Choosing a municipal landfill site by analytic network process

In this study, analytic network process (ANP), one of the multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) tools has been used to choose one of the four alternative landfill sites for the city of Eskisehir, Turkey. For this purpose, Super Decision Software has been used and benefit opportunity cost and risk (BOCR) analysis has been done to apply ANP. In BOCR analysis, each alternative site has been evaluated in terms of its benefits, costs and risks; the opportunity cluster has been examined under the benefit cluster. In this context, technical, economical and social assessments have been done for the site selection of sanitary landfill. Also, results have been compared with analytic hierarchy process (AHP) which is another MCDM technique used in the study conducted before. Finally, the current site has been determined as the most appropriate site in both methods. These methods have not been commonly used in the discipline of environmental engineering but it is believed to be an important contribution for decision makers.     

Effect of near‐fault ground motion and damper characteristics on the seismic performance of chevron braced steel frames

This study is aimed at comparing the seismic performance of steel chevron braced frames (CBFs) with and without fluid viscous dampers (FVDs) as a function of the characteristics of the near‐fault (NF) ground motion and FVD parameters. For this purpose, comparative nonlinear time history (NLTH) analyses of single and multiple storey CBFs with and without FVDs are conducted using NF ground motions with various velocity pulse periods scaled to have small, moderate and large intensities. Additionally, NLTH analyses of single‐ and four‐storey CBFs with FVDs are conducted to study the effect of the damping ratio and velocity exponent of the FVD on the seismic performance of the frames. The analyses results revealed that the seismic performance of the CBFs without FVDs is very poor and sensitive to the velocity pulse period and the intensity of the NF ground motion due to brace‐buckling effects. Installing FVDs into the CBFs significantly improved their seismic performance by maintaining their elastic behaviour. Furthermore, FVDs with smaller velocity exponents and larger damping ratio are observed to be more effective in improving the seismic performance of the CBFs subjected to NF earthquakes. However, FVDs with damping ratios larger than 50% do not produce significant additional improvement in the seismic performance of the CBFs. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comprehensive study on automation of toxic gas measurement

The condition of the ambient air must be continuously checked to detect hazardous gas leakage and ensure the safety of employees in hazardous gas production and storage areas. Detection and elimination of hazardous gas leaks can be done with various complex measurement, safety, and disposal systems. These measurement systems consist of different types of sensor and require control and monitoring system. This leads to high investment and operating costs. In this study, semi-continuous measurement system automation with a single set of sensors working by taking air samples from different points over specific periods has been designed to reduce investment, operation, and maintenance repair costs. In the design, the measurement points are divided into zones and codes in the automation system. Thus, it is aimed to keep a constant record of what the air sample is coming from and what its content is. As a result, it has been determined that it is possible to establish a measurement and automation system similar to existing hazardous gas measurement systems with less investment and operating costs. The proposed automation system has been applied in the industrial storage area. In addition, a cost analysis has been performed and compared with conventional systems.     

Seismic damage assessment based on regional synthetic ground motion dataset: a case study for Erzincan,Turkey

Estimation of seismic losses is a fundamental step in risk mitigation in urban regions. Structural damage patterns depend on the regional seismic properties and the local building vulnerability. In this study, a framework for seismic damage estimation is proposed where the local building fragilities are modeled based on a set of simulated ground motions in the region of interest. For this purpose, first, ground motion records are simulated for a set of scenario events using stochastic finite-fault methodology. Then, existing building stock is classified into specific building types represented with equivalent single-degree-of-freedom models. The response statistics of these models are evaluated through nonlinear time history analysis with the simulated ground motions. Fragility curves for the classified structural types are derived and discussed. The study area is Erzincan (Turkey), which is located on a pull-apart basin underlain by soft sediments in the conjunction of three active faults as right-lateral North Anatolian Fault, left-lateral North East Anatolian Fault, and left-lateral Ovacik Fault. Erzincan city center experienced devastating earthquakes in the past including the December 27, 1939 (Ms = 8.0) and the March 13, 1992 (Mw?=?6.6) events. The application of the proposed method is performed to estimate the spatial distribution of the damage after the 1992 event. The estimated results are compared against the corresponding observed damage levels yielding a reasonable match in between. After the validation exercise, a potential scenario event of Mw?=?7.0 is simulated in the study region. The corresponding damage distribution indicates a significant risk within the urban area.     

