Non-uniform reinforced concrete brace facade systems are newly considered to improve seismic performance of reinforced concrete frame buildings under lateral load. For normal and high strength concrete of 30MPa, 80MPa, and 120MPa, the cross-sections of reinforced concrete brace facade systems were designed as different size with same amount of reinforcements. The strengthened frame systems were analyzed by a non-linear two-dimensional finite element technique which was considering material non-linearities of concrete and reinforcing bars under monotonic and cyclic loadings. From the study of non-linear analysis of the systems, therefore, it was provided that the proposed braced facade systems were reliable to improve laterally load-carrying capacity and minimize damages of concrete members through comparisons of load-displacement curves, crack patterns, and stress distributions of reinforcing bars predicted by current non-linear finite element analysis of frame specimens.

The seismic retrofits of existing structures have been focused on the control of structural responses which can be achieved by providing displacement capacity through inelastic ductile action at supplemental devices. Due to their hysteretic characteristics, it is expected to sustain damage through repeated inelastic behaviors including residual deformation which might increase repair costs. To solve such drawbacks of existing yielding devices, this study proposes a self-centering disc spring brace that sustains large axial deformation without structural damage while providing stable energy dissipation capacity. The hysteretic behaviors of suggested brace are first investigated based on the quasi-static cyclic test procedure. Experimental results present the effective self-centering behavior and an analytical model is then suggested in order to reasonably capture the flag-shaped hysteretic behavior of the disc spring brace.

This study aims to assess the seismic performance of retrofitted reinforced concrete columns using a Replaceable Steel Brace (RSB) system, subjected to combined axial, lateral, and torsional loadings. Through experimental testing, one non-retrofitted concrete column specimen and two retrofitted specimens with variable sliding slot lengths were subjected to eccentric lateral loads to simulate realistic seismic loading. The retrofitted specimens with RSBs exhibited enhanced resistance against shear cracking, effective torsional resistance, and demonstrated the feasibility of easy replacement. The RSB system substantially improved seismic performance, achieving approximately 1.7 times higher load capacity and 3.5 times greater energy dissipation compared to non-retrofitted column, thus validating its efficacy under combined loading conditions.

The purpose of this study is to experimentally analyze the seismic performance of column with RSB (Replaceable Steel Brace), a steel brace system with slot length as a variable. To evaluate the seismic performance of the RSB, three specimens were manufactured and subjected to cyclic loading tests. The length of the sliding slots were considered to be 5 mm and 10mm to enable the brace to resist the load from the initiation of flexural crack and shear crack. As a result of the test, the specimen reinforced with the RSB showed improved maximun load and effective stiffness, and energy dissipation capacity compared to the non-reinforced specimens. The specimens with 5mm sliding slot showed little difference in test result compared to the specimen with a 10mm sliding slot, indicating that the length of sliding slot has little influence on the effectiveness of RSB.

This study analyzed 214 sports knee braces found on Chinese websites between October 2022 and November 2022 to assess product type (impact protection material, fastening method, and protection method), material composition, size, weight, and main characteristics. The product type was further categorized according to (1) use of hard guard and soft guard protection method; (2) cover type, strap type, and slip-on type fastening method; and (3) pressure type and support type protection method. It also noted the physical shock protection materials used, including foam (EVA or polyurethane) attached to joints as a buffer material and plastic (TPU or PP) that protects the user’s knee from external impacts. The study found that the materials that primarily comprise sports knee braces are a combination of nylon, polyester, and neoprene. Additionally, it found that most sports knee braces available on the market are available in three sizes based on knee circumference: M (35–38cm), L (38–41cm), and XL (41–44cm), while some products are available in one size only. Furthermore, the majority of the 214 products studied weighed 200g, followed by 1,000g. Finally, in terms of product characteristics, many sports knee braces utilize ring-shaped silicone pads to distribute the load pressure on the knees or incorporate sturdy adhesive velcro to improve knee stability.

Buckling Restrained Braces can not only express the strength considered at the time of design, but also reduce the seismic load by energy dissipation according to the plastic behavior after yield deformation of the steel core. The physical characteristics and damping effect may be different according to the buckling prevention method of the steel core by the lateral restraint element. Accordingly, in this study, To compare hysteresis characteristics, Specimen(BRB-C) filled with mortar, specimen(BRB-R) combined with a buckling restraint ring and Specimen(BRB-EP) filled with engineering plastics was fabricated, and a cyclic loading test was performed. As a result of the cyclic loading test, the maximum compressive strength, cumulative energy dissipation and ductility of each test specimen was similar. But in case of the cumulative energy dissipation and ductility, BRB-C filled with the mortar specimen showed the lowest. This is considered to be because the gap between the steel core and the reinforcing material for plastic deformation was not uniformly formed by pouring mortar around the core part.

Steel brace strengthening is the most popular seismic rehabilitation method for school buildings. This is because the design can be conducted by using relatively easy nonlinear pushover analysis and standard modeling in codes. An issue with steel brace strengthening is that the reinforced building should behave elastically to satisfy performance objectives. For this, the size of steel braces should be highly increased, which results in excessive strengthening cost by force concentration on existing members and foundations due to the considerable stiffness and strength of the steel braces. The main reason may be the brittle failure mode of columns, so this study investigated the relationship between the efficiency of steel brace strengthening and column failure modes. The result showed that the efficiency is highly dependent on the shear capacity ratio of columns and structural analysis methods. School buildings reinforced by steel braces do not need to behave elastically when the shear capacity ratio is low, and pushover analysis is used, which means reducing steel material is possible.

