Strong Ground Motion Estimation During the Kutch, India Earthquake

In the absence of strong motion records, ground motion during the 26^th January, 2001 Kutch, India earthquake, has been estimated by analytical methods. A contour map of peak ground acceleration (PGA) values in the near source region is provided. These results are validated by comparing them with spectral response recorder data and field observations. It is found that very near the epicenter, PGA would have exceeded 0.6 g. A set of three aftershock records have been used as empirical Green's functions to simulate ground acceleration time history and 5% damped response spectrum at Bhuj City. It is found that at Bhuj, PGA would have been 0.31 g–0.37 g. It is demonstrated that source mechanism models can be effectively used to understand spatial variability of large-scale ground movements near urban areas due to the rupture of active faults.     

空间钢筋混凝土框架结构的非弹性地震反应

对两个缩比为十五分之一的三层、双跨、两开间的钢筋混凝土框架模型进行了振动台试验,一个模型模拟质量中心与刚度中心不一致的偏心结构,另一个模型模拟承受双向地面运动的结构。研究了结构的空间非弹性地震反应。计算结果表明,理论分析与实测结果有较好的吻合性。     

Shaking table test and dynamic response prediction on an earthquake-damaged RC building

This paper presents the results from shaking table tests of a one-tenth-scale reinforced concrete (RC) building model. The test model is a protype of a building that was seriously damaged during the 1985 Mexico earthquake. The input ground excitation used during the test was from the records obtained near the site of the prototype building during the 1985 and 1995 Mexico earthquakes. The tests showed that the damage pattern of the test model agreed well with that of the prototype building. Analytical prediction of earthquake response has been conducted for the prototype building using a sophisticated 3-D frame model. The input motion used for the dynamic analysis was the shaking table test measurements with similarity transformation. The comparison of the analytical results and the shaking table test results indicates that the response of the RC building to minor and the moderate earthquakes can be predicated well. However, there is difference between the predication and the actual response to the major earthquake.     

几条地震波的归一化时-频反应谱分析

时-频反应谱是地震动幅值、频谱和持时三要素构成的空间三维谱.基于此,本文提出归一化时-频反应谱定义与计算方法,计算三条典型地震波的归一化时-频反应谱,对比分析表明:不同地震记录的时-频反应谱的幅值在时间和周期两个轴上的分布差别很大,具有不同时-频反应谱的地震波可能对结构地震响应产生不同影响;对12层钢筋混凝土框架结构模型进行弹塑性时程分析,通过结构地震反应、结构损伤曲线与输入地震动的归一化时-频反应谱对比,发现结构最大反应并不一定是造成结构倒塌的直接原因,用结构弹性阶段反应最大值进行抗震设计存在一定局限性,从而证明归一化时-频反应谱可有效用来分析地震动特性和结构破坏机理.     

Identification of modal quantities from two earthquake responses

The work deals with the identification of modal parameters of a structure from earthquake records when the input ground motion is unknown. This may occur, for example, owing to instrumental malfunctions. The procedure is based on the assumption that at least two responses are available and consists of two main steps. In the first one, modal frequencies are estimated by searching relative minima of a function that involves the ratio of the Fourier amplitudes of the two records, while the second phase is devoted to the identification of other modal quantities (i.e. effective participation factors and modal dampings). Once the identification process has been completed, an estimate of the unknown base input may be performed by means of the IFFT algorithm. The proposed approach has been checked against both finite element simulations of simple structures and field measurements on real buildings.     

Seismic response analysis on the stability of running vehicles

The seismometer network of the Japanese expressway system has been enhanced since the 1995 Kobe earthquake. Using earthquake information from the instruments, the expressways are closed if the peak ground acceleration (PGA) is larger than or equal to 80cm/s². The aim of this regulation is to avoid secondary disasters, e.g. cars running into the collapsed sections. However, recent studies on earthquake damage have revealed that expressway structures are not seriously damaged under such‐level of earthquake motion. Hence, we may think of relaxing the regulation of expressway closure. But before doing this, it is necessary to examine the effects of shaking to automobiles since the drivers may encounter difficulties in controlling their vehicles and traffic accidents may occur. In this study, a vehicle was modelled with a six‐degree‐of‐freedom system and its responses were investigated with respect to PGA, peak ground velocity (PGV) and Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) seismic intensity using five ground motion records. It was observed that the response of the vehicle shows a larger amplitude for the record that has larger response spectrum in the long period range compared to other records. However, similar response amplitudes of the vehicle were observed for all the records with respect to the JMA seismic intensity. The response characteristics of the vehicle model may be very useful for decision‐making regarding the relaxation of the expressway closure under seismic motion. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Near‐fault ground motions,and the response of elastic and inelastic single‐degree‐of‐freedom (SDOF) systems

