• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.187-205
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• 2010

The existing CFT columns present the deterioration in confining effect after the yield of steel tube, local buckling and the deterioration in load capacity. If lateral load such as earthquake load is applied to CFT columns, strong shearing force and moment are generated at the lower part of the columns and local buckling appears at the column. In this study, axial compression test and beam-column test were conducted for existing CFT square column specimens and those reinforced with carbon fiber sheets (CFS). The variables for axial compression test were width-thickness ratio and the number of CFS layers and those for beamcolumn test were concrete strength and the number of CFS layers. The results of the compression test showed that local buckling was delayed and maximum load capacity improved slightly as the number of layers increased. The specimens' ductility capacity improved due to the additional confinement by carbon fiber sheets which delayed local buckling. In the beam-column test, maximum load capacity improved slightly as the number of CFS layers increased. However, ductility capacity improved greatly as the increased number of CFS layers delayed the local buckling at the lower part of the columns. It was observed that the CFT structure reinforced with carbon fiber sheets controlled the local buckling at columns and thus improved seismic performance. Consequently, it was deduced that the confinement of CFT columns by carbon fiber sheets suggested in this study would be widely used for reinforcing CFT columns.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.213-220
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• 2016

The "China Zun" tower in Beijing will rise to 528 meters in height and will be the tallest building in Beijing once built. Inspired by an ancient Chinese vessel, the "Zun", the plan dimensions reduce gradually from the bottom of the tower to the waist and then expand again as it rises to form an aesthetically beautiful and unique geometry. To satisfy the structural requirement for seismic and wind resistance, the structure is a dual system composed of a perimeter mega structure made of composite mega columns, mega braces, and belt trusses, and a reinforced-concrete core with steel plate-embedded walls. Advanced parametric design technology is applied to find the most efficient outer-perimeter structure system. The seismic design basically follows a mixed empirical and performance-based methodology that was verified by a shaking table test and other specimen lab tests. The tower is now half-way through its construction.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.499-509
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• 2014

This study focuses on mixing steel fiber in the concrete to improve the ductility and toughness of the columns. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the load capacity and deformation capacity associated with the amount of steel fiber and loading condition and to analyze the interplay between the steel fiber reinforced concrete and the welding built-up square tube in terms of structure and fire resistance performance. Reinforcement of concrete with steel fiber(Vf=0.375%), when cross-section shape and boundary condition (load ratio) remained unchanged, improved fire resistance performance by 1.1~1.3 times. It is deemed that the area resisting thermal load increased and fire resistance performance was improved since the concrete reinforced with steel fiber restrained cracking. In addition, the fact that the cross-sections of the concrete were barely damaged indicates that load share capacity was greatly improved.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.397-408
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• 2018

In a recent tragic fire incident, the Plasco Tower collapsed after an intense outburst of fire lasting for three and a half hours and claiming the lives of 16 firefighters and 6 civilians. This paper will present continuing collaborative work between Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Queen's University in Canada to model the progressive collapse of the tower. The fire started at the 10th floor and was observed to have travelled along the floor horizontally and through the staircase and windows vertically. Plasco Tower was steel structure and all the steel sections were fabricated by welding standard European channel or angle profiles and no fire protection was applied. Four internal columns carried the loads transferred by the primary beams, and box columns were constructed along the perimeter of the building as a braced tube for resisting seismic loading. OpenSees fibre-based sections and displacement-based beam-column elements are used to model the frames, while shell elements are used for the reinforced concrete floor slabs. The thermal properties and elevated temperature mechanical properties are as recommended in the Eurocodes. The results in this preliminarily analysis are based on rough estimations of the structure's configuration. The ongoing work looks at modeling the Plasco Tower based on the most accurate findings from reviewing many photographs and collected data.