• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.791-818
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• 2013

The seismic performance of reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures with irregularities leading to soft first floor is studied using capacity assessment procedures. The soft first story effect is investigated for the cases: (i) slab-column connections without beams at the first floor, (ii) tall first story height and (iii) pilotis type building (open ground story). The effects of the first floor irregularity on the RC frame structure performance stages at global and local level (limit states) are investigated. Assessment based on the Capacity Spectrum Method (ATC-40) and on the Coefficient Method (FEMA 356) is also examined. Results in terms of failure modes, capacity curves, interstory drifts, ductility requirements and infills behaviour are presented. From the results it can be deduced that the global capacity of the structures is decreased due to the considered first floor morphology irregularities in comparison to the capacities of the regular structure. An increase of the demands for interstory drift is observed at the first floor level due to the considered irregularities while the open ground floor structure (pilotis type) led to even higher values of interstory drift demands at the first story. In the cases of tall first story and slab-column connections without beams soft-story mechanisms have also been observed at the first floor. Rotational criteria (EC8-part3) showed that the structure with slab-column connections without beams exhibited the most critical response.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.16 no.5 s.72
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• pp.543-553
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• 2004

This paper covered two related subjects: the use of the inverse modal perturbation technique to assess structural damage in existing structures; and the use of a seismic capacity evaluation to assess damaged structures, with the aid of the identified structural damage. The substructural identification and the Tikhonov regularization algorithm were incorporated for efficient damage assessment of complex and large frame structures. The seismic capacity of a damaged structure was evaluated by comparing the structure's seismic responses and seismic damage indices. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been investigated through the numerical simulation study for a twenty-story frame structure with undamaged and damaged cases, and also different earthquake excitations.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2016

Instead of metal connector generally used on the structural glued laminated timber rahmen joints, the GFRP reinforced laminated plates combining veneer and GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic) and bonded type GFRP rod were used as the connectors. As a result of moment resistance performance evaluation on the joint part applied with these connectors, the yield moment of specimen using the GFRP reinforced laminated plates and GFRP rod pin was measured 4 % lower in comparison to the specimen (Type-1) using the metal connectors, but the initial rotational stiffness was measured 29% higher. Also, the yield moment and rotational stiffness of the specimen using the GFRP-reinforced laminated plates and wood (Eucalyptus marginata) pin showed were measured 11% and 56% higher in comparison to the Type-1 specimen, showing the best performance. It was also confirmed through the failure shape and perfect elasto-plasticity analysis that it showed ductility behavior, not brittle fracture, from the shear resisting force by the pin and the bonding strength increased and the unification of member was carried out. On the other hand, in case of the specimen bonded with GFRP rod, it was impossible to measure the bonding performance or it was measured very low due to poor bonding.

• Magazine of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.120-130
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• 1994

The purpose of this study is to propose the analytical model for the hysteretic behavior of Reinforced Concrete bearn-column joints under various loading history. Discrete line elernents , YVith inelastic rotational spring was adopted to consider the movement of plastic hinging zone influenced by the details of longitudinal reinforcements. Also hysteretic model was constructed by excluding such variables which can not be utilized in dynamic analysis of Reinforced Concrete. structure that it will be adoptable in two-dimensional inelastic frame ardysis with 6-DOF. From the analysis of previous test results, it was found that stiffness deterioration caused by inelastic hysteretic loadings can be predicted by the functron of basic pinching coefficients, ductility ratio.and yield strength ratio of members. Strength degradation coefficients were newly proposed to explain the difference of inelastic behavior of members caused by spacing ratio of transverse steel and sectlon aspect ratio. The energy dissipation capacities calculated using the analytical model proposed in thls paper show a good agreements w~lh test results by an error of 10~20%.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.9-18
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• 2014

PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to evaluate the applicability of the pitch, which is produced during SDA petroleum upgrading process, as a pavement paving material. In order for the purpose, the physical and chemical properties of the pitch are analyzed, and then the various plasticizers are applied in the pitch. METHODS : Two types of pitch are selected from oil refinery companies, which are owned the SDA petroleum upgrading process. Also, two types of asphalt binders, PG 64-22 and PG 58-22, are employed to compare with the pitch because these two types of asphalt binders are currently used as paving materials. For the chemical property of the pitch, the composition of SARA (Saturate, Aromatic, Resin, Asphaltene), the elementary composition, and the functional group are analyzed. For the physical property of the pitch, the basic material property tests, such as penetration test, softening point test, flash point test, ductility test, and rotational viscometer test, are performed. Also, the DSR (Dynamic Shear Rheometer) test and the BBR (Bending Beam Rheometer) test are conducted using asphalt binder specimens obtained by both short term aging (Rolling Thin Film Oven, RTFO) and long term aging (Pressure Aging Vessel, PAV) processes. The rheological property of each pitch type is evaluated as a function of temperatures and loading cycles. PG 64-22 asphalt binder is used as a control material. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS : The Pitch may not be suitable for the pavement paving material without modifications, but the pitch can be used as alternatives of modified addictive or asphalt. If low molecular component, such as saturate and aromatic components, are added in the pitch based on the development of various plasticizers, it has a strong possibility for the pitch to be used as a alternative. However, in order to verify the performance property of the pitch, further research is needed.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.89-110
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• 2014

