High-fidelity control of a seismic shake table

A high-fidelity PC-based control system has been developed to improve the tracking characteristics of a small-scale seismic motion simulator used for testing structural control designs. This work outlines the development and testing of the control system. First, the simulator hardware is described in detail. The process of constructing a mechanistic model of the system and identifying model parameters is then described. Next, a closed-loop feedback/feed-forward control algorithm, based on an optimal receding horizon formulation, is developed. The control design was tested and the results indicate that the seismic shake table precisely tracked reference seismic motions. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

振动台试验模型地震反应的HHT研究

Hilbert-Huang Transform(HHT)是一种新的适用于非线性、非平稳信号,且具有自适应性的数据处理方法．本文简要介绍了一座45层钢筋混凝土框架结构及其振动台试验模型概况. 利用HHT分析了模型结构在不同烈度地震中的反应记录,得到了Hilbert时频幅值三维分布和Hilbert边际谱．Hilbert谱得到记录能量集中分布的频段与时间范围,捕捉到信号变化的主要特征. Hilbert边际谱曲线形状和峰值频率值随着地震烈度的升级而发生了相应变化,而且所有的结果图形体现出相同的规律性,预示着Hilbert边际谱在土木工程结构安全评价中的应用前景．      

Comparison between real‐time dynamic substructuring and shake table testing techniques for nonlinear seismic applications

Results from real‐time dynamic substructuring (RTDS) tests are compared with results from shake table tests performed on a two‐storey steel building structure model. At each storey, the structural system consists of a cantilevered steel column resisting lateral loads in bending. In two tests, a slender diagonal tension‐only steel bracing member was added at the first floor to obtain an unsymmetrical system with highly variable stiffness. Only the first‐storey structural components were included in the RTDS test program and a Rosenbrock‐W linearly implicit integration scheme was adopted for the numerical solution. The tests were performed under seismic ground motions exhibiting various amplitude levels and frequency contents to develop first and second mode‐dominated responses as well as elastic and inelastic responses. A chirp signal was also used. Coherent results were obtained between the shake table and the RTDS testing techniques, indicating that RTDS testing methods can be used to successfully reproduce both the linear and nonlinear seismic responses of ductile structural steel seismic force resisting systems. The time delay introduced by actuator‐control systems was also studied and a novel adaptive compensation scheme is proposed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic design and shake table tests of a steel post‐tensioned self‐centering moment frame with a slab accommodating frame expansion

Post‐tensioned (PT) self‐centering moment frames were developed as an alternative to welded moment‐resisting frames (MRFs). Lateral deformation of a PT frame opens gaps between beams and columns. The use of a composite slab in welded MRFs limits the opening of gaps at the beam‐to‐column interfaces but cannot be adopted in PT self‐centering frames. In this study, a sliding slab is used to minimize restraints to the expansion of the PT frame. A composite slab is rigidly connected to the beams in a single bay of the PT frame. A sliding device is installed between the floor beams and the beams in other bays, wherever the slab is allowed to slide. Many shaking table tests were conducted on a reduced‐scale, two‐by‐two bay one‐story specimen, which comprised one PT frame and two gravitational frames (GFs). The PT frame and GFs were self‐centering throughout the tests, responding in phase with only minor differences in peak drifts that were caused by the expansion of the PT frame. When the specimen was excited by the 1999 Chi‐Chi earthquake with a peak ground acceleration of 1.87g, the maximum interstory drift was 7.2% and the maximum lateral force was 270 kN, equal to 2.2 times the yield force of the specimen. Buckling of the beam bottom flange was observed near the column face, and the initial post‐tensioning force in the columns and beams decreased by 50 and 22%, respectively. However, the specimen remained self‐centering and its residual drift was 0.01%. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Discussion of paper ‘Simulation of floor response spectra in shake table experiments’ by G. Maddaloni,K. P. Ryu and A. M. Reinhorn,Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics 2011; 40(6): 591‐604

