Pushover-based seismic risk assessment and loss estimation of masonry buildings

A pushover-based seismic risk assessment and loss estimation methodology for masonry buildings is introduced. It enables estimation of loss by various performance measures such as the probability of exceeding a designated economic loss, the expected annual loss, and the expected loss given a seismic intensity. The methodology enables the estimation of the economic loss directly from the results of structural analysis, which combines pushover analysis and incremental dynamic analysis of an equivalent SDOF model. The use of the methodology is demonstrated by means of two variants of a three-storey masonry building both of which have the same geometry, but they are built, respectively, from hollow clay masonry (model H) and solid brick masonry (model S). The probability of collapse given the selected design earthquake corresponding to a return period of 475 years was found to be negligible for model H, which indicates the proper behaviour of such a structure when designed according to the current building codes. However, the corresponding probability of collapse of model S was very high (46%). The expected total loss given the design earthquake was estimated to amount to 28 000 € and 290 000 €, respectively, for models H and S. The expected annual loss per 100 m² of gross floor area was estimated to amount to 75 € and 191 €, respectively, for models H and S. For the presented examples, it was also observed that nonstructural elements contributed more than 50% of the total loss.     

砖石古塔抗震性能评估方法及抗震加固措施研究

为了提高砖石古塔的抗震性能,针对其地震反应特点,研究了砖石古塔的抗震薄弱部位、抗震性能评估方法、评价指标以及抗震加固措施。主要研究结论为:（1）提出了采用极限承载能力与层间位移角2个指标综合评估砖石古塔的抗震性能,并通过工程实例验证了该方法的有效性。（2）提出了对穿锚杆锁定内外钢带围箍和竖向贯穿钢筋为主,聚丙烯酸脂乳液砂浆裂缝注浆为辅的砖石古塔综合抗震加固措施。（3）砖石古塔塔底截面为承载能力抗震薄弱部位,抗拉能力不足是导致塔体破坏的主要原因。（4）地震作用下,砖石古塔随着塔体层数的增加,层间位移角增大,顶层塔体为变形能力薄弱部位。该研究结果可为砖石古塔的抗震性能评估与抗震加固提供参考。     

新型灌浆材料在已建砌体结构抗震加固中的应用

具有悠久历史的石结构是砌体结构的重要组成部分，本文作者经广泛调研和试验分析：(1)提出以石粉为集料对石砌体进行抗震加固，寓环保与防灾于一体；(2)给出新型浆体配比和复合砂浆的强度等级，阐述加固技术和方法，建立灌浆石砌体抗震抗剪强度公式；(3)阐明抗震验算方法，提出基于模糊随机可靠理论的可靠性分析方法。     

Shaking table testing of an existing masonry building: assessment and improvement of the seismic performance

This paper aims to assess and improve the seismic performance of an existing masonry building with flexible floors, representative of a Portuguese building typology—‘gaioleiro’ buildings. The study involved seismic tests and dynamic identification tests of two models (nonstrengthened and strengthened) in the shaking table. Each model was subjected to several seismic tests with increasing amplitude. Before the first test and after each seismic test, the dynamic identification of the model was carried out, aiming at obtaining their seismic vulnerability curves based on a damage indicator obtained from the decrease of the frequencies of the modes. In the strengthened model, steel elements were used to improve the connection between walls and floors, together with ties in the upper stories. The results show that adopted strengthening technique is effective for reducing the seismic vulnerability of ‘gaioleiro’ buildings, namely for improving the out‐of‐plane behavior of the facades. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Methodology for practical seismic assessment of unreinforced masonry buildings with historical value