In order to investigate the response of structures to near‐fault seismic excitations, the ground motion input should be properly characterized and parameterized in terms of simple, yet accurate and reliable, mathematical models whose input parameters have a clear physical interpretation and scale, to the extent possible, with earthquake magnitude. Such a mathematical model for the representation of the coherent (long‐period) ground motion components has been proposed by the authors in a previous study and is being exploited in this article for the investigation of the elastic and inelastic response of the single‐degree‐of‐freedom (SDOF) system to near‐fault seismic excitations. A parametric analysis of the dynamic response of the SDOF system as a function of the input parameters of the mathematical model is performed to gain insight regarding the near‐fault ground motion characteristics that significantly affect the elastic and inelastic structural performance. A parameter of the mathematical representation of near‐fault motions, referred to as ‘pulse duration’ (T_P), emerges as a key parameter of the problem under investigation. Specifically, T_P is employed to normalize the elastic and inelastic response spectra of actual near‐fault strong ground motion records. Such normalization makes feasible the specification of design spectra and reduction factors appropriate for near‐fault ground motions. The ‘pulse duration’ (T_P) is related to an important parameter of the rupture process referred to as ‘rise time’ (τ) which is controlled by the dimension of the sub‐events that compose the mainshock. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

九寨沟M7.0地震仪器烈度计算比较分析

地震发生后,强震动观测台网可以获取灾区分布式台站位置的强震动记录,通过基于这些强震动记录得到的地震动参数可以快速地评估地震烈度的空间分布,以迅速判定不同地区的受灾程度,尤其是地震极震区的分布范围,为政府开展应急救援并合理地分配救援力量、物资等提供依据,以保证救援人员及时、准确地到达极震区展开搜救工作,减少人民群众的生命财产损失。本文介绍了国内外7种地震仪器的烈度计算方法,基于四川九寨沟M7.0级地震获取的强震动记录,对这7种方法的计算烈度值进行了对比分析。结果表明,各方法计算的仪器烈度与宏观烈度的差值均在1度误差范围以内,均显示了良好的实用性,且行业标准法和综合判别法两者的计算结果较为一致。     

Experimental study on the seismic response of braced reinforced concrete frame with irregular columns

A 15-storey K-braced reinforced concrete model frame with irregular columns, i.e., T-shaped, L-shaped, as well as +-shaped columns, was constructed and tested on the six-degree-of-freedom shaking table at the State Key Laboratory for Disaster Reduction in Civil Engineering in Tongji, China. Two types of earthquake records, El-Centro wave (south-north direction) and Shanghai artificial wave (SHAW) with various peak accelerations and principal-secondary sequences, were input and experimentally studied. Based on the shaking table tests and theoretical analysis, several observations can be made. The failure sequence of the model structure is brace→beam→column→joints, so that the design philosophy for several lines of defense has been achieved. Earthquake waves with different spectrums not only influence the magnitude and distribution of the earthquake force and the storey shear force, but also obviously affect the magnitude of the displacement response. The aftershock seismic response of previously damaged reinforced concrete braced frames with irregular columns possesses the equivalent elastic performance characteristic. Generally speaking, from the aspects of failure features and drift ratio, this type of reinforced concrete structure provides adequate earthquake resistance and can be promoted for use in China.     

Generation of spatially nonuniform ground motion for nonlinear analysis of a concrete arch dam

An accelerometer array at Pacoima Dam with three locations along the base and abutments recorded ground motion from a magnitude 4.3 earthquake on 13 January 2001. These records present an opportunity to study spatial nonuniformity for the motion in a canyon. Topographic amplification is characterized by ratios of response spectral displacement between locations, and seismic wave travel times are studied using cross‐correlation functions to obtain delays. Results of the analysis of the 2001 earthquake records are used to generate ground motion for the 1994 Northridge earthquake to replace records that were not able to be fully digitized. The ground motion generated for the Northridge earthquake is used as input to a finite element model of Pacoima Dam. The response of the model is consistent with observations of Pacoima Dam after the Northridge earthquake. Comparison of the response due to nonuniform input with the response due to uniform input demonstrates the importance of accounting for spatial nonuniformity because of the significance that the pseudostatic component has for the response to nonuniform input. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Some aspects of testing small-scale masonry building models on simple earthquake simulators

