Second‐mode tuned mass dampers in base‐isolated structures for reduction of floor acceleration

To reduce floor acceleration of base‐isolated structures under earthquakes, a tuned mass damper (TMD) system installed on the roof is studied. The optimal tuning parameters of the TMD are analyzed for linear base isolation under a generalized ground motion, and the performance of the TMD is validated using a suite of recorded ground motions. The simulation shows that a TMD tuned to the second mode of a base‐isolated structure reduces roof acceleration more effectively than a TMD tuned to the first mode. The reduction ratio, defined as the maximum roof acceleration with the TMD relative to that without the TMD, is approximately 0.9 with the second‐mode TMD. The higher effectiveness of the second‐mode TMD relative to the first‐mode TMD is attributed primarily to the unique characteristics of base isolation, ie, the relatively long first‐mode period and high base damping. The modal acceleration of the second mode is close to or even higher than that of the first mode in base‐isolated structures. The larger TMD mass ratio and lower modal damping ratio of the second‐mode TMD compared to the first‐mode TMD increases its effect on modal acceleration reduction. The reduction ratio with the second‐mode TMD improves to 0.8 for bilinear base isolation. Because of the detuning effect caused by the change in the first‐mode period in bilinear isolation, the first‐mode TMD is ineffective in reducing roof acceleration. Additionally, the displacement experienced by the second‐mode TMD is considerably smaller than that of the first‐mode TMD, thereby reducing the installation space for the TMD.     

Hybrid simulation: An early history

This historical note reports on the early days of the development of an experimental method called “hybrid simulation.” As background, the seeds of this concept, initiated in the early 1970s by Japanese researchers, are presented first, followed by initial efforts (regarded as Stage I) to realize the concept of hybrid simulation and its first applications to explore the seismic performance of structures. The initial research in this now-seminal field of earthquake engineering began in the early 1970s by Koichi Takanashi and his coworkers at the Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo. Their highly notable efforts in laying the groundwork for hybrid simulation occurred in the mid-1970s through the early 1980s by Takanashi (for steel structures) and Tsuneo Okada (for RC structures). These two men and their coworkers first applied hybrid simulation to explore the seismic behavior, performance, and design of various types of building structures. In Stage I, this method was called “the on-line computer-controlled test” or “pseudo dynamic test” because the unique feature of the method was the combined test and simulation and the intentional slow loading in the test. Extension of the scope and application of hybrid simulation occurred largely between the early 1980s and the early 1990s (regarded as Stage II) in conjunction with the United States–Japan joint research project. A few notable efforts made around that period are touched upon briefly, including error propagation and suppression in multi-degree-of-freedom hybrid simulation, application of the substructure methodology to hybrid simulation, and real-time hybrid simulation.     

西昆仑山冰芯记录指示的塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘对流层中上部近百年大气尘埃变化趋势

钻自西昆仑山崇测冰帽海拔6530 m的18.7 m冰芯提供了近百年间的尘埃沉积记录.冰芯记录覆盖的90 a间尘埃表现出持续下降的总趋势,大体可以分为3个阶段,即1930年之前,1930-1960年和1960年之后,尘埃浓度的降低是量级上的.几个突出的尘埃阶段出现在1900年代早期、1910年代、1920年代后期和1940年代早期,它们分别以约2.5×10⁶、2.7×10⁶、2.5×10⁶和1.5×10⁶粒·mL^-1的高浓度为特征,而1970年代则表现出相对较低的浓度(5×10⁵粒·mL^-1).就年份来看,突出的高尘埃浓度出现于1906,1915,1919和1943年.根据微粒的粒径资料分析,局地输入的尘埃分量约占总值的17%,剔除后可以得到中、大尺度范围的大气尘埃沉积通量.根据后60 a资料建立的通量平均值为913μg·cm^-2·a^-1,大气尘埃随时间的每10 a下降速率为-124μg·cm^-2,它可反映塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘对流层中上部的大气尘埃通量半个多世纪以来的变化趋势.     

Minimal‐disturbance seismic rehabilitation of steel moment‐resisting frames using light‐weight steel elements

This paper presents a rehabilitation technique developed under a design and construction scheme, termed minimal‐disturbance seismic rehabilitation. This scheme pursues enhancing the seismic performance of buildings with the intention of improving the continuity of business while minimizing obstruction of the visual and physical space of building users and the use of heavy construction equipment and hot work (welding/cutting). The developed rehabilitation technique consists of light‐weight steel elements and aims to decrease demands to beam‐ends of steel moment‐resisting frames. The behavior of the baseline model was verified through numerical analysis and proof‐of‐concept testing. Furthermore, the effectiveness of rehabilitation is studied through retrofitting a four‐story steel moment‐resisting frame originally designed with Japanese design guidelines. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Uranium-series chronology for sediments of Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia, and the 1-Ma records of uranium and thorium isotopes from the HDP-04 drill core

