• Magazine of the Korea Concrete Institute
• /
• v.8 no.6
• /
• pp.183-193
• /
• 1996

The objective of this study is to investigate the characteristics of elastic and inelastic bekavior of ductile momenting-resisting reinforced concrete frame subjected to reversed lateral loading such as earthquake excitations. For this purpose, a 2-bay 2-story reinforced concrete plane frame with seismic detail was designed and one 1/2.5-scale subassemblage was manufactured according to the required similitude law. Then, the reversed load test under the displacement control was performed statically to this subassemblage. Finally, the results of this test were analysed regarding to (1) the design load vs actual strength, (2) degradation in stiffness and strength. (3) failure mode or energy dissipation. (4) local deformations.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.9 no.6
• /
• pp.615-636
• /
• 2000

Some elevated water tanks have failed due to torsional vibrations in past earthquakes. The overall axisymmetric structural geometry and mass distribution of such structures may leave only a small accidental eccentricity between centre of stiffness and centre of mass. Such a small accidental eccentricity is not expected to cause a torsional failure. This paper studies the possibility of amplified torsional behaviour of elevated water tanks due to such small accidental eccentricity in the elastic as well as inelastic range; using two simple idealized systems with two coupled lateral-torsional degrees of freedom. The systems are capable of retaining the characteristics of two extreme categories of water tanks namely, a) tanks on staging with less number of columns and panels and b) tanks on staging with large number of columns and panels. The study shows that the presence of a small eccentricity may lead to large displacement of the staging edge in the elastic range, if the torsional-to-lateral time period ratio $({\tau})$ of the elevated tanks lies within a critical range of 0.7< ${\tau}$ <1.25. Inelastic behaviour study reveals that such excessive displacement in some of the reinforced concrete staging elements may cause unsymmetric yielding. This may lead to progressive strength deterioration through successive yielding in same elements under cyclic loading during earthquakes. Such localized strength drop progressively develop large strength eccentricity resulting in large localized inelastic displacement and ductility demand, leading to failure. So, elevated water tanks should have ${\tau}$ outside the said critical range to avoid amplified torsional response. The tanks supported on staging with less number of columns and panels are found to have greater torsional vulnerability. Tanks located near faults seem to have torsional vulnerability for large ${\tau}$.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.710-720
• /
• 2017

In Korea, many nuclear power plants operate at a single site based on geographical characteristics, but the population density near the sites is higher than that in other countries. Thus, multiunit accidents are a more important consideration than in other countries and should be addressed appropriately. Currently, there are many issues related to a multiunit probabilistic safety assessment (PSA). One of them is the quantification of a multiunit PSA model. A traditional PSA uses a Boolean manipulation of the fault tree in terms of the minimal cut set. However, such methods have some limitations when rare event approximations cannot be used effectively or a very small truncation limit should be applied to identify accident sequence combinations for a multiunit site. In particular, it is well known that seismic risk in terms of core damage frequency can be overestimated because there are many events that have a high failure probability. In this study, we propose a quantification method based on a Monte Carlo approach for a multiunit PSA model. This method can consider all possible accident sequence combinations in a multiunit site and calculate a more exact value for events that have a high failure probability. An example model for six identical units at a site was also developed and quantified to confirm the applicability of the proposed method.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.137-158
• /
• 2009

This paper investigates the behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) circular columns under combined loading including torsion. The main variables considered in this study are the ratio of torsional moment to bending moment (T/M) and the level of detailing for moderate and high seismicity (low and high transverse reinforcement/spiral ratio). This paper presents the results of tests on seven columns subjected to cyclic bending and shear, cyclic torsion, and various levels of combined cyclic bending, shear, and torsion. Columns under combined loading were tested at T/M ratios of 0.2 and 0.4. These columns were reinforced with two spiral reinforcement ratios of 0.73% and 1.32%. Similarly, the columns subjected to pure torsion were tested with two spiral reinforcement ratios of 0.73% and 1.32%. This study examined the significance of proper detailing, and spiral reinforcement ratio and its effect on the torsional resistance under combined loading. The test results demonstrate that both the flexural and torsional capacities are decreased due to the effect of combined loading. Furthermore, they show a significant change in the failure mode and deformation characteristics depending on the spiral reinforcement ratio. The increase in spiral reinforcement ratio also led to significant improvement in strength and ductility.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.323-331
• /
• 2020

Pile foundation is widely used for railway bridges in loess throughout northwestern China. Modeling of the loess-pile interaction is an essential part for seismic analysis of bridge with pile foundation at seismically active regions. A quasi-static test is carried out to investigate the hysteretic behaviors of pile foundation in collapsible loess. The failure characteristics of the bridge pile-loess system under the cyclic lateral loading are summarized. From the test results, the energy dissipation, stiffness degradation and ductility of the pile foundation in loess are analyzed. Therefore, a bilinear model with stiffness degradation is recommended for the nonlinearity of the bridge pier-pile-loess system. It can be found that the stiffness of the bridge pier-pile-loess system decreases quickly in the initial stage, and then becomes more slowly with the increase of the displacement ductility. The equivalent viscous damping ratio is defined as the ratio of the dissipated energy in one cycle of hysteresis curves and increases with the lateral displacement.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.251-271
• /
• 2011