The basic aspects of testing small-scale masonry building models on simple earthquake simulators are discussed. Since the scale effects represent a difficult problem to solve, the overall seismic behaviour of structural systems, and not the behaviour of structulal details, has been studied by testing the reduced-sized models on a simple earthquake simulator. Accurate results regarding the dynamic behaviour and failure mechanism of the tested structures have been obtained by means of testing the relatively simple, adequately designed small-scale masonry building models. A simple earthquake simulator capable of simulating the uni-directional earthquake ground motion has been developed to study the seismic behaviour of masonry building models. Although a multipurpose programmable actuator was used to drive the shaking table, the comparison of the dynamic characteristics of the generated shaking-table motion and the earthquake acceleration records used for the simulation of seismic loads showed an acceptable degree of correlation between the input and output seismic motion.     

Wavelet approximation of earthquake strong ground motion-goodness of fit for a database in terms of predicting nonlinear structural response

Reduced dimensionality representation of strong ground motion records as a superposition of a relatively small number of pulses is studied. Such representation is obtained by the expansion of velocity in orthogonal wavelet series using the Fast Wavelet Transform, and approximation by only the largest energy terms in the series. The Coiflet 5 wavelet family is used, which is orthogonal, smooth and nearly symmetric. The goodness of the approximation is examined for the EQUINFOS for USA Part I database, as representative of a large variety of strong motion records (it consists of 494 three-component records from 106 earthquakes recorded in the western US between 1933 and 1984). The goodness of fit is measured in terms of closeness of predicting several input and output characteristics of a nonlinear oscillator representing a structure: (i) energy of the input ground motion (proportional to integral of velocity squared), (ii) the peak input power, and (iii) the time of collapse of a bi-linear oscillator (considering also collapse due to dynamic instability). The results show very high degree of correlation of these characteristics as estimated from the actual record and from its approximations, even for small number of pulses (relative to the number that would represent the ground velocity exactly). Such reduced representation of strong ground motion is useful for extracting such pulses from strong motion records to study their nature, and for development of new algorithms for the synthesis of artificial earthquake strong motion records.     

Comparison of Computational Methods for Instrumental Intensities Using the MS7.0 Jiuzhaigou Earthquake Data

After the occurrence of an earthquake, strong motion observation networks can record ground motion at distributed observation stations. Based on the ground motion parameters from these records, the spatial distribution of seismic intensity can be quickly determined, and the degree of damage in different areas can be estimated. This information provides the technical basis for the emergency response, so as to ensure that rescue teams can reach extreme earthquake areas and carry out the search and rescue operation in an accurate and timely manner to reduce casualties and property loss. In this paper, we introduced 7 intensity algorithms and compared the results with the records of the Jiuzhaigou M_S7.0 earthquake. We found that the differences between the instrumental intensities calculated by each method and the macro intensities were within a 1-degree range, which suggested good practicality of these different methods. The results calculated by the industrial standards-based calculation method and the integrated test showed good consistency.     

Statistical insight into constant-ductility design using a non-stationary earthquake ground motion model

A recently developed earthquake ground motion model non-stationary in both intensity and frequency content is validated at the inelastic Single-Degree-Of-Freedom (SDOF) structural response level. For the purpose of this study, the earthquake model is calibrated for two actual earthquake records. The objective of a constant (or target) displacement ductility used in conventional earthquake-resistant design is examined from the statistical viewpoint using this non-stationary earthquake model. The non-linear hysteretic structural behaviour is modelled using several idealized hysteretic SDOF structural models. Ensemble-average inelastic response spectra corresponding to various inelastic SDOF response (or damage) parameters and conditioned on a constant displacement ductility response are derived from the two identified stochastic ground motion models. The effects of the type of hysteretic behaviour, the structural parameters, the target displacement ductility factor, and the ground motion model on the statistics of the inelastic response parameters are thoroughly investigated. The results of this parametric study shed further light on the proper interpretation and use of inelastic response or damage parameters in earthquake-resistant design in order to achieve the desirable objective of ‘constant-damage design’. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation of effect of near-fault motions on substandard bridge structures

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of near-fault ground motions on substandard bridge columns and piers. To accomplish these goals, several large scale reinforced concrete models were constructed and tested on a shake table using near- and far-field ground motion records. Because the input earthquakes for the test models had different characteristics, three different measures were used to evaluate the effect of the input earthquake. These measures are peak shake table acceleration, spectral acceleration at the fundamental period of the test specimens, and the specimen drift ratios. For each measure, force-displacement relationships, strains, curvatures, drift ratios, and visual damage were evaluated. Results showed that regardless of the measure of input or response, the near-fault record generally led to larger strains, curvatures, and drift ratios. Furthermore, residual displacements were small compared to those for columns meeting current seismic code requirements.     

