Seismic response evaluation of base-isolated reinforced concrete buildings under bidirectional excitation

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.     

Seismic response of the superstructure and attached equipment in a base-isolated building

Base isolation can be used both to protect the structure and simultaneously to reduce the response of internal equipment. The seismic response of a base-isolated structure has been studied through the shaking table test or numerical calculation before. The object of this paper is to analyse a base-isolated structure by a different analytical approach—perturbation analysis. Recognizing that the horizontal stiffness of an isolation system is much smaller than that of the superstructure, the mathematical expressions of the modal properties of base-isolated structures are derived by the perturbation method in terms of the modal properties of the superstructure and used to study the dynamic response of superstructure and attached equipment in the base-isolated building. This study shows that the first base-isolated mode not only controls the superstructural response but also dominates the response of high-frequency attachment. The contribution of higher modes to the response of base-isolated structures, which is proportional to the horizontal stiffness of isolation system, is very small.     

Optimum damping in linear isolation systems

Optimum isolation damping for minimum acceleration response of base-isolated structures subjected to stationary random excitation is investigated. Three linear models are considered to account for the energy dissipation mechanism of the isolation system: a Kelvin element, a linear hysteretic element and a standard solid linear element, commonly used viscoelastic models for isolation systems comprising natural rubber bearings and viscous dampers. The criterion selected for optimality is the minimization of the mean-square floor acceleration response. The effects of the frequency content of the excitation and superstructure properties on the optimum damping and on the mean-square acceleration response are addressed. The study basically shows that the attainable reduction in the floor acceleration largely depends on the energy dissipation mechanism assumed for the isolation system as well as on the frequency content of the ground acceleration process. Special care should be taken in accurately modelling the mechanical behaviour of the energy dissipation devices.     

某框架结构基础隔震地震反应对比分析

基于结构动力学原理和有限元基本理论,利用SAP2000有限元分析软件,以某框架结构基础隔震楼和与其相近的非隔震楼为研究对象分别建立分析模型,运用动力时程分析法对两种模型进行水平地震反应分析。结果表明:基础隔震楼的水平向地震反应远小于非隔震楼,其上部结构的自振周期明显大于非隔震楼,其层间剪力和基底剪力、楼层相对位移和加速度低于非隔震楼。总体来说,隔震支座可以显著降低水平向地震对于结构的不良反应,值得推广应用。     

Seismic response of light internal equipment in base-isolated structures

The seismic response of light secondary systems in a building is dependent on the response of the primary structural system to the seismic ground motion with the result that very high accelerations can be induced in such secondary systems. This response can be reduced through the use of aseismic base isolation which is a design strategy whereby the entire building can be decoupled from the damaging horizontal components of seismic ground motion by the use of some form of isolation system. The paper presents a theoretical analysis of the response of light equipment in isolated structures and a parallel experimental programme both of which show that the use of base isolation can not only attenuate the response of the primary structural system but also reduce the response of secondary systems. Thus, the design of equipment and piping in a base-isolated building is very much simpler than that for a conventionally founded structure: inelastic response and equipment-structure interaction need not be considered and multiple support response analysis is rendered unnecessary. Although an isolation system with linear elastic bearings can reduce the acceleration of the structure, it may be accompanied by large relative displacements between the structure and the ground. A system using lead-rubber hysteretic bearings, having a force-displacement relation which is approximately a bilinear loop, can reduce these displacements. A parallel experimental programme was carried out to investigate the response of light equipment in structures isolated using lead-rubber bearings. The experimental results show that these bearings can dissipate energy and limit the displacement and acceleration of the structure but are less effective in reducing the accelerations in the internal equipment. The results of both the analysis and the tests show that base isolation is a very effective method for the seismic protection of light equipment items in buildings.     