Historical constructions are part of the world heritage, and their survival is an important priority. Comprising mostly unreinforced, load‐bearing masonry, heritage buildings may date anywhere from antiquity to the 19th and early 20th century. Being exposed to the elements over the years, they are in various states of disrepair and material degradation. Based on postearthquake reconnaissance reports, these structures occasionally behave rather poorly, even in moderate seismic events, undergoing catastrophic damage and collapse, whereas retrofitting is governed by international conventions regarding noninvasiveness and reversibility of the intervention. The complexity of their structural systems (continuous structural components, lack of diaphragm action, material brittleness, and variability) challenges the established methods of condition assessment of preretrofitted and postretrofitted heritage constructions. The most advanced state of the art in materials and analysis tools is required, far more complex than with conventional buildings. Thus, an assessment procedure specifically geared to this class of structures is urgently needed, in order to assist engineers in this endeavor. The objective of this paper is the development of a performance‐based assessment framework that is palatable to practitioners and quite accurate in seismic assessment of unreinforced masonry buildings with no diaphragm action. The underlying theoretical background of the method is illustrated with reference to first principles: global demand is obtained from the design earthquake scenario for the region, using empirical estimates for the prevailing translational period of the system; deformation demands are localized using an approximation to the translational 3‐D shape of lateral response, estimated using a uniform gravitational field in the direction of action of the earthquake; acceptance criteria are specified in terms of relative drift ratios, referring to the in‐plane and the out‐of‐plane action of the masonry piers. The quantitative accuracy of the introduced procedure is evaluated through comparison with detailed time‐history dynamic analysis results, using a real life example case study. Qualitative relevance of the results is evaluated through comparison of the location and extent of anticipated damage estimated from the proposed assessment procedure, with reported records of the building damages that occurred during a significant past earthquake event.     

Numerical models of RC elements and their impacts on seismic performance assessment

This paper aims to provide a guideline for numerical modeling of reinforced concrete (RC) frame elements for the seismic performance assessment of a structure. Several types of numerical models of RC frame elements are available in nonlinear structural analysis packages. Because the numerical models are formulated based on different assumptions and theories, the models' accuracy, computing time, and applicability vary, which poses a great difficulty to practicing engineers and limits their confidence in the analysis results. In this study, the applicability of five representative numerical models of RC frame elements is evaluated through comparison with 320 experimental results available from the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research column database. The accuracy of a numerical model is evaluated according to its initial stiffness, peak strength, and energy dissipation capacity of the global responses. In addition, a parametric study of a cantilever RC column subjected to earthquake excitation is carried out to systematically evaluate the consequence of the adopted numerical models on the maximum inelastic structural responses. It is found from this study that the accuracy of the numerical models is sensitive to shear force demand–capacity ratio. If a structural period is short and the structure is shear critical, the use of numerical models that can explicitly capture the shear deformation and failure is suggested. If the structural period is long, the selection of a numerical model does not greatly influence the global response of the structure. The paper also presents statistical parameters of each numerical model, which can be used for probabilistic seismic performance assessment. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic fragility assessment of low-rise stone masonry buildings

Many historic buildings in old urban centers in Eastern Canada are made of stone masonry reputed to be highly vulnerable to seismic loads.Seismic risk assessment of stone masonry buildings is therefore the first step in the risk mitigation process to provide adequate planning for retrofit and preservation of historical urban centers.This paper focuses on development of analytical displacement-based fragility curves reflecting the characteristics of existing stone masonry buildings in Eastern Canada.The old historic center of Quebec City has been selected as a typical study area.The standard fragility analysis combines the inelastic spectral displacement,a structure-dependent earthquake intensity measure,and the building damage state correlated to the induced building displacement.The proposed procedure consists of a three-step development process:(1) mechanics-based capacity model,(2) displacement-based damage model and(3) seismic demand model.The damage estimation for a uniform hazard scenario of 2% in 50 years probability of exceedance indicates that slight to moderate damage is the most probable damage experienced by these stone masonry buildings.Comparison is also made with fragility curves implicit in the seismic risk assessment tools Hazus and ELER.Hazus shows the highest probability of the occurrence of no to slight damage,whereas the highest probability of extensive and complete damage is predicted with ELER.This comparison shows the importance of the development of fragility curves specific to the generic construction characteristics in the study area and emphasizes the need for critical use of regional risk assessment tools and generated results.     

A framework for the seismic assessment of existing masonry buildings accounting for different sources of uncertainty

The current formulation of Eurocode 8 Part 3 and the Italian building code for the seismic assessment of existing buildings accounts for epistemic (knowledge‐based) uncertainties by means of the identification of knowledge levels with associated values of the so‐called confidence factors, applied only as a reduction of material strengths. This formulation does not always produce consistent results and it does not explicitly account for other sources of uncertainty. The paper proposes a probabilistic methodology for the quantification of appropriately defined factors, allowing consideration of the different sources of uncertainty involved in the seismic assessment of masonry buildings by means of nonlinear static analyses. This simple approach, also including an alternative formulation of the confidence factors related with material properties, allows to obtain results which are consistent with the acquired level of knowledge and correctly account for the different sources of uncertainty without requiring to carry out any stochastic nonlinear analysis. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