基于Hi-net速度记录计算地震反应谱

强震仪和测震仪均能记录地面运动,强震仪输出的加速度记录主要用于分析结构地震反应,测震仪输出的速度记录常用于确定地震信息.由于这2种记录均描述地面运动,且覆盖结构地震反应分析所需频带范围,速度记录能否用于计算结构地震反应引起了人们的关注.为分析开源Hi-net速度记录用于计算结构地震反应时的精度,作者选取同台记录的加速度...     

Bias assessment in Incremental Dynamic Analysis due to record scaling

Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) involves a series of nonlinear response history analyses with a suite of incrementally scaled ground motion records. Although IDA is perhaps the most comprehensive seismic performance assessment method, it receives criticism because several ground motion records are scaled up until the structure collapses. The scaling practice often results to unrealistic multipliers, thus modifying the amplitude of the ground motion and introducing bias on the structural performance estimation. Record scaling is a common practice in earthquake engineering due to the lack of natural records corresponding to large magnitudes and/or small distances from the fault rupture location. In this work we use a large number of ground motion records to compare the predictions of IDA with that of unscaled ground motions and we propose a new methodology in order to quantify the bias introduced in IDA. Apart from natural records, we have conducted broadband ground motion simulations for rupture scenarios of weak, medium and large magnitude events in order to expand our record database. The investigation is performed on a series of inelastic single-degree-of-freedom systems and on two multistory steel moment frame buildings. The results pinpoint both qualitatively and quantitatively, for the full range of limit-states, the bias that IDA introduces on the structural performance estimation.     

震动图快速生成系统研究

震动图（ShakeMap）是描绘地震发生之后地震动分布情况的一种工具,它显示的是地震产生的地面运动和可能的烈度破坏情况.本文的研究重点是如何实现用计算机自动绘制震动图,主要选择了峰值地面加速度等值图、仪器烈度分布图为研究对象.并对如何确定强震动质心、如何在台站稀疏地区估计地面运动加速度值、如何进行场地校正、如何将PGA/PGV转换为仪器烈度值做了深入的研究.     

Assessment of seismic design response factors of concrete wall buildings

To verify the seismic design response factors of high-rise buildings, five reference structures, varying in height from 20- to 60-stories, were selected and designed according to modern design codes to represent a wide range of concrete wall structures. Verified fiber-based analytical models for inelastic simulation were developed, considering the geometric nonlinearity and material inelasticity of the structural members. The ground motion uncertainty was accounted for by employing 20 earthquake records representing two seismic scenarios, consistent with the latest understanding of the tectonic setting and seismicity of the selected reference region (UAE). A large number of Inelastic Pushover Analyses (IPAs) and Incremental Dynamic Collapse Analyses (IDCAs) were deployed for the reference structures to estimate the seismic design response factors. It is concluded that the factors adopted by the design code are adequately conservative. The results of this systematic assessment of seismic design response factors apply to a wide variety of contemporary concrete wall buildings with various characteristics.     

Dimensional response analysis of yielding structures with first‐mode dominated response

This paper introduces a new way of estimating the inelastic response of first‐mode dominated structures with behaviour that can be approximated with the elastoplastic idealization. The proposed approach emerges from formal dimensional analysis and is liberated from the response of the elastic system. The application of the proposed method hinges upon the existence of a distinct time scale and a length scale that characterize the most energetic component of the ground shaking. Such time and length scales emerge naturally from the distinguishable pulses which dominate a wide class of strong earthquake records; they are directly related with the rise time and slip velocity of faulting, and can be formally extracted with validated mathematical models published in the literature. The most decisive feature of this work is that the inelastic response curves that result with the proposed approach assume similar shapes for different values of the normalized yield displacement. Because of this similarity the paper proposes a single inelastic response curve which offers directly the maximum inelastic displacement of the structure given the energetic pulse period and pulse amplitude of the ground shaking. When the proposed method is applied to MDOF structures it is not capable to estimate interstorey drifts nor is capable to capture the effects of negative stiffness which may result due to P‐delta effect. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.