• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.107-122
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• 2016

We propose an effective methodology using electromechanical impedance characteristics for estimating the remaining tensile force of tendons and simultaneously detecting damages of the anchorage blocks. Once one piezoelectric patch is attached on the anchor head and the other is bonded on the bearing plate, impedance responses are measured through these two patches under varying tensile force conditions. Then statistical indices are calculated from the impedances, and two types of relationship curves between the tensile force and the statistical index (TE Curve) and between statistical indices of two patches (SR Curve) are established. Those are considered as database for monitoring both the tendon and the anchorage system. If damage exists on the bearing plate, the statistical index of patch on the bearing plate would be out of bounds of the SR curve and damage can be detected. A change in the statistical index by damage is calibrated with the SR curve, and the tensile force can be estimated with the corrected index and the TE Curve. For validation of the developed methodology, experimental studies are performed on the scaled model of an anchorage system that is simplified only with 3 solid wedges, a 3-hole anchor head, and a bearing plate. Then, the methodology is applied to a real scale anchorage system that has 19 strands, wedges, an anchor head, a bearing plate, and a steel duct. It is observed that the proposed scheme gives quite accurate estimation of the remaining tensile forces. Therefore, this methodology has great potential for practical use to evaluate the remaining tensile forces and damage status in the post-tensioned structural members.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.369-374
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• 2015

In this paper, an EM sensing based prestressing force estimation method is proposed, in which it can estimate tensile force of PS tendon for PSC girder. The PSC girder has more improved performance than the general concrete girder by introducing the prestressing to the concrete. Thus the PSC girder bridge is widely constructed due to its high performance and low cost. However, the prestressing force has not been managed nevertheless it is major factor for the maintenance of the PSC girder bridge. The prestressing force was just measured during construction using jacking device and after that, it can not be managed. For this reason, this paper proposes a tensile force estimation method of PS tendon based on EM sensor. The permeability of ferroelectric material is changed according to the induced stress to the material, in which it can be measured using EM sensor. To measure the permeability of PS tendon, the EM sensor was fabricated and verified by performing the MTS test. The test was performed using 7-wire steel tendon under the 0, 40, 80, 120, 160, 200 KN of tensile force. The permeability of PS tendon was gradually decreased according to the increasement of tensile force. The regression method was used to find the relation between permeability and stress. As a result, the permeability has linear relation with the tensile force of PS tendon and the pre-stressing force can be estimated by the derived estimation equation.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.461-467
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• 2007

Exact application of the tensile force is critical to high-tension members in civil engineering structures, and thus actual tensile forces have often been estimated in field. To date, a few methodologies have been presented utilizing static and/or dynamic responses of tension members. Each of these methods has its disadvantages as well as advantages in its procedures, accuracy, and equipment requirements. In this paper, the feasibility of a sensitivity based methodology, based on the relationship between the natural frequencies and the applied tensile force, developed by the authors, is verified using the measured data from a cable-stayed bridge structure. From the results, it is shown that the proposed method can be utilized in estimating the tensile force in tension member of a real structure.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.409-419
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• 2013

A T-stub connection with high-strength bolts under tensile force is affected by prying action force and the contact force, among others, between members. If a design equation that does not consider such prying action force and contact force between members is not proposed, the T-stub under tensile force is liable to be fractured under the strength lower than the estimated design strength. To prevent it, many studies have proposed contact force estimation equations between members as well as the prying action force of the T-stub connection with high-strength bolts. However, no design equations based on such research have been proposed in South Korea. Therefore, this study aims to propose an estimation model for more accurate prying action force and contact force, and improve on previously proposed estimation models by implementing the three-dimensional, nonlinear finite element analysis. Throughout the results of three-dimensional, nonlinear finite element analysis, the prediction model proposed in this research for the prying action force and contact force of a T-stub provided much more accurate estimation than that of a existing prediction model previously suggested.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.1A
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• pp.9-18
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• 2009

This paper introduces the application of DE (Differential Evolutionary) method for the estimation of tensile force of the externally prestressed tendon. The proposed technique, a SI (System Identification) method using the DE algorithm, can make global solution search possible as opposed to classical gradient-based optimization techniques. The numerical tests show that the proposed technique employing DE algorithm is a useful method which can detect the effective nominal diameters as well as estimate the exact tensile forces of the externally prestressed tendon with an estimation error less than 1% although there is no a priori information about the identification variables. In addition, the validity of the proposed technique is experimentally proved using a scale-down model test considering the serviceability state condition without and with the loss of the prestressed force. The test results prove that the technique is a feasible and effective method that can not only estimate the exact tensile forces and detect the effective nominal diameters but also inspect the damping properties of test model irrespective of the loss of the prestressed force. The 2% error of the estimated effective nominal diameter is due to the difference between the real tendon diameter with a wired section and the FE model diameter with a full-section. Finally, The accuracy and superiority of the proposed technique using the DE algorithm are verified through the comparative study with the existing theories.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.691-697
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• 2015

