crossing events to assess their structural condition and prioritize bridge management and safety decisions accordingly. The displacement of a railroad bridge under train crossings is one parameter of interest to railroad bridge owners, as it quantifies a bridge's ability to perform safely and addresses its serviceability. Railroad bridges with poor track conditions will have amplified displacements under heavy loads due to impacts between the wheels and rail joints. Under these circumstances, vehicle-track-bridge interactions could cause excessive bridge displacements, and hence, unsafe train crossings. If displacements during train crossings could be measured objectively, owners could repair or replace less safe bridges first. However, data on bridge displacements is difficult to collect in the field as a fixed point of reference is required for measurement. Accelerations can be used to estimate dynamic displacements, but to date, the pseudo-static displacements cannot be measured using reference-free sensors. This study proposes a method to estimate total transverse displacements of a railroad bridge under live train loads using acceleration and tilt data at the top of the exterior pile bent of a standard timber trestle, where train derailment due to excessive lateral movement is the main concern. Researchers used real bridge transverse displacement data under train traffic from varying bridge serviceability levels. This study explores the design of a new bridge deck-pier experimental model that simulates the vibrations of railroad bridges under traffic using a shake table for the input of train crossing data collected from the field into a laboratory model of a standard timber railroad pile bent. Reference-free sensors measured both the inclination angle and accelerations of the pile cap. Various readings are used to estimate the total displacements of the bridge using data filtering. The estimated displacements are then compared to the true responses of the model measured with displacement sensors. An average peak error of 10% and a root mean square error average of 5% resulted, concluding that this method can cost-effectively measure the total displacement of railroad bridges without a fixed reference.