汶川地震砌体结构的震害与改进砌体结构抗震性能的途径和方法

介绍了汶川8级地震中砌体结构房屋的震害情况,归纳分析了砌体结构房屋在地震中的震害特征及其原因,总结出了砌体结构抗震“选材合理、整体设计、注重细节、确保质量”的总体原则,提出了采用“高宽比”来设计窗间墙的宽度、房屋底层中部加设圈梁的建议,讨论了采用隔震技术、墙体开缝耗能、“隐形构造柱”和“捆绑”抗震、设置减震缝及耗能砂浆抗震技术来改进砌体结构抗震性能的新途径和新方法,最后对砌体结构的发展提出了建议。     

某耗能减震框肢剪力墙转换结构分析

采用复合型铅粘弹性阻尼器对带转换层框肢剪力墙结构的某酒店进行了耗能减震设计,对耗能减震结构和钢支撑结构进行了对比分析,包括反应谱和局部非线性多遇地震作用和罕遇地震作用下的时程分析。结果表明,底部框架结构布置复合型铅粘弹性阻尼器后,在多遇和罕遇地震情况下层间位移能满足《建筑抗震设计规范》要求,并且采用耗能减震结构能优化整体结构,不会对转换层上部结构产生不利的影响,能更好地改善结构的抗震性能。     

南极中山与昭和站重力海潮负荷效应及背景噪声研究

利用南极中山站LCR-ET21重力仪器与昭和站GWR058仪器获得的重力潮汐观测资料,采用最新的三个全球海潮模型(Dtu10,Eot11A和HAM11A)研究了南极地区的海潮负荷效应和背景噪声.结果表明,由三个海潮模型计算的重力负荷均值改正后,中山站O_1和M_2振幅观测残差分别由13.83%和20.55%下降到5.32%和5.95%,昭和站O_1和M_2振幅观测残差分别由10.84%和21.52%下降到1.91%和3.40%,说明海潮负荷改正的有效性.利用加汉宁窗的FFT变换,获得了地震频段的地震噪声等级(SNM),其值分别为1.574(中山站)和1.289(昭和站).而在潮汐频段,中山站的背景噪声比昭和站高一个数量级,主要由不同观测仪器和台站局部环境所致.本文结果可为进一步利用南极重力资料研究局部环境和全球动力学问题提供有效参考.     

Amplification system for concentrated and distributed energy dissipation devices

Recent analytic, experimental, and practical studies are developing energy dissipation devices combined with amplifying mechanisms (AM) to enhance structural behavior. This research presents the theoretical and experimental development of the eccentric lever‐arm system (ELAS), a new system generically called amplified added damping (AAD), which is a combination of an AM with one or more dampers capable of supporting large deformations. The proposed AM device is a variant of the well‐known lever‐arm system. This work is divided in four parts: (1) kinematics of the ELAS and definition of an equivalent AAD; (2) parametric analysis of a linear single‐story structure with ELAS; (3) numerical analysis of a multi‐degree‐of‐freedom structure with frictional damping with and without AM; and (4) pseudo‐dynamic tests of a full scale asymmetric one story steel structure with and without frictional AAD. Parametric analyses demonstrate that using high‐amplification ratios and low supplemental damping could be a good practice. On the other hand, similar to systems without AMs, dissipation efficiency increases conformably with the stiffness of the secondary structure. As expected, it was observed that deformation was highly concentrated in the flexible edge of the asymmetric test model without damper. Conversely, the structure with frictional AAD clearly showed uniform plane deformation. The implemented AM, which has a large amplifying ratio of α≈11, performed with close accordance with numerical simulations and a high mechanical efficiency (≈95%) using a frictional damper with a very low force capacity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Systematic development of a new hysteretic damper based on torsional yielding: part I—design and development

Analytical and experimental studies into the behavior of a new hysteretic damper, designed for seismic protection of structures is presented in two papers. Although the subject matter of the papers is a specific system, they are also intended as an illustration of practical application of diverse engineering tools in systematic development of an anti‐seismic product. The Multi‐directional Torsional Hysteretic Damper (MTHD) is a recently patented invention in which a symmetrical arrangement of identical cylindrical steel energy dissipaters is configured to yield in torsion while the structure experiences planar movements due to earthquake shakings. The device has gone through many stages of design refinement, prototype verification tests and development of design guidelines and computer codes to facilitate its implementation in practice. The first of this two‐part paper summarizes the development stages of the new system, conceptual and analytical. The experimental phase of the research is the focus of the accompanying paper. The new device has certain desirable properties. Notably, it is characterized by a variable and controllable‐via‐design or adaptive post‐elastic stiffness. This feature gives the isolated structure the capability to evade the dominant period of the ground motion leading to reduced displacements while having force levels comparable to regular bilinear isolation systems. The device has already been applied to four major bridges. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Systematic development of a new hysteretic damper based on torsional yielding: part II—experimental phase