Simulation of the response of base-isolated buildings under earthquake excitations considering soil flexibility

The accurate analysis of the seismic response of isolated structures requires incorporation of the flexibility of supporting soil.However,it is often customary to idealize the soil as rigid during the analysis of such structures.In this paper,seismic response time history analyses of base-isolated buildings modelled as linear single degree-of-freedom(SDOF) and multi degree-of-freedom(MDOF) systems with linear and nonlinear base models considering and ignoring the flexibility of supporting soil are conducted.The flexibility of supporting soil is modelled through a lumped parameter model consisting of swaying and rocking spring-dashpots.In the analysis,a large number of parametric studies for different earthquake excitations with three different peak ground acceleration(PGA) levels,different natural periods of the building models,and different shear wave velocities in the soil are considered.For the isolation system,laminated rubber bearings(LRBs) as well as high damping rubber bearings(HDRBs) are used.Responses of the isolated buildings with and without SSI are compared under different ground motions leading to the following conclusions:(1) soil flexibility may considerably influence the stiff superstructure response and may only slightly influence the response of the flexible structures;(2) the use of HDRBs for the isolation system induces higher structural peak responses with SSI compared to the system with LRBs;(3) although the peak response is affected by the incorporation of soil flexibility,it appears insensitive to the variation of shear wave velocity in the soil;(4) the response amplifications of the SDOF system become closer to unit with the increase in the natural period of the building,indicating an inverse relationship between SSI effects and natural periods for all the considered ground motions,base isolations and shear wave velocities;(5) the incorporation of SSI increases the number of significant cycles of large amplitude accelerations for all the stories,especially for earthquakes with low and moderate PGA levels;and(6) buildings with a linear LRB base-isolation system exhibit larger differences in displacement and acceleration amplifications,especially at the level of the lower stories.     

Seismic response of base-isolated structures with vertical-rocking coupling

A base-isolated building is liable to have a small horizontal eccentricity between the centre of mass of the superstructure and the centre of rigidity of the supporting bearings. In seismic analysis, the structure is modelled as a rigid block with tributary masses supported on massless elastomeric rubber bearings placed at a constant elevation below the centre of mass. This simplified system has three degrees of freedom: two translations and one rotation in the vertical plane. The investigation of the dynamic behaviour of a base-isolated building is carried out for both the detuned and the perfectly tuned cases. In the detuned case, the natural frequencies of the system are assumed to be well separated. In the perfectly tuned case, the uncoupled rocking frequency is assumed to be identical to the vertical translational frequency, which may result from an unusual mass distribution and/or an extreme aspect ratio of the superstructure. Perturbation methods are implemented in finding the dynamic characteristics for both cases. However, the dynamic response of the perfectly tuned case is the major concern in this investigation. The Green's functions for the displacement response of the three-degree-of-freedom system are derived for both the undamped and damped conditions. The response spectrum modal superposition method is used in estimating the maximum acceleration response. A simple method, accounting for the effect of closely spaced modes, is proposed for combining modal maxima and results in an approximate solution corresponding to a single-degree-of-freedom system. This approximate solution may be used for the preliminary design of a base-isolated structure. Numerical results for a base-isolated building subjected to the vertical component of the El Centro earthquake of 1940 were carried out for comparison with these analytical results. The proposed modal combination method showed superiority over the conventional Square Root of the Sum of the Squares method in estimating maximum responses. The results also indicated that the approximate single-degree-of-freedom system yields accurate estimations. It is shown that the effect of rocking coupling on the vertical response of base-isolated structures subjected to transient loadings, such as earthquake motions, can generally be neglected as a result of the combined effects of the time lag between the maximum translational and rotational responses and the influence of damping in the isolation system, which for elastomeric bearings can be as high as 8 to 10 per cent of critical.     

