Dynamic behaviour of structures with embedded foundations

A study of the dynamics of building-soil interaction is presented that includes embedding of the foundation and material damping. By considering buildings on rigid footings embedded into linear elastic soil with hysteretic damping, it is shown that the earthquake response of the building-foundation model may be found from the response to modified excitation of equivalent one-degree-of-freedom linear, viscously damped oscillators resting on rigid ground. For a single-storey building approximate formulas are developed for the modified natural frequency and damping ratio. Results show that the natural frequency and damping in the system increase with embedding. Effective damping also increases with internal friction in the soil. Ignoring these two factors may underestimate considerably the effective natural frequency and damping in the system. In spite of additional sources of energy dissipation provided by the soil, damping in the equivalent oscillator may be greater or smaller than that corresponding to the superstructure alone, depending upon the system parameters. For lightly damped superstructures, the peak amplitude of the steady-state overturning moment at the base of a building supported on flexible soil is significantly smaller than that corresponding to rigid ground. This result has practical implications for earthquake design.     

Nonlinear response of surface soil and NTT building due to soil–structure interaction during the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu (Kobe) earthquake

The 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu (Kobe) earthquake brought about enormous damage to structures in the Hanshin and Awaji areas. In this paper the importance of investigating the relationship between ground motion and structural damage is pointed out.

Strong seismic motion was observed at the NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone) Building during this earthquake. The structural damage to this building was relatively slight. In order to evaluate the relationship between ground motion and structural damage, it is necessary to assess the effects of the soil–structure interaction. In this study, the seismic response of the building and of the surface soil were evaluated by means of a nonlinear soil–structure interaction analysis using FEM.

It was found that, the nonlinearity of surface soil near the building had a great effect on the soil–structure interaction, especially the rocking of the building.     

Actual seismic response controlled building with semi-active damper system

This paper presents the first application of a semi-active damper system to an actual building. The Semi-active Hydraulic Damper (SHD) can produce a maximum damping force of 1000 kN with an electric power of 70 W. It is compact, so a large number of them can be installed in a single building. It is thus possible to control the building's response during a severe earthquake, because a large control force is obtained in comparison with a conventional active control system. This paper outlines the building, the control system configuration, the SHD, the control method using a Linear Quadratic Regulator, the response analysis results of the controlled building, and the dynamic loading test results of the actual SHD. The simulation analysis shows that damage to buildings can be prevented in a severe earthquake by SHD control. The dynamic loading test results of the SHD are reported, which show that the specified design values were obtained in the basic characteristic test. The control performance test using simulated response time histories, also shows that the damping force agrees well with the command. Finally, it is confirmed that the semi-active damper system applied to an actual building effectively controls its response in severe earthquakes. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

高层结构考虑土与地下室相互作用的振动台试验和理论分析

采用振动台试验研究了土与地下室相互作用对带多层地下室高层错位转换结构地震反应的影响。在7度小震阶段对比研究了其地下室周围有土及砂等介质约束和无约束情况下的动力特性和动力反应。在7度中震及大震阶段,土与地下室相互碰撞现象被发现。采用有限元方法非线性模拟了土与地下室相互碰撞对高层结构反应的影响。试验及分析表明,水平地震作用下土与地下室相互碰撞会对高层结构,特别是在±0.000附近部位产生不利反应,大震作用下并能造成一定程度的破坏。     

Seismic response estimation method for earthquake‐damaged RC buildings

This study proposes a procedure for identifying spectral response curves for earthquake‐damaged areas in developing countries without seismic records. An earthquake‐damaged reinforced concrete building located in Padang, Indonesia was selected to illustrate the identification of the maximum seismic response during the 2009 West Sumatra earthquake. This paper summarizes the damage incurred by the building; the majority of the damage was observed in the third story in the span direction. The damage was quantitatively evaluated using the damage index R according to the Japanese guidelines for post‐earthquake damage evaluation. The damage index was also applied to the proposed spectral response identification method. The seismic performance of the building was evaluated by a nonlinear static analysis. The analytical results reproduced a drift concentration in the third story. The R‐index decreased with an increase in the story drift, which provided an estimation of the maximum response of the building during the earthquake. The estimation was verified via an earthquake response analysis of the building using ground acceleration data, which were simulated based on acceleration records of engineering bedrock that considered site amplification. The maximum response estimated by the R‐index was consistent with the maximum response obtained from the earthquake response analysis. Therefore, the proposed method enables the construction of spectral response curves by integrating the identification results for the maximum responses in a number of earthquake‐damaged buildings despite a lack of seismic records. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Evaluation of the measured seismic response of the Mexico City Cathedral

