REXEL: computer aided record selection for code-based seismic structural analysis

In code-based seismic design and assessment it is often allowed the use of real records as an input for nonlinear dynamic analysis. On the other hand, international seismic guidelines, concerning this issue, have been found hardly applicable by practitioners. This is related to both the difficulty in rationally relating the ground motions to the hazard at the site and the required selection criteria, which do not favor the use of real records, but rather various types of spectrum matching signals. To overcome some of these obstacles a software tool for code-based real records selection was developed. REXEL, freely available at the website of the Italian network of earthquake engineering university labs (), allows to search for suites of waveforms, currently from the European Strong-motion Database, compatible to reference spectra being either user-defined or automatically generated according to Eurocode 8 and the recently released new Italian seismic code. The selection reflects the provisions of the considered codes and others found to be important by recent research on the topic. In the paper, record selection criteria are briefly reviewed first, and then the algorithms implemented in the software are discussed. Finally, via some examples, it is shown how REXEL can effectively be a contribution to code-based real records selection for seismic structural analysis.     

Ductility demand spectra for multiple near- and far-fault earthquakes

This study presents ductility demand spectra for single degree of freedom (SDOF) systems under multiple near- and far-fault seismic ground motions. The main innovation has to do with the quantification of the seismic sequence effect directly into ductility demands, a phenomenon which has not been studied in the past. Due to lack of real seismic sequences records, this paper examines only artificial sequences, where they have been generated by a rational and random combination of real single events. A statistical investigation of more than 120 millions dynamic inelastic analyses is conducted to obtain expressions for the ductility demands, in terms of the period of vibration, the viscous damping, the post-yield stiffness and the force reduction factor. It is found that due to the seismic sequence effect, it is certainly insufficient to consider only the ‘design earthquake’, since this traditional hypothesis leads to underestimated ductility demands and therefore to underestimated structural damage.     

合成地震动方法用于研究强地震动长周期特性的探讨

合成地震动一直是地震学研究中一个非常跃的领域。针对２长周期结构物抗震设计缺少宽频带强震记录的现状,利用“反射率法”和“围道积分法”等合成地震动方法对地震动长周期特性进行了探讨。结果表明：合成地震动方法是研究地震动长周特性的一个有效方法;在地震动长周期成份中,面波起着重要作用。因此长周期结构物的抗震设计必须考虑面波的影响。     

RC剪力墙结构小震与中震设计对比及其抗震性能研究

近年来,国内学者强调对于复杂和超限结构需进行中震性能设计,即在小震弹性设计后进行中震下的承载力复核及调整,然而中震设计能否提高结构整体抗震性能仍存在争议.为探究中震设计与小震设计方法的差异,本文依据现行规范,以设防烈度、结构高度和场地类别为变化参数,建立了48个典型RC剪力墙模型,并分别以"小震"、"高规中震"、"广东...     

Formulation of elastic earthquake input energy spectra

The object of this paper is to introduce a procedure for the determination of elastic design earthquake input energy spectra taking into account the influence of magnitude, soil type and distance from the surface projection of the fault. Firstly, an accurate selection of a large set of representative records has been realized. Secondly, the construction of the design input energy spectra has required determining the spectral shapes and a normalization factor which measures seismic hazard in terms of energy. This factor, denoted as the seismic hazard energy factor, has been defined as the area under the earthquake input energy spectrum in the period interval between 0·05 and 4·0 s. Finally, due to the importance of the source-to-site distance in the evaluation of the input energy, an investigation into the attenuation of the seismic hazard energy factor has been carried out. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance-based seismic design of nonstructural building components:The next frontier of earthquake engineering

With the development and implementation of performance-based earthquake engineering,harmonization of performance levels between structural and nonstructural components becomes vital. Even if the structural components of a building achieve a continuous or immediate occupancy performance level after a seismic event,failure of architectural,mechanical or electrical components can lower the performance level of the entire building system. This reduction in performance caused by the vulnerability of nonstructural components has been observed during recent earthquakes worldwide. Moreover,nonstructural damage has limited the functionality of critical facilities,such as hospitals,following major seismic events. The investment in nonstructural components and building contents is far greater than that of structural components and framing. Therefore,it is not surprising that in many past earthquakes,losses from damage to nonstructural components have exceeded losses from structural damage. Furthermore,the failure of nonstructural components can become a safety hazard or can hamper the safe movement of occupants evacuating buildings,or of rescue workers entering buildings. In comparison to structural components and systems,there is relatively limited information on the seismic design of nonstructural components. Basic research work in this area has been sparse,and the available codes and guidelines are usually,for the most part,based on past experiences,engineering judgment and intuition,rather than on objective experimental and analytical results. Often,design engineers are forced to start almost from square one after each earthquake event: to observe what went wrong and to try to prevent repetitions. This is a consequence of the empirical nature of current seismic regulations and guidelines for nonstructural components. This review paper summarizes current knowledge on the seismic design and analysis of nonstructural building components,identifying major knowledge gaps that will need to be filled by future research. Furthermore,considering recent trends in earthquake engineering,the paper explores how performance-based seismic design might be conceived for nonstructural components,drawing on recent developments made in the field of seismic design and hinting at the specific considerations required for nonstructural components.     

