• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.19-35
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• 2010

This paper proposes a hybrid heuristic and criteria-based method of optimum design which combines the advantages of both the iterated simulated annealing (SA) algorithm and the rigorously derived optimality criteria (OC) for structural optimum design of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings under multi-load cases based on the current Chinese design codes. The entire optimum design procedure is divided into two parts: strength optimum design and stiffness optimum design. A modified SA with the strategy of adaptive feasible region is proposed to perform the discrete optimization of RC frame structures under the strength constraints. The optimum stiffness design is conducted using OC method with the optimum results of strength optimum design as the lower bounds of member size. The proposed method is integrated into the commercial software packages for building structural design, SATWE, and for finite element analysis, ANSYS, for practical applications. Finally, two practical frame-shear-wall structures (15-story and 30-story) are optimized to illustrate the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed optimum design method.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-20
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• 2008

The dynamic characteristics of the passive, semi-active, and active tuned-liquidcolumn dampers (or TLCDs) are studied in this paper. The design of the latter two are based on the first one. A water-head difference (or simply named as water head in this paper) of a passive TLCD is pre-set to form the so-called semi-active one in this paper. The pre-set of water head is released at a proper time instant during an earthquake excitation in order to enhance the vibration reduction of a structure. Two propellers are installed along a shaft inside and at the center of a passive TLCD to form an active one. These two propellers are driven by a servo-motor controlled by a computer to provide the control force. The seismic responses of a five-story shear building with a passive, semiactive, and active TLCDs are computed for demonstration and discussion. The responses of this building with a tuned mass damper (or TMD) are also included for comparison. The small-scale shaking-table experiments of a pendulum-like system with a passive or active TLCD to harmonic and seismic excitations are conducted for verification.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.623-632
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• 2018

Performance-Based Plastic Design (PBPD) method has been recently developed to evaluate the behavior of structures in different performance levels. The PBPD method utilizes a base shear force and a lateral load pattern that are estimated based on energy and yielding mechanism concepts. Using of current lateral force pattern results in weak structural members in upper stories of a structure so that the values of the story drift in these stories are larger than the target drift, particularly in high-rise buildings. Therefore, such distribution requires modifications to overcome this drawback. This paper proposes a modified lateral load pattern for steel Eccentrically Braced Frames (EBFs) based on parametric study. In order to achieve the modified load pattern, a group of 26 EBFs has been analyzed under a set of 20 earthquake ground motions. Additionally, results of nonlinear dynamic analyses of EBFs have been post-processed by nonlinear regression analysis in order to derive the new load pattern. To prove the efficiency of present study, three EBFs as examples were designed by modified pattern and current PBPD distribution. Inelastic dynamic analyses results showed that the story drifts using modified lateral load pattern were well within the target values in comparison with current pattern in PBPD, particularly where the effect of the height is significant. The modified load pattern reduces the possibility of underdesigning in upper levels and overdesigning in lower levels of the frames.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.62 no.5
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• pp.643-649
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• 2017

Masonry walls are amongst the oldest building systems. A large portion of the research on these structures focuses on the load-bearing walls. Numerical methods have been generally used in modelling load-bearing walls during recent years. In this context, macro and micro modelling techniques emerge as widely accepted techniques. Micro modelling is used to investigate the local behaviour of load-bearing walls in detail whereas macro modelling is used to investigate the general behaviour of masonry buildings. The main objective of this study is to investigate the elastic behaviour of the load- bearing walls in masonry buildings by using micro modelling technique. In order to do this the brick and mortar units of the masonry walls are modelled by the combination of plane truss elements and plane frame elements with no shear deformations. The model used in this study has fewer unknowns then the models encountered in the references. In this study the vertical frame elements have equivalent elasticity modulus and moment of inertia which are calculated by the developed software. Under in-plane static loads the elastic displacements of the masonry walls, which are encountered in literature, are calculated by the developed software, where brick units are modelled by plane frame elements, horizontal joints are modelled by vertical frame elements and vertical joints are modelled by horizontal plane truss elements. The calculated results are compatible with those given in the references.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.333-343
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• 2020

