Initiation of motion of a free‐standing body to base excitation

This study is concerned with the conditions for the initiation of various modes of response of a free‐standing rigid body, initially at rest, placed on a frictional horizontal base which undergoes earthquake‐like accelerations in both the horizontal and vertical directions. These conditions are derived using equations of motion appropriate for each mode of motion. The analysis shows that an equivalent horizontal base acceleration may be constructed by dividing the time history of horizontal base acceleration by the sum of gravitational acceleration and the time history of vertical base acceleration. The criteria governing each mode of response of a body of given aspect ratio are then presented graphically with the magnitude of the equivalent base acceleration as abscissa and the coefficient of friction between the body and the base as ordinate. The study shows that a body is more stable while the vertical base acceleration is upwards than when it is absent as expected. When the vertical base acceleration is downwards, although the body is very likely to be lifted off the base, it is nevertheless possible to rock, and slide and rock simultaneously provided the value of coefficient of friction is sufficiently high and the downward vertical base acceleration is not too different from gravitational acceleration. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sliding fragility of block‐type non‐structural components. Part 2: Restrained components

This paper focuses on seismic vulnerability assessment of restrained block‐type non‐structural components under sliding response on the basis of seismic inputs specified by current seismic codes. The general representation of restrained equipment considered in this study consists of a rigid block restrained by four post‐tensioned, symmetrically arranged cables. Two sliding‐related failure modes are considered: restraint breakage and excessive absolute acceleration. Fragility analysis is proposed as an appropriate tool to evaluate these failure modes. Sample fragility curves developed through Monte‐Carlo simulations show that the restraint breakage limit state is sensitive to the parameters of the equation of motion. For instance, fragility estimates obtained without taking into account vertical base accelerations can be significantly unconservative for relatively large values of the coefficient of friction. In contrast, the excessive absolute acceleration limit state exhibits little sensitivity to the parameters of the equation of motion. Peak absolute acceleration response is almost always equal to or greater than the horizontal peak base acceleration. Representative results suggest that reasonable response estimates for blocks located at stories other than the ground in multistorey buildings can in general be obtained by simply scaling the ground acceleration to the peak acceleration at the corresponding storey. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Motions of rigid bodies and criteria for overturning by earthquake excitations

This investigation deals with motions of rigid bodies on a rigid floor subjected to earthquake excitations, and criteria for overturning of the bodies. In order to study any motions of a body in a plane, the motions are classified into six types, i.e. (1) rest, (2) slide, (3) rotation, (4) slide rotation, (5) translation jump and (6) rotation jump. Then, the following are studied: the equations of motion, transitions of motion, and motions after impact between the body and the floor. One of the features of this investigation is the introduction of the tangent restitution coefficient which enables us to estimate the magnitude of the tangent impulse at the instant of impact. A computer program was developed to simulate the motions of bodies subjected to horizontal and vertical ground motions, numerically solving the non-linear equations of motion. Several types of simulation were carried out and the following conclusions were found. The coefficient of friction must be greater than the breadth—height-ratio in order for the body to rock. The motions after impact from translation jump are greatly influenced by the normal and tangent restitution coefficients. As criteria for overturning of bodies, at least two factors must be taken into account: the horizontal acceleration and the velocity of the floor. Then it is possible to estimate the motions of the floor from the overturning of bodies in a more reliable manner than before.     

Rocking response of rigid blocks to earthquakes

This investigation deals with the rocking response of rigid blocks subjected to earthquake ground motion. A numerical procedure and computer program are developed to solve the non-linear equations of motion governing the rocking motion of rigid blocks on a rigid base subjected to horizontal and vertical ground motion. The response results presented show that the response of the block is very sensitive to small changes in its size and slenderness ratio and to the details of ground motion. Systematic trends are not apparent: The stability of a block subjected to a particular ground motion does not necessarily increase monotonically with increasing size or decreasing slenderness ratio. Overturning of a block by a ground motion of particular intensity does not imply that the block will necessarily overturn under the action of more intense ground motion. In contrast, systematic trends are observed when the problem is studied from a probabilistic point of view with the ground motion modelled as a random process. The probability of a block exceeding any response level, as well as the probability that a block overturns, increases with increase in ground motion intensity, increase in slenderness ratio of the block and decrease in its size. It is concluded that probabilistic estimates of the intensity of ground shaking may be obtained from its observed effects on monuments, minarets, tombstones and other similar objects provided suitable data in sufficient quantity is available, and the estimates are based on probabilistic analyses of the rocking response of rigid blocks, considering their non-linear dynamic behaviour.     