Three main topics including the floor motion action mechanism, the test frame design, and the target spectrum simulation presented in the paper are discussed specifically. Floor motion action mechanism is critical in understanding the seismic performance of architectural nonstructural components. Seismic sensitiveness and earthquake response properties of the nonstructural components should be considered in the design of the test frame for the shaking table test. Target spectrum simulation is also a challenging job in the shaking table test, in which dynamic characteristics of the specimen, performance of the shaking table facilities, and the control techniques should be all considered. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Shake‐table test performance of an inertial force‐limiting floor anchorage system

A new floor connecting system developed for low‐damage seismic‐resistant building structures is described herein. The system, termed Inertial Force‐Limiting Floor Anchorage System (IFAS), is intended to limit the lateral forces in buildings during an earthquake. This objective is accomplished by providing limited‐strength deformable connections between the floor system and the primary elements of the lateral force‐resisting system. The connections transform the seismic demands from inertial forces into relative displacements between the floors and lateral force‐resisting system. This paper presents the IFAS performance in a shake‐table testing program that provides a direct comparison with an equivalent conventional rigidly anchored‐floor structure. The test structure is a half‐scale, 4‐story reinforced concrete flat‐plate shear wall structure. Precast hybrid rocking walls and special precast columns were used for test repeatability in a 22‐input strong ground‐motion sequence. The structure was purposely designed with an eccentric wall layout to examine the performance of the system in coupled translational‐torsional response. The test results indicated a seismic demand reduction in the lateral force‐resisting system of the IFAS structure relative to the conventional structure, including reduced shear wall base rotation, shear wall and column inter‐story drift, and, in some cases, floor accelerations. These results indicate the potential for the IFAS to minimize damage to the primary structural and non‐structural components during earthquakes.     

Mechanisms to limit higher mode effects in a controlled rocking steel frame. 2: Large‐amplitude shake table testing

This paper presents the results of 56 large‐amplitude shake table tests of a 30% scale eight‐storey controlled rocking steel frame. No significant damage or residual deformations were observed after any of the tests. The frame had four possible configurations on the basis of combinations of two higher mode mitigation mechanisms. The first mitigation mechanism was formed by allowing the upper section of the frame to rock, so as to better control the mid‐height overturning moment. The second mitigation mechanism was formed by replacing the conventional first‐storey brace with a self‐centering energy dissipative (SCED) brace, so as to better control the base shear. The mechanisms had little effect during records where higher mode effects were not apparent, but they substantially reduced the shear and overturning moment envelopes, as well as the peak floor accelerations, during more demanding records. The reduction in storey shears led to similarly reduced brace force demands. Although the peak force demands in the columns were not reduced by as much as the frame overturning moments, using an upper rocking joint allowed the column demands to be estimated without the need to assume a lateral force distribution. The tests demonstrated that multiple force‐limiting mechanisms can be used to provide better control of peak seismic forces without excessive increases in drift demands, thus enabling more reliable capacity design. These results are expected to be widely applicable to structures where the peak seismic forces are significantly influenced by higher mode effects. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamic characteristics and seismic behavior of prefabricated steel stairs in a full‐scale five‐story building shake table test program

This paper investigates the dynamic characteristics and seismic behavior of prefabricated steel stairs in a full‐scale five‐story building shake table test program. The test building was subjected to a suite of earthquake input motions and low‐amplitude white noise base excitations first, while the building was isolated at its base, and subsequently while it was fixed to the shake table platen. This paper presents the modal characteristics of the stairs identified using the data recorded from white noise base excitation tests as well as the physical and measured responses of the stairs from the earthquake tests. The observed damage to the stairs is categorized into three distinct damage states and is correlated with the interstory drift demands of the building. These shake table tests highlight the seismic vulnerability of modern designed stair systems and in particular identifies as a key research need the importance of improving the deformability of flight‐to‐building connections. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Response of hybrid isolation system during a shake table experiment of a full‐scale isolated building