Preventing or reducing the damage impact of lateral soil movements on piled foundations is highly dependent on understanding the behavior of passive piles. For this reason, a detailed experimental study is carried out, aimed to examine the influence of soil density, the depth of moving layer and pile spacing on the behavior of a 2×2 free-standing pile group subjected to a uniform profile of lateral soil movement. Results from 8 model tests comprise bending moment, shear force, soil reaction and deformations measured along the pile shaft using strain gauges and others probing tools were performed. It is found that soil density and the depth of moving layer have an opposite impact regarding the ultimate response of piles. A pile group embedded in dense sand requires less soil displacement to reach the ultimate soil reaction compared to those embedded in medium and loose sands. On the other hand, the larger the moving depth, the larger amount of lateral soil movement needs to develop the pile group its ultimate deformations. Furthermore, the group factor and the effect of pile spacing were highly related to the soil-structure interaction resulted from the transferring process of forces between pile rows with the existing of the rigid pile cap.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.715-732
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• 2020

High-strength steel composite Y-eccentrically braced frame (Y-HSS-EBF) is a novel structural system. In this study, the spatial substructure hybrid simulation test (SHST) method is used to further study the seismic performance of Y-HSS-EBF. Firstly, based on the cyclic loading tests of two single-story single-span Y-HSS-EBF planar specimens, a finite element model in OpenSees was verified to provide a reference for the numerical substructure analysis model for the later SHST. Then, the SHST was carried out on the OpenFresco test platform. A three-story spatial Y-HSS-EBF model was taken as the prototype, the top story was taken as the experimental substructure, and the remaining two stories were taken as the numerical substructure to be simulated in OpenSees. According to the test results, the validity of the SHST was verified, and the main seismic performance indexes of the SHST model were analyzed. The results show that, the SHST based on the OpenFresco platform has good stability and accuracy, and the results of the SHST agree well with the global numerical model of the structure. Under strong seismic action, the plastic deformation of Y-HSS-EBF mainly occurs in the shear link, and the beam, beam-columns and braces can basically remain in the elastic state, which is conducive to post-earthquake repair.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.15-21
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• 1999

The flow characteristics around KRISO 300K VLCC double-body model have been experimentally investigated in a closed-type subsonic wind tunnel. The local mean velocity and turbulence statistics including turbulent intensity. Reynolds shear stress and turbulent kinetic energy were measured using a x-type hot-wire probe. The measurements were carried out at several transverse stations of the stern and near wake regions. The surface flow was visualized using on oil-film technique to see the flow pattern qualitatively. The flow in the stern and near wake region revealed complicated three-dimensional flow characteristics. The VLCC model shows a hook-shaped wake structure behind the propeller boss in the main longitudinal vortex region. The thin boundary layer at midship was increased gradually in thickness over the stern and evolved into a full three-dimensional turbulent wake.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.8-14
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• 1999

The flor characteristics around the KRISO 3600TEU container ship model have been experimentally investigated in a subsonic wind tunnel. The mean velocity and turbulence characteristics in the stern and wake regions were measured using an x-type hot-wire probe. The flow characteristics in the stern and near wake regions revealed a complicated three-dimensional flow pattern. The measured results showed clearly the formation of longitudinal vortices and their effect on the flow pattern in the wake region. The shear layer developed along the ship model expands showly to the downward direction. The turbulence statistics measured can be used as comparative data of numerical simulations and provide insights into development of accurate turbulence models for the ship design.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.73-82
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• 2016

In order to extend the operational life of Underwater Moored Platforms (UMPs), a horizontal axis water turbine is designed to supply energy for the UMPs. The turbine, equipped with controllable blades, can be opened to generate power and charge the UMPs in moored state. Three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are performed to study the characteristics of power, thrust and the wake of the turbine. Particularly, the effect of the installation position of the turbine is considered. Simulations are based on the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and the shear stress transport ${\kappa}-{\omega}$ turbulent model is utilized. The numerical method is validated using existing experimental data. The simulation results show that this turbine has a maximum power coefficient of 0.327 when the turbine is installed near the tail of the UMP. The flow structure near the blade and in the wake are also discussed.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.12-18
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• 2015

The ultimate goal of developing body is revealed the "lightweight" at latest EuroCarBody conference 2012 and the most core technology is joining process to make lightweight car body design. Accordingly, in this study, the car body assembly line for the assembly process applies to any introduction, particularly in the assembly of aluminum alloy and composite materials applied by the process for the introductory approached. Process were largely classified by welding (laser, arc, resistance, and friction stir welding), bonding (epoxy bonding) and mechanical fastening (FDS, SPR, Bolting and clinching). Applications for each process issues in the case and the applicable award was presented, based on the absolute strength of the test specimens and joining characteristics for comparative analysis were summarized. Finally, through this paper, we would tried to establish the characteristics of the joint for lightweight structure.