Seismic vulnerability assessment of tilt-up concrete structures

This paper focuses on seismic vulnerability assessment for one-story tilt-up concrete structures. To capture the potential failure mechanisms, an analytical modelling approach using nonlinear properties is developed and verified with measured data from a shake table test documented in the literature. Nonlinear dynamic analyses using synthetic ground motions for Memphis, Tennessee, are performed to assess dynamic behaviour of the buildings. Then, probabilistic demand models for multiple limit states that represent potential failure mechanisms are developed with a Bayesian updating approach. These demand models are used in conjunction with appropriate capacity limits to develop fragility curves that provide a probabilistic measure of the seismic vulnerability of typical tilt-up concrete buildings. This study shows that the vulnerability of typical tilt-up structures in Mid-America is significant when seismic hazards are high. In addition, it is found that the aspect ratio of building geometry has a significant impact on the seismic performance and fragility estimates of tilt-up buildings.     

Shake table model testing and its application

This paper presents a study of shake table testing for aseismic design of structure systems. Two reinforced concrete structure models of different scales were used first to implement and demonstrate the similitude concept using available testing equipment. This concept was then applied to a 33‐story reinforced concrete building's scaled model, using multidirectional simulated seismic excitations. The test results were used to evaluate and modify the original design. Some of these results were also verified using field testing after the building's construction was completed. Comparison of the results between the model test and the full‐scale test shows that testing based on dynamic similitude using shake table are useful although not perfect and can provide supplementary data for decision making in engineering design. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

H∞ control in the frequency domain for a semi-active floor isolation system

A floor isolation system installed in a single floor or room in a fixed base structure is designed to protect equipment. With this configuration, the input motions to the floor isolation from the ground motions are filtered by the structure, leaving the majority of the frequency content of the input motion lower than the predominant frequency of the structure. The floor isolation system should minimize the acceleration to protect equipment; however, displacement must also be limited to save floor space, especially with long period motion. Semi-active control with an H_∞ control was adopted for the floor isolation system and a new input shaping filter was developed to account for the input motion characteristics and enhance the effectiveness of the H_∞ control. A series of shake table tests for a semi-active floor isolation system using rolling pendulum isolators and a magnetic-rheological damper were performed to validate the H_∞ control. Passive control using an oil damper was also tested for comparison. The test results show that the H_∞ control effectively reduced acceleration for short period motions with frequencies close to the predominant frequency of the structure, as well as effectively reduced displacement for long period motions with frequencies close to the natural frequency of the floor isolation system. The H_∞ control algorithm proved to be more advantageous than passive control because of its capacity to adjust control strategies according to the different motion frequency characteristics.     

Earthquake performance assessment of concrete gravity dams subjected to spatially varying seismic ground motions

This paper investigates the earthquake performance of concrete gravity dams under spatially variable seismic excitations. A nonlinear finite element model is developed and validated using shake table experimental results. The model is then subjected to spatially varying earthquake ground motions incorporating the wave passage effect, with values for apparent propagation velocities consistent with the source-site geometry and the shear wave velocity in the foundation rock. The evaluation reveals that different response patterns occur when spatially non-uniform and uniform seismic ground motions are applied as input excitations to the model, because spatially non-uniform excitations induce the quasi-static response, whereas uniform excitations do not, and, in addition, the dynamic response caused by different input motions varies. Notably, spatially non-uniform excitations produce larger opening at the heel of the dam and severer slipping at its toe; this latter observation can have a significant effect on the global equilibrium and stability of the dam during an earthquake.     

Seismic response of R/C structures subjected to simulated ground motions compatible with design spectrum

In seismic response analysis of building structures, the input ground motions have considerable effect on the nonlinear seismic response characteristics of structures. The characteristics of soil and the locality of the site where those ground motions were recorded affect the contents of ground motion time histories. This study describes a generation of synthetic ground motion time histories compatible with seismic design spectrum, and also evaluates the seismic response results of multi‐story reinforced concrete structures by the simulated ground motions. The simulated ground motion time histories have identical phase angles to the recorded ground motions, and their overall response spectra are compatible with seismic design spectrum with 5% critical viscous damping. The input ground motions applied to this study have identical elastic acceleration response spectra, but have different phase angles. The purpose of this study was to investigate their validity as input ground motion for nonlinear seismic response analysis of building structures. As expected, the response quantities by simulated ground motions presented better stability than those by real recorded ground motions. It was concluded that the simulated earthquake waves generated in this paper are applicable as input ground motions for a seismic response analysis of building structures. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic testing and numerical analysis of Y‐shaped eccentrically braced frame made of high‐strength steel

