Seismic vulnerability assessment of a Californian multi-frame curved concrete box girder viaduct using fragility curves

Seismic response of multi-frame curved viaducts has been proved to be very complex due to typically inherent irregularities identified in this class of bridge structures such as deck in-plane curvature, altitudinal irregularity and deck discontinuity. The discontinuity provided by the expansion joint has made this class of bridges prone to catastrophic damages caused by multiple collisions between adjacent frames during both torsional and translational modes of responses as well as deck unseating at the expansion joints. This paper presents the seismic response of a Californian multi-frame curved concrete box girder viaduct, considering four different radii of curvature and five altitudinal coefficients, using fragility curves. Fragility curves are developed by considering different sources of uncertainties related to earthquakes, structural geometries and material properties. The full nonlinear time-history analyses are performed utilising 3-D numerical bridge models generated in OpenSees finite element platform. The results show that bridge vulnerability increases with increasing irregularity in bridge plan and elevation. It is observed that bridge components and system fragility show different sensitivity to each type and level of irregularity for each damage state. In addition, the obtained results can be used to aid seismic retrofit prioritisation, financial loss estimation, pre-earthquake planning and design improvement processes.     

Seismic vulnerability assessment of pile-supported wharves using fragility curves

In this study, the seismic vulnerability of a pile-supported wharf is assessed. Due to common lack of empirical data, the analytical fragility curves are developed using the results of the dynamic analysis of wharf subjected to the different time histories. Fragility curves are developed considering three engineering demand parameters, including displacement ductility factor (μ_d), differential settlement between deck and behind land and normalised residual horizontal displacement (NRHD). A sensitivity analysis using both the first-order second-moment method and the tornado diagram analysis is then carried out to evaluate the effects of uncertainties associated with geotechnical parameters in the seismic performance of the wharf. Adopted fragility curves are useful to seismic risk assessment. They can also be used to optimise wharf-retrofit methods. The results of sensitivity analysis demonstrate that uncertainties associated with the permeability of hydraulic placed sand fill contribute most to the variance of both NRHD and μ_d. While in the case of differential settlement, the friction angle of rock fill contributes most to the variance.     

Seismic fragility curves for mid-rise reinforced concrete frames in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This article is concerned with the development of seismic fragility curves for typical mid-rise plane reinforced concrete moment-resisting frames in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), which is considered as low-seismicity area. Two structural models; four- and eight-storey moment-resisting frames were considered. Three cities with different seismic intensities, Abha, Jazan and Al-Sharaf, were selected to cover various values of mapped spectral accelerations in KSA. The 0.2-s spectral accelerations range from 0.21 to 0.66 g, while the 1.0-s spectral accelerations range from 0.061 to 0.23 g. The structural models were designed under dead, live and seismic loads of these cities according to the Saudi Building Code. Incremental dynamic analysis was performed under 12 ground motions using SeismoStruct. Five performance levels, namely, operational, immediate occupancy, damage control, life safety and collapse prevention were considered and monitored in the analysis. Fragility curves were developed for the structural models of the three cities considering the five selected performance levels.     

Seismic fragility analysis of reinforced concrete continuous span bridges with irregular configuration

A set of fragility curves of a class of reinforced concrete bridges with different degrees of irregularity has been generated. Eighteen bridge configurations have been identified, from regular to so-called highly irregular models. The geometric irregularity in this class of bridges is assumed to vary with the height of the piers. Using non-linear analytical models and an appropriate suite of 60 ground motions, analytical fragility curves have been generated for the individual piers of each of these 18 bridge models. Discussions have been made about the imposition of the displacement ductility demand of the piers versus the earthquake intensity as well as the bridge regularity. Comparison of the fragility curves shows that the most vulnerable bridges are the irregular bridges and high damage probability is expected for the short piers of this class of bridges. It was found that the fragility curves may be used for categorisation of regular and irregular bridges.     

考虑碰撞效应的相邻框架结构地震易损性分析

针对间距不足和高度不等的相邻钢筋混凝土框架结构,设置考虑碰撞刚度和阻尼非线性的碰撞单元,通过对三维非线性有限元模型的时程分析研究地震碰撞效应,并开展增量动力分析,分别以所有层和碰撞层最大层间位移角为工程需求参数,提出考虑碰撞效应的地震易损性分析方法。以6层和4层、6层和5层、6层和3层相邻钢筋混凝土框架结构为例,对比分析不同周期比下考虑与不考虑碰撞效应的相邻结构地震易损性曲线。结果表明：对于6层和4层相邻结构,考虑碰撞效应后,6层结构所有层的最大层间位移角对应的失效概率略有减小,4层结构的反之,而较低结构的碰撞层及较高结构的碰撞层以上层的最大层间位移角对应的失效概率明显增大,即碰撞效应对结构整体响应影响不明显,而对局部响应影响显著;6层和5层、6层和3层相邻结构地震易损性曲线具有类似规律,且相邻结构自振周期越接近,碰撞对结构地震易损性影响越小。     

