• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.701-721
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• 2016

Base isolation is a well-established passive strategy for seismic response control of buildings. In this paper, an efficient framework is proposed for reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) of isolated buildings subjected to uncertain earthquakes. The framework uses reduced function evaluations method, as an efficient tool for structural reliability analysis, and an efficient optimization algorithm for optimal structural design. The probability of failure is calculated considering excessive base displacement, superstructure inter-storey drifts, member stress ratios and absolute accelerations of floors of the isolated building as failure events. The behavior of rubber bearing isolators is modeled using nonlinear hysteretic model and the variability of future earthquakes is modeled by applying a probabilistic approach. The effects of pulse component of stochastic near-fault ground motions, fixity-factor of semi-rigid beam-to-column connections, values of isolator parameters, earthquake magnitude and epicentral distance on the performance and safety of semi-rigidly connected base-isolated steel framed buildings are studied. Suitable RBDO examples are solved to illustrate the results of investigations.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.51-69
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• 2016

Monitoring the performance and estimating the remaining useful life of aging civil infrastructure in the United States has been identified as a major objective in the civil engineering community. Structural health monitoring has emerged as a central tool to fulfill this objective. This paper presents a review of the major structural monitoring programs that have been recently implemented in the United States, focusing on the integrity and performance assessment of large-scale structural systems. Applications where response data from a monitoring program have been used to detect and correct structural deficiencies are highlighted. These applications include (but are not limited to): i) Post-earthquake damage assessment of buildings and bridges; ii) Monitoring of cables vibration in cable-stayed bridges; iii) Evaluation of the effectiveness of technologies for retrofit and seismic protection, such as base isolation systems; and iv) Structural damage assessment of bridges after impact loads resulting from ship collisions. These and many other applications show that a structural health monitoring program is a powerful tool for structural damage and condition assessment, that can be used as part of a comprehensive decision-making process about possible actions that can be undertaken in a large-scale civil infrastructure system after potentially damaging events.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.641-656
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• 2016

Reinforced concrete frame buildings with masonry infill walls are one of the most popular structural systems in the world. In most cases, the effects of masonry infill walls are not considered in structural models. The results of earthquakes show that infill walls have a significant effect on the seismic response of buildings. In some cases, the buildings collapsed as a result of the formation of a soft story. This study developed a simple method, called corner opening, by replacing the corner of infill walls with a very flexible material to enhance the structural behavior of walls. To evaluate the proposed method a series of experiments were conducted on masonry infill wall and reinforced concrete frames with and without corner openings. Two 1:4 scale masonry infill walls with and without corner openings were tested under diagonal tension or shear strength and two RC frames with full infill walls and with corner opening infill walls were tested under monotonic horizontal loading up to a drift level of 2.5%. The experimental results revealed that the proposed method reduced the strength of infill wall specimens but considerably enhanced the ductility of infill wall specimens in the diagonal tension test. Moreover, the corner opening in infill walls prevented the slid shear failure of the infill wall in RC frames with infill walls.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.247-259
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• 2008

The potential use of Cu-based shape memory alloys (SMA) in retrofitting historical monuments is investigated in this paper. This study is part of the ongoing work conducted in Tunisia within the framework of the FP6 European Union project (WIND-CHIME) on the use of appropriate modern seismic protective systems in the conservation of Mediterranean historical buildings in earthquake-prone areas. The present investigation consists of a finite element simulation, as a preliminary to an experimental study where a cantilever masonry wall, representing a part of a historical monument, is subjected to monotonic and quasi-static cyclic loadings around a horizontal axis at the base level. The wall was retrofitted with an array of copper SMA wires with different cross-sectional areas. A new model is proposed for heat-treated copper SMAs and is validated based on published experimental results. A series of nonlinear finite element analyses are then performed on the wall for the purpose of assessing the SMA device retrofitting capabilities. Simulation results show an improvement of the wall response for the case of monotonic and quasi-static cyclic loadings.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.193-200
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• 2003