Rocking instability of free-standing statues atop slender cantilevers under ground motion

This paper deals with the dynamic response of free-standing statues on the top surface of slender elastically supported cantilevers subjected to horizontal ground motion. Given that there is no link between the base of the statue and the top surface of the monolithic cantilever the statue is in equilibrium in the vertical direction under its own weight. Attention is focused on the determination of the minimum amplitude ground acceleration which leads to the rocking (overturning) instability of the statue whose mass and rotatory inertia are a priory known. It is assumed that the friction between the base of the statue and the top surface of the cantilever is sufficiently large to prevent sliding so that rocking prevails. After simulating the statue by a rigid block freely supported on the top surface of the elastically restrained monolithic cantilever, a theoretical dynamic analysis of the cantilever–rigid block system under horizontal ground motion is comprehensively presented. Two modes of overturning instability of the free standing rigid block are discussed: instability without or with impact. Criteria for overturning instability of the rigid block associated with the minimum amplitude ground acceleration which leads through the vanishing of the angular velocity to an escaped motion in the phase-plane portrait, are properly assessed.     

Non‐linear response analyses of rectangular rigid bodies subjected to horizontal and vertical ground motion

This investigation deals with non‐linear seismic responses of free‐standing rectangular rigid bodies on horizontally and vertically accelerating rigid foundations. The responses are classified into two initial responses and four subsequent responses, accordingly the equations of motion governing the liftoff, slip and liftoff–slip interaction motions and boundary conditions corresponding to commencement and termination of the motions are defined. The time histories of responses presented herein show that the body is sensitive to small changes in the friction coefficient and slenderness, and to the wave properties and intensity of ground motions. Systematic trends are observed: the bodies on the low‐grip foundation avoid overturning while they are allowed to slip regardless of details of ground motions; the long period earthquakes tend to make the body overturn and slip largely. In contrast, the timing when liftoff and slip commences and terminates and their directions do not directly correspond with intensity of ground motions. Moreover, the vertical ground motion adds irregularities on the responses, since it excites or damps the responses. It is concluded that governing equations of motion and boundary conditions in view of discontinuous non‐linear systems are necessary to analyse actual motions of the rectangular rigid bodies subjected to horizontal and vertical ground motion. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamics of a sliding-rocking block considering impact with an adjacent wall

A freestanding rigid block subjected to base excitation can exhibit complicated motion described by five response modes: rest, pure rocking, pure sliding, combined sliding-rocking, and free flight. Previous studies on the dynamics of a rocking block have assumed that the block does not interact with neighboring objects. However, there are many applications in which the block may start or come in contact with an adjacent boundary during its motion, for example, a bookcase or cabinet colliding with a partition wall in an earthquake. This paper investigates the dynamics of a sliding-rocking block considering impact with an adjacent wall. A model is developed in which the base and wall are assumed rigid, and impact is treated using the classical impulse and momentum principle. The model is verified by comparing its predictions in numerical simulations against those of an existing general-purpose rigid-body model in which impact is treated using a viscoelastic impact model. The developed model is used to investigate the effects of different parameters on the stability of a block subjected to analytical pulse excitations. It is found that wall placement (left or right) has a dominant effect on the shape of the overturning acceleration spectra for pulse excitations. In general, decreasing the gap distance, base friction coefficient, and wall coefficient of restitution enhance the stability of the block. Similar observations are made when evaluating the overturning probability of a block using earthquake floor motions.     

