Beschreibung: Antiplane response of two scalene triangular hills and a semi-cylindrical canyon by SH-waves is studied using wave function expansion and complex function method. Firstly, the analytical model is divided into three parts, and the displacement solutions of wave fields are constructed based on boundary conditions in the three regions. Three domains are then conjoined to satisfy the “conjunction” condition at shared boundary. In addition, combined with the zero-stress condition of semi-cylindrical canyon, a series of infinite algebraic equations for the problem are derived. Finally, numerical examples are provided and the influence of different parameters on ground motion is discussed.

Beschreibung: During the NERIES Project, an accelerometric database containing European digital information was developed. Besides event and station metadata, ground motion parameters, computed in a homogeneous manner, were assembled: PGA, PGV, AI, TD, CAV, HI and PSV( f ,5%) (19,961 components, 2629 events, 547 stations). Merging small and moderate magnitude events produced a unique database capable of providing important information such as: (i) Correlations between several ground motion parameters follow analogous trends as in previous worldwide datasets, with slight corrections. (ii) Although PGA attenuations with distance show great uncertainties, four recent GMPEs recommended for Europe fit quite well the central 50% data interval for the distance range 10 〈 R 〈 200 km; outside these distances, they do not fit. (iii) Soil amplification ratios indicate that weak motion (low magnitudes and larger distances) shows larger amplification than strong motion (short distances and large magnitudes) as represented in UBC97 for the USA, but not in EC8 for Europe. (iv) Average spectral shapes are smaller than in the EC8. (v) Differences in amplification factors for PGA, PGV and HI for EC8 soil classes B and C, and differences in spectral shapes for these soil classes, indicate that EC8, Type 2 S-coefficient should be frequency dependent, as in UBC97.

Beschreibung: Based on the Bingham parallel-plate model, a simplified design method of shear-valve magnetorheological (MR) dampers is proposed considering the magnetic circuit optimization. Correspondingly, a new MR damper with a full-length effective damping path is proposed. The prototype dampers are also fabricated and studied numerically and experimentally. According to the test results, the Bingham parallel-plate model is further modified to obtain a damping force prediction model of the proposed MR dampers. This prediction model considers the magnetic saturation phenomenon. The study indicates that the proposed simplified design method is simple, effective and reliable. The maximum damping force of the proposed MR dampers with a full-length effective damping path is at least twice as large as those of conventional MR dampers. The dynamic range of damping force increases by at least 70%. The proposed damping force prediction model considers the magnetic saturation phenomenon and it can realize the actual characteristic of MR fluids. The model is able to predict the actual damping force of MR dampers precisely.

Beschreibung: This paper presents a method for seismic vulnerability analysis of bridge structures based on vector-valued intensity measure (vIM), which predicts the limit-state capacities efficiently with multi-intensity measures of seismic event. Accounting for the uncertainties of the bridge model, ten single-bent overpass bridge structures are taken as samples statistically using Latin hypercube sampling approach. 200 earthquake records are chosen randomly for the uncertainties of ground motions according to the site condition of the bridges. The uncertainties of structural capacity and seismic demand are evaluated with the ratios of demand to capacity in different damage state. By comparing the relative importance of different intensity measures, S a ( T 1 ) and S a ( T 2 ) are chosen as vIM. Then, the vector-valued fragility functions of different bridge components are developed. Finally, the system-level vulnerability of the bridge based on vIM is studied with Dunnett-Sobel class correlation matrix which can consider the correlation effects of different bridge components. The study indicates that an increment IMs from a scalar IM to vIM results in a significant reduction in the dispersion of fragility functions and in the uncertainties in evaluating earthquake risk. The feasibility and validity of the proposed vulnerability analysis method is validated and the bridge is more vulnerable than any components.

Beschreibung: The seismic behavior of skewed bridges has not been well studied compared to straight bridges. Skewed bridges have shown extensive damage, especially due to deck rotation, shear keys failure, abutment unseating and column-bent drift. This research, therefore, aims to study the behavior of skewed and straight highway overpass bridges both with and without taking into account the effects of Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) due to near-fault ground motions. Due to several sources of uncertainty associated with the ground motions, soil and structure, a probabilistic approach is needed. Thus, a probabilistic methodology similar to the one developed by the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) has been utilized to assess the probability of damage due to various levels of shaking using appropriate intensity measures with minimum dispersions. The probabilistic analyses were performed for various bridge configurations and site conditions, including sand ranging from loose to dense and clay ranging from soft to stiff, in order to evaluate the effects. The results proved a considerable susceptibility of skewed bridges to deck rotation and shear keys displacement. It was also found that SSI had a decreasing effect on the damage probability for various demands compared to the fixed-base model without including SSI. However, deck rotation for all types of the soil and also abutment unseating for very loose sand and soft clay showed an increase in damage probability compared to the fixed-base model. The damage probability for various demands has also been found to decrease with an increase of soil strength for both sandy and clayey sites. With respect to the variations in the skew angle, an increase in skew angle has had an increasing effect on the amplitude of the seismic response for various demands. Deck rotation has been very sensitive to the increase in the skew angle; therefore, as the skew angle increased, the deck rotation responded accordingly. Furthermore, abutment unseating showed an increasing trend due to an increase in skew angle for both fixed-base and SSI models.

