Seismic waves generated by oscillating buildings: analysis of a release test

A three-stories, base-isolated building located in Rapolla (Potenza, Italy) was tested with a snap-back experiment. Free-field measures were performed using 3D seismometers, located at 10 and 50 m from the buildings in direction of motion and at 10 m from the building in direction transverse to the motion. At each measurement point it was possible to separate the soil amplification effects from two source terms, due to the base-isolated building and to the reaction block. The ground motion was noticeable: at 10 m in the longitudinal direction it was comparable with a small size, near-field earthquake.     

A fast moving easterly wave of the West Africa troposphere

Summary This paper documents a tropospheric synoptic-scale wavelike disturbance over Northern Africa and the tropical Atlantic during summer, in the 3.–5.day band period, different from the African wave. It has a velocity of 10–12 degree longitude per day instead of 6–8, a slighter shorter period, i.e. 3.5 instead of 4.5 days. It is best seen between 5°–7° N whilst the African wave has its largest amplitude about 12° N. The data used are NCEP/NCAR reanalyses and radiosonde data.With 10 Figures     

Analysis of non-stationary structural systems by using a band-variable filter

One of the main tools used to study the dynamic response of structural systems is certainly the Fourier Transform. This tool is very useful and reliable to investigating the response of a stationary system, i.e. a generic system that does not changes its characteristics over time. Conversely, the Fourier Transform is no longer reliable if the main goal is to study the evolution of the dynamic response of a system whose features rapidly vary with time. To this regard, several mathematical tools were developed to analyze time-variable dynamic responses. Soil and buildings, subject to transient forcing such as an earthquake, may change their characteristics over time with the initiation of nonlinear phenomena. This paper proposes a new methodology to approach the study of non-stationary response of soil and buildings: a band-variable filter based on S-Transform. In fact, with the possibility of changing the bandwidth of each filtering window over time, it becomes possible to extract from a generic record only the response of the system focusing on the variation of individual modes of vibration. Practically, it is possible to extract from a generic non-stationary signal only the phase of interest. The paper starts from examples and applications on synthetic signals, then examines possible applications to the study of the non-stationary response of soil and buildings. The last application focuses on the possibility to evaluate the mode shapes over time for both numerical and scaled model subjected to strong motion inputs.     

Fractal approaches in investigating the time dynamics of self-potential hourly variability

Fractal tools have been used to investigate the time dynamics of hourly self-potential data, recorded during the year 2001 by five geoelectrical stations located in one of the most seismic areas of southern Italy. Scaling behaviour has been revealed by means of different statistics: the Lomb Periodogram method, the Detrended Fluctuation Analysis, the Higuchi analysis and the mean distance spanned within the time L. The values of the scaling exponents estimated by means of these methods indicate that the temporal fluctuations of the geoelectrical signals are not typical of purely random stochastic processes (i.e. white noise), but evidence the presence of long-range correlations. Furthermore, it is found that these correlations are linear.     

A spatter-forming, large-scale paroxysm at Stromboli Volcano (Aeolian Islands, Italy): insight into magma evolution and eruption dynamics

This study focuses on a pyroclastic sequence related to a large-scale paroxysm that occurred during the seventeenth century ad and which can be considered one of the most powerful and hazardous explosive events at the volcano in the past few centuries. Paroxysms are energetic, short-lived explosions which sporadically interrupt normal Strombolian activity at Stromboli and commonly erupt a deep-derived, volatile-rich crystal-poor high-potassium basalt (“low porphyricity” (LP)), together with a shallow, degassed crystal-rich high-potassium to shoshonitic basalt (“high porphyricity” (HP)), which feed normal activity at the volcano. The studied deposit, crops out along the flanks of Sciara del Fuoco and, from base to top, consists of: (1) a layer of HP and LP ash and lapilli; (2) an unwelded layer of coarse HP lapilli and flattened dark scoriae; (3) weakly welded spatter made up of dense HP pyroclasts at the base, overlain by strongly vesicular LP clasts. The textural and chemical zoning of minerals and the glass chemistry of the LP products record repeated mafic recharge events, mixing with an old mushy body and episodes of rapid crystallization due to sudden degassing. Collapse of a foam layer originated by deep degassing probably triggered this large-scale, spatter-forming paroxysm. Decompression induced rapid degassing and vesiculation of the deep volatile-rich magma. The rapid ascent of the foamy magma blob pushed the shallow HP magma out and finally produced a fire fountain that emplaced the LP portion of the spatter.     