组合砌体房屋抗震性能试验研究及分析

对1／4比例的9层组合砌体房屋模型进行了拟静力试验，得到此类结构的有关抗震性能指标，在此基础上，对试验模型和原型房屋进行了非线性地震反应分析，探讨了此类房屋的动力反应特性，对组合砌体房屋的抗震能力作出了较为客观的评价，并对应采取的抗震措施提出了建议。     

砖墙体抗震承载力仿真分析与试验对比

为研究竖向压应力和高宽比对砖墙体抗震性能的影响,以砖墙体抗震承载力典型试验试件为基础,利用有限元分析软件ANSYS建立适当的空间模型。根据砖墙体的破坏模式和材料性能把墙体划分成块体单元、灰缝单元以及接触单元,为各部分材料选用不同的本构关系模型与破坏准则。并将计算结果与试验结果进行对比,验证文中模型的可适用性。选用经验证后的模型,变换竖向压应力和高宽比,得出相应的结论:墙体的开裂荷载和抗侧承载力随着高宽比的增大明显呈降低的趋势;不同高宽比的墙体,竖向压应力的影响规律不尽相同。     

Out‐of‐plane seismic behaviour of rocking masonry walls

The evaluation of the out‐of‐plane behaviour of unreinforced walls is one of the most debated topics in the seismic assessment of existing masonry buildings. The discontinuous nature of masonry and its interaction with the remainder of the building make the dynamic modelling of out‐of‐plane response troublesome. In this paper, the results of a shaking table laboratory campaign on a tuff masonry, natural scale, U‐shaped assemblage (façade adjacent to transverse walls) are presented. The tests, excited by scaled natural accelerograms, replicate the behaviour of external walls in existing masonry buildings, from the beginning of rocking motion to overturning. Two approaches have been developed for modelling the out‐of‐plane seismic behaviour: the discrete element method and an SDOF analytic model. Both approaches are shown to be capable of reproducing the experimental behaviour in terms of maximum rotation and time history dynamic response. Finally, test results and numerical time history simulations have been compared with the Italian seismic code assessment procedures. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

多层砌体房屋抗震加固方法述评

本文讨论了多层砌体房屋抗震加固的原则,对目前常用的多层砌体房屋的加固方法进行了简要的论述,提出了各种方法的特点和适用范围以及需要注意的问题,并指出了将来可能的发展方向。     

Evaluation of force-based and displacement-based out-of-plane seismic assessment methods for unreinforced masonry walls through refined model simulations

The performance of force-based and displacement-based seismic assessment methods for the life-safety limit state check of out-of-plane loaded unreinforced masonry walls is evaluated on the basis of refined numerical simulations. For this purpose, a discrete element model of a vertically spanning wall is built and validated against experimental results from static and dynamic test conditions. The model is then analysed for a large range of wall configurations. For each configuration, a static pushover analysis and a series of incremental dynamic analyses are run, the latter permitting to determine the capacity of the wall under dynamic loading. The accuracy of the assessment methods in predicting the acceleration at which the walls collapse is evaluated. It is found that the displacement-based method is more accurate, robust, and safe than the force-based method. The comparison also shows that for walls characterised by a relatively high ratio of axial load to Euler's critical load, both assessment methods lead to an overestimation of the wall capacity. As a remedy, a modification to the methods based on a recently developed mechanical model is put forward and tested. For the force-based method, it is additionally suggested to set for walls with relatively high overburden ratios the behaviour factor equal to 1. To ensure reproducibility of this study, all input and output files of the numerical simulations are made publicly available.     

Displacement‐based seismic analysis for out‐of‐plane bending of unreinforced masonry walls

This paper addresses the problem of assessing the seismic resistance of brick masonry walls subject to out‐of‐plane bending. A simplified linearized displacement‐based procedure is presented along with recommendations for the selection of an appropriate substitute structure in order to provide the most representative analytical results. A trilinear relationship is used to characterize the real nonlinear force–displacement relationship for unreinforced brick masonry walls. Predictions of the magnitude of support motion required to cause flexural failure of masonry walls using the linearized displacement‐based procedure and quasi‐static analysis procedures are compared with the results of experiments and non‐linear time‐history analyses. The displacement‐based procedure is shown to give significantly better predictions than the force‐based method. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical modeling of global seismic phases and its application in seismic phase identification

Earthquake data include informative seismic phases that require identification for imaging the Earth's structural interior. In order to identify the phases, we created a numerical method to calculate the traveltimes and raypaths by a shooting technique based upon the IASP91 Earth model, and it can calculate the traveltimes and raypaths for not only the seismic phases in the traditional traveltime tables such as IASP91, AK135, but also some phases such as pPcP, pPKIKP, and PPPPP. It is not necessary for this method to mesh the Earth model, and the results from the numerical modeling and its application show that the absolute differences between the calculated and theoretical traveltimes from the ISAP91 tables are less than 0.1 s. Thus, it is simple in manipulation and fast in computation, and can provide a reliable theoretical prediction for the identification of a seismic phase within the acquired earthquake data.     

