Description: The evaluation and design of stone column improvement ground for liquefaction mitigation is a challenging issue for the state of practice. In this paper, a shear wave velocity-based approach is proposed based on the well-defined correlations of liquefaction resistance (CRR)-shear wave velocity ( V s )-void ratio ( e ) of sandy soils, and the values of parameters in this approach are recommended for preliminary design purpose when site specific values are not available. The detailed procedures of pre- and post-improvement liquefaction evaluations and stone column design are given. According to this approach, the required level of ground improvement will be met once the target V s of soil is raised high enough (i.e., no less than the critical velocity) to resist the given earthquake loading according to the CRR- V s relationship, and then this requirement is transferred to the control of target void ratio (i.e., the critical e ) according to the V s - e relationship. As this approach relies on the densification of the surrounding soil instead of the whole improved ground and is conservative by nature, specific considerations of the densification mechanism and effect are given, and the effects of drainage and reinforcement of stone columns are also discussed. A case study of a thermal power plant in Indonesia is introduced, where the effectiveness of stone column improved ground was evaluated by the proposed V s -based method and compared with the SPT-based evaluation. This improved ground performed well and experienced no liquefaction during subsequent strong earthquakes.

Description: The buildings’ capacity to maintain minimum structural safety levels during natural disasters, such as earthquakes, is recognisably one of the aspects that most influence urban resilience. Moreover, the public investment in risk mitigation strategies is fundamental, not only to promote social and urban and resilience, but also to limit consequent material, human and environmental losses. Despite the growing awareness of this issue, there is still a vast number of traditional masonry buildings spread throughout many European old city centres that lacks of adequate seismic resistance, requiring therefore urgent retrofitting interventions in order to both reduce their seismic vulnerability and to cope with the increased seismic requirements of recent code standards. Thus, this paper aims at contributing to mitigate the social and economic impacts of earthquake damage scenarios through the development of vulnerability-based comparative analysis of some of the most popular retrofitting techniques applied after the 1998 Azores earthquake. The influence of each technique individually and globally studied resorting to a seismic vulnerability index methodology integrated into a GIS tool and damage and loss scenarios are constructed and critically discussed. Finally, the economic balance resulting from the implementation of that techniques are also examined.

Description: The seismic behavior of steel reinforced high strength and high performance concrete (SRHC) frame columns was investigated through pseudo-static experiments of 16 frame columns with various shear span ratios, axial compression ratios, concrete strengths, steel ratios and stirrup ratios. Three kinds of failure mechanisms are presented and the characteristics of experimental hysteretic curves and skeleton curves with different design parameters are discussed. The columns’ ductility and energy dissipation were quantitatively evaluated based on seismic resistance. The research results indicate that SRHC frame columns can withstand extreme bearing capacity, but the abilities of ductility and energy dissipation are inferior because of SRHC’s natural brittleness. As a result, the axial load ratio should be restricted and some construction measures adopted, such as increasing the stirrup ratio. This research established effect factors on the bearing capacity of SPHC columns. Finally, an algorithm for obtaining ultimate bearing capacity using the flexural failure mode is established based on a modified plane-section assumption. The authors also established equations to determine shearing baroclinic failure and shear bond failure based on the accumulation of the axial load force distribution ratio. The calculated results of shear bearing capacity for different failure modes were in good agreement with the experimental results.

Description: To determine the shear wave velocity structure and predominant period features of Tınaztepe in İzmir, Turkey, where new building sites have been planned, active–passive surface wave methods and single-station microtremor measurements are used, as well as surface acquisition techniques, including the multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW), refraction microtremor (ReMi), and the spatial autocorrelation method (SPAC), to pinpoint shallow and deep shear wave velocity. For engineering bedrock ( V s 〉 760 m/s) conditions at a depth of 30 m, an average seismic shear wave velocity in the upper 30 m of soil (AV s 30) is not only accepted as an important parameter for defining ground behavior during earthquakes, but a primary parameter in the geotechnical analysis for areas to be classified by V s30 according to the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP). It is also determined that Z1.0, which represents a depth to V s = 1000 m/s, is used for ground motion prediction and changed from 0 to 54 m. The sediment–engineering bedrock structure for Tınaztepe that was obtained shows engineering bedrock no deeper than 30 m. When compared, the depth of engineering bedrock and dominant period map and geology are generally compatible.

Description: In this study, three rapid repair techniques are proposed to retrofit circular bridge piers that are severely damaged by the flexural failure mode in major earthquakes. The quasi-static tests on three 1:2.5 scaled circular pier specimens are conducted to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed repair techniques. For the purpose of rapid repair, the repair procedure for all the specimens is conducted within four days, and the behavior of the repaired specimens is evaluated and compared with the original ones. A finite element model is developed to predict the cyclic behavior of the repaired specimens and the numerical results are compared with the test data. It is found that all the repaired specimens exhibit similar or larger lateral strength and deformation capacity than the original ones. The initial lateral stiffness of all the repaired specimens is lower than that of the original ones, while they show a higher lateral stiffness at the later stage of the test. No noticeable difference is observed for the energy dissipation capacity between the original and repaired pier specimens. It is suggested that the repair technique using the early-strength concrete jacket confined by carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets can be an optimal method for the rapid repair of severely earthquake-damaged circular bridge piers with flexural failure mode.