Impact of seismic excitation characteristics on the efficiency of tuned liquid column dampers

Various types of passive control systems have been used to suppress the seismic response of structures in recent years. Among these systems, Tuned Liquid Column Dampers （TLCDs） dissipate the input earthquake energy by combining the effects of the movement of the liquid mass in the container, the restoring force on the liquid due to the gravity loads and the damping due to the liquid movement through orifices. In this study, the effects of seismic excitation characteristics such as frequency content and soil condition on the seismic performance of TLCDs are investigated using nonlinear time-history analyses. In this regard, among the past earthquake ground motion records of Iran, 16 records with different parameters were selected. In the structural model developed, the attached TLCD is simulated as a Tuned Mass Damper （TMD） having the same vibration period and damping ratio as the original TLCD. The numerical results show that the seismic excitation characteristics have a substantial role on the displacement reduction capability of TLCDs and they should be considered accordingly in the design of TLCDs.     

Conceptual seismic design in performance-based earthquake engineering

A principal aspect of seismic design is the verification of performance limit states, which help ensure satisfactory behaviour within a performance-based earthquake engineering framework. However, it is increasingly acknowledged that while ensuring life safety is a suitable basic design requirement, more meaningful metrics of seismic performance exist. Expected annual loss (EAL) has gained attention in recent years but tends to be limited to seismic assessment. This article proposes a novel conceptual design framework that employs EAL as a design tool and requires very little building information at the design outset. This means that designers may commence from a definition of required EAL and arrive at a number of feasible structural solutions without the need for any detailed design calculations or numerical analysis. This works by transforming the building performance definition to a design solution space using a number of simplifying assumptions. A suitable structural response backbone is subsequently determined and used to identify feasible building typologies and associated structural geometries. The assumptions made to implement such a conceptual design framework are discussed and justified herein followed by a case study application. This proposed design framework is intended to form the first step in seismic design to identify suitable typologies and layouts before subsequent member detailing and design verification. This way, engineers, architects, and clients can make more informed decisions that target certain performance goals at the beginning of design before further refinement.     

Performance-based seismic design of nonstructural building components: The next frontier of earthquake engineering

With the development and implementation of performance-based earthquake engineering, harmonization of performance levels between structural and nonstructural components becomes vital. Even if the structural components of a building achieve a continuous or immediate occupancy performance level after a seismic event, failure of architectural, mechanical or electrical components can lower the performance level of the entire building system. This reduction in performance caused by the vulnerability of nonstructural components has been observed during recent earthquakes worldwide. Moreover, nonstructural damage has limited the functionality of critical facilities, such as hospitals, following major seismic events. The investment in nonstructural components and building contents is far greater than that of structural components and framing. Therefore, it is not surprising that in many past earthquakes, losses from damage to nonstructural components have exceeded losses from structural damage. Furthermore, the failure of nonstructural components can become a safety hazard or can hamper the safe movement of occupants evacuating buildings, or of rescue workers entering buildings. In comparison to structural components and systems, there is relatively limited information on the seismic design of nonstructural components. Basic research work in this area has been sparse, and the available codes and guidelines are usually, for the most part, based on past experiences, engineering judgment and intuition, rather than on objective experimental and analytical results. Often, design engineers are forced to start almost from square one after each earthquake event: to observe what went wrong and to try to prevent repetitions. This is a consequence of the empirical nature of current seismic regulations and guidelines for nonstructural components. This review paper summarizes current knowledge on the seismic design and analysis of nonstructural building components, identifying major knowledge gaps that will need to be filled by future research. Furthermore, considering recent trends in earthquake engineering, the paper explores how performance-based seismic design might be conceived for nonstructural components, drawing on recent developments made in the field of seismic design and hinting at the specific considerations required for nonstructural components.     

