Northridge, California, earthquake of 1994: density of red-tagged buildings versus peak horizontal velocity and intensity of shaking

The 1994 Northridge earthquake occurred underneath a densely populated metropolitan area, and was recorded by over 200 strong motion stations in the metropolitan area and vicinity. This rare coincidence made it an ideal case to study, in statistical sense, the correlation of damage to structures with the level of strong shaking, in particular with respect to (1) instrumental characteristics of shaking and (2) the reported site intensity scale. In this paper, statistics for the incidence of red-tagged building in 1 × 1 km² blocks in San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles is presented and analyzed, as function of the observed peak ground velocity or the local intensity of shaking. The ‘observed’ peak velocity is estimated from contour maps based on the recorded strong motion. The intensity of shaking is estimated from the published intensity map and from our modification of this map to make it more consistent with observed high damage to buildings in some localized areas. Finally, empirical scaling equations are derived which predict the average density of red-tagged buildings (per km²) as a function of peak ground velocity or site intensity of shaking. These scaling equations are specific to the region studied, and apply to Wooden Frame Construction, typical of post World War II period, which is the prevailing building type in the sample studied. These can be used to predict the density of red-tagged buildings per km² in San Fernando Valley and in Los Angeles for a scenario earthquake or for an ensemble of earthquakes during specified exposure, within the framework of probabilistic seismic hazard analysis. Such predictions will be useful to government officials for emergency planning, to the insurance industry for realistic assessment of insured losses, and to structural engineers for assessment of the overall performance of this type of buildings.     

Lessons from the 2003 Tokachi-oki, Japan, earthquake for prediction of long-period strong ground motions and sloshing damage to oil storage tanks

The 2003 Tokachi-oki earthquake (M _w 8.0) in northern Japan generated large-amplitude long-period (4–8 s) ground motions in the Yufutsu sedimentary basin, causing severe damage to seven large oil storage tanks with floating roof structures because of severe sloshing of oil. The 30,000–40,000-m³ tanks having suffered the severe damage such as fires and sinking of floating roofs experienced the sloshing with large amplitudes exceeding 3 m in which the fundamental mode was predominant. The second mode of sloshing was also excited in the 110,000-m³ tanks in which their floating roofs sank into oil, indicating that the higher modes of sloshing as well as the fundamental mode should be considered in damage prediction. The strong ground motion recordings demonstrated the earthquake dependency of predominant periods and the substantial spatial variation of the long-period shaking observed within the Yufutsu basin, meaning the necessity of source- and site-specific prediction of long-period strong ground motions. The two-dimensional numerical modeling suggested the importance of detailed structures of soft near-surface sediments as well as deep basin structure for accurate prediction of long-period strong ground motions in deep sedimentary basins.     

Northridge, California, earthquake of 1994: density of pipe breaks and surface strains

Empirical scaling equations are presented which relate the average number of water pipe breaks per km², , with the peak strain in the soil or intensity of shaking at the site. These equations are based on contour maps of peak surface strain evaluated from strong motion recordings, and observations of intensity of ground shaking and damage following the Northridge, California, earthquake of 17 January 1994. Histograms for the number of pipe breaks per km², n, are presented for several ranges of values of the horizontal peak strain and for several values of the site intensity. The observed distribution of pipe breaks is also used to speculate on possible more detailed geographical distribution of near surface strains in the San Fernando Valley and in central Los Angeles. The results can be used to predict number of pipe breaks in the San Fernando Valley and in Los Angeles, for a scenario earthquake or in probabilistic seismic hazard calculations, considering all possible scenarios that contribute to the hazard and the likelihood of their occurrence during specified exposure. Such predictions will be useful for emergency response planning (as the functioning of the water supply is critical for sanitation and in fighting fires caused by earthquakes), to estimate strains during future and past earthquakes in areas where no strong motion was recorded and in defining design guidelines for pipelines and other structures and structural systems sensitive to strains in the ground.     

Long period microtremors, microseisms and earthquake damage: Northridge, CA, earthquake of 17 January 1994

Three studies of site amplification factors, based on the recorded aftershocks, and one study based on strong motion data, are compared one with another and with the observed distribution of damage from the Northridge, CA, earthquake of 17 January 1994 (M_L=6.4). In the epicentral area, when the peak ground velocities are larger than v_m≈15 cm/s, nonlinear response of soil begins to distort the amplification factors determined from small amplitude (linear) wave motion. Moving into the area of near-field and strong ground motion (v_m>30 cm/s), the site response becomes progressively more affected by the nonlinear soil response. Based on the published results, it is concluded that site amplification factors determined from small amplitude waves (aftershocks, small earthquakes, coda waves) and their transfer-function representation may be useful for small and distant earthquake motions, where soils and structures respond to earthquake waves in a linear manner. However in San Fernando Valley, during the Northridge earthquake, the observed distribution of damage did not correlate with site amplification determined from spectra of recorded weak motions. Mapping geographical distribution of site amplification using other than very strong motion data, therefore appears to be of little use for seismic hazard analyses.     

