• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.29-37
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• 2022

The collapse of reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings is mainly caused by the failure of columns. To prevent brittle failure of RC column, numerous studies have been conducted on the seismic performance of strengthened RC columns. Concrete jacketing method, which is one of the retrofitting method of RC members, can enhance strength and stiffness of original RC column with enlarged section and provide uniformly distributed lateral load capacity throughout the structure. The experimental studies have been conducted by many researchers to analyze seismic performance of seismic strengthened RC column. However, structures which have plan and vertical irregularities shows torsional behavior, and therefore it causes large deformation on RC column when subjected to seismic load. Thus, test results from concentric cyclic loading can be overestimated comparing to eccentric cyclic test results, In this paper, two kinds of eccentric loading pattern was suggested to analyze structural performance of RC columns, which are strengthened by concrete jacketing method with new details in jacketed section. Based on the results, it is concluded that specimens strengthened with new concrete jacketing method increased 830% of maximum load, 150% of maximum displacement and changed the failure modes of non-strengthened RC columns.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.283-294
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• 2022

In this study, a new seismic retrofit scheme of building structures is developed by combining a steel moment frame and steel slit plates to be installed inside of an existing reinforced concrete frame. This device has the energy dissipation capability of slit dampers with slight loss of stiffness compared to the conventional steel frame reinforcement method. In order to investigate the seismic performance of the retrofit system, it was installed inside of a reinforced concrete frame and tested under cyclic loading. Finite element analysis was carried out for validation of the test results, and it was observed that the analysis and the test results match well. An analytical model was developed to apply the retrofit system to a commercial software to be used for seismic retrofit design of an example structure. The effectiveness of the retrofit scheme was investigated through nonlinear time-history response analysis (NLTHA). The cyclic loading test showed that the steel frame with slit dampers provides significant increase in strength and ductility to the bare structure. According to the analysis results of a case study building, the proposed system turned out to be effective in decreasing the seismic response of the model structure below the given target limit state.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-27
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• 2022

Extensive laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the effect of load amplitude, geogrid position, and number of geogrid layers, thickness of ballast layer and clay stiffness on behavior of reinforced ballast layer and induced strains in geogrid. A half full-scale railway was constructed for carrying out the tests, the model consists of two rails 800 mm in length with three wooden sleepers (900 mm × 10 mm × 10 mm). The ballast was overlying 500 mm thickness clay in two states, soft and stiff state. Laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the response of the ballast and the clay layers where the ballast was reinforced by a geogrid. Settlement in ballast and clay, soil pressure and pore water pressure induced in the clay were measured in reinforced and unreinforced ballast cases. It was concluded that the effect of frequency on the settlement ratio is almost constant after 500 cycles. This is due to that the total settlement after 500 cycles, almost reached its peak value, which means that the ballast particles become very close to each other, so the frequency is less effective for high contact particles forces. The average maximum vertical stress and pore water pressure increased with frequency.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.577-589
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• 2023

In this study, on-site testing was carried out to investigate the vibration performance of a cold-formed thin-walled steel floor system. Ambient vibration, walking excitation (single and double persons), and impulsive excitation (heel-drop and jumping) were considered to capture the primary vibration parameters (natural frequencies, damping ratios, and mode shapes) and vertical acceleration response. Meanwhile, to discuss the influence of cement fiberboard on structural vibration, the primary vibration parameters were compared between the systems with and without the installation of cement fiberboard. Based on the experimental analysis, the cold-formed thin-walled steel floor possesses high frequency (> 10 Hz) and damping (> 2%); the installed cement fiberboard mainly increases the mass of floor system without effectively increasing the floor stiffness and may reduce the effects of primary vibration parameters on acceleration response; and the human-structure interaction should be considered when analyzing the vibration serviceability. The comparison of the experimental results with those in the AISC Design Guide indicates that the cold-formed thin-walled steel floor exhibits acceptable vibration serviceability. A crest factor 𝛽_rp (ratio of peak to root-mean-square accelerations) is proposed to determine the root-mean-square acceleration for convenience.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.567-581
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• 2023

Enhanced vertical load capacity of the ground reinforced with the stone columns drew great attention by the researchers as it deals with many of the geotechnical difficulties associated with the weak ground. Recently, it has been found that the stone columns are also prone to fail under the shear load when employed beneath the embankments or the foundations susceptible to lateral loads. In this study, the effect of various encasement conditions on the lateral deflection of stone columns is investigated. A method of dual layers of encasement has been introduced and its the effect on lateral load capacity of the stone columns has been compared with those of the single encased stone column and the un-encased stone columns. Large shear box tests were utilised to generate the shear deformation on the soil system under various normal pressure conditions. The stiffness of the soil-stone column combined system has been compared for various cases of encasement conditions with different diameters. When subjected to lateral deformation, the encased columns outperformed the un-encased stone columns installed in loose sand. Shear stress resistance is up to 1.7 times greater in dual-layered, encased columns than in unencased columns. Similarly, the secant modulus increases as the condition changes from an unencased stone column to single-layer encasement and then to dual-layer encasement, indicating an improvement in the overall soil-stone column system.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.173-184
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• 2023