In eccentrically braced frame made of high‐strength steel (HSS‐EBF), link and brace are made from conventional steel whereas other structural members use high‐strength steel. Using HSS for beams and columns in EBF can reduce steel consumption and increase economic efficiency. In this paper, one shake table test of a 1:2 scaled three‐story Y‐shaped HSS‐EBF (Y‐HSS‐EBF) specimen was carried out to study its seismic behavior underground motions with different peak ground accelerations. The dynamic properties, base shear force, displacement, and strain responses of the specimen were obtained from this test. In addition, the finite element models of two 10‐story Y‐HSS‐EBF buildings and one 10‐story conventional Y‐EBF building were evaluated for seismic effects. Nonlinear pushover and dynamic analyses were conducted to compare their seismic performance and economy. The results indicated that the specimen exhibited sufficient lateral stiffness and safety but suffered some localized damages. During the high seismic intensity earthquakes, the links of the test specimen were in inelastic to dissipate the earthquake energy, whereas other structural members remained in the elastic state. Under the same design conditions, Y‐HSS‐EBF used less steel than that of conventional Y‐EBF, which could reduce the amount of steel used in Y‐HSS‐EBF. The Y‐HSS‐EBF is a safe, dual system with reliable seismic performance.     

Substructure shake table test for equipment‐adjacent structure–soil interaction based on the branch mode method

A substructure shake table test (SSTT) based on the branch mode method was performed to reveal the mechanism and rules of equipment‐adjacent structure–soil interaction (EASSI) under a seismic effect. EASSI system was divided into three substructures, namely, equipment‐single structure, foundation soil, and adjacent structure. The coupling terms of interaction among the substructures were proposed. The branch mode method was effectively applied to the SSTT by decomposing and transforming the dynamic equation of the entire system and utilizing the coupling terms of interaction for data exchange among substructures. The degree of freedom was reduced for the linear substructures. Experiments indicated that in EASSI, the presence of soil magnified the flexibility and equivalent damping of the entire system. The overall effect was presented as a reduction in the dynamic response of the system. The dynamic feedback of the equipment inhibited the dynamic response of the main structure, which intensified the rate of vibration attenuation of the system. The seismic response analysis was also performed for the system when the mass ratio and frequency ratio between the equipment and the main structure and the position of the equipment in the main structure varied.     

Comparison of dynamic response of isolated and non-isolated continuous girder bridges subjected to near-fault ground motions

The dynamic response of seismic isolated continuous girder bridges subjected to either near-fault or far-field ground motions is compared to the non-isolated ones. Near-fault earthquake ground motion data are collected from the 1999 Taiwan Chi-Chi earthquake. The earthquake data recorded at the same sites from other events serve as far-field ground motions. Typical three-span continuous concrete box girder bridges designed under Taiwan seismic design specifications of highway bridges are adopted for this study. These bridges are assumed straight, founded on rigid rock and only the longitudinal response is considered. Parametric studies for the dynamic responses of isolated bridges by input near-fault ground motions are developed. The PGV/PGA value of near-fault earthquake records is identified as the key parameter governing the bridge response.     

用ANSYS模拟任意层数框架结构的地震反应分析

运用有限元软件ANSYS对一特定的7层框架结构在水平地震作用下的受力进行了模拟计算,着重分析了实体模型的时程分析,得到了框架结构的动力特性和模拟地震反应,与实验室中1m×1m地震模拟振动台上的试验结果近似,可见用ANSYS软件可以模拟任意层数框架结构的地震反应。同时,介绍了框架结构运用ANSYS进行结构有限元分析的基本过程。     

Acceleration demand of the outer‐skin curtain wall system of the Shanghai Tower

The unique complexities of the outer‐skin curtain wall (CW) system of the Shanghai Tower increase the difficulty in evaluating its seismic performance. To assess such seismic performance, it is important to understand the floor acceleration demand under expected earthquake actions. Acceleration demand of the CW system consists of floor acceleration amplification (FAA) and floor response spectrum (FRS), which are closely related to the equivalent static seismic design force and the dynamic properties of the CW system. For estimating the FAA and FRS, code spectra compatible ground motions are selected and input to a finite element model of the building structure. The floor responses of key stories are analyzed. Normalized distribution of the horizontal FAA demand is estimated and shows that the obtained values exceed those proposed by current code provisions for low‐intensity earthquake excitations. It is noted that the vertical FAA demand has a different distribution profile than the horizontal one. The results indicate that FAA demand under three‐dimensional earthquake excitation is larger than that for 1D excitation. Moreover, the prime period range is up to 4.0 s for the horizontal FRS and up to 1.0 s for the vertical FRS. Horizontal and vertical FRS is proposed for dynamic analysis of the outer‐skin CW system of the Shanghai Tower.     

