Numerical experiments on low-frequency fluctuations on a submerged coastal reef

Low-frequency fluctuations on a reef coast are studied through a numerical model based on nonlinear conservation equations of mass and momentum. The model is used to investigate the long wave generation and propagation phenomena under both breaking and non-breaking incident short wave groups. The effects of incident wave characteristics and reef topography on the long wave phenomena are discussed. The results show that the long wave elevations on reef coasts are substantial, which explains the large water level fluctuations observed at certain occasions.     

An interpretation of the 1883 cataclysmic eruption of Krakatau from geochemical studies on the partial melting of granite

Pumice flow from the 1883 Krakatau eruption significantly differs in both mineral and chemical compositions from any other volcanic rocks or ejecta of the Krakatau group, which belong to the tholeiitic series. Lithic fragments of granitic Rock, discovered in the pumice flow, are similar to West Malayan granitic rocks. No other granitic rock occurs throughout the Krakatau group, therefore, we consider that the granitic fragments came from the underlying complex at depths, where they were captured as foreign materials by the magma.It is possible that sialic crustal materials plunged into depths along a peculiar tectonic structure located at the Sunda Strait, which appears to be a sheared portion caused by deformation of the Sunda arc due to differential movement between the Indo-Australian oceanic plate and the Eurasian continental crust. The crustal materials were partially melted and produced a magma of granitic composition. The magma was mixed with or assimilated by an ascending basaltic magma originating probably from the upper mantle. This resulted in a dacitic magma distinctly dominant in silica, alkalis and volatile components, and the 1883 Krakatau eruption, characterized by the pumice flow of dacitic composition, took place.     

Seismic damage estimation for low- and mid-rise buildings in japan

While much effort has been spent on analysis of individual structures, building class seismic damage estimators, of value in disaster planning, code-writing, city planning, national hazards policy formulation, etc., have been little investigated. Based largely on data from Sendai City, Japan in the 12 June, 1978 Miyagiken-oki earthquake (M_L = 7.4), estimators of seismic damage for low- and mid-rise buildings in urban Japan have been determined. For low-rise buildings, based on damage to over 60,000 buildings, damage ratios for onset of damage and collapse and for cost of damage are found to correlate best with response spectra at 0.75 s. Using published test data and average building properties, a seismic damage model explains the low-rise building behaviour and permits examination of the effect of structural changes on the estimated damage. For mid-rise buildings, damage states (0: none, 4: total) are determined as a function of maximum storey displacement, based on published natural period determinations (pre- and post-earthquake) for 189 mid-rise buildings in Sendai. The effects of structural changes on expected damage can also be estimated. With these two building class damage estimators, a large part of future seismic damage to urban Japan can be estimated, as well as the effects of various mitigation measures.     

Hysteretic response of a nine-storey reinforced concrete building

The Millikan Library on the campus of the California Institute of Technology was strongly shaken during the San Fernando earthquake of 9 February 1971. The building was not damaged structurally, but the observed E-W response of the building showed a fundamental period of about 1.0 sec, significantly longer than the 0.66 sec observed in pre-earthquake vibration tests. In this study, the response of the fundamental mode was treated as that of a single-degree-of-freedom hysteretic structure, and four simple models, two stationary and two with changing properties, were examined to see if they could describe the observed response. It was found that an equivalent linear model and a bilinear hysteretic model both could match the response, provided their properties were changed during the earthquake. (Four changes were used.) A linear model with constant properties and a stationary, bilinear hysteretic model did not give nearly as good agreement as the non-stationary models. The results indicated, in general, a degrading of the stiffness and energy dissipation capacity of the building, with the suggestion that the changes were sudden rather than gradual.     

Estimation of Response Spectra in the Severely Damaged Area During the 1995 Hyogo-Ken Nambu Earthquake

We calculated theoretical acceleration response spectra at the ground surface in the region near the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nambu earthquake source based on the spectral moment method. To estimate earthquake motion on the ground surface, a formula of earthquake motion at base rock level was derived. The amplification effect of the ground was introduced by using multiple reflection theory. Theoretically estimated response spectrum were modified by the response spectra calculated using observed earthquake motions.     