Easterly wave regimes and associated convection over West Africa and tropical Atlantic: results from the NCEP/NCAR and ECMWF reanalyses

 NCEP/NCAR and ECMWF daily reanalyses are used to investigate the synoptic variability of easterly waves over West Africa and tropical Atlantic at 700 hPa in northern summer between 1979–1995 (1979–1993 for ECMWF). Spectral analysis of the meridional wind component at 700 hPa highlighted two main periodicity bands, between 3 and 5 days, and 6 and 9 days. The 3–5-day easterly wave regime has already been widely investigated, but only on shorter datasets. These waves grow both north and south of the African Easterly Jet (AEJ). The two main tracks, noted over West Africa at 5 °N and 15 °N, converge over the Atlantic on latitude 17.5 °N. These waves are more active in August–September than in June–July. Their average wavelength/phase speed varies from about 3000 km/8 m s^-1 north of the jet to 5000 km/12 m s^-1 south of the jet. Rainfall, convection and monsoon flux are significantly modulated by these waves, convection in the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) being enhanced in the trough and ahead of it, with a wide meridional extension. Compared to the 3–5-day waves, the 6–9-day regime is intermittent and the corresponding wind field pattern has both similar and contrasting characteristics. The only main track is located north of the AEJ along 17.5 °N both over West Africa and the Atlantic. The mean wavelength is higher, about 5000 km long, and the average phase speed is about 7 m s^-1. Then the wind field perturbation is mostly evident at the AEJ latitude and north of it. The perturbation structure is similar to that of 3–5-days in the north except that the more developed circulation centers, moving more to the north, lead to a large modulation of the jet zonal wind component. South of the AEJ, the wind field perturbation is weaker and quite different. The zonal wind core of the jet appears to be an almost symmetric axis in the 6–9-day wind field pattern, a clockwise circulation north of the AEJ being associated with a counter-clockwise circulation south of the jet, and vice versa. These 6–9-day easterly waves also affect significantly rainfall, convection and monsoon flux but in a different way, inducing large zonal convective bands in the ITCZ, mostly in the trough and behind it. As opposed to the 3–5-day wave regime, these rainfall anomalies are associated with anomalies of opposite sign over the Guinea coast and the Sahelian regions. Over the continent, these waves are more active in June–July, and in August–September over the ocean. GATE phase I gave an example of such an active 6–9-day wave pattern. Considered as a sequence of weak easterly wave activity, this phase was also a sequence of high 6–9-day easterly wave activity. We suggest that the 6–9-day regime results from an interaction between the 3–5-day easterly wave regime (maintained by the barotropic/baroclinic instability of the AEJ), and the development of strong anticyclonic circulations, north of the jet over West Africa, and both north and south of the jet over the Atlantic, significantly affecting the jet zonal wind component. The permanent subtropical anticyclones (Azores, Libya, St Helena) could help initiation and maintenance of such regime over West Africa and tropical Atlantic. Based on an a priori period-band criterion, our synoptic classification has enabled us to point out two statistical and meteorological easterly wave regimes over West Africa and tropical Atlantic. NCEP/NCAR and ECMWF reanalyses are in good agreement, the main difference being a more developed easterly wave activity in the NCEP/NCAR reanalyses, especially for the 3–5-day regime over the Atlantic. Received: 28 May 1998 / Accepted: 2 May 1999     

Shake table testing on restoring capability of double concave friction pendulum seismic isolation systems

After an earthquake, non‐negligible residual displacements may affect the serviceability of a base isolated structure, if the isolation system does not possess a good restoring capability. The permanent offset does not affect the performance unless the design is problematic for utilities, also considering possible concerns related to the maintenance of the devices. Starting from experimental and analytical results of previous studies, the restoring capability of Double Concave Friction Pendulum bearings is investigated in this paper. A simplified design suggestion for the estimation of maximum expected residual displacements for currently used friction pendulum systems is then validated. The study is based on controlled‐displacement and seismic input experiments, both performed under unidirectional motion. Several shaking table tests have been carried out on a three‐dimensional isolated specimen structure. The same sequence of seismic inputs was applied considering three different conditions of sliding surfaces corresponding to low, medium and high friction. The accumulation of residual displacements is also investigated by means of nonlinear dynamic analysis. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.