The seismic response of the Mexico City Cathedral built of very soft soil deposits is evaluated by using motions recorded in various parts of the structure during several moderate earthquakes. This unique set of records provides significant insight into the seismic response of this and other similar historic stone masonry structures. Free‐field ground motions are carefully compared in time and frequency domains with motions recorded at building basement. The dynamic characteristics of the structure are inferred from the earthquake records by using system identification techniques. Variation of seismic response for different seismic intensities is discussed. It is shown that, due to the soil–structure interaction, due to large differences between dominant frequencies of earthquake ground motions at the site and modal frequencies of vibration of the structure, and due to a particularly high viscous damping, seismic amplifications of ground motion in this and similar historic buildings erected on soft soil deposits are much smaller than that induced in most modern constructions. Nevertheless, earthquake records and analytical results show that several components of the structure such as its central dome and the bell towers may be subjected to local vibrations that significantly amplify ground motions. Overall, results indicate that in its present state the structure has an acceptable level of seismic safety. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental study of a hybrid platform for high‐tech equipment protection against earthquake and microvibration

This paper presents an experimental study to explore the possibility of using a hybrid platform to ensure the functionality of high‐tech equipment against microvibration and to protect high‐tech equipment from damage when an earthquake occurs. A three‐storey building model and a hybrid platform model were designed and manufactured. The two‐layer hybrid platform, on which the high‐tech equipment is placed, was installed on the first floor of the building to work as a passive platform aiming at abating acceleration response of the equipment during an earthquake and functioning as an actively controlled platform that intends to reduce velocity response of the equipment under a normal working condition. For the hybrid platform working as a passive platform, it was designed in such a way that its stiffness and damping ratio could be changed, whereas for the hybrid platform functioning as an active platform, a piezoelectric actuator with a sub‐optimal velocity feedback control algorithm was used. A series of shaking table tests, traffic‐induced vibration tests and impact tests were performed on the building with and without the platform to examine the performance of the hybrid platform. The experimental results demonstrate that the hybrid platform is feasible and effective for high‐tech equipment protection against earthquake and microvibration. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vertical earthquake response of megawatt‐sized wind turbine with soil‐structure interaction effects

The dynamic response of a wind turbine on monopile is studied under horizontal and vertical earthquake excitations. The analyses are carried out using the finite element program SAP2000. The finite element model of the structure is verified against the results of shake table tests, and the earthquake response of the soil model is verified against analytical solutions of the steady‐state response of homogeneous strata. The focus of the analyses in this paper is the vertical earthquake response of wind turbines including the soil‐structure interaction effects. The analyses are carried out for both a non‐homogeneous stratum and a deep soil using the three‐step method. In addition, a procedure is implemented which allows one to perform coupled soil‐structure interaction analyses by properly tuning the damping in the tower structure. The analyses show amplification of the ground surface acceleration to the top of the tower by a factor of two. These accelerations are capable of causing damage in the turbine and the tower structure, or malfunctioning of the turbine after the earthquake; therefore, vertical earthquake excitation is considered a potential critical loading in design of wind turbines even in low‐to‐moderate seismic areas. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of fragility functions for geotechnical constructions: Application to cantilever retaining walls

Fragility curves constitute an emerging tool for the seismic risk assessment of all constructions at risk. They describe the probability of a structure being damaged beyond a specific damage state for various levels of ground shaking. They are usually represented as two-parameter (median and log-standard deviation) cumulative lognormal distributions. In this paper a numerical approach is proposed for the construction of fragility curves for geotechnical constructions. The methodology is applied to cantilever bridge abutments on surface foundation often used in road and railway networks. The response of the abutment to increasing levels of seismic intensity is evaluated using a 2D nonlinear FE model, with an elasto-plastic criterion to simulate the soil behavior. A calibration procedure is followed in order to account for the dependency of both the stiffness and the damping on the soil strain level. The effect of soil conditions and ground motion characteristics on the global soil and structural response is taken into account considering different typical soil profiles and seismic input motions. The objective is to assess the vulnerability of the road network as regards the performance of the bridge abutments; therefore, the level of damage, is described in terms of the range of settlement that is observed on the backfill. The effect of backfill material to the overall response of the abutment wall is also examined. The fragility curves are estimated based on the evolution of damage with increasing earthquake intensity. The proposed approach allows the evaluation of new fragility curves considering the distinctive features of the structure geometry, the input motion and the soil properties as well as the associated uncertainties. The proposed fragility curves are verified based on observed damage during the 2007 Niigata-Chuetsu Oki earthquake.     