Beschreibung: The problem of vibration isolation by rectangular open trenches in a plane strain context is numerically studied using a finite element code, PLAXIS. The soil media is assumed to be linear elastic, isotropic, and homogeneous subjected to a vertical harmonic load producing steady-state vibration. The present model is validated by comparing it with previously published works. The key geometrical features of a trench, i.e., its depth, width, and distance from the source of excitation, are normalized with respect to the Rayleigh wavelength. The attenuation of vertical and horizontal components of vibration is studied for various trench dimensions against trench locations varied from an active to a passive case. Results are depicted in non-dimensional forms and conclusions are drawn regarding the effects of geometrical parameters in attenuating vertical and horizontal vibration components. The screening efficiency is primarily governed by the normalized depth of the barrier. The effect of width has little significance except in some specific cases. Simplified regression models are developed to estimate average amplitude reduction factors. The models applicable to vertical vibration cases are found to be in excellent agreement with previously published results.

Beschreibung: To identify the model structure parameters in shaking table tests from seismic response, especially from time-varying response records, this paper presents a new methodology by combining the online recursive Adaptive Forgetting through Multiple Models (AFMM) and offline Auto-Regression with eXogenous variables (ARX) model. First, the AFMM is employed to detect whether the response of model structure is time-invariant or time-varying when subjected to strong motions. Second, if the response is time-invariant, the modal parameters are identified from the entire response record, such as the acceleration time-history using the ARX model. If the response is time-varying, the acceleration record is divided into three segments according to the accurate time-varying points detected by AFMM, and parameters are identified by only using the tail segment data, which is time-invariant and suited for analysis by the ARX model. Finally, the changes in dynamic properties due to various strong motions are obtained using the presented methodology. The feasibility and advantages of the method are demonstrated by identifying the modal parameters of a 12-story reinforced concrete (RC) frame structure in a shaking table test.

Beschreibung: For modal pushover analysis procedures, the model proposed by Ghobarah et al . (called the G model hereafter, 1999) has been extended to account for the contributions of transient higher modes to global seismic damage of structures excited by strong ground motions. The proposed model has physically and perfectly bridged the G model and the final softening model proposed by DiPasquale and Cakmak (1988). Modal damage indexes corresponding to all considered vibration modes are combined by the CQC rule or the SRSS rule. Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) is performed on three example RC frames to validate the proposed model, and a comprehensive comparison is carried out. The demonstration indicates that the proposed model is easy to implement and reflects the influence of the transition in transient vibration periods and modes on structural damage evolution. Some limitations associated with the proposed model are also addressed. Further experimental validations are needed to improve the model in the future.

Beschreibung: A method is proposed to estimate the seismic soil-structure-interaction (SSI) effects for use in engineering practice. It is applicable to 2D structures subjected to vertically incident shear waves supported by homogenous half-spaces. The method is attractive since it keeps the simplicity of the spectral approach, overcomes some of the difficulties and inaccuracies of existing classical techniques and yet it considers a physically consistent excitation. This level of simplicity is achieved through a response spectra modification factor that can be applied to the free-field 5%-damped response spectra to yield design spectral ordinates that take into account the scattered motions introduced by the interaction effects. The modification factor is representative of the Transfer Function (TF) between the structural relative displacements and the free-field motion, which is described in terms of its maximum amplitude and associated frequency. Expressions to compute the modification factor by practicing engineers are proposed based upon a parametric study using 576 cases representative of actual structures. The method is tested in 10 cases spanning a wide range of common fundamental vibration periods.

Beschreibung: Most current seismic design includes the nonlinear response of a structure through a response reduction factor ( R ). This allows the designer to use a linear elastic force-based approach while accounting for nonlinear behavior and deformation limits. In fact, the response reduction factor is used in modern seismic codes to scale down the elastic response of a structure. This study focuses on estimating the actual ‘ R ’ value for engineered design/construction of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings in Kathmandu valley. The ductility and overstrength of representative RC buildings in Kathmandu are investigated. Nonlinear pushover analysis was performed on structural models in order to evaluate the seismic performance of buildings. Twelve representative engineered irregular buildings with a variety of characteristics located in the Kathmandu valley were selected and studied. Furthermore, the effects of overstrength on the ductility factor, beam column capacity ratio on the building ductility, and load path on the response reduction factor, are examined. Finally, the results are further analyzed and compared with different structural parameters of the buildings.