高层建筑被动混合控制的波动分析

本文提出了一种将基础隔震系统与调频质量阻尼器（ＴＭＤ）相结合的被动混合控制系统,计算了带有基础隔震系统,调频质量阻尼器（ＴＭＤ）及其混合控制系统的高层建筑在地面水平运动作用下的振动波及其功率大小,文中比较了不同控制结构在１９４０ＥｌＣｅｎｔｒｏ地震动作用下的加速度峰值,层间位移峰值和最大层间剪力值。理论及数值结果表明：这种被动混合控制系统能够非常有效地抑制地面运动作用下高层建筑的振动,它不仅大大地     

A comparative study of performances of various base isolation systems,part I: Shear beam structures

A comparative study of performances of different base isolators for shear beam type structures is carried out. Several leading base isolation systems, including the laminated rubber bearing with and without lead plug, the resilient-friction base isolator with and without sliding upper plate, and the EDF system are considered. Displacement and acceleration response spectra for a shear beam structure subject to the accelerograms of the N00W component of El Centro 1940 and the N90W component of Mexico City 1985 earthquakes and their magnified forms are evaluated. A series of parametric studies is carried out and advantages and disadvantages of various base isolation systems are identified. Comparisons of the results with the response spectra of a fixed-base structure show that the base isolation systems are, in general, highly effective in reducing the peak acceleration transmitted to the superstructure. Thus, the deflections and stresses generated in a base-isolated structure are significantly lower than those of a fixed-base one. Furthermore, the results of the study also show that the friction-type base isolators are less sensitive to severe variations in frequency content and amplitude of the ground acceleration.     

Protecting vibration-sensitive contents: an investigation of floor accelerations in seismically isolated buildings

For the public welfare and safety, buildings such as hospitals, industrial facilities, and technology centers need to remain functional at all times; even during and after major earthquakes. The values of these buildings themselves may be insignificant when compared to the cost of loss of operations and business continuity. Seismic isolation aims to protect both the integrity and the contents of a structure. Since the tolerable acceleration levels are relatively low for continued services of vibration-sensitive high-tech contents, a better understanding of acceleration response behaviors of seismically isolated buildings is necessary. In an effort to shed light to this issue, following are investigated via bi-directional time history analyses of seismically isolated benchmark buildings subject to historical earthquakes: (i) the distribution of peak floor accelerations of seismically isolated buildings subject to seismic excitations in order to find out which floors are likely to sustain the largest accelerations; (ii) the influence of equivalent linear modeling of isolation systems on the floor accelerations in order to find out the range of possible errors introduced by this type of modeling; (iii) the role of superstructure damping in reducing floor accelerations of seismically isolated buildings with flexible superstructures in order to find out whether increasing the superstructure damping helps reducing floor accelerations notably. Influences of isolation system characteristics and superstructure flexibility are both taken into account.     

结构内设备的摩擦摆隔震响应分析

基于系统耦和振动微分方程，分析了结构内摩擦摆隔震设备的响应规律和隔震效果。计算结果表明，经过合理设计的摩擦摆系统能够显著控制设备的地震绝对加速度响应从而有效提高设备的抗震可靠度。     

DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF BASE-ISOLATED SHEAR BEAMS BUMPING AGAINST STOPS

Base isolation requires a gap between the base-isolated building and its surroundings to provide space for the deformation of isolation system. Bumping against the surroundings may change the performance of the base-isolated building. In this study, the building is modelled as an elastic or inelastic shear beam and the surroundings is simplified as elastic or inelastic stops. The influence of stop stiffness, gap size and stop strength on the seismic response is studied. Numerical results indicate that the impact wave induced by the bumping can create an extremely high acceleration response in the shear beam, if the shear beam remains elastic. A non-linearly elastic stop model is observed to reduce the acceleration response. If the shear beam yields, the impact wave cannot propagate through the shear beam and the shear beam remains in the low acceleration response except for the base. Changing the stop stiffness or stop strength has little effect on the distribution of ductility demand along the shear beam. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic response of base-isolated buildings including soil–structure interaction

This study investigates the effect of soil–structure interaction (SSI) on the response of base-isolated buildings. The equations of motion are formulated in the frequency domain, assuming frequency-independent soil stiffness and damping constants. An equivalent fixed-base system is developed that accounts for soil compliance and damping characteristics of the base-isolated building. Closed-form expressions are derived, followed by a thorough parametric study involving the pertinent system parameters. For preliminary design, the methodology can serve as a means to assess effective use of base isolation on building structures accounting for SSI. This study concludes that the effects of SSI are more pronounced on the modal properties of the system, especially for the case of squat and stiff base-isolated structures.     

