• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.151-160
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• 2010

The number of cases of collapsed plastic greenhouses in farmlands has increased due to the heavy local snowfall caused by extraordinary atmospheric phenomena. Consequently, the economic losses of farmers have also increased. However the government policy in relation to damage pretension is insufficient and collapse case is repeated every year. The main reason for frame collapse is that the moment capacity of a steel pipe is not sufficient to resist a heavy snowload. In this study, experiments were conducted on the current frame system of a greenhouse with a tension tie. The frame consisted of two sections(${\phi}25.4{\times}1.5$, ${\phi}31.8{\times}1.5$), and its span length was 6.5 m. A temporary tension tie using a steel wire and a fabric rope was connected to the two joints, to which a curved beam and a straight column were connected. The pretension force was applied at the tension tie, and a vertical force simulating snowfall was applied until failure. The fabric rope frame increased the load-carrying capacity by 10-45% compared to the normal frame without a tension tie, and the steel wire frame increased the load-carrying capacity by 58-73% compared to the normal frame without a tension tie. Steel wire was found to be more effective as far as strength is concerned, but its connection details and pretension application are more difficult and complicated than those of the fabric rope. The test results thus show that the fabric rope is more preferable.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.41-49
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• 2011

A long-span (more than 8m) plastic greenhouse is currently being used in farms due to its magnified benefits, such as the convenience of the farming equipment used, and the land usage efficiency. In this study, the reinforcing effects of the use of a pretension tie were shown. In a previous study, tests for a 6.5m single-span-type greenhouse announced by Rural Development Administration were carried out. The tests of symmetric and eccentrics now loading by the sun and wind were conducted for the 10.2m span with a ${\phi}48.1{\times}2.1$ section in this study, after which the load-deflection relationship was compared for the cases of reinforcement with a tie and without a tie. The results of the symmetric snow loading test showed that the strength increased by 68~93% in the case of the specimen with a tied arch. The failure mode of the specimen without a tie tended to be that with a sway failure mechanism, and that of the reinforcement specimens with a tie tended to be that with an arch buckling mechanism. The results of the eccentric snow loading test showed that the strength of the specimen with a tie increased by 10~20% compared to that of the specimen without a tie. For the failure mode of the latter, a combined failure mechanism was adapted, although the failure mode of the tied specimens tended to be that with an arch buckling mechanism.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.67-74
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• 2010

The cases of collapse of greenhouses in rural areas have been increasing due to the unexpected heavy snow load. Studies on how to prevent the collapse of greenhouses are rare, however, and the damages are repeated annually. This studysuggests two reinforcing methods: the use of ahigh-strength tapered module, and the addition of a pre-tension tie. The high-strength tapered section is installed where the bending moment is maximum. The design of a plastic greenhouse is controlled by its strength rather than its deflection. The shape of a greenhouse resembles that of an arch system, but its actual structural behavior is the frame behavior, because it is non-continually composed of a curved element (a beam) and vertical elements (columns). This system is too weak and slender to resist a vertical load, because an external load is resisted by the moment rather than by axial force. In this study, a new method, the installation of a temporary tie at the junction of the arch and the column only during snow accumulation, is proposed. The tie changes the action of the greenhouse frame to an arch action. The arch action is more effective when the pre-tension force is applied in the tie, which results in a very strong temporary structural system during snowfall. As a result of using this high-strength tapered section, the combined strength ratio of what? decreased from 10% to 30%. In the case of the additional reinforcement with a tie, it was reduced by half.