This paper presents a hybrid (i.e., integrated passive-active) system for seismic response control of a cable-stayed bridge. Because multiple control devices are operating, a hybrid control system could alleviate some of the restrictions and limitations that exist when each system is acting alone. Lead rubber bearings are used as passive control devices to reduce the earthquake-induced forces in the bridge and hydraulic actuators are used as active control devices to further reduce the bridge responses, especially deck displacements. In the proposed hybrid control system, a linear quadratic Gaussian control algorithm is adopted as a primary controller. In addition, a secondary bang-bang type (i.e., on-off type) controller according to the responses of lead rubber bearings is considered to increase the controller robustness. Numerical simulation results show that control performances of the hybrid control system are superior to those of the passive control system and slightly better than those of the fully active control system. Furthermore, it is verified that the hybrid control system with a bang-bang type controller is more robust for stiffness perturbation than the active controller with μ-synthesis method and there are no signs of instability in the overall system whereas the active control system with linear quadratic Gaussian algorithm shows instabilities in the perturbed system. Therefore, the proposed hybrid protective system could effectively be used to seismically excited cable-stayed bridges.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.147-155
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• 2007

In this study, the performance of the modified sliding mode control proposed in the previous study is evaluated for seismic response control of nonlinear hysteretic structures. Modified sliding mode control(MSMC) utilizes the target derivative of Lyapunov function in order to calculate control force, and its performance was evaluated only lot linear structures in the previous study. However, considering that most structures subject to strong earthquake show nonlinear hysteretic behivior, the results from the previous study have limitations in practical application. The results from numerical analyses of single degree of freedom systems and base isolated system, which were described using Bouc-Wen model, indicate that the proposed MSMC algorithm shows better control performance than the existing sliding mode controller.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.19-24
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• 2011

In the preceding study, the possibility of liquefaction according to the liquefaction evaluation methods was predicted in Saemangeum reclamation area for tide embankment, Jeollabuk-do, Korea. The risk of liquefaction was also expected when foundations and underground structures were built at a depth within 10m below ground surface, and meticulous care was required in the design of them in the future. This study considered the effect of the embedded depth for foundation design regarding liquefaction based on the various earthquake data from literatures. On the basis of the results of this study, an alternative consideration in foundation design for liquefaction was proposed for the Saemangeum area.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.39-47
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• 1990

The generation of artificial accelerograms considering the characteristic of earthquakes in the Korean peninsula for a time history analysis of structures is accomplised by the stochastic method. The engineering data such as a representative shape of envelope function and an effective duration are investigated from the instrumental records. The maximum ground acceleration value is based on seismic zoning map which are constructed for the Korean peninsula. The acceleration-time histories are generated for two different types of earthquake motions and two types of soil conditions. In the study, the maximum ground acceleration value of 0.2 g and effective durations of 24 seconds are used. The validity of the artificial accelerograms is obtained by the comparison with the required envelope functions and the design response spectrum.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.12 no.4_1
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• pp.77-85
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• 1992

The Pseudo-dynamic test is a new experimental technique for simulating the earthquake response of structures or structural components in the time domain. It is especially efficient for testing specimens that are too large, heavy or strong to be tested on a shaking table. But, in general, the responses obtained in the Pseudo-dynamic test can be distorted by the experimental errors inevitably during control and measurement procedures. The studies are to investigate the effects of the experimental errors on the Pseudo-dynamic responses and apply a correction method to the Pseudo-dynamic testing algorithm. It is shown that the corrected responses using the equivalent energy compensation method are in a good correlation with the theoretical ones. Thus, the corrected Pseudo-dynamic responses could be reliable for evaluating the seismic performance of structural systems.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.218-227
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to estimate that the relations of weathering speed and shear strength of granite soil by tracing the weathering depth of granite soil from the very moment of its cutting. The results obtained this follows : This paper is about seismic performance of the EDF(Electricite De France) system, that is among various base isolator. A rational modeling of EDF system has been presented that used Nllink element. We get theoretical solutions of equation of motion of the system and compared with numerical solutions using a finite element program. The unification modeling is made by comparing with behavior using Newmark-${\beta}$ method when input earthquake acceleration data. Thus, a verified modeling will apply bridge structures or multi-degree of-freedom systems.