In this study, the flexural behaviors of one- and two-way reinforced concrete (RC) slabs strengthened with carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips under impact loads were investigated. The flexural strengthening of RC slabs under simulated static monotonic loads has been comprehensively studied. However, the flexural behavior of RC slabs strengthened with CFRP strips has not been investigated extensively, particularly those conducted numerically. Nonlinear three-dimensional finite element models were developed, executed, and verified against previous experimental results, producing satisfactory models with approximately 4% error. The models were extended to a parametric study, considering three geometric parameters: the slab rectangularity ratio, CFRP strip width, and CFRP strip configuration. Finally, the main results were used to derive a new formula for predicting the total deflection of RC slabs strengthened with CFRP strips under impact loads with an error of approximately 10%. The proposed equation reflected the slab rectangularity, CFRP strip width, equivalent slab stiffness, and dropped weight. Results indicated that the use of CFRP strips enhanced the overall impact performance, the wider the CFRP width, the better the enhancement. Moreover, the application of diagonally oriented CFRP strips diminished the cracking zone compared to straight strips. Additionally, the diagonal orientation of CFRP strips was more efficient for two-way slabs while the vertical orientation was found to be better in the case of one-way slabs.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.205-215
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• 2023

Currently, many studies are underway at home and abroad on the seismic performance evaluation and dry construction method of the masonry structure. In this study, a dry stack masonry wall system without mortar using concrete blocks is proposed, and investigate the seismic performance of dry filling wall frames through experimental studies. First, two types of standard blocks and key blocks were designed to assemble dry walls of concrete blocks. And then, three types of experiments were manufactured, including pure frame, 1/2 height filling wall frame, and full height filling wall frame, and cyclic load experiments in horizontal direction were performed to analyze crack patterns, load displacement history, rebar deformation yield, effective stiffness change, displacement ductility, and energy dissipation capacity. According to the experimental results, the full height filling wall frame had the largest horizontal resistance against the earthquake load and showed a high energy dissipation capacity. However, the 1/2 height filling wall frame requires attention because the filling wall constrains the effective span of the column, limiting the horizontal displacement of the frame. In addition, the concrete block was firmly assembled in the vertical direction of the wall as the horizontal movement between the concrete blocks was allowed within installation margin, and there was no dropping of the assembled concrete block.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.88 no.4
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• pp.379-387
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• 2023

Wind and earthquake loads may cause strong vibrations in large-span cable-stayed bridges, leading to the inability of the bridge to operate normally. An improved Pounding Tuned Mass Damper (PTMD) system was designed to improve the safety of the large-span cable-stayed bridge. The vibration control effect of the improved PTMD system on the large-span cablestayed bridge under the combined action of earthquake-wind-traffic was studied. Furthermore, the impact of different parameters on the vibration suppression performance of the improved PTMD system was analyzed. The numerical results indicate that the PTMD system is very effective in suppressing the displacements of the bridge caused by both the traffic-wind coupling and traffic-earthquake coupling. Moreover, the number, mass ratio, pounding stiffness, and gap values have a significant influence on the vibration suppression performance of the improved PTMD system. When the number of PTMD is increased from 3 to 9, the vibration reduction ratio of the vertical displacement is increased from 25.39% to 48.05%. As the mass ratio changes from 0.5% to 2%, the vibration reduction ratio increases significantly from 22.23% to 53.30%.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.9-24
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• 2024

In order to study the shear mechanical behavior of prefabricated and assembled multi-key group stud connectors, this paper conducted push-out tests on 10 prefabricated and assembled multi-key group stud connectors, distributed in 5 groups, and detailed the failure modes of each specimen. Based on the finite element software, a total of 22 models of this type of stud connector are established, and validated the finite element models using the push-out tests. Furthermore, the effects of stud diameter, number of key groups, and spacing of key groups on the shear resistance of prefabricated and assembled multi-key group stud connectors are analyzed. Combined with the test and finite element, the force analysis is carried out for the stud and first-pouring and post-pouring concrete. The results show that the spacing and number of key groups have a significant impact on the shear capacity and shear stiffness of the specimen. For a single stud, the shear force is transferred to the surrounding concrete via the stud's root. When the stud is finally cut, the steel and the concrete plate are separated. Under vertical shear force, the top row of studs experiences the highest shear, while the middle row has the least. Based on statistical regression, a formula of assembled multi-key group stud connectors is proposed.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.93-101
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• 2024

This paper presents an experimental and analytical study on a steel slit damper designed as an energy dissipative device for earthquake protection of structures considering soil-structure interaction. The steel slit damper is made of a steel plate with a number of slits cut out of it. The slit damper has an advantage as a seismic energy dissipation device in that the stiffness and the yield force of the damper can be easily controlled by changing the number and size of the vertical strips. Cyclic loading tests of the slit damper are carried out to verify its energy dissipation capability, and an analytical model is developed validated based on the test results. The seismic performance of a case study building is then assessed using nonlinear dynamic analysis with and without soil-structure interaction. The soil-structure system turns out to show larger seismic responses and thus seismic retrofit is required to satisfy a predefined performance limit state. The developed slit dampers are employed as a seismic energy dissipation device for retrofitting the case study structure taking into account the soil-structure interaction. The seismic performance evaluation of the model structure shows that the device works stably and dissipates significant amount of seismic energy during earthquake excitations, and is effective in lowering the seismic response of structures standing on soft soil.