Evaluation of uniaxial contact models for moat wall pounding simulations

Moat wall pounding occurs when a base-isolated building displaces beyond the provided clearance and collides with the surrounding retaining wall, inducing very high floor accelerations and interstory drifts. Previous studies on moat wall pounding typically employ simplified models of the superstructure, with a uniaxial contact spring used to model the entire moat wall. Consequently, researchers have developed sophisticated contact models to estimate the normal-direction contact force that is generated during seismic pounding. This study examines how the choice in contact model affects the seismic response of a base-isolated building subjected to impact-inducing ground excitation. Five widely used state-of-the-art contact models are summarized and implemented into an experimentally-calibrated numerical model of a base-isolated moment frame. Results of nonlinear dynamic time history analyses are shown in detail for one ground motion, followed by a larger parametric study across 28 near-fault ground motions. This work shows that peak impact force and base acceleration are moderately sensitive to the choice in contact model, while upper floor accelerations and interstory drifts are practically not affected.     

Inelastic response of RC frame buildings with seismic isolation

A comprehensive parametric study on the inelastic seismic response of seismically isolated RC frame buildings, designed for gravity loads only, is presented. Four building prototypes, with 23 m × 10 m floor plan dimensions and number of storeys ranging from 2 to 8, are considered. All the buildings present internal resistant frames in one direction only, identified as the strong direction of the building. In the orthogonal weak direction, the buildings present outer resistant frames only, with infilled masonry panels. This structural configuration is typical of many existing RC buildings, realized in Italy and other European countries in the 60s and 70s. The parametric study is based on the results of extensive nonlinear response‐time history analyses of 2‐DOF systems, using a set of seven artificial and natural seismic ground motions. In the parametric study, buildings with strength ratio (F_y/W) ranging from 0.03 to 0.15 and post‐yield stiffness ratio ranging from 0% to 6% are examined. Three different types of isolation systems are considered, that is, high damping rubber bearings, lead rubber bearings and friction pendulum bearings. The isolation systems have been designed accepting the occurrence of plastic hinges in the superstructure during the design earthquake. The nonlinear response‐time history analyses results show that structures with seismic isolation experience fewer inelastic cycles compared with fixed‐base structures. As a consequence, although limited plastic deformations can be accepted, the collapse limit state of seismically isolated structures should be based on the lateral capacity of the superstructure without significant reliance on its inherent hysteretic damping or ductility capacity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intensity measures for the seismic response prediction of base-isolated buildings

Base isolation has become a widely applied technique for protecting buildings located in highly seismic areas. Due to the strongly non-linear constitutive behaviour typical of many isolation devices, the seismic response of base-isolated buildings is usually evaluated through non-linear dynamic analysis. In this type of analysis a suitable set of ground motions is needed for representing the earthquake loads and for exciting the structural model. Many methods can be found in the literature for defining the ground motions. When natural accelerograms are used, the methods mainly differ from each other based on the intensity measures used for scaling the records to the defined earthquake intensity level. Investigations have been carried out for evaluating the predictive capability of the intensity measures used in these methods: while many studies focused on ordinary buildings, only a few focused on base-isolated ones. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the most commonly used intensity measures, which are currently available in the literature, with respect to their capability to predict the seismic response of base-isolated buildings. Selected for the investigation are two frame structures characterized by a different number of storeys and base-isolated with systems having different properties. Two sets of accelerograms, consisting of ordinary and pulse-like near-fault records, are used in the analyses and in the evaluation of the intensity measures. Modified versions of existing intensity measures are also proposed, with the intent of improving the correlations between the considered intensity measures and response quantities.     