Nonlinear dynamic analyses are carried out to investigate the influence of the pinching hysteretic response of the exterior RC beam-column joints on the seismic behavior of multistory RC frame structures. The effect of the pinching on the local and global mechanisms of an 8-storey bare frame and an 8-storey pilotis type frame structure is evaluated. Further, an experimental data bank extracted from literature is used to acquire experimental experience of the range of the real levels that have to be considered for the pinching effect on the hysteretic response of the joints. Thus, three different cases for the hysteretic response of the joints are considered: (a) joints with strength and stiffness degradation characteristics but without pinching effect, (b) joints with strength degradation, stiffness degradation and low pinching effect and (c) joints with strength degradation, stiffness degradation and high pinching effect. For the simulation of the beam-column joints a special-purpose rotational spring element that incorporates the examined hysteretic options developed by the authors and implemented in a well-known nonlinear dynamic analysis program is employed for the analysis of the structural systems. The results of this study indicate that the effect of pinching on the local and global responses of the examined cases is not really significant at early stages of the seismic loading and especially in the cases when strength degradation in the core of exterior joint has occurred. Nevertheless in the cases when strength degradation does not occur in the joints the pinching may increase the demands for ductility and become critical for the columns at the base floor of the frame structures. Finally, as it was expected the ability for energy absorption was reduced due to pinching effect.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.119-133
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• 2017

Several theoretical and analytical formulations for the prediction of shear strength in reinforced concrete (RC) beam-to-column joints have been recently developed. Some of these predictive models are included in the most recent seismic codes and currently used in practical design. On the other hand, the influence of the stiffness and strength degradations in RC joints on the seismic performance of RC framed buildings has been only marginally studied, and it is generally neglected in practice-oriented seismic analysis. To investigate such influence, this paper proposes a numerical description for representing the cyclic response of RC exterior joints. This is then used in nonlinear numerical simulations of RC frames subjected to earthquake loading. According to the proposed strategy, RC joints are modelled using nonlinear rotational spring elements with strength and stiffness degradations and limited ductility under cyclic loading. The proposed joint model has been firstly calibrated against the results from experimental tests on 12 RC exterior joints. Subsequently, nonlinear static and dynamic analyses have been carried out on two-, three- and four-storey RC frames, which represent realistic existing structures designed according to old standards. The numerical results confirm that the global seismic response of the analysed RC frames is strongly affected by the hysteretic damage in the beam-to-column joints, which determines the failure mode of the frames. This highlights that neglecting the effects of joints damage may potentially lead to non-conservative seismic assessment of existing RC framed structures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.645-669
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• 2004

In seismic analysis of moment-resisting frames, beam-column connections are often modeled with rigid joint zones. However, it has been demonstrated that, in ductile reinforced concrete (RC) moment-resisting frames designed based on current codes (to say nothing of older non-ductile frames), the joint zones are in fact not rigid, but rather undergo significant shear deformations that contribute greatly to global drift. Therefore, the "rigid joint" assumption may result in misinterpretation of the global performance characteristics of frames and could consequently lead to miscalculation of strength and ductility demands on constituent frame members. The primary objective of this paper is to propose a rational method for estimating the hysteretic joint shear behavior of RC connections and for incorporating this behavior into frame analysis. The authors tested four RC edge beam-column-slab connection subassemblies subjected to earthquake-type lateral loading; hysteretic joint shear behavior is investigated based on these tests and other laboratory tests reported in the literature. An analytical scheme employing the modified compression field theory (MCFT) is developed to approximate joint shear stress vs. joint shear strain response. A connection model capable of explicitly considering hysteretic joint shear behavior is then formulated for nonlinear structural analysis. In the model, a joint is represented by rigid elements located along the joint edges and nonlinear rotational springs embedded in one of the four hinges linking adjacent rigid elements. The connection model is able to well represent the experimental hysteretic joint shear behavior and overall load-displacement response of connection subassemblies.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.77-85
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• 2018

A through diaphragm is often used to ensure their stiffness for moment-resisting connections using rectangular steel-tube column and H-shaped beam. The through-diaphragm connections, however, have some difficulties for their applicabilities to the field due to the complexity of the fabrication and construction processes. This study thus proposes a new modular system of steel structures assembled only using bolts without welding, by bringing a connection module composed of rectangular steel-tube column, H-shaped beam and oneway bolt onto the site. An experimental study to evaluate the seismic performance of the proposed connection details based on the new modular system is then conducted. The length and type of the inner reinforcement plate are considered as the primary design parameters, and the strength, stiffness, ductility and energy dissipation capability of the new connections are experimentally analyzed by comparison to those of conventional through diaphragm connections.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.431-439
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• 2014

Concrete filled tubular columns are widely used because the mutual reaction between the concrete and the tube improves strength and ductility of the columns. In an attempt to secure efficient use of members, built-up square columns featuring large width-thickness ratio and the use of thin steel plates are suggested in this study. In order to evaluate the structural characteristics and seismic performance of the column-to-beam connections of the new shape columns, cyclic load test of T-shaped column-to-beam connections was conducted with variables of diaphragms and concrete-filling. Moment-rotational angle relationship, dissipated energy and failure behavior were compared to evaluate stress transfer mechanism of the new shape built-up square column-to-beam connections associated with the variables.