A full‐scale 5‐story steel moment frame building was subjected to a series of earthquake excitations using the E‐Defense shake table in August, 2011. For one of the test configurations, the building was seismically isolated by a hybrid system of lead‐rubber bearings and low friction roller bearings known as cross‐linear bearings, and was designed for a very rare 100 000‐year return period earthquake at a Central and Eastern US soil site. The building was subject to 15 trials including sinusoidal input, recorded motions and simulated earthquakes, 2D and 3D input, and a range of intensities including some beyond the design basis level. The experimental program was one of the first system‐level full‐scale validations of seismic isolation and the first known full‐scale experiment of a hybrid isolation system incorporating lead‐rubber and low friction bearings. Stable response of the hybrid isolation system was demonstrated at displacement demands up to 550 mm and shear strain in excess of 200%. Torsional amplifications were within the new factor stipulated by the code provisions. Axial force was observed to transfer from the lead‐rubber bearings to the cross‐linear bearings at large displacements, and the force transfer at large displacements exceeded that predicted by basic calculations. The force transfer occurred primarily because of the flexural rigidity of the base diaphragm and the larger vertical stiffness of the cross‐linear bearings relative to the lead‐rubber bearings.     

地震模拟振动台的发展及应用

论述了地震模拟振动台的发展过程、发展趋势以及应用领域,介绍了四川省地震局正在研制建设中的地震虚拟仿真运动平台系统的基本情况,对其技术方案、系统构成、主要性能指标进行了详细阐述。     

Mechanisms to limit higher mode effects in a controlled rocking steel frame. 1: Concept,modelling, and low‐amplitude shake table testing

Controlled rocking steel frames have been proposed as an efficient way to avoid the structural damage and residual deformations that are expected in conventional seismic force resisting systems. Although the base rocking response is intended to limit the force demands, higher mode effects can amplify member design forces, reducing the viability of the system. This paper suggests that seismic forces may be limited more effectively by providing multiple force‐limiting mechanisms. Two techniques are proposed: detailing one or more rocking joints above the base rocking joint and providing a self‐centring energy dissipative (SCED) brace at one or more levels. These concepts are applied to the design of an eight‐storey prototype structure and a shake table model at 30% scale. A simple numerical model that was used as a design tool is in good agreement with frequency characterization and low‐amplitude seismic tests of the shake table model, particularly when multiple force‐limiting mechanisms are active. These results suggest that the proposed mechanisms can enable better capacity design by reducing the variability of peak seismic force demands without causing excessive displacements. Similar results are expected for other systems that rely on a single location of concentrated nonlinearity to limit peak seismic loads. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulation of structural response under high‐frequency ground excitation

The structural response to high‐frequency ground motions is complicated due to the involvement of local‐mode vibration. At present such a characteristic is not well recognized and this can cause confusion over the analytical and experimental modelling of the corresponding response and damage. The fact that most existing regulatory guides for limits on allowable construction vibrations are necessarily simplified for administrative reasons calls upon the derivation of more sophisticated approaches for special cases. This requires accumulation of pertinent experimental evidence. This paper attempts to provide some insights into the local‐mode dynamic response characteristics, with emphasis on appropriate modelling techniques and experimental measurements. A preliminary testing program is reported, in which efforts were made to reproduce high‐frequency response with a reduced scale reinforced concrete model with shaking table facilities. The results demonstrate the dependence of the response amplitudes with the excitation frequency. On a ppv‐basis, the current test results indicate that a substantial increase of the allowable ppv value from those specified by various standards may be considered for structural damage to reinforced concrete building structures. More analytical and experimental data are needed for further evaluation of the local‐mode effects and to quantify their impact on the structural damage process. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Shake table test and numerical study of self‐centering steel frame with SMA braces

