• Computers and Concrete
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.759-774
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• 2015

This study simulates the flexural behavior of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) beams reinforced with steel and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebars. For this, micromechanics-based modeling was first carried out on the basis of single fiber pullout models considering inclination angle. Two different tension-softening curves (TSCs) with the assumptions of 2-dimensional (2-D) and 3-dimensional (3-D) random fiber orientations were obtained from the micromechanics-based modeling, and linear elastic compressive and tensile models before the occurrence of cracks were obtained from the mechanical tests and rule of mixture. Finite element analysis incorporating smeared crack model was used due to the multiple cracking behaviors of structural UHPFRC beams, and the characteristic length of two times the element width (or two times the average crack spacing at the peak load) was suggested as a result of parametric study. Analytical results showed that the assumption of 2-D random fiber orientation is appropriate to a non-reinforced UHPFRC beam, whereas the assumption of 3-D random fiber orientation is suitable for UHPFRC beams reinforced with steel and GFRP rebars due to disorder of fiber alignment from the internal reinforcements. The micromechanics-based finite element analysis also well predicted the serviceability deflections of UHPFRC beams with GFRP rebars and hybrid reinforcements.

• International Journal of Railway
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.16-23
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• 2014

Reduction in railway-induced vibrations in urban areas is a very challenging task in railway transportation. Many mitigation measures can be considered and applied. Among these, a little attention has been paid to trenches. In this study, a numerical investigation on the effectiveness of in-filled trenches with pipes in reducing railway vibrations due to passing trains is presented. Particularly, a series of two-dimensional dynamic analysis was performed to model the behavior of ballasted railway track under harmonic load with ABAQUS software as a Finite Element method. In so doing, two types of in-filled trenches with pipes with steel and concrete materials have been investigated in this paper. In addition, effectiveness of pipes made of steel and concrete, filled with loose sand and clay in railway-induced vibration reduction has been assessed. The results point out that using in-filled trench with pipes does not effective a lot on railway-induced vibration reduction in comparison to other railway-induced vibration reduction methods. However, in-filled trenches with steel pipes are much more effective than in-filled trenches with concrete pipes. Moreover, filling pipes with loose sand and clay does not have any effect on vibration reduction efficiency of these in-filled trenches.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.182-186
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• 2008

The microstructures of the oxide scale developed at high temperature on steels are very complex and their development depends on many factors including time, temperature, oxidation conditions and alloying elements. The classical model of an oxide scale on steel consisting of wüstite, magnetite and haematite layers, is more complicated in reality and its properties change with the factors that affect their development. An understanding of the oxide scale formation and its properties can only be achieved by careful examination of the scale microstructure. The oxide scale microstructure may be difficult to characterise by conventional techniques such as optical or standard scanning electron microscopy. An unambiguous characterisation of the scale and the correct identification of the phases within the scale are difficult unless the crystallographic structure for each phase in the scale is considered and a simultaneous microstructure-microtexture analysis is carried out. In the current study Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) has been used to investigate the microstructure of iron oxide layers grown on low carbon steels at different times and temperatures. EBSD has proved to be a powerful technique for identifying the individual phases in the oxide scale accurately. The results show that different grain shapes and sizes develop for each phase in the scale depending on time and temperature.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2007.04a
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• pp.725-730
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• 2007

A framework of multi layered database is proposed for the integrated operation of civil infrastructure information in this study. The multi-layered database is a logically integrated database composed of standardized information layers. The framework of multi-layered database is defined by three axes, national assets, lifetime, and data levels. The axis of national assets indicates civil infrastructures such as bridges, dams, tunnels and power plants that can be considered as national key structures. The axes of lifetime and data levels indicate the standardized information layers generated from the life-phase of civil infrastructure and the priority of data in the information layers, respectively. The standardized information layers are basically composed of reusable data sets defined by information models. A prototype of standard database for steel bridges is constructed based on the framework as a proof of concept. Demonstration examples such as data consistency check and automatic generation of a FEA model show that the proposed concept can assure the sustainable interoperability of civil infrastructure information as well as design information of steel bridges.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.72-81
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• 2011

In the present day, the needs of new steel for lightweight car-body have been increased in the automotive industry. however, the resistance spot welding is difficult to apply to the new steel because of the narrow weld current range and defects. As the solutions to these problems, adhesive bonding process is proposed. Adhesive bonding which reduce noise and vibration can be applied to joining the new steel. In this study, crash tests of b-pillar applied the resistance spot welding, structural adhesive bonding, the mixture of the structural adhesives and resistance spot welding were performed. And FEM crash model for b-pillar applied the structural adhesive bonding was developed. The results of experiment and analysis on b-pillar crash test were compared to verify the validity.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.113-119
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• 2002