An energy approach to sliding of single-span simply supported slab-on-girder steel highway bridges with damaged bearings

This paper investigates the non-linear inelastic seismic response of existing single-span simply supported bridges having bearings which can remain stable and slide after their anchor bolts are ruptured. A simplified equivalent model is developed for the inelastic analysis of these single-span simply supported bridges. Non-linear inelastic time-history analyses are conducted for various acceleration inputs. It is found that narrower bridges with longer spans may have considerable sliding displacements and fall off their supports if adequate seat width is not provided. It is also found that for the same ratio of friction coefficient to peak ground acceleration, the sliding displacement of a structural system is linearly proportional to the amplitude of the peak ground acceleration beyond a certain threshold value. This is also demonstrated analytically from an energy approach point of view. The distribution of the energy content of an earthquake, which is related to its velocity time history, can be an indication of the propensity of an earthquake to cause high sliding displacements. Ground motions with high frequency content or high A_p/V_p ratio may produce smaller sliding displacements than ground motions with relatively lower A_p/V_p ratios.     

Response analysis of rigid structures rocking on viscoelastic foundation

In this paper the rocking response of slender/rigid structures stepping on a viscoelastic foundation is revisited. The study examines in depth the motion of the system with a non‐linear analysis that complements the linear analysis presented in the past by other investigators. The non‐linear formulation combines the fully non‐linear equations of motion together with the impulse‐momentum equations during impacts. The study shows that the response of the rocking block depends on the size, shape and slenderness of the block, the stiffness and damping of the foundation and the energy loss during impact. The effect of the stiffness and damping of the foundation system along with the influence of the coefficient of restitution during impact is presented in rocking spectra in which the peak values of the response are compared with those of the rigid block rocking on a monolithic base. Various trends of the response are identified. For instance, less slender and smaller blocks have a tendency to separate easier, whereas the smaller the angle of slenderness, the less sensitive the response to the flexibility, damping and coefficient of restitution of the foundation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A SIMPLIFIED METHOD FOR PREDICTION OF KINEMATIC SOIL–FOUNDATION INTERACTION EFFECTS ON PEAK HORIZONTAL ACCELERATION OF A RIGID FOUNDATION

The kinematic soil–foundation interaction changes the free field ground motion to a different motion at the foundation of a structure. This interaction effect may be expressed by the ratio of the peak horizontal acceleration of a rigid and relatively lightweight foundation to the peak horizontal acceleration at the ground surface in the free field. It is found that the interaction effect can be defined by a simple function of the ratio of the peak horizontal ground velocity and ground acceleration in the free field, the length of the foundation and the shear wave velocity in the soil. Predictive equations for the kinematic soil foundation effect are derived using 350 strong motion records generated by 114 earthquakes world-wide. At the same time, an attenuation relationship is derived for the ratio of the peak horizontal ground velocity and acceleration from the same set of data. Ten case histories are studied; the interaction effects are calculated by using the predictive equations and then compared with measured field values. The results of the comparison illustrate the degree of predictive capability of the method when the foundation mass and the inertial soil–foundation interaction are not considered.     

Rocking response and overturning criteria for free standing rigid blocks to single—lobe pulses

The classical problem of rocking of a rigid, free-standing block to earthquake ground shaking containing distinct pulses, as is the case of near-fault earthquake motions, is revisited. A rectangular block resting on a rigid base is considered, subjected to a range of idealized single-lobe ground acceleration pulses expressed by a generalized function controlled by a single shape parameter. The problem is treated analytically in the realm of the linearized equations of motion under the assumption of slender block geometry and rocking without slipping. Peak rocking response and overturning criteria for different waveforms are presented in terms of dimensionless closed-form expressions and graphs. Two parameters are employed to this end: dimensionless pulse duration f (i.e., actual pulse duration times characteristic block frequency) and dimensionless uplift strength η (i.e., ratio of minimum required acceleration for initiation of uplift over peak pulse acceleration). The linearized response is compared analytically with the fully non-linear one using an ad hoc energy formulation leading to an approximate closed-form solution. It is shown that the non-linear equations of motion yield more stable response than their linearized counterparts. A brief discussion on scaling laws is provided.     

