This study explores the seismic performance of steel diaphragm walls in underground structures, a critical aspect of structural engineering. The study focuses on the effects of slab diaphragm flexibility, an often overlooked factor in seismic design. Traditional seismic designs often assume the slab acts as a rigid diaphragm, leading to inaccuracies in predicting how forces are distributed between the slab and walls during an earthquake. To address this, the authors model steel diaphragm walls using equivalent cross-sections and analyze shear forces in both rigid and semi-rigid diaphragm scenarios. Results show that semi-rigid diaphragms reduce the shear forces on the exterior walls while increasing them on the internal core, thereby affecting the overall stiffness of the structure. The study emphasizes the importance of considering diaphragm flexibility in seismic design to achieve more accurate predictions of structural behavior and improve construction efficiency.

IIn the context of site response analysis, the use of shear wave velocity (  ) profiles that consider the seismological rock (  ≥ 3,000 m/s) depth is recommended. This study proposes regression analysis and machine learning-based models to predict deep   profiles for a specialized excavated rock site in South Korea. The regression model was developed by modifying mathematical expressions from a previous study and analyzing the correlation between   and model variables to predict deep   beyond 50 m. The machine learning models, designed using tree-based algorithms and a fully connected hierarchical structure, were developed to predict   from 51 m to 300 m at 1 m intervals. These models were validated by comparing them with measured deep   profiles and accurately estimating the trend of deep   variations. The proposed prediction models are expected to improve the accuracy of ground motion predictions for a specialized excavated rock site in Korea.

In this study, the pre-stress characteristics of magnetic rheological rubber, an intelligent material widely applied to mechanical systems, are measured. Intelligent materials are substances that change their properties in response to external inputs and are extensively used in mechanical systems. Magnetic rheological rubber is a representative intelligent material that can exhibit variable characteristics depending on the conditions. When measuring the physical properties of magnetic rheological rubber, it is placed in a magnetic field application device, where a magnetic field is applied, and the material is subjected to pre-stress. Similarly, when manufacturing intelligent mechanical systems using magnetic rheological rubber, pre-stress is induced by components used to apply the magnetic field. Generally, when a material is subjected to pre-stress, its properties change. Consequently, the performance of magnetic rheological rubber under pre-stress also varies. If the characteristics of the material under pre-stress change, the expected performance during design may deviate, leading to differences in the mechanical system's performance from the intended design. This variability makes it challenging to design mechanical systems based on intelligent materials, highlighting the importance of experimentally investigating their characteristics. Therefore, this study measures and identifies the pre-stress characteristics of magnetic rheological rubber under pre-stress. These findings can be applied to improve the measurement methods and design approaches for magnetic rheological rubber in pre-stressed conditions.

압축하중을 받는 콘크리트 충전 강관(CFT) 부재는 강관에 의한 심부구속효과로 인해 내부 콘크리트의 취성이 감소하며, 이는 CFT 부재의 압축강도를 크게 증가시킨다. 본 연구에서는 강관을 퍼포본드 리브 전단연결재로 보강하여 콘크리트의 심부구속효과를 향상 시키고, 유한요소해석 모델에서 재료 특성 및 경계 조건을 설정하여 이를 평가하였다. 이때, 강재와 콘크리트 사이의 계면 거동을 보 다 정확하게 모사하기 위해 cohesive element를 사용하였으며, 이를 통해 강관과 콘크리트 간 하중 전달을 모델링하였다. 전단연결재 로 인한 심부구속효과 향상을 검증하기 위해 퍼포본드 리브 전단연결재가 적용된 CFT 부재의 축소 모델에 대한 실험 및 유한요소해 석을 수행하였고, 전단연결재가 없는 CFT 부재와의 비교를 통해 성능 향상이 확인되었다. 퍼포본드 리브 전단연결재는 홀의 지름 및 개수를 변화시키며 파라미터 스터디를 수행하였고, 이로 인해 전단연결재의 전단저항력 변화가 심부구속효과에 미치는 영향에 대해 평가하였다. 전단연결재의 전단저항력 변화에 따른 CFT 부재의 구조적 성능 차이를 분석하면서, 실험과 유한요소해석의 일치성을 검토하였다.

Liquid hydrogen, a promising energy carrier, necessitates robust storage and transportation systems due to its extremely low boiling point. Consequently, the development of reliable cryogenic adhesives and standardized testing protocols is crucial. This study focused on optimizing the design of a gripper used in single lap shear tests for evaluating cryogenic adhesives, specifically targeting the challenges posed by low-temperature conditions that induce slippage at the gripper interface. The optimal design was performed using a total of five variables, including the position and size of the gripper. By employing the genetic algorithm coupled with finite element analysis, we exhaustively searched through over 1000 models to identify the optimal gripper geometry. We successfully minimized stress concentration at the gripper region while maintaining a uniform stress distribution on the non-bonded surface. Furthermore, the study explored the impact of symmetric versus asymmetric gripper configurations on test results. The findings revealed that symmetric grippers generally yielded more consistent and reliable data. This study's results enable the accurate and stable execution of lap shear tests under the temperature conditions of liquefied hydrogen.