Seismic fragility assessment of a tall reinforced concrete chimney

In China, a considerable proportion of reinforced concrete (RC) industrial chimneys in operation was designed and constructed in accordance with less rigorous outdated seismic criteria during the end of 19th and early 20th century. However, few research works have been reported till date on a realistic overall assessment of the seismic performance of these existing aging RC chimney structures. Therefore, in this study, fragilities of existing RC chimney were studied. For this purpose, an existing 240 m tall RC chimney was selected and structurally modeled with a lumped mass beam (stick) model by means of the OpenSees analysis program. In order to capture the uncertainties in ground motion realizations, a series of 21 ground motions are selected from the Next Generation Attenuation database as the input motions. To develop the analytical fragility curves, nonlinear incremental dynamic analysis of the studied RC chimney was then carried out using the selected input motions, which were normalized to different excitation levels. The section curvature ductility ratio was considered as the damage index. Based on material strain and sectional analysis, four limit states (LSs) were defined for five damage state. The seismic responses of the all sections were utilized to evaluate the likelihood of exceeding the LSs. Then the peak ground acceleration (PGA)‐based seismic fragility curves of the structure were constructed assuming a lognormal distribution. Finally, under the light of these fragility curves, the damage risks in existing RC chimney were discussed. The analytical results indicated that for design level earthquake of PGA = 0.1 g (g is the gravitational acceleration) and the maximum considered earthquake of PGA = 0.22 g, the probabilities of exceeding the light damage state were around 1.5% and 44%, respectively, while the exceedance probabilities corresponding to moderate, extensive and complete damage states were approximately zero in both cases. On the other hand, fragility analysis revealed that the RC chimney structure had considerable ductility capacity and was capable to withstand a strong earthquake with some structural damages. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance-based seismic fragility analysis of retaining walls based on the probability density evolution method

Seismic fragility analysis is an efficient way to study the seismic behaviour and performance of structures under the excitation of earthquakes of varying intensity, and an essential part of the seismic risk assessment of structures. A recently developed dynamic reliability methodology, the probability density evolution method (PDEM), is proposed for the dynamic reliability and seismic fragility analysis of a retaining wall. The PDEM can obtain an instantaneous probability density function of the seismic responses and easily acquire the seismic reliability of the structural system. An important advantage of the PDEM is its high efficiency relative to that of the Monte Carlo simulation method, which is often used in the reliability and fragility analysis of structures. The present study uses a typical gravity retaining wall to illustrate stochastic seismic responses and fragility curves that can be obtained by the PDEM. The combined uncertainties of the seismic force and soil properties are explicitly and systematically modelled by stochastic ground motions and random variables respectively. The performance of the retaining wall is analysed for different acceptable levels of backfill settlement. Additionally, seismic fragility curves are constructed without assuming the distribution of the seismic response.     

Seismic performance evaluation of slender masonry towers: a case study

Historical structures and preserving their cultural values are crucial issues for humanity, not only because of their link to important certain periods in the past, but also their unique architectural features. Although many historical structures continue to offer services while keeping their historical values, some of them are at high risk in seismic prone regions. Therefore, the understanding of their structural performance under strong ground motions has been of significant importance to the civil societies as well as engineering community. The structural systems of historical buildings, generally, consist of masonry walls or piers. The behavior of such walls is controlled by either deformation or force. Seismic performance evaluation of historical structures can be carried out within the framework of performance‐based evaluation principles. This paper mainly discusses the basic principles to be considered in performance‐based seismic evaluation of historical structures. Proposed seismic hazard levels, evaluation of existing seismic hazard, selection of earthquake ground motions as well as site geology, geological and tectonic settings of the area, seismic activity of the region and local soil conditions are needed for a thorough performance evaluation. Seismic performance evaluation of a clock tower located in eastern Turkey was accomplished based on the proposed principles. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic fragility assessment of highway bridges: a state-of-the-art review

Safety and serviceability of highway bridges, during and after an earthquake, is a prerequisite to ensure continuous transport facilities, emergency and evacuation routes. Recently, fragility curves have emerged as important decision support tools to identify the potential seismic risk and consequences during and after an earthquake. There has been a substantial increase in interest among researchers in the topic of seismic fragility assessment of highway bridges as evidenced by the growing number of published literature. Advanced computational techniques and available resources have led to the development of different methodologies for fragility assessment. This study presents a review of the different methodologies developed for seismic fragility assessment of highway bridges along with their features, limitations and applications. This study presents a review of available methodologies and identifies opportunities for future development. This study mainly focuses on the key features of different methods and applications rather than penetrating down to a critique of the associated analysis procedure or mathematical framework. It synthesises the existing information on fragility analysis, presents it in concise and useful tables, and explains different applications for different purposes, which would motivate decision-makers and stake holders to extend the application of fragility curves for more informed decision-making.     