Periodic response of a rigid block resting on a footing subjected to harmonic excitation

This study presents the dynamic behaviour of a rigid block which rests on a footing supported by a spring and a dashpot on a rigid base. The response of the rigid body is examined carefully when the base is excited by a harmonic force. It is found that a periodic motion appears in three different modes: stick-stick, stick-slip and slip-slip. The conditions that initiate the stick-stick and slip-slip modes are derived in explicit forms and the maximum sliding displacement is also obtained analytically. Useful dimensionless parameters are proposed for the presentation of the dynamic behaviour. The accuracy of results is confirmed by the response history computed by the Nigam-Jennings method.     

Influence of different sites on seismic base shear of buildings

In this paper, a statistical study based on thirty-two strong rock motions is presented for the dynamic base shear of buildings on three different sites representing stiff soil, deep cohesionless soil and soft clay conditions. A short and squatty building and a tall and slender building are selected. For each building height, frame, wall and shearwall–frame systems are considered. It is found that short and squatty frame systems have the largest base shear. As for buildings on rock, the response of buildings on stiff and deep cohesionless soil conditions depends on the peak horizontal acceleration and peak horizontal velocity of the rock motion. Furthermore, the soil–structure interaction which affects only the stiff structures is found to reduce the dynamic base shear.     

Sliding fragility of block‐type non‐structural components. Part 1: Unrestrained components

Motivated by the development of performance‐based design guidelines with emphasis on both structural and non‐structural systems, this paper focuses on seismic vulnerability assessment of block‐type unrestrained non‐structural components under sliding response on the basis of seismic inputs specified by current seismic codes. Two sliding‐related failure modes are considered: excessive relative displacement and excessive absolute acceleration. It is shown that an upper bound for the absolute acceleration response can be assessed deterministically, for which a simple yet completely general equation is proposed. In contrast, fragility curves are proposed as an appropriate tool to evaluate the excessive relative displacement failure mode. Sample fragility curves developed through Monte‐Carlo simulations show that fragility estimates obtained without taking into account vertical base accelerations can be significantly unconservative, especially for relatively large values of the coefficient of friction. It is also found that reasonable estimates of relative displacement response at stories other than the ground in multistorey buildings cannot in general be obtained by simply scaling the ground acceleration to the peak acceleration at the corresponding storey. Failure modes considered in this study are found to be essentially independent of each other, a property that greatly simplifies assessment of conditional limit states. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基岩弹性刚度对土层地震反应的影响

将基岩上均匀、各向同性土层的地震反应,简化为置于弹性支座上的一维剪切梁模型进行分析。将地震激励假定为白噪声谱,在随机边界激励下,主要探讨了土层与基岩2种介质间的波阻抗比、波速比、土层厚度和阻尼特性对土层地震反应的影响。计算结果表明,对于一定的土层厚度,在一定阻尼比条件下,土层和基岩的阻抗比小到一定程度时,可以将基岩假定为刚性约束,而误差可以控制在一定的范围内。     

Seismic response of rotating machines–structure–RFBI systems

The seismic response of a critical rotating machine either rigidly attached to a floor or independently isolated housed within an initially aseismically designed or uncontrolled structure are investigated. A particular isolation system, the Resilient‐Friction Base Isolator (RFBI), is employed. Finite element formulations of a rotor‐disk‐bearing model on a rigid base are developed. The equations of motion for the combined rotating machine–structure–RFBI systems are presented. Parametric studies are performed to investigate the effects of variations in system physical properties including friction coefficient, mass ratio, shaft flexibility, bearing rigidity, bearing damping and speed of rotation on the response of rotating machines for the combined rotating machine–structure–isolator systems. Comparative studies in the peak response of the rotating machine supported on various isolation systems and the corresponding fixed base system are carried out. The study indicates that the Resilient‐Friction Base Isolator can significantly reduce the seismic response of rotating components to potentially damaging ground excitations. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Response of rigid body assemblies to dynamic excitation