Given their excellent self‐centering and energy‐dissipating capabilities, superelastic shape memory alloys (SMAs) become an emerging structural material in the field of earthquake engineering. This paper presents experimental and numerical studies on a scaled self‐centering steel frame with novel SMA braces (SMAB), which utilize superelastic Ni–Ti wires. The braces were fabricated and cyclically characterized before their installation in a two‐story one‐bay steel frame. The equivalent viscous damping ratio and ‘post‐yield’ stiffness ratio of the tested braces are around 5% and 0.15, respectively. In particular, the frame was seismically designed with nearly all pin connections, including the pinned column bases. To assess the seismic performance of the SMA braced frame (SMABF), a series of shake table tests were conducted, in which the SMABF was subjected to ground motions with incremental seismic intensity levels. No repair or replacement of structural members was performed during the entire series of tests. Experimental results showed that the SMAB could withstand several strong earthquakes with very limited capacity degradation. Thanks to the self‐centering capacity and pin‐connection design, the steel frame was subjected to limited damage and zero residual deformation even if the peak interstory drift ratio exceeded 2%. Good agreement was found between the experimental results and numerical simulations. The current study validates the prospect of using SMAB as a standalone seismic‐resisting component in critical building structures when high seismic performance or earthquake resilience is desirable under moderate and strong earthquakes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prediction of elastic displacement response spectra in Europe and the Middle East

Empirical equations are presented for the prediction of displacement response ordinates for damping ratios of 2, 5, 10, 20 and 30% of critical and for response periods up to 4s, using 532 accelerograms from the strong‐motion databank from Europe and the Middle East. The records were all re‐processed and only employed for regressions at periods within the usable range, defined as a fraction of the filter cut‐off and depending on the instrument type (digital or analogue), earthquake magnitude and site class. The equations can be applied to predict the geometric mean displacement and pseudo‐acceleration spectra for earthquakes with moment magnitudes ( M ) between 5 and 7.6, and for distances up to 100km. The equations also include style‐of‐faulting and site class as explanatory variables. The predictions obtained from these new equations suggest that earlier European equations for spectral displacements underestimate the ordinates at longer periods as a result of severe filtering and the use of the spectral ordinates at periods too close to the filter cut‐off. The results also confirm that the period defining the start of the constant displacement plateau in the Eurocode 8 (EC8) spectrum is excessively short at 2s. The results not only show that the scaling factor defined in EC8 for estimating the spectral ordinates at damping ratios different from 5% of critical are a good general approximation, but also that this scaling varies with magnitude and distance (reflecting the influence of duration) and also displays a mild dependence on response period. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Verification and validation of a seismic response analysis code for framed structures using the ASI‐Gauss technique

In this report, the capabilities of the adaptively shifted integration (ASI)‐Gauss code in the analysis of the seismic responses of framed structures are verified and validated by comparing the results with detailed numerical simulations performed by the parallel finite element analysis code, E‐Simulator, and with experimental results obtained by E‐Defense. The numerical results obtained by both codes showed good agreement with the experimental results obtained by E‐Defense. Furthermore, seismic waves with unnaturally large magnitudes are applied to a high‐rise building model to demonstrate the ability of the ASI‐Gauss code to analyze the collapse behaviors of building frames. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of boundary conditions on the out‐of‐plane response of brick masonry walls in buildings with RC slabs

In modern unreinforced masonry buildings with stiff RC slabs, walls of the top floor are most susceptible to out‐of‐plane failure. The out‐of‐plane response depends not only on the acceleration demand and wall geometry but also on the static and kinematic boundary conditions of the walls. This paper discusses the influence of these boundary conditions on the out‐of‐plane response through evaluation of shake table test results and numerical modelling. As a novum, it shows that the in‐plane response of flanking elements, which are orthogonal to the wall whose out‐of‐plane response is studied, has a significant influence on the vertical restraint at the top of the walls. The most critical configuration exists if the flanking elements are unreinforced masonry walls that rock. In this case, the floor slabs can uplift, and the out‐of‐plane load‐bearing walls loose the vertical restraint at the top. Numerical modelling confirms this experimentally observed behaviour and shows that slab uplift and the difference in base and top excitation have a strong influence on the out‐of‐plane response of the walls analysed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Linear dynamic modeling of a uni‐axial servo‐hydraulic shaking table system