Analytical evaluation of essential facilities fragility curves by using a stochastic approach

The study presented in this paper is focused on an analytical method for constructing fragility curves of a given class of existing structures, based on a stochastic approach and which makes use of the Hazus database. The analysed structure is a non-linear one degree of freedom (SDoF) system: its constitutive law is described by means of a hysteretic model, whose parameters are obtained by an identification procedure starting from the Hazus data. A particular class of structures, the essential facilities, are analyzed.The system’s response to seismic action, here modelled by means of the modulated Clough and Penzien filtered stochastic process, is obtained by using the stochastic linearization technique and the covariance analysis. In order to develop the fragility curves, a displacement based damage index is adopted and, finally, fragility curves are obtained in terms of the probability of exceeding a given damage level, by using an approximate theory of stochastic processes. The main innovation of the proposed approach is that it can be directly extended to other kinds of structures which are not included in the Hazus database, since the procedure requires only the knowledge of the capacity curve, which can be obtained by standard procedures.     

Procedure for determining the seismic vulnerability of an irregular isolated bridge

A seismic vulnerability procedure, based on the capacity/demand ratio approach, is applied to an irregular isolated bridge. Special features are incorporated in both, demand estimation and capacity evaluation. The seismic demand is represented by an average pseudo-acceleration spectrum derived from 159 earthquake accelerograms recorded in the region where the bridge is located. The capacity spectrum method is adopted for estimating the structural expected performance for several limit states. The capacity curve derived from a static non-linear procedure is obtained by means of a lateral load pattern that follows the displacement configuration, previously assessed by the use of time history analyses of the bridge supported on non-linear isolator bearings. Based on a moment–curvature analysis of the pier's sections, the maximum curvature ductility was established for each of the four defined performance limit states. Finally, probability density functions of the bridge capacity and demand were assessed and fragility curves were proposed aimed at determining the expected behaviour of the bridge as function of peak ground acceleration (PGA) of the typical strong motions recorded in the area.     

基于性能的重力式挡墙地震易损性分析

位于高烈度地震区的支挡结构时刻面临着特大震灾的严峻考验,迄今国内外还没有人针对重力式挡墙系统地做过易损性方面的研究工作。采用增量动力分析方法,考虑地震动输入的不确定性,选取PGA为地震强度参数,挡墙的位移指数D_I为性能参数,基于振动台模型试验划分了挡墙的抗震性能水准,利用FLAC^3D对8 m高的重力式挡墙进行了地震动力响应分析和地震易损性分析,通过易损性曲线对挡墙在不同地震动作用下的易损性进行了评估和对比分析。研究表明：PGA与挡墙的位移指数近似呈指数关系,当地震动加速度小于0.4g时,场地条件对墙体位移指数的影响不显著,当地震动加速度大于0.4g时,土质场地挡墙位移指数与岩石场地挡墙相比显著增大,墙体位移指数受场地条件的影响显著。当PGA<0.4g时,挡墙基本保持完好或以轻微损伤破坏为主;当PGA>0.6g时,挡墙已完全损伤,发生严重损坏的概率也较大;当PGA>0.8g时,会造成挡墙的严重损坏,甚至可能造成整体倒塌,需要采取一定的抗震加固措施。     

桥梁地震易损性分析的研究现状

介绍了国内外桥梁抗震易损性分析理论的近期发展,简要评述了经验和理论易损性曲线的形成,指出了目前研究中存在的问题与发展前景。     

Seismic partitioned fragility analysis for high‐rise RC chimney considering multidimensional ground motion

In order to identify the vulnerable parts and areas of the high‐rise reinforced concrete chimney, this paper presents an effective method, which called partitioned fragility analysis. One 240‐m‐high reinforced concrete chimney was selected as the practical project, and its analytical model was created with ABAQUS software. The selected high‐rise chimney structure was divided into 17 parts, and then the damage probability of each part in different damage states was obtained with the fragility analysis considering multidimensional ground motions. Twenty ground motion records were taken from the Next Generation Attenuation database as the input motions, and the peak ground acceleration was selected as the intensity measure. The response of the chimney structure under multidimensional ground motions was obtained based on incremental dynamic analysis. The maximum strains of concrete and steel bars were defined as the damage limit states of the chimney structure. The fragility curves and surfaces obtained from this analysis showed that the vulnerable areas of the chimney structure appear at 0–20 m, 90–130 m, and 150–200 m along the height of the chimney respectively. Based analytical results, these vulnerable parts can be retrofitted to enhance the seismic resistance of existing chimney structures. And the partitioned fragility analysis method can also be used to improve the design of new chimney structures.     