Seismic drift demands in multi‐storey cross‐laminated timber buildings

This paper investigates the seismic response of multi‐storey cross‐laminated timber (CLT) buildings and its relationship with salient ground‐motion and building characteristics. Attention is given to the effects of earthquake frequency content on the inelastic deformation demands of platform CLT walled structures. The response of a set of 60 CLT buildings of varying number of storeys and panel fragmentation levels representative of a wide range of structural configurations subjected to 1656 real earthquake records is examined. It is shown that, besides salient structural parameters like panel aspect ratio, design behaviour factor, and density of joints, the frequency content of the earthquake action as characterized by its mean period has a paramount importance on the level of nonlinear deformations attained by CLT structures. Moreover, the evolution of drifts as a function of building to ground‐motion periods ratio is different for low‐ and high‐rise buildings. Accordingly, nonlinear regression models are developed for estimating the global and interstorey drifts demands on multi‐storey CLT buildings. Finally, the significance of the results is highlighted with reference to European seismic design procedures and recent assessment proposals.     

Seismic isolation: Early history

Seismic isolation or “aseismic base isolation” is an earthquake protection strategy that aims to uncouple the motion of a structure from the ground shaking and thereby reduce structural forces. A most effective and successful seismic protection technology, seismic isolation, is by now a mature and viable alternative to traditional capacity design and has been implemented in numerous bridges, buildings, and other special structures worldwide. This paper records the origins and early developments (up to the early 1990s) of seismic isolation.     

目标谱选波方法在算术与对数坐标下的差异分析

目前时程分析选波常采用目标谱法,即选择反应谱与目标谱有较好匹配的地震波。目前为止,关于在谱匹配中采用不同的坐标体系会给地震波缩放以及时程分析结果造成的差异性影响,还鲜有相关研究结果。本文旨在对比分析谱匹配中反应谱与目标谱采用算术值(算术坐标下ASM方法)和对数值(对数坐标下LSM方法)所得结构非线性时程分析结果的差异。以美国SAC Steel Project提出的3层、9层和20层钢框架结构为实例,以该计划提出的代表3种超越概率(即50年超越概率50%、10%和2%)的各组地震波平均反应谱作为目标谱,以这3组地震波(每组20条波)时程分析所得最大层间位移角的算术均值和几何均值作为目标反应,以简单地震信息初选的小型地震波数据库(共40条波)作为备选波,将ASM和LSM方法优选出的7条地震波所得时程分析结果进行了差异性分析。研究表明, LSM方法所得地震波的缩放系数明显大于ASM方法,并且地震波的排序即选择结果也存在一定差异。ASM和LSM方法对结构反应均值(算术均值和对数均值)估计的准确度均控制在±20%以内,但LSM方法所得结构反应更大。LSM方法在降低结构反应离散性方面较ASM方法更有优势,且对于较长周期结构(如20层结构)及结构非线性程度较高(如50年超越概率10%、2%)时,这种优势会更为凸显。     

一种简化的混凝土结构地震损伤评估模型及方法

随着地震工程学的发展和结构抗震设计思想和理论的进步,探讨结构在地震作用下的地震损伤破坏机理和基于结构性能的抗震设计方法(PBSD)逐渐得到了各国专家、学者的重视。而地震损伤评估的研究就是其中的一个重要方向。鉴于现阶段混凝土结构地震损伤评估方法的局限性,本文采用推广的混凝土材料的Mazars损伤模型,进而提出了一种基于常规有限元分析荷载子步的简化的地震损伤评估方法,这种方法实现简单,便于实际工程应用,同时具有一定的精细性。最后,将本文的损伤评估方法应用到一个钢筋混凝土框架的地震损伤评估实例中,分析结果与实验和实际的震害比较吻合,表明本文提出的模型和方法是有效的。     

EC8-based earthquake record selection procedure evaluation: Validation study based on observed damage of an irregular R/C building

This study investigates the applicability and limitations of the Eurocode 8 earthquake ground motion selection framework for the assessment of both elastic and inelastic structural response of multi-storey, irregular R/C buildings subjected to bi-directional loading. In order to minimize modelling uncertainties inherent in the quantification of structural damage and the consideration of the supporting soil–foundation system for complex structural systems, an existing building damaged by the 2003 Lefkada earthquake was adopted as case study. This selection has an advantage in that ground excitation, soil profile and damage observations are all available, thus permitting calibration of the finite element model with the observed response, especially in terms of use of appropriate plasticity models and damage indices, plus the assessment of soil–structure interaction effects. After establishing a reliable finite element model of the structure under study, extensive parametric analyses for different EC8 compliant sets of records were conducted, permitting quantification of the discrepancy of the structural response due to record-to-record and set-to-set variability (i.e., intra-set and inter-set scatter, respectively). The results confirm that many of the observations found in the literature regarding the effect of ground motion selection on the predicted seismic performance of SDOF systems are also valid for bi-directionally excited, multi-storey, irregular buildings. Finally, the results also highlight specific limitations of the EC8 provisions that may lead to erroneous results in many practical cases.     