Nonlinear soil response as a natural passive isolation mechanism-the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake

The spatial relationship between areas with severely damaged (red-tagged) buildings and areas with large strains in the soil (indicated by reported breaks in the water distribution system), observed during the 1994 Northridge earthquake, is analysed. It is shown that these areas can be separated almost everywhere. Minimal overlapping is observed only in the regions with very large amplitudes of shaking (peak ground velocity exceeding about 150 cm s⁻¹). One explanation for this remarkable separation is that the buildings on ‘soft’ soils, which experienced nonlinear strain levels, were damaged to a lesser degree, possibly because the soil absorbed a significant portion of the incident seismic wave energy. As a result, the total number of severely damaged (red-tagged) buildings in San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles and Santa Monica may have been reduced by a factor of two or more. This interpretation is consistent with the recorded peak accelerations of strong motion in the same area. It is concluded that significant reduction in the potential damage to wood frame single family dwellings may be expected in areas where the soil experiences ‘large’ strains (beyond the linear range) during strong earthquake shaking, but not significant differential motions, settlement or lateral spreading, near the surface.     

Reconnaissance report and preliminary ground motion simulation of the 12 May 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

The M _w = 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake of May 12, 2008, caused destruction over a wide area. The earthquake cost more than 69,000 lives and the damage is reported to have left more than 5 million people homeless. It is estimated that 5.36 million buildings were destroyed and 21 million buildings were damaged in Sichuan and the nearby provinces. Economic losses due to the event are estimated to be 124 billion USD. From a field reconnaissance trip conducted in October 2008, it is evident that the combination of several factors, including mountainous landscape, strong ground shaking, extensive landslides and rock-falls, has exacerbated the human and economic consequences of this earthquake. Extensive damage occurred over a wide area due to the shear size of the earthquake rupture combined with poor quality building construction. In order to investigate the ground shaking during the earthquake, we have conducted a strong ground motion simulation study, applying a hybrid broadband frequency technique. The preliminary results show large spatial variation in the ground shaking, with the strongest ground motions along the fault plane. The simulation results have been calibrated against the recorded ground motion from several near-field stations in the area, and acceleration values of the order of 1 g are obtained, similar to what was recorded during the event. Comparison with the damage distribution observed in the field confirms that the effect of fault rupture complexity on the resulting ground motion distribution also controls to a large extent the damage distribution. The applied simulation technique provides a promising platform for predictive studies.     

Prediction of the maximum credible ground motion in Singapore due to a great Sumatran subduction earthquake: the worst‐case scenario

Although Singapore is located in a low‐seismicity region, huge but infrequent Sumatran subduction earthquakes might pose structural problems to medium‐ and high‐rise buildings in the city. Based on a series of ground motion simulations of potential earthquakes that may affect Singapore, the 1833 Sumatran subduction earthquake (M_w=9.0) has been identified to be the worst‐case scenario earthquake. Bedrock motions in Singapore due to the hypothesized earthquake are simulated using an extended reflectivity method, taking into account uncertainties in source rupture process. Random rupture models, considering the uncertainties in rupture directivity, slip distribution, presence of asperities, rupture velocity and dislocation rise time, are made based on a range of seismologically possible models. The simulated bedrock motions have a very long duration of about 250 s with a predominant period between 1.8 and 2.5 s, which coincides with the natural periods of medium‐ and high‐rise buildings widely found in Singapore. The 90‐percentile horizontal peak ground acceleration is estimated to be 33 gal and the 90‐percentile horizontal spectral acceleration with 5% damping ratio is 100 gal within the predominant period range. The 90‐percentile bedrock motion would generate base shear force higher than that required by the current design code, where seismic design has yet to be considered. This has not taken into account effects of local soil response that might further amplify the bedrock motion. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