In this paper, an embedded EM sensor was researched to estimate prestressing force of PS tendon in PSC girder. Recent methodologies for managing prestressing force loss were staying on verifying a applying prestressing force under construction, namely the loss management can not be controlled after construction. To estimate the tensile force of PS tendon during lifetime of PSC girder, this research proposed a bobbin-type embedded EM sensor that can be embedded in PSC girder is designed and fabricated considering the shape properties of anchorage zone and sheath. To verify the proposed sensor, a small PSC girder test was performed. The embedded EM sensor was connected to a sheath and anchor block, and the concrete was poured. After curing, the change of the permeability of PS tendon under tensile forces of 200, 710, 1070, 1300kN was measured using embedded EM sensor. The permeability of PS tendon had decreased according to the increment of applied tensile force. Also it is confirmed that the change of permeability due to applied tensile force could resolve the applied tensile force values. As a result, proposed embedded EM sensor could be embed into the PSC girder and it could be used to estimate the tensile force variation during lifetime of PSC girder.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.2A
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• pp.215-222
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• 2008

This paper introduces an experimental verification of a tension estimation method based on system identification approach for a double hanger system on a suspension bridge. A laboratory model of such double hanger system has been made for this study. Total nine cases of the vibration tests have been conducted with respect to three levels of applied tension and three cases of the location of clamp. For a set of the collected acceleration response data, modal analysis has been followed in order to extract the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the selected cable systems. For the extracted modal parameters, the existing tension estimation methods based on the string theory and axially loaded beam theory have been firstly applied to estimate the tensile force on the double hanger cable system. Next, the tensile force on cables has been estimated by the system identification approach. It is seen that the errors in the tension estimation using the frequency-based system identification technique are about 3% for all cases while the estimation error using the existing method is up to 53.1%.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.156-159
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• 2008

This paper introduces a remained tensile force estimation method using SI technique based on evolutionary algorithm for externally prestressed tendon. This paper applies the differential evolutionary scheme to SI technique. A virtual model test using ABAQUS 3 dimensional frame model has been made for this work The virtual model is added to the tensile force(28.5kN). Two set of frequencies are extracted respectively from the virtual test and the self-coding FEM 2 dimension model. The estimating tendon tension for the FEM model is 28.31kN. It is that the error in the tendon tension is 1% through the differential evolutionary algorithm. The errors between virtual model and the self-coding FEM model are assumed as the model error.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.106-113
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• 2004

Most of mechanical structures are composed of many substructures connected to one another by various types of mechanical joints. In automotive engineering, it is important to study these connected structures under various dynamic forces for the evaluations of fatigue life and stress concentration exactly. In this study, the dynamic response of vehicle structure to external forces is classified an inverse problem involving strains from the experiment and the analysis. The practical dynamic forces are determined by the combination of the analytical and experimental method with analyzed strain by quasi-static finite element analysis under unit force and with measured strain by a strain gage under driving load, respectively. In a stressed body, inter-molecular chemical bonds are failed beyond the certain magnitude. The failure of molecular structure in material is considered as a time process of which rate is determined by mechanical stress. That is, the failure of inter-molecular chemical bonds is the fatigue lift of material. This kinetic concept is expressed as lethargy coefficient. And S-N curve is obtained with the lethargy coefficient from quasi-static tensile test. Equivalent practical dynamic force is obtained from the identification of practical dynamic force for one loading point. Using the practical dynamic force and S-N curve, fatigue life of a window pillar is analyzed with FEM under the identified force by the procedure of above mentioned.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.87-92
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• 2019

In this paper, we have verified a low-voltage EM(elasto-magnetic) sensing technique for tensile force management of PSC(prestressed concrete) internal tendon in order to apply the technique to actual construction sites where stable power supply is difficult. From observation of past domestic and overseas PSC structural accident cases, it was found that PS tension is very important to maintain structural stability. In this paper, we have tried to measure the tensile force from a magnetic hysteresis curve through EM sensors according to voltage value by using relation between magnetostriction and stress of ferromagnetic material based on elastic-magnetic theory. For this purpose, EM sensor of double cylindrical coil type was fabricated and tensile force test equipment for PS tendon using hydraulic tensioning device was constructed. The experiment was conducted to confirm relationship between changes of permeability and tensile force from the measurement results of the maximum / minimum voltage amount. The change of magnetic hysteresis curve with magnitude of tensile force was also measured by reducing amount of voltage step by step. As a result, the slope of estimation equation in accordance with magnitude of magnetic field decreases with the voltage reduction. But it was confirmed a similar pattern of change of magnetic permeability for the magnetic hysteresis loop. So, in this study, it is considered that it is possible to manage the tensions of PSC internal tendon using EM sensing technique in low-voltage state.