唐山地震人员伤亡数值模拟与评估

应用作者提出的地震人员伤亡指数和状态函数的概念,进一步给出初始人员伤亡矩阵,并借助于几个概率分布函数确定了砖砌体结构的初始人员伤亡矩阵,建立了地震人员伤亡动态量化评估方法,以此方法对唐山地震进行了人员伤亡数量的模拟与评估。     

Effects of seismic isolation on the seismic response of a California high‐speed rail prototype bridge with soil‐structure and track‐structure interactions

With the launch of the high‐speed train project in California, the seismic risk is a crucial concern to the stakeholders. To investigate the seismic behavior of future California High‐Speed Rail (CHSR) bridge structures, a 3D nonlinear finite‐element model of a CHSR prototype bridge is developed. Soil‐structure and track‐structure interactions are accounted for in this comprehensive numerical model used to simulate the seismic response of the bridge and track system. This paper focuses on examining potential benefits and possible drawbacks of the a priori promising application of seismic isolation in CHSR bridges. Nonlinear time history analyses are performed for this prototype bridge subjected to two bidirectional horizontal historical earthquake ground motions each scaled to two different seismic hazard levels. The effect of seismic isolation on the seismic performance of the bridge is investigated through a detailed comparison of the seismic response of the bridge with and without seismic isolation. It is found that seismic isolation significantly reduces the deck acceleration and the force demand in the bridge substructure (i.e., piers and foundations), especially for high‐intensity earthquakes. However, seismic isolation increases the deck displacement (relative to the pile cap) and the stresses in the rails. These findings imply that seismic isolation can be promisingly applied to CHSR bridges with due consideration of balancing its beneficial and detrimental effects through using appropriate isolators design. The optimum seismic isolator properties can be sought by solving a performance‐based optimum seismic design problem using the nonlinear finite‐element model presented herein. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

设有圈梁与构造柱的砌体结构预应力筋抗震加固试验研究

通过对设有圈梁与构造柱的砌体结构采用体外预应力筋加固和未加固模型进行双向拟动力试验,对墙体裂缝开展、结构耗能、结构损伤等指标进行对比分析,探讨体外预应力筋加固对砌体结构抗震能力的影响.试验结果表明:体外预应力筋产生的约束力对限制裂缝开展、防止圈梁与预制楼板的脱空效果明显砌体结构在体外预应力筋加固后的总滞回耗能大于未加固...     

Seismic fragility assessment of nonstructural components in unreinforced clay brick masonry buildings

The results of an investigation of the probability of earthquake damage to nonstructural unreinforced masonry (URM) components are presented. The components include parapets, chimneys, and out-of-plane loaded facades typical of low-rise pre-1940 construction in Australia and New Zealand. The study is based on a street survey of component geometry, in situ data on material strength, and simplified mechanical models. Uncertainties in capacity and demand were quantified based on, respectively, stochastic and deterministic approaches. The damage probabilities were compared with relevant guidelines and empirical damage data from three earthquakes. The study established a link between the qualitative damage states reported in existing guidelines and the quantitative URM component damage states. While some median damage state thresholds correlated well with the data from the guidelines, a larger dispersion value was found in the current study due to the large variations in component properties. Comparisons with empirical data suggest that the developed fragility data provide a realistic estimate of nonstructural component damage that occurred in similar buildings, with a reasonable level of conservatism. The outcome is useful in rapid assessment of the seismic risks due to nonstructural component collapse in URM precincts.     

钢结构建筑轻质砂加气混凝土墙体的抗震性能试验研究

本文介绍了一钢结构建筑轻质砂加气混凝土外墙板和砌块填充墙的足尺模型振动台试验，并通过试验结果分析，重点研究砌块填充墙的抗震性能、砌块墙体与墙板墙体抗震性能的对比以及两者对钢结构动力特性的影响对比。文中得出了与带墙体钢结构抗震设计有关的结论。