汶川8.0级地震甘肃陇南地区建筑震害调查

总结了2008年汶川8.0级地震在甘肃陇南地区造成的农村房屋和城镇房屋的典型震害及其原因。考察发现,由于农村房屋一般未经抗震设防设计,在本次地震中即使在低烈度地区仍然震害严重;而城镇房屋震害较轻,一般均表现出良好的抗震性能,严重破坏的大多是一些施工质量差,缺乏良好的抗震概念设计以及改建时未考虑抗震设计的建筑。建筑震害调查的几个地区设防烈度均为Ⅷ度,实际烈度为Ⅵ～Ⅸ度,因此这些地区的房屋震害情况刚好能反映这些地区房屋抵抗小震、中震及大震的能力。结果表明,严格按照抗震规范设计、并保证施工质量的建筑基本都能达到三水准设防目标。最后本文对灾后重建和抗震设防提出了建议。     

华北强震前地下流体长趋势变化特征及其产生机理的研究

分析了华北地区自1976年以来MS≥6.0地震前地下流体长趋势变化的形态、演化特征。结果表明:地下流体长趋势变化出现时间早、范围广,具有协调性、重复性、迁移性等特性,主要沿构造带迁移,迁移方向为外围向内迁移或内部向外迁移;形态主要为趋势转折、破年变、加速等,其中绝对大多数为趋势转折变化;地下水位分析表明长趋势变化绝大部分呈现为缓慢上升或下降减缓的走势。对比研究了地壳形变与地下流体长趋势变化,发现地壳形变长趋势时间早于地下流体;形变出现张压变化与水位变化有比较密切的关系,即形变绝大部分出现缓慢压性变化或张性减缓变化,水位绝大部分出现缓慢上升或下降减缓变化。最后讨论了强震前地下流体长趋势变化产生的机理:在地震孕育过程初(早)期,构造应力的缓慢增强将使岩体所含裂缝闭合,地壳发生变形,从而改变岩体的空隙率及相应的孔隙压力和渗透率,引起诸如地下流体长趋势动态异常变化;构造应力缓慢增强并向未来震中聚集,造成地下流体长趋势动态异常变化向震中迁移;而深部物质的不断上涌和影响范围增大致使地下流体长趋势动态异常变化向外围迁移。     

兰州市活动断层土壤气汞、氡地球化学特征场地试验

在兰州市主要活动断层上选择有断层露头或有钻孔资料的典型场地开展了断裂带土壤气异常特征及其影响因素的试验研究。结果显示断层带上方土壤气氡、汞不仅具有明显的峰值异常显示,而且其异常的形态特征对断层产状和断层性质有显著的反映,断层土壤气测量是活断层探测和研究的有效方法。结果还显示覆盖层厚度对断层带土壤氡、汞浓度的峰值形态及特征具有显著的影响。     

Lunar noise correlation,imaging and monitoring

Passive seismic techniques have revolutionarised seismology,leading for example to increased resolution in surface wave tomography,to the possibility to monitor changes in the propagation medium,and to many new processing strategies in seismic exploration.Here we review applications of the new techniques to a very particular dataset,namely data from the Apollo 17 lunar network.The special conditions of the lunar noise environment are investigated,illustrating the interplay between the properties of the noise and the ability to reconstruct Green's functions.With a dispersion analysis of reconstructed Rayleigh waves new information about the shallow shear velocity structure of the Moon are obtained.Passive image interferometry is used to study the effect of temperature changes in the subsurface on the seismic velocities providing direct observation of a dynamic process in the lunar environment.These applications highlight the potential of passive techniques for terrestrial and planetary seismology.     

Building frequency fluctuations from continuous monitoring of ambient vibrations and their relationship to temperature variations

Building frequencies (fundamental and higher modes) are a critical parameter especially in the field of structural health monitoring mainly based on the stability of the structural dynamic parameters of individual building (frequencies, damping and modes shape). One of the most used methods to find out these parameters is based on the use on ambient vibration analysis. In this work, we study the fluctuations over a month period of the fundamental frequencies (transverse and longitudinal) of a 3.5-story RC-building made of 2 identical units connected by a structural joint. Time independent building frequencies is a strong assumption; as illustrated by our experiment showing that over an observation period of a month, building frequencies fluctuate of about 3.5 %. A clear correlation is found between the building frequency fluctuations and temperature variations, with a phase-shift interpreted as the characteristic time of heat diffusion within the walls. This allows: (1) determining the thermal diffusivity of the structure, (2) inferring its relative stiffness variations, and (3) showing that its Young modulus varies linearly with temperature.     