近断层脉冲型地震动作用下隔震结构地震反应分析

隔震结构在远震场地减震效果良好，但是近断层地震动的明显的长周期速度和位移脉冲运动可能对隔震建筑等长周期结构的抗震性能和设计带来不利影响，需要深入探讨。本文首先讨论近断层地震动的长周期脉冲运动特征，然后以台湾集集地震8条典型近震记录和其它4条常用近震记录以及4条远震记录作为地震动输入，对两幢安装铅芯橡胶隔震支座的钢筋混凝土框架隔震结构进行非线性地震反应时程分析，通过比较探讨了算例计算结果，定量说明隔震结构的近震脉冲效应显著，是隔震设计不容忽视的问题。     

特高压电气设备抗震设计反应谱特征周期取值研究

特征周期是抗震设计反应谱的重要参数,开展特高压电气设备抗震设计反应谱特征周期的研究,具有重要的理论意义和工程应用价值。对美国、日本等世界范围内的1448条Ⅲ类场地水平向强震记录进行了统计分析,结果表明震级、震中距对特征周期有较大影响;强震记录特征周期的80%分位数结果约为0.9s。对全国近年来已通过评审的312个Ⅲ类场地的地震安全性评价结果进行了统计分析,70%分位数的特征周期为0.9s。结合相关规范的对比分析,建议特高压电气设备抗震设计反应谱的特征周期取0.9s,可有效保证特高压电气设备的地震安全。     

An evolutionary ground motion model for earthquake analysis of structures in zones with little history

Time history methods to perform structural dynamic analysis for vulnerability, seismic risk and structural performance studies are frequent in all kinds of projects. To apply these methods it is necessary to have earthquake acceleration records consistent with the seismic characteristics of the zone where the structure or facilities will be constructed. In regions where seismic activity is important but recorded history is scarce, the simulation of acceleration records becomes necessary.In the present work, a methodology to simulate artificial acceleration records is presented. This methodology is based on the theory of non-stationary random processes with evolutive power spectral density function. The random process model proposed uses the definition of the Boore power spectral density function, in order to take into account the seismic mechanism of the zone. The zone of Mendoza, in the province of Cuyo in Argentina close to the border with Chile, was selected to make applications of the theory. This zone was selected because it has important seismic activity but the information about this activity is scarce. To evaluate the performance of the method some response and seismic variables such as response spectra, Arias evolutionary intensity, and power spectra were computed. The results were compared with actual earthquake data obtained in the region.     

Seismic response controlled structure with Active Variable Stiffness system

The Active Variable Stiffness (AVS) system is proposed as a seismic response control system. It actively controls structural characteristics, such as stiffness of a building, to establish a non-resonant state against earthquake excitations, thus suppressing the building's response. It consumes a relatively small amount of energy and maintains the safety of the building in moderate to severe earthquakes. In order to accumulate practical data and investigate them, a building has been constructed as a trial. This paper describes the applied system, the control algorithm, verification of stiffness selection, results of tests for verifying system characteristics, some observed earthquake records and simulation analyses. Responses in controlled and uncontrolled states have been compared to show the effectiveness of the proposed system.     

Earthquake risk assessment of buildings accounting for human evacuation

A primary goal of earthquake engineering is to protect society from the possible negative consequences of future earthquakes. Conventionally, this goal has been achieved indirectly by reducing seismic damage of the built environment through better building codes, or more comprehensibly, by minimizing seismic risk. However, the effect that building damage has on occupants is not explicitly taken into account while designing infrastructure. Consequently, this paper introduces a conceptual framework and numerical algorithm to assess earthquake risk on building occupants during seismic events, considering the evacuation process of the structure. The framework combines probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, inelastic structural response analysis and damage assessment, and couples these results with the response of evacuating agents. The results are cast as probability distributions of variables that measure the overall performance of the system (e.g., evacuation times, number of injured people, and repair costs) for specific time windows. As a testbed, the framework was applied to the response of a reinforced concrete frame building that exemplifies the use of all steps of the methodology. The results suggest that this seismic risk evaluation framework of structural systems that combine the response of a physical model with human agents can be extended to a wide variety of other situations, including the assessment of mitigation actions in communities and people to improve their earthquake resilience. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

结构抗震设计理论与方法的沿革和比较

结构抗震设计理论与方法是地震工程学的核心内容,随着破坏性地震的不断发生和人们对震害认识的不断深化,结构抗震设计理论与方法逐步发展和完善。本文较全面地总结了结构抗震设计理论的形成与发展演化过程,并对不同结构抗震设计理论与方法进行比较研究,详细介绍基于强度的结构抗震设计方法、基于性态的结构抗震设计方法和基于韧性的结构抗震设计理念。在此基础上,提出了进一步开展建筑抗震韧性研究的建议。