2021年青海玛多7.4级地震强震动记录及特征分析

2021年5月22日,青海省果洛州玛多县发生7.4级地震,中国强震动观测网络在主震中捕获16组强震动数据。对48条三分向加速度记录进行基线校正、滤波等常规处理,计算相应的地震动参数,发现位于断层破裂前向位置的63DAW台NS向记录的地震动速度波形具有长周期分量丰富的特征。分析6个典型台站的单自由度加速度反应谱,并与我国建筑抗震设计谱比较,分析此次地震的频谱特性。将实际观测到的PGA、PGV和S_a(T=0.1 s、T=1.0 s、T=2.0 s、T=5.0 s)与国内广泛使用的几种地震动预测模型对比,研究此次地震的影响场。通过分析S_a-S_d曲线,探讨此次地震靠近断层区域地面运动大位移与桥梁落梁震害间可能存在的关系。     

Damage distribution during the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake relative to generalized categories of surficial geology

The spatial distributions of severely damaged buildings (red-tagged) and of breaks in the water distribution system following the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake (M_L = 6·4) are investigated relative to the local characteristics of surficial geology. The pipe breaks are used as an indicator of nonlinear soil response, and the red-tagged buildings as indicator of severe shaking. The surficial geology is described by several generalized categories based on age, textural character and thickness of the near surface layer. Two regions are studied: the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles-Santa Monica. The analysis shows that there is no simple correlation between damage patterns and surficial geology. Single family wood-frame buildings were damaged less when built on fine silt and clay (0–3 m thick) from the late Holocene.     

渭河盆地中土层场地对地震动的放大作用

土层场地对地震动的影响较大,建(构)筑物的选址及其抗震设防必须考虑土层场地的放大作用,以避免或减轻其震害.汶川地震中,布设在渭河盆地中的数字强震动台网共有27个台站(包括2个基岩台站和25个土层台站)获得良好的主震加速度时程.利用这些加速度时程,选择汤峪台做为参考场地,基于考虑几何衰减的传统谱比法分析研究了25个土层场...     

Collapse assessment of moment frame buildings,considering vertical ground shaking

While many cases of structural damage in past earthquakes have been attributed to strong vertical ground shaking, our understanding of vertical seismic load effects and their influence on collapse mechanisms of buildings is limited. This study quantifies ground motion parameters that are capable of predicting trends in building collapse because of vertical shaking, identifies the types of buildings that are most likely affected by strong vertical ground motions, and investigates the relationship between element level responses and structural collapse under multi‐directional shaking. To do so, two sets of incremental dynamic analyses (IDA) are run on five nonlinear building models of varying height, geometry, and design era. The first IDA is run using the horizontal component alone; the second IDA applies the vertical and horizontal motions simultaneously. When ground motion parameters are considered independently, acceleration‐based measures of the vertical shaking best predict trends in building collapse associated with vertical shaking. When multiple parameters are considered, Housner intensity (SI), computed as a ratio between vertical and horizontal components of a record (SI_V/SI_H), predicts the significance of vertical shaking for collapse. The building with extensive structural cantilevered members is the most influenced by vertical ground shaking, but all frame structures (with either flexural and shear critical columns) are impacted. In addition, the load effect from vertical ground motions is found to be significantly larger than the nominal value used in US building design. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Broadband ground motion simulation using a hybrid approach of the May 21, 2021 M7.4 earthquake in Maduo,Qinghai, China

In this study, the broadband ground motions of the 2021 M7.4 Maduo earthquake were simulated to overcome the scarcity of ground motion recordings and the low resolution of macroseismic intensity map in sparsely populated high-altitude regions. The simulation was conducted with a hybrid methodology, combining a stochastic high-frequency simulation with a low-frequency ground motion simulation, from the regional 1-D velocity structure model and the Wang WM et al. (2022) source rupture model, respectively. We found that the three-component waveforms simulated for specific stations matched the waveforms recorded at those stations, in terms of amplitude, duration, and frequency content. The validation results demonstrate the ability of the hybrid simulation method to reproduce the main characteristics of the observed ground motions for the 2021 Maduo earthquake over a broad frequency range. Our simulations suggest that the official map of macroseismic intensity tends to overestimate shaking by one intensity unit. Comparisons of simulations with empirical ground motion models indicate generally good consistency between the simulated and empirically predicted intensity measures. The high-frequency components of ground motions were found to be more prominent, while the low-frequency components were not, which is unexpected for large earthquakes. Our simulations provide valuable insight into the effects of source complexity on the level and variability of the resulting ground motions. The acceleration and velocity time histories and corresponding response spectra were provided for selected representative sites where no records were available. The simulated results have important implications for evaluating the performance of engineering structures in the epicentral regions of this earthquake and for estimating seismic hazards in the Tibetan regions where no strong ground motion records are available for large earthquakes.     