This paper focuses on the development of a linear analytical model (even though servo‐hydraulic actuation systems are inherently non‐linear, especially for large amplitude simulations — near the performance capacity of the system — linearized models proved experimentally to be quite effective overall in capturing the salient features of shaking table dynamics) of a uni‐axial, servo‐hydraulic, stroke controlled shaking table system by using jointly structural dynamics and linear control theory. This model incorporates the proportional, integral, derivative, feed‐forward, and differential pressure gains of the control system. Furthermore, it accounts for the following physical characteristics of the system: time delay in the servovalve response, compressibility of the actuator fluid, oil leakage through the actuator seals and the dynamic properties of both the actuator reaction mass and test structure or payload. The proposed model, in the form of the total shaking table transfer function (i.e. between commanded and actual table motions), is developed to account for the specific characteristics of the Rice University shaking table. An in‐depth sensitivity study is then performed to determine the effects of the table control parameters, payload characteristics, and servovalve time delay upon the total shaking table transfer function. The sensitivity results reveal: (a) a potential strong dynamic interaction between the oil column in the actuator and the payload, and (b) the very important effect of the servovalve time delay upon the total shaking table transfer function. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

九寨沟MS7.0地震强地震动模拟及漳扎镇地震动强度预测

破坏性地震强度预测可用于工程领域抗震设防以及地震危险性分析评估,是防震减灾中一项很重要的基础工作.为了再现九寨沟地震的地震动强度,评估缺失强震记录的九寨章扎台站的地震动强度,本文用经验格林函数法对九寨沟地震进行了数值模拟.选取了震源周边地震动峰值加速度超过10 Gal的10个强震台站进行模拟.因未得到九寨沟地震的余震,初次尝试将汶川地震和定西地震的余震作为格林函数模拟九寨沟地震.模拟结果整体上可以反映各台站地震动的强度特征,尤其是地震动高频成份拟合较好.模拟值的地震动峰值加速度、时程数据、反应谱等与观测值拟合较好.预测结果显示漳扎镇的地震动峰值加速度值约为180~200 Gal.预测结果也表明在缺少大震的余震记录时,经验格林函数法使用其他大震的余震同样可以再现目标地震的强度特征.本研究也为经验格林函数方法在缺乏小震记录地区的使用积累了经验.最后总结了格林函数的选取标准,为经验格林函数方法来预测未来强震动特征积累了经验.

     

Application of a data‐based mechanistic modelling (DBM) approach for predicting runoff generation in semi‐arid regions

This paper addresses the application of a data‐based mechanistic (DBM) modelling approach using transfer function models (TFMs) with non‐linear rainfall filtering to predict runoff generation from a semi‐arid catchment (795 km²) in Tanzania. With DBM modelling, time series of rainfall and streamflow were allowed to suggest an appropriate model structure compatible with the data available. The model structures were evaluated by looking at how well the model fitted the data, and how well the parameters of the model were estimated. The results indicated that a parallel model structure is appropriate with a proportion of the runoff being routed through a fast flow pathway and the remainder through a slow flow pathway. Finally, the study employed a Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) methodology to evaluate the parameter sensitivity and predictive uncertainty based on the feasible parameter ranges chosen from the initial analysis of recession curves and calibration of the TFM. Results showed that parameters that control the slow flow pathway are relatively more sensitive than those that control the fast flow pathway of the hydrograph. Within the GLUE framework, it was found that multiple acceptable parameter sets give a range of predictions. This was found to be an advantage, since it allows the possibility of assessing the uncertainty in predictions as conditioned on the calibration data and then using that uncertainty as part of the decision‐making process arising from any rainfall‐runoff modelling project. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.