Performance of masonry enclosure walls: lessons learned from recent earthquakes

This paper discusses the issue of performance requirements and construction criteria for masonry enclosure and infill walls.Vertical building enclosures in European countries are very often constituted by non-load-bearing masonry walls, using horizontally perforated clay bricks.These walls are generally supported and confined by a reinforced concrete frame structure of columns and beams/slabs.Since these walls are commonly considered to be nonstructural elements and their influence on the structural response is ignored,their consideration in the design of structures as well as their connection to the adjacent structural elements is frequently negligent or insufficiently detailed.As a consequence,nonstructural elements,as for wall enclosures,are relatively sensitive to drift and acceleration demands when buildings are subjected to seismic actions. Many international standards and technical documents stress the need for design acceptability criteria for nonstructural elements,however they do not specifically indicate how to prevent collapse and severe cracking,and how to enhance the overall stability in the case of moderate to high seismic loading.Furthermore,a review of appropriate measures to improve enclosure wall performance and both in-plane and out-of-plane integrity under seismic actions is addressed.     

Isolation of sea surface salinity maps on various timescales in the tropical Pacific Ocean

To isolate sea surface salinity (SSS) maps on seasonal, ENSO, decadal, and long-term trend timescales in the tropical Pacific Ocean, the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) is applied on an SSS data set covering 1950–2009, concerning three key regions including the western equatorial Pacific Warm Pool (WP), South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ), and Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ); then a self-organizing map is performed on the intrinsic mode function maps decomposed by the EEMD, concerning the whole basin. The ENSO and decadal signals concern mainly the western Pacific, in contrast to the seasonal signal mostly notable in the east. (1) The modulated annual cycle has smaller (larger) amplitudes during El Ni?o (La Ni?a) years and later appearance of minima during El Ni?o years; one unique annual cycle is observed at the northwestern edge of the ITCZ lagging the well-known ITCZ cycle by ~3?months. (2) The pronounced 1999–2001 SSS-related La Ni?a event in the SPCZ was reinforced twice by the decadal shift in the 1990s; the eastern Pacific and central Pacific ENSO-related SSS features are compared. (3) The contrasted anomalies between the western equatorial and non-equatorial regions were pronounced during 1977–1996, whereas they were less pronounced during 1971–1976, 2005–2008, and a roughly opposite pattern appeared with strong and abrupt decrease shift prevailing in large areas over the southwestern basin during 1997–2004. (4) The freshening at the western equator and the saltening located east of the SPCZ SSS front together amplify the geographical SSS contrasts exhibited by the WP and SPCZ SSS fronts.     

Full-scale tests of wind effects on a long span roof structure

Full-scale measurements are regarded as the most reliable method to evaluate wind effects on large buildings and structures. Some selected results are presented in this paper from the full-scale measurement of wind effects on a long-span steel roof structure during the passage of Typhoon Fanapi. Some fi eld data, including wind speed and direction, acceleration responses, etc., were continuously and simultaneously recorded during the passage of the typhoon. Comprehensive analysis of the measured data is conducted to evaluate the typhoon-generated wind characteristics and its effects on a long-span steel roof. The fi rst four natural frequencies and their vibration mode shapes of the Guangzhou International Sports Arena(GISA) roof are evaluated by the stochastic subspace identifi cation(SSI) method and comparisons with those from fi nite element(FE) analysis are made. Meanwhile, damping ratios of the roof are also identifi ed by the SSI method and compared with those identifi ed by the random decrement method; the amplitude-dependent damping behaviors are also discussed. The fullscale measurement results are further compared with the corresponding wind tunnel test results to evaluate its reliability. The results obtained from this study are valuable for academic and professional engineers involved in the design of large-span roof structures.     

大地震前体应变临震异常现象

本文对2011年1月至2014年4月间全球发生的80次MS≥7.0级地震前,二张营台和天堂河台Sacks体应变临震异常现象进行了研究,针对复杂震例提出了异常识别的前提条件。统计结果显示,体应变观测对震中距为8000km范围内的MS≥7.0级地震映震和前兆异常反映较好。同时,对异常现象进行了分类和描述,划分了三种异常类型：即固体潮畸变型、突变型和慢地震型,并对各种类型作了统计分析,进行了力学性质初步探讨。从研究结果来看,体应变异常信息对未来全球强震的发生具有一定的预示意义。     

Deformation of the Most Recent Co-seismic Surface Ruptures Along the Garzê–Yushu Fault Zone (Dangjiang Segment) and Tectonic Implications For the Tibetan Plateau

The Garzê–Yushu strike-slip fault in central Tibet is the locus of strong earthquakes(M 7). The deformation and geometry of the co-seismic surface ruptures are reflected in the surface morphology of the fault and depend on the structure of the upper crust as well as the pre-existing tectonics. Therefore, the most recent co-seismic surface ruptures along the Garzê–Yushu fault zone(Dangjiang segment) reveal the surface deformation of the central Tibetan Plateau. Remote sensing images and field investigations suggest a 85 km long surface rupture zone(striking NW-NWW), less than 50 m wide, defined by discontinuous fault scarps, right-stepping en echelon tensional cracks and left-stepping mole tracks that point to a left-lateral strike-slip fault. The gullies that cross fault scarps record systematic left-lateral offsets of 1.8 m to 5.0 m owing to the most recent earthquake, with moment magnitude of about M 7.5, in the Dangjiang segment. Geological and geomorphological features suggest that the spatial distribution of the 1738 co-seismic surface rupture zone was controlled by the pre-existing active Garzê–Yushu fault zone(Dangjiang segment). We confirm that the Garzê–Yushu fault zone, a boundary between the Bayan Har Block to the north and the Qiangtang Block to the south, accommodates the eastward extrusion of the Tibetan Plateau and generates strong earthquakes that release the strain energy owing to the relative motion between the Bayan Har and Qiangtang Blocks.     

汶川8.0级地震地表变形局部化样式与建筑物破坏特征关系初步研究

本文以汶川地震地表形变带的实地测量数据为基础,结合沿实测地震地表变形剖面建筑物破坏情况的调查与测量,分析了不同地震地表变形类型及其建筑物破坏特征,定量化地讨论了地表变形梯度与建筑物破坏程度间的关系。提出无论地震地表变形表现为何种类型的断层陡坎,地表破裂、强变形局部化在宽10~30m的地表破裂带内;建筑物受损情况最直接的影响是建筑物所处地点的地表变形梯度,地表变形梯度大于0.1的地段,建筑物均完全被摧毁;地表变形梯度在0.07~0.1间的地段,建筑物遭受严重损坏,产生倾斜及强烈变形等;地表变形梯度在0.03~0.07之间的地段,建筑物可能受到中度损坏,产生倾斜及变形等,具有抗震设防能力的构建筑物一般不会倒塌;地表变形梯度小于0.03的地段具有抗震设防能力的构建筑物一般只会受到轻的损坏或基本完好。     

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