Uranium and thorium isotopes in an 81-m long sediment core (HDP-04) of Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia, were measured to investigate their downcore distributions and to explore potential linkage to paleoenvironmental changes. Three-dimensional isochron techniques using isotope-ratio diagrams in ²³⁸U–²³⁴U–²³⁰Th–²³²Th system presented by Ludwig and Titterington were applied to age date the lake sediments at the depths of 11.42, 14.71 and 14.83 m in the HDP-04 section, the estimated ages of these horizons are 66 ± 8, 122 ± 11 and 128 ± 22 ka, respectively. The ²³⁸U concentration throughout the entire section fluctuated by a factor of 12, ranging from 19.9 to 232.1 mBq/g with anomalously high ²³⁸U peak at 23.8 m in depth, while the ²³²Th concentration varied only by a factor of about two between 24.3 and 54.0 mBq/g. The discrimination of the bulk ²³⁸U into authigenic and terrigenous ²³⁸U fractions was attempted, based on the measured ²³²Th as a correction index for terrigenous materials. In the upper 24 m corresponding to the last 250 ka, the authigenic ²³⁸U was higher in interglacials and lower in glacials. This depth profile of authigenic ²³⁸U contents was almost identical pattern with that found in a sediment core (VER98-1-6) from the Academician Ridge, Lake Baikal. Further, this profile can be correlated well with that of photosynthetic pigment contents, one of proxies of paleoproductivity, suggesting that the variation of authigenic ²³⁸U contents were associated with the environmental change around Lake Hovsgol.     

An overview of decadal climate predictability in a multi-model ensemble by climate model MIROC

Decadal climate predictability is examined in hindcast experiments by a multi-model ensemble using three versions of the coupled atmosphere-ocean model MIROC. In these hindcast experiments, initial conditions are obtained from an anomaly assimilation procedure using the observed oceanic temperature and salinity with prescribed natural and anthropogenic forcings on the basis of the historical data and future emission scenarios in the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change. Results of the multi-model ensemble in our hindcast experiments show that predictability of surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies on decadal timescales mostly originates from externally forced variability. Although the predictable component of internally generated variability has considerably smaller SAT variance than that of externally forced variability, ocean subsurface temperature variability has predictive skills over almost a decade, particularly in the North Pacific and the North Atlantic where dominant signals associated with Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) and the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) are observed. Initialization enhances the predictive skills of AMO and PDO indices and slightly improves those of global mean temperature anomalies. Improvement of these predictive skills in the multi-model ensemble is higher than that in a single-model ensemble.     

中纬度地区混合云中稳定同位素分馏的数学模拟-以乌鲁木齐降水为例

介绍的数学模型考虑了混合云中液、固态共存时以及冰面过饱和环境下稳定同位素的动力分馏效应.利用该数学模型,模拟了不同冷却条件下稳定同位素的温度效应.在相同的湿度条件下,湿绝热冷却过程中δ18O随温度的变化率小于等压冷却过程.冰面过饱和比Si的增大意味着动力分馏效应的增大.与平衡态相比,它的作用使得稳定同位素的综合分馏系数减小,从而使得降水中δ18O随温度的变化趋缓.模拟显示,湿绝热冷却过程中大气水线(MWL:=bδ18O+d)的斜率b和常数d均大于等压冷却过程.全球大气水线位于湿绝热冷却过程和等压冷却过程条件下分别模拟的两条大气水线之间.b和d的大小与Si呈正比.Si愈大,动力分馏效应愈强,b和d也愈大.反之亦然.然而,b和d的大小对云中含水量的变化具有低的敏感性.利用动力分馏模式模拟了乌鲁木齐降水中稳定同位素的变化.模拟的稳定同位素比率-温度以及δD-δ18O曲线分别与乌鲁木齐实测的稳定同位素比率-温度回归线以及大气水线有非常好的一致性.     

Variations of stable isotopic compositions in precipitation on the Tibetan Plateau and its adjacent regions

There is no temperature effect in the southern Tibetan Plateau and South Asia to the south of the Tanggula Mountains. Amount effect has been observed at a few sampling stations accounting for about a half of the statistical stations. There is notable temperature effect in the middle and northern Tibetan Plateau and its adjacent Central Asia to the north of the Tanggula Mountains. Because vapor directly originates from low-latitude oceans, the relative heavy δ¹⁸O with small variation characterizes the rainfall in South Asia. A sharp depletion of the stable isotopic compositions in precipitation takes place from Kyangjin on the southern slope of the Himalayas to the Tanggula Mountains in the middle plateau. From the Tanggula Mountains to the northern Tibetan Plateau, the δ¹⁸O in precipitation increases with increasing latitude.     

Full‐scale shaking table test for examination of safety and functionality of base‐isolated medical facilities

A series of full‐scale shaking table tests are conducted using the E‐Defense shaking table facility on a base‐isolated four‐story RC hospital structure. A variety of furniture items, medical appliances, and service utilities are placed on the hospital specimen in as realistic a manner as possible. Four ground motions are adopted, including recorded near‐fault ground motions and synthesized long‐period, long‐duration ground motions. The test results show that the base‐isolated system performed very effectively against near‐fault ground motions due to significant reduction in the floor acceleration response, and operability and functionality of the hospital service is improved significantly as compared with the case observed for the corresponding base‐fixed system. Against the long‐period ground motion, however, the hospital service is difficult to maintain, primarily because of the significant motion of furniture items and medical appliances supported by casters. Resonance accentuated large displacements and velocities on the floors of the base‐isolated system, which causes such furniture items and medical appliances to slide, sometimes more than 3 m, resulting in occasional collision with other furnitures or against the surrounding partition walls. It is notable that a key to maintaining the function of the medical facilities is to securely lock the casters of furniture and medical appliances. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.