基于图像相关分析的土体剪切带识别方法

提出了一种基于数字照相量测和图像相关性分析技术的土体剪切带识别方法。首先,在模型试验中,用数码相机采集土体全程变形图像序列;接着,在图像全局观测范围内粗略搜索到剪切带发生的大致区域;然后,布置跨越剪切区域的多对测点线,进行局部范围精密搜索,识别出剪切带的准确位置与形状, 并确定剪切带的边界点。与在模型上描画网格线等传统方法相比,该法操作简单,量测准确,适用于模型试验中岩土材料的剪切带识别及其厚度、倾角、带内变形和演变过程等特性的试验研究;最后,给出了一个大型砂土剪切试验中的应用实例。结果表明,基于图像相关分析的识别土体剪切带的方法是可行而有效的。     

Paleoseismological evidence for non-characteristic behavior of surface rupture associated with the 2004 Mid-Niigata Prefecture earthquake, central Japan

The 2004 Mid-Niigata Prefecture earthquake sequence (mainshock magnitude, M_JMA 6.8), which occurred in an active fold-and-thrust belt in northern central Japan, generated a small thrust surface rupture (< 20 cm of vertical displacement) along a previously unmapped northern extension of the active Muikamachi–Bonchi–Seien fault zone, on the eastern margin of the epicentral region. To better understand past seismic behavior of the rupture, we conducted a paleoseismic trenching study across the 10-cm-high west-side-up surface rupture at the foot of a pre-existing 1.8-m-high east-facing scarp, which probably resulted from past earthquake(s). A well-defined west-dipping thrust fault zone accompanied by drag folding and displacing the upper Pliocene to lower Pleistocene strata and the unconformably overlying upper Pleistocene (?) to Holocene strata was exposed. The principal fault zone is connected directly to the 2004 surface rupture. From the deformational characteristics of the strata and radiocarbon dating, we inferred that two large paleoseismic events occurred during the past 9000 years prior to the 2004 event. These two pre-2004 events have a nearly identical fault slip (at minimum, 1.5 m), which is ≥ 15 times that of the 2004 event (∼ 10 cm). These paleoseismic data, coupled with the geological and geomorphological features, suggest that the 2004 event represented non-characteristic behavior of the fault, which can potentially generate a more destructive earthquake accompanied by meter-scale surface displacement. This study provides insight into the interpretation of past faulting events and increases our understanding of rupture behavior.     

Seismic response of offshore structures in random seas

A study of the dynamic response of offshore structures to simultaneous loadings by random earthquake ground motions and random sea waves is presented. Emphasis is placed on the evaluation of dynamic soil-structure interaction effects and also on the evaluation of non-linear hydrodynamic damping effects due to sea waves for the seismic response. The structure is discretized using the finite element method. Sea waves are represented by Bretschneider's power spectrum and the Morison equation defines the wave forcing function. The Tajimi-Kanai power spectrum is used for the horizontal ground acceleration due to earthquakes. The governing equations of motion are obtained by the substructure method. Response analysis is carried out using the frequency-domain random vibration approach. It is found that the first few vibrational modes contribute significantly to the dynamic response. The response due to earthquake loadings is larger when the soil-structure interaction effects are considered. The hydrodynamic damping forces are higher in random seas than in still water and sea waves reduce the seismic response of offshore structures. Studies on the first passage probabilities of response indicate that small sea waves enhance the reliability of offshore structures against earthquake forces.     

A rate‐dependent constitutive model of high damping rubber bearings: modeling and experimental verification

In this study, a constitutive model of high damping rubber bearings (HDRBs) is developed that allows the accurate representation of the force–displacement relationship including rate‐dependence for shear deformation. The proposed constitutive model consists of two hyperelastic springs and a nonlinear dashpot element and expresses the finite deformation viscoelasticity laws based on the classical Zener model. The Fletcher–Gent effect, manifested as high horizontal stiffness at small strains and caused by the carbon fillers in HDRBs, is accurately expressed through an additional stiffness correction factor α in the novel strain energy function. Several material parameters are used to simulate the responses of high damping rubber at various strain levels, and a nonlinear viscosity coefficient η is introduced to characterize the rate‐dependent property. A parameter identification scheme is applied to the results of the multi‐step relaxation tests and the cyclic shear tests, and a three‐dimensional function of the nonlinear viscosity coefficient η with respect to the strain, and strain rate is thus obtained. Finally, to investigate the accuracy and feasibility of the proposed model for application to the seismic response assessment of bridges equipped with HDRBs, an improved real‐time hybrid simulation (RTHS) test system based on the velocity loading method is developed. A single‐column bridge was used as a test bed and HDRBs was physically tested. Comparing the numerical and RTHS results, advantage of the proposed model in the accuracy of the predicted seismic response over comparable hysteretic models is demonstrated. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of variation of normal force on seismic performance of resilient sliding isolation systems in highway bridges

In this study, a series of shaking table tests are carried out on scaled models of two seismically isolated highway bridges to investigate the effect of rocking motion and vertical acceleration on seismic performance of resilient sliding isolators. In addition, performance of RSI is compared with system having solely natural rubber bearings. Test results show that variation of normal force on sliders due to rocking effect and vertical acceleration makes no significant difference in response of RSI systems. In addition, analytical response of prototype isolated bridge and the model used in experiments is obtained analytically by using non‐linear model for isolation systems. It is observed that for seismically isolated bridges, dynamic response of full‐scale complex structures can be predicted with acceptable accuracy by experiments using a simple model of the structure. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.