In this paper, based on the finite element analysis model verified in previous studies, a new model of a buckling restrained brace reinforced with a steel plate was proposed. A design formula was proposed for the new model to dissipate energy without buckling the steel core under load protocol, and the performance of the model satisfying the design formula was evaluated by comparing it with the previous model through the results of hysteresis loop, bi-linear curve, cumulative energy dissipation capacity, and equivalent viscous damping.

The precast-buckling restrained braces(PC-BRB) reinforced with engineering plastics that can compensate for the disadvantages in the manufacturing process of the existing buckling restrained brace. In this study, to examine the applicability of PC-BRB to actual structures, example structures similar to school facilities were selected and the reinforcement effect was analyzed analytically according to the damping design procedure of PC-BRB. Load-displacement curve through the incremental loading test appeared similar to the bilinear curve. Applying test result, Analytical model of PC-BRB model was constructed and applied to the example structure. As a result of the analysis, the PC-BRB showed stable hysteresis behavior without lowering the strength, and the inter story drift ratio and the shear force were reduced due to the damping effect. In addition, the reduction ratio of the shear force was similar to the reduction ratio assumed when designing the damping device.

초록  In this study, the structural analysis of sway brace device for earthquake-proof which can fix a pipe installed in the building was carried out. The sway brace device was analyzed to evaluate not only the deformations of adaptor fitting, support brace member, structure attachment fitting and clamp sway brace fitting that compose it, but also the effective stress of adaptor fitting combined with support brace member by shear bolt. As a result of structural analysis, it can be seen that the deformation of support brace member influences most of the deformation of sway brace device and the design of adaptor fitting must be modified. Above all, it indicates that the sway brace device is suitable for Korea Fire Institute(KFI) approval standard since its total deformation is smaller than the maximum displacement proposed by KFI. The result of this study can be effectively used to investigate the effective stresses and deformations without the performance test of sway brace device according to its setting angle.

In this paper, nonlinear finite element analysis was conducted based on the experimental results on buckling restrained brace. The reliability of the analytical model was verified by comparing the results of experimental studies with hysteresis loop, bi-linear curve, cumulative energy dissipation capacity, and equivalent viscous damping. A valid finite element model has been secured and will be used as basic data for finite element analysis of buckling restrained braces in the future.

In this study, the Buckling restrained braces reinforced with engineering plastics that can compensate for the disadvantages in the manufacturing process of the existing buckling restrained brace. The proposed PC-BRB was fabricated to evaluate the reinforcement effect by carrying out a structural performance test and a full-scale two-layer frame test through cyclic loading test. As a result of PC-BRB's incremental and cyclic loading test, stable hysteresis behavior was achieved within the target displacement, and the compressive strength adjustment coefficient satisfied the recommendation. As a result of the real frame experiment, the strength of the reinforced specimen increased compared to the unreinforced specimen, and the ductility and energy dissipation increased.

In this study, the seismic performance and behavior characteristics of the upper truss structure of the large stadium are analyzed by nonlinear dynamic analysis. In the nonlinear dynamic analysis, the earthquake records were generated by site response analysis to simulate the nonlinear behavior of the relevant soil condition where the structure is located. Nonlinear dynamic analysis was performed using Perform-3D and the nonlinear properties of the substructure and the superstructure were determined in accordance with KISTEC guideline. According to the analysis results, excessive deformation occurred in the upper truss element, and plastic hinges exceeded the target performance in some members. Buckling-restrained brace is used for seismic retrofit of stadium structures and the analysis results shows the interstory drift satisfies the target performance level with dissipating the seismic energy efficiently.

Recently, as the number of earthquakes has increased, the building structure standard has been revised in 2016. In order to minimize earthquake damage, steel frame is used as the most economical and efficient lateral resistance system. Also, when the steel braces are subject to Compressive load, which causes unstable behavior of the structure. In order to verify the compressive behavior of the reinforced Braces, structural performance tests were conducted with variables of slenderness ratio and the amount of reinforcement. This study investigates the structural performance of existing double - angle steel braces by reinforcing them with non- welded/assembled light-weight steel frames and proposes a suitable reinforced section.

This research presents that seismic performance of steel moment resisting frame building designed by past provision(UBC, Uniform Building Code) before and after retrofitted with BRB (Buckling-Restrained Brace) was evaluated using response modification factor（R-factor). In addition, the seismic performance of the retrofitted past building was compared with that specified in current provision. The past building considered two different connections: bilinear connection, which was used by structural engineer for building design, and brittle connection observed in past earthquakes. The nonlinear pushover analysis and time history analysis were performed for the analytical models considered in this study. The R-factor was calculated based on the analytical results. When comparing the R-factor of the current provision with the calculated R-factor, the results were different due to the hysteresis characteristics of the connection types. After retrofitted with BRBs, the past buildings with the bilinear connection were satisfied with the seismic performance of the current provision. However, the past buildings with the brittle connection was significantly different with the R-factor of the current provision.

The seismic design range for the national public facilities and power plant is expanded such as it becomes the earthquake Disaster Relief Act with the finance since 2008 as the seismic design concept is highly regarded, etc. The reinforcement of the brace is essential for the seismic performance security of the structure which is unable to be satisfied the current seismic design criteria. The tension brace in which the slenderness ratio is big was designed to the unique lateral force resistive element. And the buckling is generated in the first stage and it is unable to exhibit the structural capability. In this research, the buckling strength improvement the reinforcing method of the suggested tension brace tries to be verified through the experiment.