Shaking table tests were conducted to investigate the response of rectangular wooden blocks and block assemblies of various sizes and slenderness to harmonic and earthquake base excitation. The shaking tests were followed by an analytical and a numerical study of response of single blocks and block assemblies. The analytical study was aimed at establishing criteria for the initiation of rocking and of overturning in response to harmonic base motion and consisted of solving numerically the differential equations of motion of a rigid block on a rigid foundation. The numerical study, in the course of which the response of both single blocks and block assemblies was examined, was implemented by means of the Distinct Element Method (DEM). Prior to the DE simulation of actual shaking tests, preliminary analyses were conducted to confirm numerical stability and to evaluate material and damping parameters. Comparing the recorded time histories with those given by the analytical study and the DE simulation, good agreement was found. The distinct element model in use appeared to follow the highly non-linear motion of rigid body assemblies faithfully to reality. On the basis of the results, provided that the necessary parameters are carefully estimated, the employed DE model can be regarded as an appropriate tool to simulate response of rigid body assemblies to dynamic base excitation.     

Uplift of deck or footings in bridges with distributed mass subjected to transverse earthquake

The eigenvalue problem is analytically formulated in symmetric bridges with distributed mass and moment of inertia under transverse earthquake. The piers are elastically supported on the ground. The deck is monolithically connected to one or two piers for all degrees of freedom and restrained or transversely free at the abutments. The characteristic equation, symmetric normal modes, modal participation factors, and participating mass ratios are given analytically. The problem is expressed in terms of few dimensionless parameters: (i) the radius of gyration of the deck mass divided by the pier height; (ii) the ratio of the rotational stiffness of a footing to that of the pier at the base; (iii) the ratio of flexural stiffness of the outer spans to those of the pier; (iv) the ratio of torsional stiffness of side spans to the rotational stiffness of the pier top; (v) for two piers, the side‐to‐central‐span ratio. Modal response spectrum analysis gives the moment at the base of the footings and the torque in the deck at its supports on the abutments as ratios to the values at incipient uplifting from the ground or the bearings. The peak ground acceleration of the motion at the onset of either one of these two types of nonlinearity is depicted as a function of the dimensionless parameters and the fundamental period of an elastic deck supported only at the abutments, or of a rigid deck on piers fixed against rotation at top and bottom. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

场地地震安全性评价中确定设计地震动参数方面若干问题的研究

研究了确定设计地震动参数中涉及的若干问题,其中包括基岩水平加速度反应谱衰减关系的选择、震源深度对基岩水平加速度峰值及基岩反应谱曲线的影响、强度包络线函数及输入随机相位的选择、土体非线性特性参数和土层剪切波速值的选择、设计地震动反应谱的标定等问题。在有关方面的研究中基于一个典型场地计算剖面,采用一维等效线性化模型并通过逐项变换某些研究参数的方法,研究了有关方面对设计地震动参数可能产生的影响及存在的误差和相应的规律,有关研究结果对合理确定设计地震动参数具有一定的实用价值。     

Parametric analysis of liquid storage tanks base isolated by curved surface sliding bearings

Curved surface sliding bearings, which are usually called as friction pendulum system (FPS) are commonly used for base isolation of liquid storage tanks since the period of the isolation system is independent of the storage level. However the restoring force and the damping at the isolation system are functions of axial load which changes during an earthquake excitation. This change might be in appreciable amounts especially for the tanks with high aspect ratios. The present paper focuses on earthquake performances of both broad and slender tanks base isolated by FPS bearings. The effects of overturning moment and vertical acceleration on axial load variation at the bearings are considered. The efficiency of the isolation system is investigated by analyzing the effects of various parameters such as; (i) isolation period, (ii) tank aspect ratio and (iii) coefficient of friction. The Haroun and Housner's three-degrees-of-freedom lumped mass model was used to solve the governing equations of motion in which convective, impulsive and rigid masses were included. A number of selected ground motions were considered and the results were compared to those of non-isolated cases.As a result, base isolation was found to be effective in reducing the base shear values for both broad and slender tanks without significantly affecting the sloshing displacements of the broad ones. The efficiency was even more pronounced for slender tanks subjected to near fault ground motions for isolation periods above 3 s. This specific value of isolation period also eliminated possible design problems arising from under-estimation of base shear values (up to 40%) due to ignoring the effects of axial load variation in lower isolation periods. Overturning effects should not be ignored especially for tanks with high aspect ratios (S) and being subjected to near fault ground motion.