In the prestressed concrete structures, stresses are gradually redistributed with time due to the creep and shrinkage of concrete and the stress relaxation of prestressed steel. In this study a numerical procedure and computer program is developed to analyze the behavior of prestressed concrete structures considering the time-dependent properties of material. It accounts for the aging, creep and shrinkage of concrete and the stress relaxation of prestressed steel. The structural model uses two dimensional plane frame elements with three nodal degree of freedom and is analyzed based on the finite element method. Member cross section can consist of concrete, reinforcement and prestressing steel. Two different set of equations for the prediction of time-dependent material properties of concrete are presented, which are ACI, CEB-FIP. Analytical studies for different examples of prestressed concrete structures have been performed to demonstrated the capabilities and practical applicabilities of the developed program.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.94-100
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• 2010

Grounding system insures a reference potential point for electric devices and also provides a low impedance path for fault currents or transient currents in the earth. The ground impedance as function of frequency is necessary for determining its performance since fault currents could contain a wide range of frequencies. In this paper, the grounding resistance, grounding impedance and transient grounding impedance are measured by using 3-point fall-of-potential method in order to analyse grounding characteristics of the stainless-steel plate grounding electrode. An equivalent transfer function model of the grounding impedance and transient grounding impedance are identified from the measured values by using ARMA method and evaluated by comparing conventional grounding impedances.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.81-100
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• 2006

To calculate the shear capacity of concrete beams reinforced with fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP), current shear design provisions use slightly modified versions of existing semi-empirical shear design equations that were primarily derived from experimental data generated on concrete beams having steel reinforcement. However, FRP materials have different mechanical properties and mode of failure than steel, and extending existing shear design equations for steel reinforced beams to cover concrete beams reinforced with FRP is questionable. This paper investigates the feasibility of using artificial neural networks (ANNs) to estimate the nominal shear capacity, Vn of concrete beams reinforced with FRP bars. Experimental data on 150 FRP-reinforced beams were retrieved from published literature. The resulting database was used to evaluate the validity of several existing shear design methods for FRP reinforced beams, namely the ACI 440-03, CSA S806-02, JSCE-97, and ISIS Canada-01. The database was also used to develop an ANN model to predict the shear capacity of FRP reinforced concrete beams. Results show that current guidelines are either inadequate or very conservative in estimating the shear strength of FRP reinforced concrete beams. Based on ANN predictions, modified equations are proposed for the shear design of FRP reinforced concrete beams and proved to be more accurate than existing equations.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.787-806
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• 2015

Due to corrosion, a large number of belt conveyors support structure in industrial plants have deteriorated. Severe corrosion may result in collapse of the structures. Therefore, practical and effective structural assessment techniques are needed. In this paper, damage identification methods based on two specific local vibration modes, named periodic and isolated local vibration modes, are proposed. The identification methods utilize the facts that support structures have many identical members repeated along the belt conveyor and there exist some local modes within a small frequency range where vibrations of these identical members are much larger than those of the other members. When one of these identical members is damaged, this member no longer vibrates in those modes. Instead, the member vibrates alone in an isolated mode with a lower frequency. A damage identification method based on frequencies comparison of these vibration modes and another method based on amplitude comparison of the periodic local vibration mode are explained. These methods do not require the baseline measurement records of undamaged structure. The methods is capable of detecting multiple damages simultaneously. The applicability of the methods is experimentally validated with a laboratory model and a real belt-conveyor support structure.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.3 no.5
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• pp.695-717
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• 2012

Seismic resiliency of new buildings has improved over the years due to better seismic codes and design practices. However, there is still large number of vulnerable and seismically deficient buildings. It is not economically feasible to retrofit and upgrade all vulnerable buildings, thus there is a need for rapid screening tool. Many factors contribute to the damageability of buildings; this makes seismic evaluation a complex multi-criteria decision making problem. Many of these factors are noncommensurable and involve subjectivity in evaluation that highlights the use of fuzzy-based method. In this paper, a risk-based framework earlier proposed by Tesfamariam and Saatcioglu (2008a) is extended using Fuzzy-TOPSIS method and applied to develop an evaluation and ranking scheme for steel buildings. The ranking is based on damageability that can help decision makers interpret the results and take appropriate decision actions. Finally, the application of conceptual model is demonstrated through a case study of 1994 Northridge earthquake data on seismic damage of steel buildings.