Description: Previous failure analyses of bridges typically focus on substructure failure or superstructure failure separately. However, in an actual bridge, the seismic induced substructure failure and superstructure failure may influence each other. Moreover, previous studies typically use simplified models to analyze the bridge failure; however, there are inherent defects in the calculation accuracy compared with using a detailed three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model. Conversely, a detailed 3D FE model requires more computational costs, and a proper erosion criterion of the 3D elements is necessary. In this paper, a multi-scale FE model, including a corresponding erosion criterion, is proposed and validated that can significantly reduce computational costs with high precision by modelling a pseudo-dynamic test of an reinforced concrete (RC) pier. Numerical simulations of the seismic failures of a continuous RC bridge based on the multi-scale FE modeling method using LS-DYNA are performed. The nonlinear properties of the bridge, various connection strengths and bidirectional excitations are considered. The numerical results demonstrate that the failure of the connections will induce large pounding responses of the girders. The nonlinear deformation of the piers will aggravate the pounding damages. Furthermore, bidirectional earthquakes will induce eccentric poundings to the girders and different failure modes to the adjacent piers.

Description: In this study, a new method for conversion of solid finite element solution to beam finite element solution is developed based on the meta-modeling theory which constructs a model consistent with continuum mechanics. The proposed method is rigorous and efficient compared to a typical conversion method which merely computes surface integration of solid element nodal stresses to obtain cross-sectional forces. The meta-modeling theory ensures the rigorousness of proposed method by defining a proper distance between beam element and solid element solutions in a function space of continuum mechanics. Results of numerical verification test that is conducted with a simple cantilever beam are used to find the proper distance function for this conversion. Time history analysis of the main tunnel structure of a real ramp tunnel is considered as a numerical example for the proposed conversion method. It is shown that cross-sectional forces are readily computed for solid element solution of the main tunnel structure when it is converted to a beam element solution using the proposed method. Further, envelopes of resultant forces which are of primary importance for the purpose of design, are developed for a given ground motion at the end.

Description: This study proposes a Green’s function, an essential representation of water-saturated ground under moving excitation, to simulate ground borne vibration from trains. First, general solutions to the governing equations of poroelastic medium are derived by means of integral transform. Secondly, the transmission and reflection matrix approach is used to formulate the relationship between displacement and stress of the stratified ground, which results in the matrix of the Green’s function. Then the Green’s function is combined into a train-track-ground model, and is verified by typical examples and a field test. Additional simulations show that the computed ground vibration attenuates faster in the immediate vicinity of the track than in the surrounding area. The wavelength of wheel-rail unevenness has a notable effect on computed displacement and pore pressure. The variation of vibration intensity with the depth of ground is significantly influenced by the layering of the strata soil. When the train speed is equal to the velocity of the Rayleigh wave, the Mach cone appears in the simulated wave field. The proposed Green’s function is an appropriate representation for a layered ground with shallow ground water table, and will be helpful to understand the dynamic responses of the ground to complicated moving excitation.

Description: This paper reports on an investigation of the seismic response of base-isolated reinforced concrete buildings, which considers various isolation system parameters under bidirectional near-fault and far-fault motions. Three-dimensional models of 4-, 8-, and 12-story base-isolated buildings with nonlinear effects in the isolation system and the superstructure are investigated, and nonlinear response history analysis is carried out. The bounding values of isolation system properties that incorporate the aging effect of isolators are also taken into account, as is the current state of practice in the design and analysis of base-isolated buildings. The response indicators of the buildings are studied for near-fault and far-fault motions weight-scaled to represent the design earthquake (DE) level and the risk-targeted maximum considered earthquake (MCE R ) level. Results of the nonlinear response history analyses indicate no structural damage under DE-level motions for near-fault and far-fault motions and for MCE R -level far-fault motions, whereas minor structural damage is observed under MCE R -level near-fault motions. Results of the base-isolated buildings are compared with their fixed-base counterparts. Significant reduction of the superstructure response of the 12-story base-isolated building compared to the fixed-base condition indicates that base isolation can be effectively used in taller buildings to enhance performance. Additionally, the applicability of a rigid superstructure to predict the isolator displacement demand is also investigated. It is found that the isolator displacements can be estimated accurately using a rigid body model for the superstructure for the buildings considered.

Description: In earthquake prone areas, understanding of the seismic passive earth resistance is very important for the design of different geotechnical earth retaining structures. In this study, the limit equilibrium method is used for estimation of critical seismic passive earth resistance for an inclined wall supporting horizontal cohesionless backfill. A composite failure surface is considered in the present analysis. Seismic forces are computed assuming the backfill soil as a viscoelastic material overlying a rigid stratum and the rigid stratum is subjected to a harmonic shaking. The present method satisfies the boundary conditions. The amplification of acceleration depends on the properties of the backfill soil and on the characteristics of the input motion. The acceleration distribution along the depth of the backfill is found to be nonlinear in nature. The present study shows that the horizontal and vertical acceleration distribution in the backfill soil is not always in-phase for the critical value of the seismic passive earth pressure coefficient. The effect of different parameters on the seismic passive earth pressure is studied in detail. A comparison of the present method with other theories is also presented, which shows the merits of the present study.