Strong ground motions at specific sites can cause severe damage to structures. Understanding the influence of site characteristics on the dynamic response of structures is crucial for evaluating their seismic performance and mitigating the potential damage caused by site effects. This study investigates the impact of the average shear wave velocity, as a site characteristic, on the seismic response of low-to-medium-rise reinforced concrete buildings. To explore them, one-dimensional soil column models were generated using shear wave velocity profile from California, and nonlinear site response analyses were performed using bedrock motions. Nonlinear dynamic structural analyses were conducted for reinforced concrete moment-resisting frame models based on the regional information. The effect of shear wave velocity on the structural response and surface ground motions was examined. The results showed that strong ground motions tend to exhibit higher damping on softer soils, reducing their intensity, while on stiffer soils, the ground motion intensity tends to amplify. Consequently, the structural response tended to increase on stiffer soils compared to softer soils.

노후 건축물은 불충분한 전단성능으로 인해 위험성이 증가하고 있다. 특히, 콘크리트 보의 전단 성능은 구조물의 붕괴를 지 연시키는 것에 있어 중요하다. 이를 개선하기 위해 본 연구는 철근콘크리트보의 전단보강 기법을 제안하고 성능을 실험적으로 평가하 였다. 이를 위해 기존 니켈-티타늄계 형상기억합금보다 경제성이 우수한 철계 형상기억합금(Fe SMA)을 선정하였다. 불충분한 내부 횡 방향 철근이 반영된 세 개의 콘크리트 보를 제작하였고 무보강, 100mm 간격, 200mm 간격의 보강 간격을 적용하였다. 정적가력시험 결과, 보강된 시험체가 강성 증진에 효과적인 것으로 밝혀졌다. 특히, 200mm 간격의 보강은 콘크리트 보의 연성적인 휨거동도 이끌어 내었다.

Environmental pollution has led to global warming, which threatens human life. In response, hydrogen is gaining attention as a next-generation energy source that does not emit carbon. Due to its explosive nature, special care must be taken in the safe storage and transportation of hydrogen. Among various storage methods, liquefied storage, which can reduce its volume to 1/800, is considered efficient. However, since its boiling point reaches -253°C, the design of an insulation system is essential. For the design of insulation systems applied to large containers, a membrane-type design is required, which necessitates the use of cryogenic adhesives. To evaluate whether the cryogenic adhesive is properly implemented, assessments such as tensile and shear tests are necessary. This study presents a methodology for shear evaluation. Conventional methods for shear evaluation of adhesives result in slippage, preventing proper assessment. Therefore, a method involving drilling holes in the gripper and pulling from the holes must be applied. Optimal design concerning the size and location of the holes is required, and this study derives optimal values based on finite element analysis. By conducting experiments based on the results of this study, it is expected that the risk of gripper damage will be minimized, allowing for accurate evaluation of the adhesive’s performance.

Machine learning is widely applied to various engineering fields. In structural engineering area, machine learning is generally used to predict structural responses of building structures. The aging deterioration of reinforced concrete structure affects its structural behavior. Therefore, the aging deterioration of R.C. structure should be consider to exactly predict seismic responses of the structure. In this study, the machine learning based seismic response prediction model was developed. To this end, four machine learning algorithms were employed and prediction performance of each algorithm was compared. A 3-story coupled shear wall structure was selected as an example structure for numerical simulation. Artificial ground motions were generated based on domestic site characteristics. Elastic modulus, damping ratio and density were changed to considering concrete degradation due to chloride penetration and carbonation, etc. Various intensity measures were used input parameters of the training database. Performance evaluation was performed using metrics like root mean square error, mean square error, mean absolute error, and coefficient of determination. The optimization of hyperparameters was achieved through k-fold cross-validation and grid search techniques. The analysis results show that neural networks and extreme gradient boosting algorithms present good prediction performance.