Earthquake response of a steel frame building

A study has been made of the response, during the San Fernando earthquake 9 February 1971, of the nine-storey steel frame Building 180, located at the California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena. The analysis throws light on the actual dynamical properties of the building during the earthquake, and also demonstrates that it is possible, when the ground motion is specified, to make accurate predictions of building motions during moderate earthquakes by using a linear viscously damped model. Methods of evaluating the lower mode periods and damping ratios from the earthquake records are described and the values obtained are compared with results from dynamic testing before and after the earthquake and with the periods computed from computer models of the building. Although no structural damage occurred and computed stresses in the steel frame were less than yield stresses, the periods measured by an ambient vibration test after the earthquake were of the order of 10 per cent higher than the pre-earthquake values. The maximum periods during the earthquake were found to be about 30 per cent higher than the post-earthquake periods.     

液化土中输流管道的竖向地震响应研究

砂土液化是埋地管道遭受地震破坏的主要原因之一。液化土对管道产生上浮力,使管道发生上浮反应,它是随地震发生时间而变化的动态过程。将地震载荷作用下的液化区埋土管道模拟成两端弹性支承的直梁模型,考虑管-土间的相互作用和管内流体与管道之间的流固耦合作用,采用模态叠加法对液化区埋地管道进行地震响应的动态分析,探讨了管道和液化土参数对管道动态上浮反应的影响。通过数值仿真得到了管内流体的流速、流体压力、流体密度、管截面轴向力,管道黏弹系数、液化土容重和相对弹簧系数、地震加速度幅值等因素对管道上浮位移的影响情况。     

汶川8.0级地震房屋建筑震害特征

尽管在汶川大地震中大量房屋建筑遭受了严重破坏,然而,不同类型的房屋建筑所表现出的反应特征各不相同。本文在地震灾区震害现场调查所收集的大量资料的基础上,着重对几类主要房屋建筑,如砖木房屋、多层砌体房屋、钢筋混凝土房屋等在强烈地震作用下的地震反应及震害进行了总结和分析,以期从中得到一些有益的认识,为灾区恢复重建提供科学依据。     

Simulation analyses of buildings damaged in the 1995 Kobe,Japan, earthquake considering soil–structure interaction

A series of studies was conducted on three buildings of steel reinforced concrete structures with RC shear walls damaged in the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake. These buildings are located in an area where structural damage centred around. Two of these buildings suffered severe damage, while the third was not structurally damaged. Our studies deal with site inspections, including micro-tremor measurement of buildings, the evaluation of input motions, and the response analyses considering soil–structure interaction. The results of simulation analyses of the two severely damaged buildings correspond to their actual damage state. From the response analyses of the one slender building with no structural damage, it was concluded that uplifting is the main reason it did not suffer any structural damage. Through these studies, the importance of soil–structure interaction and effective input motion is fully understood. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The system damping,the system frequency and the system response peak amplitudes during in-plane building-soil interaction

The system damping, the system frequency, the relative building response and the base rocking response peak amplitudes are studied, as those depend on the building mass and height, the flexibility of the soil, the structural damping, the type of incident waves and their angle of incidence. A linear two-dimensional model is used, which assumes the soil to be a homogeneous isotropic half-space, the foundation supporting the building to be a rigid embedded cylinder, and in which the building model is an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom oscillator. The system frequency and the system damping ratio are determined by measuring the width and the frequency of the peak in the transfer function of the oscillator relative response, using the analogy with the half-power method for a single-degree-of-freedom fixed-base oscillator. Previous similar studies are for dynamic soil-structure interaction only, and for simplified models in which the stiffness of the soil and the damping due to radiation are represented by springs and dashpots. The study in this paper differs from the previous studies in that the wave passage effects (or the kinematic interaction) are also included, and that no additional simplifications of the model are made. Results are shown for excitation by plane P- and SV-waves.     