Dynamic characteristics and seismic response of frame–core tube structures,considering soil–structure interactions

In order to study the dynamic characteristics and seismic response of high‐rise buildings with a frame–core tube structure, while considering the effect of soil–structure interactions (SSIs), a series of shaking table tests were conducted on test models with two foundation types: fixed‐base (FB), in which the superstructure was directly affixed to the shaking table, and SSI, consisting of a superstructure, pile foundation, and soil. To increase the applicability of the model to the dynamic characteristics of real‐world tall buildings, the superstructure of test models was built at a scale of 1/50. This simulated a 41‐floor high‐rise building with a frame–core tube structure. The mode shape, natural frequency, damping ratio, acceleration and displacement response, story shear, and dynamic strain were determined in each of the test models under the excitation of simulated minor, moderate, and large earthquakes. The SSI effect on frame–core tubes was analyzed by comparing the results of the two test models. The results show that the dynamic characteristics and seismic response of the two systems were significantly different. Finally, these results were verified by performing a numerical analysis on the differences in the seismic responses of the FB and SSI numerical models under various simulated seismic conditions.     

The effect of earthquake frequency content on the seismic behavior of concrete rectangular liquid tanks using the finite element method incorporating soil-structure interaction

A three-dimensional soil-structure-liquid interaction is numerically simulated using the finite element method in order to analyze the seismic behavior of partially filled concrete rectangular tanks subjected to different ground motions. In this paper, the effect of earthquake frequency content on the seismic behavior of fluid rectangular tank system is investigated using four different seismic motions. A simple model with viscous boundary is used to include deformable foundation effects as a linear elastic medium. This method is capable of considering both impulsive and convective responses of liquid-tank system. Six different soil types defined in the well-recognized seismic codes are considered. The sloshing behavior is simulated using linear free surface boundary condition. Two different finite element models corresponding with flexible shallow and tall tank configurations are studied under the effects of longitudinal, transversal and vertical ground motions. By means of changing the soil properties, comparisons are made on base shear, base moment and sloshing responses under different ground motions. It is concluded that the dynamic behavior of the fluid-tank-soil system is highly sensitive to frequency characteristics of the earthquake record.     

Seismic response of a 40‐storey buckling‐restrained braced frame designed for the Los Angeles region

This study utilized nonlinear response history analysis to compare the seismic demand on three variations of a 40‐storey buckling‐restrained braced frame designed for high seismic hazard in the Los Angeles region. The three designs were referred to as a ‘code‐based design’, based on the 2006 International Building Code, a ‘performance‐based design’, based on criteria published by the Los Angeles Tall Building Design Council (LATBSDC) and a ‘performance‐based design plus’, based on newly developed criteria from The Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER). The response history analysis utilized spectrum‐matched ground motions as well as simulated ground motions for the Puente Hills fault. The spectrum‐matched motions were selected from the Next Generation Attenuation of Ground Motions (NGA) database, which is largely composed of recorded motions and scaled to five hazard levels. The simulated ground motions were broadband signals generated from a moment magnitude (M_w) 7.15 scenario rupture of the Puente Hills fault for two near fault regions and exhibit long period energy content that significantly exceeds the uniform hazard spectrum. Structural performance was assessed in terms of exceedance of a safe inter‐storey drift ratio (IDR). It was seen that the simulated ground motions impose higher IDR demands on the structures than the spectrum‐matched NGA ground motions. Furthermore, the number of instances of exceedance of a safe IDR, considered for this study as IDR = 0.03, is substantially higher for the simulated ground motions, pointing to the importance of considering such motions in the collapse prevention of tall buildings on a site‐specific basis. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

超高层钢结构地震反应谱特征分析

为分析超高层建筑楼面地震反应谱特征,计算了国家金融信息大厦超高层钢结构在不同输入地震动下的楼面地震反应谱。从地震系数、动力放大系数、特征周期和动力放大系数谱谱型4个方面对比了楼面和地面地震反应谱的差别。结果表明:楼面地震系数和楼面动力放大系数最大值分别存在大于和小于地面地震系数和地面动力放大系数最大值的情况,最大相差近1倍;楼面地震反应谱的特征周期均大于地面地震反应谱的特征周期,最大相差60%以上;地面与楼面动力放大系数谱的谱型在某些条件下存在明显不同,楼面动力放大系数谱的第二谱峰值有可能很大,甚至出现接近第一峰值的情况,而地面地震反应谱无此现象;计算楼层附属结构地震作用时,需根据主体结构考虑地震系数、动力系数、特征周期及动力放大系数谱谱型的变化。     