2016年8月24日意大利中部MW6.2地震强地面运动特征分析

对意大利国家强震台网在2016年8月24日获得的其中部拉齐奥大区阿库莫利市发生的M_W6.2地震强震动三分向记录进行处理和分析。完成原始数据基线校正、滤波等基本数据处理,回归此次地震动幅值衰减规律,发现其整体与ITA08及BA08的衰减趋势一致,但远场实际值低于预测值,不同场地条件下的衰减特性与ITA10一致,近震源幅值较大,且方向性明显;计算并回归分析几种持时,与全球经验预测方程均基本吻合;比较4个幅值较大的近震源台站的反应谱,发现其明显高于欧洲抗震设计规范中的设计反应谱。结合此次震害特点,该地区在实际建设中仍需提高抗震设防能力,以确保安全性等级。     

Estimation of strong ground motions from hypothetical earthquakes on the Cascadia subduction zone,Pacific Northwest

Strong ground motions are estimated for the Pacific Northwest assuming that large shallow earthquakes, similar to those experienced in southern Chile, southwestern Japan, and Colombia, may also occur on the Cascadia subduction zone. Fifty-six strong motion recordings for twenty-five subduction earthquakes ofM _s7.0 are used to estimate the response spectra that may result from earthquakesM _w<81/4. Large variations in observed ground motion levels are noted for a given site distance and earthquake magnitude. When compared with motions that have been observed in the western United States, large subduction zone earthquakes produce relatively large ground motions at surprisingly large distances. An earthquake similar to the 22 May 1960 Chilean earthquake (M _w 9.5) is the largest event that is considered to be plausible for the Cascadia subduction zone. This event has a moment which is two orders of magnitude larger than the largest earthquake for which we have strong motion records. The empirical Green's function technique is used to synthesize strong ground motions for such giant earthquakes. Observed teleseismicP-waveforms from giant earthquakes are also modeled using the empirical Green's function technique in order to constrain model parameters. The teleseismic modeling in the period range of 1.0 to 50 sec strongly suggests that fewer Green's functions should be randomly summed than is required to match the long-period moments of giant earthquakes. It appears that a large portion of the moment associated with giant earthquakes occurs at very long periods that are outside the frequency band of interest for strong ground motions. Nevertheless, the occurrence of a giant earthquake in the Pacific Northwest may produce quite strong shaking over a very large region.     

Effects of inertial and kinematic interaction on seismic behavior of pile with embedded foundation

Effects of inertial and kinematic forces on pile stresses are studied based on large shaking table tests on pile-structure models with a foundation embedded in dry and liquefiable sand deposits. The test results show that, if the natural period of the superstructure, T_b, is less than that of the ground, T_g, the ground displacement tends to be in phase with the inertial force from the superstructure, increasing the shear force transmitted to the pile. In contrast, if T_b is greater than T_g, the ground displacement tends to be out of phase with the inertial force, restraining the pile stress from increasing. With the effects of earth pressures on the embedded foundation and pile incorporated in, pseudo-static analysis is conducted to estimate maximum moment distribution in pile. It is assumed that the maximum moment is equal to the sum of the two stresses caused by the inertial and kinematic effects if T_b<T_g or the square root of the sum of the squares of the two if T_b>T_g. The estimated pile stresses are in good agreement with the observed ones regardless of the occurrence of soil liquefaction.     

基于烈度指标的核电厂地震预警停堆参数研究

核电厂在遭遇超设计基准地震时需要考虑安全停堆,以避免造成核泄漏事故。采用地震动的峰值加速度参数(PGA)作为判别停堆的参数具有一定的局限性,PGA参数不能反映地震动的频谱和持时特征,因而可能引起不必要的停堆。针对此问题,基于我国本土大量实际强震记录,遴选出7种典型的工程相关地震动参数,进而基于地震烈度指标,分析发现地震动的标准累计绝对速度参数能更好地表征地震对核电厂的整体潜在破坏能力,适合作为判别停堆的参数,然后提出两种确定预警参数阈值的方法,最终建议考虑我国强震数据特征的核电厂判别停堆的预警参数阈值,为我国核电厂的地震安全停堆参数的确定提供了参考。     

Analysis of the weightiness of site effects on reinforced concrete (RC) building seismic behaviour: The Adra town example (SE Spain)