본 연구에서는 구조물의 재료, 구조물의 단면, 지진 하중등의 불확실성을 고려한 저형 전단벽의 최대 전단력를 예측하는 뉴 런-네트워크 모델을 개발하였다. 이를 위해 실험 데이터를 통해 검증된 박스타입 저형 전단벽 수치해석 모델을 구축하였고, 가정된 분 포를 통해 200개의 구조물의 재료, 단면변수를 라틴 하이퍼 큐브 샘플링을 통해 추출하였다. 또한 이전 연구에서 사용된 인공지진파를 데이터를 기반으로 10개의 다른 PGA 레벨별 총 200개의 인공지진파 데이터를 구축하였다. 뉴런-네트워크 모델의 Training 및 testing을 위해 200개의 데이터셋에 상응 수치해석 모델을 구축하고 최대 전단력을 산출하였다. 이렇게 구축된 데이터셋을 이용하여 최종적으로 뉴런-네트워크 모델을 확정하였다. 마지막으로 구축된 모델로부터 얻어진 취약도와 기존에 사용되는 방법들로부터 얻은 취약도를 비교, 분석하여 본 연구에서 구축된 모델의 정확도를 보여주었다.

In this study, we report the microstructural evolution and shear strength of an Sn-Sb alloy, used for die attach process as a solder layer of backside metal (BSM). The Sb content in the binary system was less than 1 at%. A chip with the Sn-Sb BSM was attached to a Ag plated Cu lead frame. The microstructure evolution was investigated after die bonding at 330 °C, die bonding and isothermal heat treatment at 330 °C for 5 min and wire bonding at 260 °C, respectively. At the interface between the chip and lead frame, Ni3Sn4 and Ag3Sn intermetallic compounds (IMCs) layers and pure Sn regions were confirmed after die bonding. When the isothermal heat treatment is conducted, pure Sn regions disappear at the interface because the Sn is consumed to form Ni3Sn4 and Ag3Sn IMCs. After the wire bonding process, the interface is composed of Ni3Sn4, Ag3Sn and (Ag,Cu)3Sn IMCs. The Sn-Sb BSM had a high maximum shear strength of 78.2 MPa, which is higher than the required specification of 6.2 MPa. In addition, it showed good wetting flow.

Code-compliant seismic design should be essentially applied to realize the so-called emulative performance of precast concrete (PC) lateral force-resisting systems, and this study developed simple procedures to design precast industrial buildings with intermediate precast bearing wall systems considering both the effect of seismic and blast loads. Seismic design provisions specified in ACI 318 and ASCE 7 can be directly adopted, for which the so-called 1.5S y condition is addressed in PC wall-to-wall and wall-to-base connections. Various coupling options were considered and addressed in the seismic design of wall-to-wall connections for the longitudinal and transverse design directions to secure optimized performance and better economic feasibility. On the other hand, two possible methods were adopted in blast analysis: 1) Equivalent static analysis (ESA) based on the simplified graphic method and 2) Incremental dynamic time-history analysis (IDTHA). The ESA is physically austere to use in practice for a typical industrial PC-bearing wall system. Still, it showed an overestimating trend in terms of the lateral deformation. The coupling action between precast wall segments appears to be inevitably required due to substantially large blast loads compared to seismic loads with increasing blast risk levels. Even with the coupled-precast shear walls, the design outcome obtained from the ESA method might not be entirely satisfactory to the drift criteria presented by the ASCE Blast Design Manual. This drawback can be overcome by addressing the IDTHA method, where all the design criteria were fully satisfied with precast shear walls’ non-coupling and group-coupling strength, where each individual or grouped shear fence was designed to possess 1.5S y for the seismic design.

The design shear strength equations of RC shear walls have been developed based on their performance under in-plane (IP) loads, thereby failing to account for the potential performance degradation of shear strength when subjected to simultaneous out-of-plane (OOP) loading. Most of the previous experimental studies on RC walls have been conducted in one direction under quasi-static conditions, and due to the difficulty in experimental planning, there is a lack of research on cyclic loading and results under multi-axial loading conditions. During an earthquake, shear walls may yield earlier than their design strength or fail unexpectedly when subjected to multi-directional forces, deviating from their intended failure mode. In this paper, nonlinear analysis in finite element models was performed based on the results of cyclic loading experiments on reinforced concrete shear walls of auxiliary buildings. To investigate the reduction trend in IP shear capacity concerning the OOP load ratio, parametric analysis was conducted using the shear wall FEM. The analysis results showed that as the magnitude of the OOP load increased, the IP strength decreased, with a more significant effect observed as the size of the opening increased. Thus, the necessity to incorporate this strength reduction as a factor for the OOP load effect in the wall design strength equation should be discussed by performing various parametric studies.

Steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) have been recognized as an effective seismic-force resisting systems due to their excellent strength and stiffness characteristics. The infill steel plate in a SPSW is constrained by a boundary frame consisting of vertical and horizontal structural members. The main purpose of this study was to investigate deformation modes and hysteretic characteristics of steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) to consider the effects of their aspect ratios and width-to-thicness ratios. The finite element model (FEM) was establish in order to simulate cyclic responses of SPSWs which have the two-side clamped boundary condition and made of conventional steel grade. The stress distribution obtained from the FEA results demonstrated that the principal stresses on steel plate with large thickness-to-width ratio were more uniformly distributed along its horizontal cross section due to the formation of multiple struts.

The current study investigates the seismic performance of shear-dominant RC columns retrofitted with iron-based shape memory alloy (Fe SMA). Three RC columns with insufficient transverse reinforcement were designed and fabricated for lateral cyclic loading tests. Before testing, two specimens were externally confined with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets and self-prestressed Fe SMA strips. The test results showed that both CFRP and Fe SMA performed well in preventing severe shear failure exhibited by the unretrofitted control specimen. Furthermore, the two retrofitted specimens showed ductile flexural responses up to the drift ratios of ±8%. In terms of damage control, however, the Fe SMA confinement was superior to CFRP confinement in that the spalling of concrete was much less and that the rupture of confinement did not occur.

Understanding the behavior of soil under cyclic loading conditions is essential for assessing its response to seismic events and potential liquefaction. This study investigates the effect of non-plastic fines content (FC) on excess pore pressure generation in medium-density sand-silt mixtures subjected to strain-controlled cyclic direct simple shear (CDSS) tests. The investigation is conducted by analyzing excess pore pressure (EPP) ratios and the number of cycles to liquefaction (Ncyc-liq) under varying shear strain levels and FC values. The study uses Jumunjin sand and silica silt with FC values ranging from 0% to 40% and shear strain levels of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.5%, and 1.0%. The findings indicate that the EPP ratio increases rapidly during loading cycles, with higher shear strain levels generating more EPP and requiring fewer cycles to reach liquefaction. At 1.0% and 0.5% shear strain levels, FC has a limited effect on Ncyc-liq. However, at a lower shear strain level of 0.2%, increasing FC from 0 to 10% reduces Ncyc-liq from 42 to 27, and as FC increases further, Ncyc-liq also increases. In summary, this study provides valuable insights into the behavior of soil under cyclic loading conditions. It highlights the significance of shear strain levels and FC values in excess pore pressure generation and liquefaction susceptibility.

For important structures such as nuclear power plants, In-Structure Response Spectrum (ISRS) analysis is essential because it evaluates the safety of equipment and components installed in the structure. Because most structures are asymmetric, the response can be affected by eccentricity. In the case of seismically isolated structures, this effect can be greater due to the difference between the center of mass of the structure and the center of rigidity of the isolator layer. Therefore, eccentricity effects must be considered when designing or evaluating the ISRS of seismically isolated structures. This study investigated the change of the ISRS of an isolated structure by assuming accidental eccentricity. The variables that affect the ISRS of the isolated structure were analyzed to see what additional impact they had due to eccentricity. The ISRS of the seismically isolated structure with eccentricity was amplified more than when there was non-eccentricity, and it was boosted more significantly in specific period ranges depending on the isolator’s initial stiffness and seismic intensity. Finally, whether the displacement requirement of isolators can be applied to the variation of the ISRS due to eccentricity in the design code was also examined.

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) exhibits superior tensile strength and corrosion resistance compared to steel but has a lower elasticity. Recently, researchers have addressed this by proposing composite sections of FRP and concrete. To ensure the intended composite behavior, these FRP–concrete sections should exhibit sufficient stress transfer between the two elements through a shear connection. Herein, various shear connection methods were proposed to improve the composite behavior of glass fiber–reinforced polymer (GFRP) plates and concrete. Through push-out tests, the behavior characteristics of the prepared specimens were analyzed. The findings confirm that an FRP shear key (FSK) with a small cross-section resists high shear stresses, making it suitable for sections vulnerable to damage from bolt drilling. Additionally, combining an FSK with bolts as shear connectors on a GFRP plate proves beneficial in preventing the fracture of the plate and improving the shear resistance.

본 논문에서는 유한요소해석 프로그램을 통해 파괴 거동 유형별 철근콘크리트 기둥 및 폭발 하중을 모델링하였으며, 실제 실험과 의 동적 응답을 비교하여 모델의 적합성을 입증하였다. 개발한 모델을 이용하여 폭발 하중에 대한 부재의 동적 응답을 확인하기 위해 폭발 하중 시나리오를 설정하였으며 해당 시나리오별 폭발 하중에 대한 시간에 따른 변위 및 응력 결과를 도출하였다. 동적 응답을 통 해 폭발 하중에 대한 기둥의 성능평가(Ductility, Residual)를 수행하였으며 이를 비교 및 분석하였다.