Shaking table tests of RC frame structure across the earth fissure under earthquake

To investigate the behavior of a reinforced concrete (RC) frame structure across earth fissure under strong earthquake, a series of shaking table tests on a scaled model were designed and conducted. Three earthquake motion records were selected as input excitations, and the Jiangyou motion has a dramatically greater dynamic effect on the structure mainly due to its inherent rich low‐frequency component. The structural acceleration amplification factor gradually decreased as the peak ground acceleration of input motions increased, implying the progressive degradation of the structure stiffness. The results indicated that the earth fissure site has amplification effect on acceleration of the soil, and the displacement response of frame across the earth fissure was different to that of a typical RC frame structure. The ground floor was the most vulnerable story of the RC frame across the earth fissure.     

Shaking table test on seismic resonant behavior of core‐outrigger structure

In order to investigate disastrous seismic resonant effect of resonant ground motions on tall building structures, a 1/40 scaled planar test model of a 56‐story core‐outrigger structure was tested on shaking table considering two types of ground motions, that is, non‐resonant and resonant ground motions. The non‐resonant ground motions were chosen from far‐field natural earthquake records, whereas the resonant ground motions were generated through scaling Fourier spectra of the non‐resonant ones in a target period region covering one of the first two natural periods of the test model. The test results showed that (a) with the same small peak ground acceleration of 0.07 g, the test model exhibited significant hysteretic behavior, residual displacement, and even overturning collapse under the resonant ground motions but behaved elastically under the non‐resonant ones; (b) the first‐period resonant ground motion caused extremely large displacements on the upper floors and large moments on the lower stories, whereas the second‐period resonant ground motion resulted in extremely large accelerations on the upper and middle floors; (c) the first‐period resonant ground motion was more probable to trigger overturning collapse of the core‐outrigger system after some exterior columns had reached their axial compression strength, even for those columns on the middle stories.     

近断层脉冲型地震作用下防屈曲支撑-钢筋混凝土框架结构的抗震性能

具有向前方向性效应和滑冲效应的近断层脉冲型地震动对建筑结构的破坏已受到工程界的广泛关注。为了解设置防屈曲支撑（BRB）的混凝土框架在近断层脉冲型地震动激励下的抗震性能,采用基于能量平衡的塑性设计方法完成了3个V形BRB支撑的RC框架结构的抗震设计。分别选取具有向前方向性效应和滑冲效应的脉冲型以及非脉冲型三组共36条近断层地震动,对结构进行罕遇地震作用下的非线性动力分析,研究了结构的最大层间位移角、最大顶点加速度、最大顶点位移和BRB的轴向性能;分析和评估了结构在3条典型地震动激励下的地震响应。结果表明：近断层脉冲型地震动比非脉冲型地震动对结构会产生更大的地震响应,且响应显著集中于速度脉冲时刻;BRB能充分发挥其耗能特性,提高RC框架结构体系的抗震性能。     

Influence of ground motion characteristics on seismic response of skewed bridges

Skewed bridges are bridges with longitudinal axes at an angle to the abutments. They are more susceptible to damage during seismic events due to in-plane rotations of the girders induced, especially when pounding occurs. Most current design standards do not consider many factors that could significantly affect the response of skewed bridges, such as the skew angle and effect of the supporting soil. A bridge-abutment model with 0°, 30°, and 45° skew angles were subjected to shake table tests. Ground motions were simulated based on the New Zealand design spectra for Class C and E soil conditions. The effects of the different characteristics of ground motions on the seismic response of skewed bridges considering presence of pounding and the supporting soil were investigated. The results were also used to evaluate the recommendation of girder seat lengths specified in design specifications, e.g. the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Bridge Manual. It was found that the NZTA recommendation for seat length could potentially significantly underestimate the out-of-plane movements of the girders. In the worst case, the displacement of the skewed bridge was up to 3.48 times that of the straight bridge – much larger than the recommended value of 1.25 times.     

风力发电塔系统TMD控制振动台试验研究

通过不同桨叶转速、不同地震动输入下的风力发电塔系统在TMD控制下的振动台对比试验,研究TMD对风力发电塔系统的控制效果及其影响因素;在试验的基础上,利用ANSYS软件对风力发电塔系统建模,对其在有无TMD控制下的地震反应进行有限元模拟,并与试验结果进行比较,得到与振动台试验相一致的结论。