To make direct comparisons regarding the cyclic behavior of thin steel plate shear walls (TSPSWs) with different infill-to-boundary frame connections, two TSPSWs were tested under quasi-static conditions, one having the infill plate attached to the boundary frame members on all edges and the other having the infill plate connected only to the beams. Also, the bare frame that was used in the TSPSW specimens was tested to provide data for the calibration of numerical models. The connection of infill plates to surrounding frames was achieved through the use of self-drilling screws to fish plates that were welded to the frame members. The behavior of TSPSW specimens are compared and discussed with emphasis on the characteristics important in seismic response, including the initial stiffness, ultimate strength and deformation modes observed during the tests. It is shown that TSPSW specimens achieve significant ductility and energy dissipation while the ultimate failure mode resulted from infill plate fracture at the net section of the infill plate-to-boundary frame connection after substantial infill plate yielding. Experimental results are compared to monotonic pushover predictions from computer analysis using strip models and the models are found to be capable of approximating the monotonic behavior of the TSPSW specimens.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.445-453
• /
• 2010

Recently, the remodeling projects of old low-rise buildings were launched in Korea. However, most of them were not satisfied with the value set forth by the KBC2005. Even though there are some research studies on how to improve the seismic performance of such buildings as newly constructed buildings, there is little research in measuring the actual vibrations on low old buildings to prove the effect of retrofit. There also has not been any in-depth research on the dynamic characteristics of full-scale structures using vibration measurements of the building that was damaged to failure. Using an actuator, the dynamic characteristics of reinforced three-storey concrete buildings were evaluated before and after they were damaged. After an 80-mm horizontal displacement by the actuator, frequency in the long and short directions were reduced to 20.85% and 5.77% respectively ; damping ratio was also reduced to 53.9% and 23.15% respectively.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.325-333
• /
• 2010

In this study, new moment-resisting precast concrete beam-column joint made up of hybrid steel concrete was developed and tested. This beam-column joint is proposed for use in moderate seismic regions. It has square hollow tubular section in concrete column and connecting plate in precast U-beam. The steel elements in column and beam members were connected using bolt. Furthermore, in order to prevent the premature failure of concrete in hybrid steel-concrete connection, ECC(engineered cementitious composite) was used. An experimental study was carried out investigating the joint behavior subjected to reversed cyclic loading and constant axial compressive load. Two precast beam-column joint specimens and monolithic reinforced concrete joint specimen were tested. The variables for interior joints were cast-in-situ concrete area and transverse reinforcement within the joint. Tests were carried out under displacement controlled reverse cyclic load with a constant axial load. Joint performance is evaluated on the basis of connection strength, stiffness, energy dissipation, and displacement capacity. The test results showed that significant differences in structural behavior between the two types of connection because of different bonding characteristics between steel and concrete; steel and ECC. The proposed joint detail can induce to move the plastic hinge out of the ECC and steel plate. And proposed precast connection showed better performance than the monolithic connection by providing sufficient moment-resisting behavior suitable for applications in moderate seismic regions.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.241-256
• /
• 2000

The major sources of energy dissipation in steel frames with partially restrained (PR) connections are evaluated. Available experimental results are used to verify the mathematical model used in this study. The verified model is then used to quantify the energy dissipation in PR connections due to hysteretic behavior, due to viscous damping and at plastic hinges if they are formed. Observations are made for two load conditions: a sinusoidal load applied at the top of the frame, and a sinusoidal ground acceleration applied at the base of the frame representing a seismic loading condition. This analytical study confirms the general behavior, observed during experimental investigations, that PR connections reduce the overall stiffness of frames, but add a major source of energy dissipation. As the connections become stiffer, the contribution of PR connections in dissipating energy becomes less significant. A connection with a T ratio (representing its stiffness) of at least 0.9 should not be considered as fully restrained as is commonly assumed, since the energy dissipation characteristics are different. The flexibility of PR connections alters the fundamental frequency of the frame. Depending on the situation, it may bring the frame closer to or further from the resonance condition. If the frame approaches the resonance condition, the effect of damping is expected to be very important. However, if the frame moves away from the resonance condition, the energy dissipation at the PR connections is expected to be significant with an increase in the deformation of the frame, particularly for low damping values. For low damping values, the dissipation of energy at plastic hinges is comparable to that due to viscous damping, and increases as the frame approaches failure. For the range of parameters considered in this study, the energy dissipations at the PR connections and at the plastic hinges are of the same order of magnitude. The study quantitatively confirms the general observations made in experimental investigations for steel frames with PR connections; however, proper consideration of the stiffness of PR connections and other dynamic properties is essential in predicting the dynamic behavior.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
• /
• v.1 no.4
• /
• pp.21-28
• /
• 1997

The aseismic capacity of a traditional three-bay-straw-roof wooden house for soft soil site condition is quantitatively estimated. One 1/4 scale model was tested for the Imperial Valley Earthquake up to failure. The natural frequency of the wooden house measured in elastic range is 1.66 Hz and 1.76 Hz in the longitudinal and transversal direction, respectively. Damping ratio of the house measured in elastic range is 7%. The peak horizontal acceleration response of the house was reduced compared with input motion due to the nonlinear inelastic characteristics of the wooden frame. The horizontal displacement response was significantly increased as the level of input motion was increased. The model was collapsed at 0.25g due to the low frequency contents of the input motion. The results of nonlinear seismic analysis were compared with the test results.