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。     

Damage Potential of the 1999 Athens, Greece, Accelerograms

Athens experienced a devastating earthquake on September 7, 1999, centred about 10km beneath the outskirts of the city, with peak accelerations in the meizoseismal area estimated above 0.5 g. While the magnitude of the earthquake was moderate (M_S=5.9), damage and loss of life were extensive, numbering over 143 fatalities, 90 collapsed buildings, and over 100,000 rendered homeless. The most severe losses took place within 8 km of the fault, and peak rock accelerations in excess of 0.35 g were recorded 12 km from fault in downtown Athens. Local geologic effects played an important role, as demonstrated by concentrations of building damage on pockets of soft soil and near river canyons in the northwest part of the city. The earthquake was the first to severely damage Athens in over 2500 years. This study examines the engineering characteristics of 12 triaxial strong motion accelerograms recorded during the main shock. Properties investigated include peak ground acceleration and velocity, bracketed duration, Housner intensity, and response spectra. Spectral values at different orientations in the horizontal plane (“planar spectra”) are computed to infer the interaction of source directivity effects and building period, on damage potential. The role of rupture directivity close to the fault is investigated by means of idealized triangular pulses. Inelastic effects are examined using ductility spectra and sliding block analyses. Evidence is presented that low-rise structures in the area may have higher strength and longer natural period than those anticipated by building codes. The implications of the damage potential calculations for earthquake hazard assessment in Eastern North America and Northern Europe are also addressed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Reduction seismic response with heavily-damped vibration absorbers

It is shown that two of the damping ratios of certain systems composed of a building and a small attachment in resonance are given by the average of the damping ratios of the two independent components. Based on this fact and the fact that the seismic response of a building can always be reduced by increasing its damping, it is demonstrated that the attachment of a small heavily-damped system in resonance can increase the damping of a building and reduce thus its response to earthquake excitations. Numerical solutions are presented to confirm the demonstration, and recommendations are given to calculate the parameters of such systems.     

Dynamic characteristics of a base isolated building from ambient vibration measurements and low level earthquake shaking

Ambient vibration tests were conducted on a base-isolated apartment building in Takamatsu, Japan, to determine the mode shapes and the associated natural frequencies and damping ratios at very low levels of excitation. The latest developments in signal analysis for modal decomposition are used to analyze the ambient response data. A finite element model of the building and isolators was calibrated and refined using the experimental results from the ambient vibration tests. This model was then used to simulate the recorded response of the building under excitation from a small earthquake. The finite element model, calibrated by ambient vibration data and the low level of earthquake shaking, provides the starting point for modelling the non-linear response of the building when subjected to strong shaking.     

Centrifuge modeling of seismic response of layered soft clay

Centrifuge modeling is a valuable tool used to study the response of geotechnical structures to infrequent or extreme events such as earthquakes. A series of centrifuge model tests was conducted at 80g using an electro-hydraulic earthquake simulator mounted on the C-CORE geotechnical centrifuge to study the dynamic response of soft soils and seismic soil–structure interaction (SSI). The acceleration records at different locations within the soil bed and at its surface along with the settlement records at the surface were used to analyze the soft soil seismic response. In addition, the records of acceleration at the surface of a foundation model partially embedded in the soil were used to investigate the seismic SSI. Centrifuge data was used to evaluate the variation of shear modulus and damping ratio with shear strain amplitude and confining pressure, and to assess their effects on site response. Site response analysis using the measured shear wave velocity, estimated modulus reduction and damping ratio as input parameters produced good agreement with the measured site response. A spectral analysis of the results showed that the stiffness of the soil deposits had a significant effect on the characteristics of the input motions and the overall behavior of the structure. The peak surface acceleration measured in the centrifuge was significantly amplified, especially for low amplitude base acceleration. The amplification of the earthquake shaking as well as the frequency of the response spectra decreased with increasing earthquake intensity. The results clearly demonstrate that the layering system has to be considered, and not just the average shear wave velocity, when evaluating the local site effects.     

2017年九寨沟Ms7.0地震低烈度区烈度异常特征与启示

根据九寨沟M_s 7.0地震现场调查结果,总结了甘肃文县低烈度区震害的一般特征,分析了低烈度区烈度异常点的震害特点,并对产生烈度异常的原因进行了探讨。调查和分析研究结果表明:由于研究区的建筑多在汶川M_s 8.0大地震后进行了重建或抗震加固,且地震持时较短,此次地震中低烈度区房屋震害总体较轻。然而,低烈度区存在建筑裂缝、滑坡、滑塌和桥梁损坏等显著的烈度异常现象,其主要原因是建筑场地位于滑坡体以及高陡边坡等抗震不利地带;此外,地震波的传播方向和研究区内岩土体的特性也是造成低烈度区烈度异常的重要因素。地震地质灾害需在地震烈度评定标准修订时予以重点考虑。