Seismic fragility analysis of reinforced concrete structures considering reinforcement corrosion

钢筋锈蚀是影响钢筋混凝土结构耐久性的一个重要因素，会引起结构的自振周期延长、地震需求变化及抗震能力衰减，使得锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构的地震易损性分析不同于未锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构。以一栋按我国规范设计的RC框架结构为研究对象，分别建立了未锈蚀和锈蚀结构的非线性有限元模型并进行了模型验证。分别采用云图法和条带法计算得到了钢筋混凝土结构在未锈蚀和锈蚀两种工况下的地震易损性曲线和函数参数，对锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构地震易损性分析的特殊性及其对地震易损性分析结果的影响进行了分析。分析结果表明：不考虑钢筋锈蚀引起的结构自振周期延长会错误估计锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构的地震易损性水平。采用云图法分析锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构的地震易损性会出现锈蚀结构的极限状态失效概率低于未锈蚀结构的情况。而条带法比云图法可以更好地反映钢筋锈蚀对钢筋混凝土结构地震易损性的影响。忽略钢筋锈蚀引起的结构抗震能力衰减会低估锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构地震易损性水平，建议在锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构地震易损性分析中采用基于Pushover的极限状态定义方法。     

锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构地震易损性分析

钢筋锈蚀是影响钢筋混凝土结构耐久性的一个重要因素,会引起结构的自振周期延长、地震需求变化及抗震能力衰减,使得锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构的地震易损性分析不同于未锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构。以一栋按我国规范设计的RC框架结构为研究对象,分别建立了未锈蚀和锈蚀结构的非线性有限元模型并进行了模型验证。分别采用云图法和条带法计算得到了钢筋混凝土结构在未锈蚀和锈蚀两种工况下的地震易损性曲线和函数参数,对锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构地震易损性分析的特殊性及其对地震易损性分析结果的影响进行了分析。分析结果表明：不考虑钢筋锈蚀引起的结构自振周期延长会错误估计锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构的地震易损性水平。采用云图法分析锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构的地震易损性会出现锈蚀结构的极限状态失效概率低于未锈蚀结构的情况。而条带法比云图法可以更好地反映钢筋锈蚀对钢筋混凝土结构地震易损性的影响。忽略钢筋锈蚀引起的结构抗震能力衰减会低估锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构地震易损性水平,建议在锈蚀钢筋混凝土结构地震易损性分析中采用基于Pushover的极限状态定义方法。     

Seismic damage detection of tall airport traffic control towers using wavelet analysis

In this study, the applicability of continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and discrete wavelet transform (DWT) for seismic damage detection of tall airport traffic control (ATC) towers was investigated. Nonlinear finite element (NFE) model of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) ATC tower with the height of 120 m was created using discrete moment-curvature hinges. Three different strong ground motions excited the tower and three different damage scenarios were then obtained. Response accelerations at four strategically selected locations were analysed by CWT and DWT to detect the damage scenarios. It was found that CWT successfully detects seismic-induced damage even when the signals are polluted by noises. On the other hand, DWT is quite sensitive to noisy signals and successful damage detection by DWT depends on noise level and sampling interval. Moreover, it was observed that DWT is more sensitive to the change in the stiffness of the tower structural elements than CWT.     

考虑支座损伤的城市立交桥地震易损性分析

采用有限元分析方法,建立了以三跨连续箱梁桥为典型城市立交桥的分析型地震易损性模型。以规范反应谱作为目标谱,生成10条人工地震波作为地震动输入。利用恒载轴力下墩柱的弯矩曲率全曲线,计算获得墩柱的不同损伤状态和不同损伤指标。结合背景工程中的摆柱支座、固定支座和拉杆支座的结构形式,确定结构损伤指标。利用有限元分析得到不同地震强度下的超越损伤概率,生成地震易损性曲线。最后对墩柱和支座的损伤规律进行比较,掌握桥梁在地震中的损伤破坏规律,为城市立交桥的抗震设计及抗震加固提供参考依据。     

近场地震作用下型钢-混凝土组合结构桥易损性分析

考虑近场速度脉冲型地震动特征,对型钢-混凝土组合结构桥梁的地震易损性进行分析。以一座工字型钢-混凝土组合梁桥为例,从PEER数据库挑选60条近场地震动记录作为输入,对桥梁结构整体性能和局部性能两个层次的易损性进行分析,给出了桥梁结构的整体和局部地震易损性曲线。通过与远场地震作用下的桥梁结构地震易损性分析结果的对比研究,发现：近场速度脉冲型地震引起的桥梁结构整体和局部地震需求均显著大于远场地震|在近场地震作用下,桥墩是型钢-混凝土组合桥梁的最易损构件,混凝土横梁与栓钉的易损性水平低于桥墩。