Optimal cost‐effective topology of column bearings for reducing vertical acceleration demands in multistory base‐isolated buildings

Base‐isolation is regarded as one of the most effective methods for protecting the structural and nonstructural building elements from design level horizontal earthquake ground shaking. However, base‐isolation as currently practiced does not offer unlimited protection for these buildings, especially when the ground shaking includes a strong vertical component. The vulnerability of nonstructural systems in a base‐isolated building was made evident during recent shake table testing of a full‐scale five‐story base‐isolated steel moment frame where nonstructural system damage was observed following tests including vertical excitation. Past research efforts have attempted to achieve 3D isolation of buildings and nuclear structures by concentrating both the horizontal and vertical flexibility at the base of the building that are either quite limited or not economically viable. An approach whereby the vertical flexibility is distributed up the height of the building superstructure to passively reduce vertical acceleration demands in base‐isolated buildings is presented. The vertical flexibility is achieved by placing laterally restrained elastomeric ‘column’ bearings at one or more floor levels along the height of the building. To broadly investigate the efficacy of the vertically distributed flexibility concept and the trade‐off between mitigation and cost, a multi‐objective optimization study was conducted considering 3‐story, 9‐story, and 20‐story archetype buildings that aimed to minimize the median peak vertical floor acceleration demands and to minimize the direct cost of column bearings. Based on the results of the optimization study, a practical rule for determining the number of levels and locations of column bearings is proposed and evaluated. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of supplemental damping on LRB and FPS seismic isolators under near-fault ground motions

Numerical simulations are performed to assess the effects of near-fault ground motions on base-isolated buildings that consist of either lead-rubber (LRB) or friction-pendulum system (FPS) bearings in addition to supplemented viscous dampers. While LRB and FPS isolation systems have been applied for a number of years, the addition of supplemental damping devices is being currently considered for strong ground motions to reduce the isolator displacements. However, the main problem in this case is that the addition of damping may increase both internal deformation and absolute accelerations of the superstructure and thus may defeat many of the gains for which base isolation is intended. In the present paper, a detailed and systematic investigation on the performance of LRB and FPS isolation systems, provided with supplemental viscous damping under the effect of near-fault ground motions, has been carried out by using commercial finite element software.     

Improving the performance of conventional base isolation systems by an external variable negative stiffness device under near-fault and long-period ground motions

Recent studies have shown that base-isolated objects with long fundamental natural periods are highly influenced by long-period earthquakes. These long-period waves result in large displacements for isolators, possibly leading to exceedance of the allowable displacement limits. Conventional isolation systems, in general, fail to resist such large displacements. This has prompted the need to modify conventional base isolation systems. The current work focuses on the development of an external device, comprising a unit of negative and positive springs, for improving the performance of conventional base isolation systems. This unit accelerates the change in the stiffness of the isolation system where the stiffness of the positive spring varies linearly in terms of the displacement response of the isolated objects. The target objects of the present study are small structures such as computer servers, sensitive instruments and machinery. Numerical studies show that the increase in the damping of the system and the slope of the linear function is effective in reducing the displacement response. An optimal range of damping values and slope, satisfying the stability condition and the allowable limits of both displacement and acceleration responses when the system is subjected to near-fault and long-period ground motions simultaneously, is proposed.

     

Response of base-isolated buildings to random excitations described by the Clough-Penzien spectral model

The stationary response of base-isolated buildings subjected to earthquake excitation is studied. The frequency content of earthquake input is described by the Clough-Penzien spectral model. The response parameters of interest are (1) the root-mean-square (RMS) displacement σ_x of the basement relative to the foundation (i.e. shear deformation of the isolation system) and (2) the ratio (σ_a/σ_a0) of the RMS value of the absolute acceleration at the roof of the isolated structure over the corresponding value when the isolation system is locked. The variation of these response parameters with the effective frequency f₀ of the base-isolated structure is investigated. As input, earthquakes with moment magnitudes M = 7-3 and M = 6-0 are considered. The acceleration spectra corresponding to these two earthquake sizes have pronouncedly different frequency content over the frequency range 0–1-1–0 Hz which is of primary importance for base-isolated structures. An important conclusion that comes from these analyses is that confidence in the effectiveness of a base-isolated system should be based primarily on its capacity to absorb/dissipate energy and less on its influence in shifting the fundamental period of the structure out of the range of dominant earthquake energy.