The damage distribution in Adra town (south‐eastern Spain) during the 1993 and 1994 Adra earthquakes (5.0 magnitude), that reached a maximum intensity degree of VII (European Macroseismic Scale (EMS scale)), was concentrated mainly in the south‐east zone of the town and the most relevant damage occurred in reinforced concrete (RC) buildings with four or five storeys. In order to evaluate the influence of ground condition on RC building behaviour, geological, geomorphological and geophysical surveys were carried out, and a detailed map of ground surface structure was obtained. Short‐period microtremor observations were performed in 160 sites on a 100m × 100m dimension grid and Nakamura's method was applied in order to determine a distribution map of soil predominant periods. Shorter predominant periods (0.1–0.3 s) were found in mountainous and neighbouring zones and larger periods (greater than 0.5 s) in thicker Holocene alluvial fans. A relationship T = (0.049 ± 0.001)N, where T is the natural period of swaying motion and N is the number of storeys, has been empirically obtained by using microtremor measurements at the top of 38 RC buildings (ranging from 2 to 9 storeys). 1‐D simulation of strong motion on different soil conditions and for several typical RC buildings were computed, using the acceleration record in Adra town of the 1993 earthquake. It is noteworthy that all the aforementioned results show the influence of site effects in the degree and distribution of observed building damage. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A ground motion prediction equation for JMA instrumental seismic intensity for shallow crustal earthquakes in active tectonic regimes

The JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency) seismic intensity scale has been used in Japan as a measure of earthquake ground shaking effects since 1949. It has traditionally been assessed after an earthquake based on the judgment of JMA officials. In 1996 the scale was revised as an instrumental seismic intensity measure (I_JMA) that could be used to rapidly assess the expected damage after an earthquake without having to conduct a survey. Since its revision, Japanese researchers have developed several ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) for I_JMA using Japanese ground motion data. In this paper, we develop a new empirical GMPE for I_JMA based on the strong motion database and functional forms used to develop similar GMPEs for peak response parameters as part of the PEER (Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center) Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) project. We consider this relationship to be valid for shallow crustal earthquakes in active tectonic regimes for moment magnitudes ( M ) ranging from 5.0 up to 7.5–8.5 (depending on fault mechanism) and rupture distances ranging from 0 to 200 km. A comparison of this GMPE with relationships developed by Japanese researchers for crustal and shallow subduction earthquakes shows relatively good agreement among all of the relationships at M 7.0 but relatively poor agreement at small magnitudes. Our GMPE predicts the highest intensities at small magnitudes, which together with research on other ground motion parameters, indicates that it provides conservative or upwardly biased estimates of I_JMA for M <5.5. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

2016年10月20日江苏射阳M4.4地震的强震动记录分析

对2016年10月20日江苏射阳M4.4地震的强震动记录进行初步分析,介绍强震动记录的一些基本特征。与ShakMap小震回归公式的预测数据比较,发现实际观测值总体高于预测值。通过对强震动记录的反应谱分析,认为本次地震对震中区建筑的影响轻微。在地震动等值线图产出过程中,采用数据偏差校正、场地效应及空间插值方法,使地震动等值线图的空间表达更为合理。其等值线图长轴呈北西向,与此次地震的主破裂面方向一致。结合地震现场调查结果,讨论了震中区的烈度分布与仪器烈度。     

Seismic design factors for RC special moment resisting frames in Dubai, UAE

This study investigates the seismic design factors for three reinforced concrete (RC) framed buildings with 4, 16 and 32-stories in Dubai, UAE utilizing nonlinear analysis. The buildings are designed according to the response spectrum procedure defined in the 2009 International Building Code (IBC’09). Two ensembles of ground motion records with 10% and 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years (10/50 and 2/50, respectively) are used. The nonlinear dynamic responses to the earthquake records are computed using IDARC-2D. Key seismic design parameters are evaluated; namely, response modification factor (R), deflection amplification factor (Cd), system overstrength factor (Ωo), and response modification factor for ductility (Rd) in addition to inelastic interstory drift. The evaluated seismic design factors are found to significantly depend on the considered ground motion (10/50 versus 2/50). Consequently, resolution to the controversy of Dubai seismicity is urged. The seismic design factors for the 2/50 records show an increase over their counterparts for the 10/50 records in the range of 200%-400%, except for the Ωo factor, which shows a mere 30% increase. Based on the observed trends, period-dependent R and Cd factors are recommended if consistent collapse probability (or collapse prevention performance) in moment frames with varying heights is to be expected.