Experiment study on RC frame retrofitted by the external structure

A new retrofitting method is proposed herein for reinforced concrete (RC) structures through attachment of an external structure. The external structure consists of a fiber concrete encased steel frame, connection slab and transverse beams. The external structure is connected to the existing structure through a connection slab and transverse beams. Pseudostatic experiments were carried out on one unretrofitted specimen and three retrofitted frame specimens. The characteristics, including failure mode, crack pattern, hysteresis loops behavior, relationship of strain and displacement of the concrete slab, are demonstrated. The results show that the load carrying capacity is obviously increased, and the extension length of the slab and the number of columns within the external frame are important influence factors on the working performance of the existing structure. In addition, the displacement difference between the existing structure and the outer structure was caused mainly by three factors: shear deformation of the slab, extraction of transverse beams, and drift of the conjunction part between the slab and the existing frame. Furthermore, the total deformation determined by the first two factors accounted for approximately 80% of the damage, therefore these factors should be carefully considered in engineering practice to enhance the effects of this new retrofitting method.     

Soil erosion and its response to the changes of precipitation and vegetation cover on the Loess Plateau

Soil erosion is a major threat to our terrestrial ecosystems and an important global environmental problem. The Loess Plateau in China is one of the regions that suffered more severe soil erosion and undergoing climate warming and drying in the past decades. The vegetation restoration named Grain-to-Green Program has now been operating for more than 10 years. It is necessary to assess the variation of soil erosion and the response of precipita- tion and vegetation restoration to soil erosion on the Loess Plateau. In the study, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation （RUSLE） was applied to evaluate annual soil loss caused by water erosion. The results showed as follows. The soil erosion on the Loess Plateau between 2000 and 2010 averaged for 15.2 t hm-2 a 1 and was characterized as light for the value less than 25 t hm-2 a-1. The severe soil erosion higher than 25 t hm-2 a-~ was mainly distributed in the gully and hilly regions in the central, southwestern, and some scattered areas of earth-rocky mountainous areas on the Loess Plateau. The soil erosion on the Loess Plateau showed a deceasing trend in recent decade and reduced more at rates more than 1 t hm 2 a 1 in the areas suffering severe soil loss. Benefited from the improved vegetation cover and ecological construction, the soil erosion on the Loess Plateau was significantly declined, es- pecially in the east of Yulin, most parts of Yah＇an prefectures in Shaanxi Province, and the west of Luliang and Linfen prefectures in Shanxi Province in the hilly and gully regions. The variation of vegetation cover responding to soil erosion in these areas showed the relatively higher contribution than the precipitation. However, most areas in Qingyang and Dingxi pre- fectures in Gansu Province and Guyuan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region were predomi- nantly related to precipitation.     

Finite element analysis and experimental verification of the scrap tire rubber pad isolator

A new base isolation system using scrap tire rubber pads (STRP) has been introduced for seismic mitigation of ordinary residential buildings. The rubber and the steel reinforcing cords used in manufacturing the tire are the alternative materials of the proposed base isolation system. The steel reinforcing cords represent the steel plates used in conventional laminated rubber bearings. These steel reinforcing cords shall prevent the lateral bulging of the rubber bearing. The proposed base isolation system has no bonding between the superstructure and the foundation beam which allows for rollover deformation. In the first part of the study, the STRP layers were just stacked one on top of another without applying the adhesive. This paper presents loading test as well as finite element analysis (FE analysis) of strip STRP isolators that are subjected to any given combination of static vertical and lateral loads. The results of the static vertical and horizontal loading test conducted on STRP isolators were used to calculate the mechanical properties of the isolators, including stiffness and damping values. The load–displacement relationship of STRP isolators were compared between experimental and FE analysis results and the results were found to be in close agreement. The stress state within the STRP isolators was also analyzed in order to estimate the maximum stress demand in the rubber and steel reinforcing cords. These STRP isolators have several advantages over conventional laminated rubber bearings including superior damping properties, lower incurred cost, light weight and easily available material. This study suggests that using the STRP as low cost base isolation device for ordinary residential buildings is feasible.     

Seismic response of steel structures with seesaw systems using viscoelastic dampers

Vibration control systems are being used increasingly worldwide to provide enhanced seismic protection for new and retrofitted buildings. This paper presents a new vibration control system on the basis of a seesaw mechanism with viscoelastic dampers. The proposed vibration control system comprises three parts: brace, seesaw member, and viscoelastic dampers. In this system, only tensile force appears in bracing members. Consequently, the brace buckling problem is negligible, which enables the use of steel rods for bracing members. By introducing pre‐tension in rods, long steel rods are applicable as bracing between the seesaw members and the moment frame connections over some stories. Seesaw mechanisms can magnify the damper deformation according to the damper system configuration. In this paper, first, the magnification factor, that is, the ratio of the damper deformation to the story drift, is delivered, which includes the rod deformation. Results of a case study demonstrate that the magnification factor of the proposed system is greater than unity for some cases. Seismic response analysis is conducted for steel moment frames with the proposed vibration control system. Energy dissipation characteristics are examined using the time‐history response results of energy. The maximum story drift angle distributions and time‐history response results of displacement show that the proposed system can reduce the seismic response of the frames effectively. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.