Stresses from linearly distributed pressures over rectangular areas

This paper presents a general algebraical formula to determine the vertical stresses resulting from a linearly distributed surface pressure resting on an elastic medium. This problem and its various derivations has received considerable attention because of its applications in foundation engineering [1–5]. The equation presented in this paper has been determined by the integration of the Boussinesq [6] equation with respect to the general surface function of a linearly distributed loading regime. The equation can be applied to the case of an optimally designed rectangular footing subjected to biaxial bending. Unlike the current design formulae [1–7], it provides the flexibility of having various contact pressures at each of the four corners of the rectangular area. This may enable more accurate design procedures for pad foundations in the future. This paper explains the validity of the new formula by comparing its results with those produced by classical methods. It shows how it can be applied to determine the vertical stress distributions resulting from all types of linearly distributed surface pressures which occupy a rectangular area on an elastic mass. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The 2014 seismic hazard model of the Middle East: overview and results

The Earthquake Model of Middle East (EMME) Project aimed to develop regional scale seismic hazard and risk models uniformly throughout a region extending from the Eastern Mediterranean in the west to the Himalayas in the east and from the Gulf of Oman in the south to the Greater Caucasus in the North; a region which has been continuously devastated by large earthquakes throughout the history. The 2014 Seismic Hazard Model of Middle East (EMME-SHM14) was developed with the contribution of several institutions from ten countries. The present paper summarizes the efforts towards building a homogeneous seismic hazard model of the region and highlights some of the main results of this model. An important aim of the project was to transparently communicate the data and methods used and to obtain reproducible results. By doing so, the use of the model and results will be accessible by a wide community, further support the mitigation of seismic risks in the region and facilitate future improvements to the seismic hazard model. To this end all data, results and methods used are made available through the web-portal of the European Facilities for Earthquake Hazard and Risk (www.efehr.org).     

Effects of mining subsidence on masonry buildings in Zonguldak hard coal region in Turkey

Gallerias are the underground constructed results of mining. As these space in underground layers collapse, horizontal and vertical ground movements occur and movement which may reach the earth’s surface are known as mining subsidence. The result of underground displacement may cause surface ground movement which can be detrimental to masonry buildings especially in hard coal regions. Thorough familiarity with general and regional characteristics of an affected area can assist reduction of the effects. Zonguldak and the nearby settlement area, with a population of 300,000, constitute the centre of a hard coal basin where extensive mining has a history extending through 160 years. Mining constitutes the main economic activity in this region, and consequently influences every aspect of life. This study’s intent is to identify the effects of mining subsidence on masonry buildings in the mining area of Kozlu, Zonguldak, Turkey and illustrate them with selected images of damaged masonry buildings. Also included are satellite and mining galleria images.     

Spectral Ratio Estimates for Site Effects on the Horst–Graben System in West Turkey

Recordings of micro- and moderate-size local earthquakes have been used to quantify site effects in the central-west Turkey which contains one of the world’s best examples of a rapid intra-continental extension with its high population and industrial potential. We analyzed 436 earthquakes with local magnitudes ranging between 2.0 and 5.6 using three component digital recordings from 32 stations. Site functions were obtained using two different spectral ratio approaches (horizontal to vertical spectral ratio, HVSR, and standard spectral ratio, SSR). HVSR estimates of transverse and radial S-waves were compared with one another. Epicentral distance, magnitude and back-azimuth dependencies of site functions were also evaluated. In general, HVSR values from transverse and radial S-waves are similar within a factor of 2. The back-azimuth dependencies of transverse S-wave HVSR results are more significant than distance and magnitude dependencies. On the other hand, averaging of transverse and radial S-wave HVSR results eliminates systematic back-azimuth dependencies caused by source radiation effects. Distributions of HVSR estimates along ~N–S linear array, which traversed main grabens in the region with a station spacing of 3–4 km, reflect subsurface geological complexities in the region. The sites located near the basin edges are characterized by broader HVSR curves. Broad HVSR peaks could be attributed to the complexity of wave propagation related to significant 2D/3D velocity variations at the sediment–bedrock interface near the basin edges. The results also show that, even if the site is located on a horst, the presence of weathered zones along the surface could cause moderate frequency dependent site effects. Comparison of HVSR and SSR estimates for the stations on the graben sites showed that SSR estimates give larger values at lower frequencies which could be attributed to lateral variations in regional velocity and attenuation values caused by basin geometry and edge effects.