This paper reports on experimental studies carried out on a 200 kN, 120 mm‐capacity prototype of the newly developed multidirectional torsional hysteretic damper for seismic protection of structures. The main goal of the experiments is to test the validity of the theory developed in a companion paper and to evaluate the low‐cycle fatigue performance of the energy dissipaters of the damper. Because the design and configuration of the damper allow easy replacement of the energy dissipaters, four sets of energy dissipaters were produced out of S355J2 + N, C45 (two sets), and 42CrMo4 + QT steel grades. Force–displacement response of the multidirectional torsional hysteretic damper is studied through fully reversed cyclic quasi‐static displacement‐controlled tests that were carried out in compliance with EN 15129. Following the verification tests, with the aim of studying fatigue and fracture behavior of the cylindrical energy dissipaters of the device, certain numbers of them were subjected to further cyclic tests up to failure, and observations on their fatigue/fracture behavior are reported. The experimental verification test results proved the validity of the developed theory and component design assumptions presented in a companion paper. Furthermore, the energy dissipaters exhibited excellent torsional low‐cycle fatigue performance with number of cycles to failure reaching 118 at a maximum shear strain of 8% for S355J2 + N steel grade. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of performance of non‐invasive upgrade strategy for beam–column sub‐assemblages of poorly designed structures under seismic type loading

Beam–column sub‐assemblages are the one of the most vulnerable structural elements to the seismic loading and may lead to devastating consequences. In order to improve the performance of the poorly/under‐designed building structures to the critical loading scenarios, introduction of steel bracing at the RC beam–column joint is found to be one of the modern and implementable techniques. In the present work, a diagonal metallic single haunch/bracing system is introduced at the beam–column joints to provide an alternate load path and to protect the joint zone from extensive damage because of brittle shear failure. In this paper, an investigation is reported on the evaluation of tae influence of different parameters, such as angle of inclination, location of bracing and axial stiffness of the single steel bracing on improving the performance through altering the force transfer mechanism. Numerical investigations on the performance of the beam–column sub‐assemblages have been carried out under cyclic loading using non‐linear finite element analysis. Experimentally validated numerical models (both GLD and upgraded specimen) have been further used for evaluating the performance of various upgrade schemes. Cyclic behaviour of reinforcement, concrete modelling based on fracture energy, bond‐slip relations between concrete and steel reinforcement have been incorporated. The study also includes the numerical investigation of crack and failure patterns, ultimate load carrying capacity, load displacement hysteresis, energy dissipation and ductility. The findings of the present study would be helpful to the engineers to develop suitable, feasible and efficient upgrade schemes for poorly designed structures under seismic loading. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Beach Morphodynamics influenced by an ebb‐tidal delta on the north Florida Atlantic coast

Tidal inlets interrupt longshore sediment transport, thereby exerting an influence on adjacent beach morphology. To investigate the details and spatial extent of an inlet's influence, we examine beach topographic change along a 1.5 km coastal reach adjacent to Matanzas Inlet, on the Florida Atlantic coast. Analyses of beach morphology reveal a behavioral change between 0.64 and 0.86 km from the inlet channel centerline, interpreted to represent the spatial extent of inlet influence. Beyond this boundary, the beach is narrow, exhibits a statistically significant inverse correlation of shoreline position with offshore wave conditions, and has a uniform alongshore pattern in temporal behavior, as determined from empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. On the inlet side of the boundary, the beach experiences monotonic widening (with proximity to the inlet), lacks spatial consistency in correlation between shoreline position and wave conditions, and exhibits an irregular pattern in spatial EOF modes. We augment the field observations with numerical modeling that provides calculations of wave setup and nearshore current patterns near the inlet, highlighting the effects of the ebb‐tidal delta on the assailing waves. The modeling results are verified by a natural experiment that occurred during May 2009, when a storm‐produced sedimentary mass accreted to the lower beach, then subsequently split into two oppositely directed waves of sediment that migrated away from the initial accretion site in the subsequent months. Our results suggest that the ebb‐tidal delta produces a pattern of wave setup that creates a pressure gradient driving an alongshore flow that opposes the longshore currents derived from breaking of obliquely oriented incident waves. The resulting recirculation pattern on the margin of the ebb‐tidal delta provides a mechanism through which the inlet influences adjacent barrier island beach morphology. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wetland buffers: numerical modeling of wave dissipation by vegetation

The resiliency of coastal communities is imperative because these areas experience risk of damage from coastal storms as well as increasing population pressures and development. The severity of this hazard is compounded by sea level rise and a potential increase in storm intensities due to climate change. The ability of coastal communities to plan for, resist, and quickly and completely recover from severe coastal storm events and flooding is of critical importance. There is a growing interest in applying complementary and redundant approaches to reduce the flood risk of these vulnerable communities, such as incorporating natural and nature‐based features into the project planning process. However, accounting for the benefits of these nature‐based features in coastal design is still challenging. One of the natural features generally acknowledged to offer coastal protection benefits is wetlands. Using laboratory experiments of artificial vegetation as a foundation, the bounds of wave dissipation by vegetation are explored analytically and the effectiveness of wave dissipation by vegetation over large scales is investigated using the spectral wave model STWAVE. Wave heights modeled using a vegetation dissipation formulation are compared to those modeled with the current practice of representing vegetation using bottom friction, particularly the Manning formulation. The vegetation dissipation formulation reduced more wave energy than the Manning bottom friction formulation for submerged wetlands. Because the Manning formulation does not integrate vegetation properties, to achieve consistent results would require varying the Manning n coefficient to account for the spatial and temporal variation in form drag induced by the plants due to changes in plant density, diameter, and degree of plant submergence. Thus, a re‐evaluation of existing methods for assessing wave dissipation by vegetation is recommended for wider application of vegetation dissipation formulations in numerical models. Such models are critical for evaluating coastal resiliency of communities protected by wetland features. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Simultaneous topology and sizing optimization of viscous dampers in seismic retrofitting of 3D irregular frame structures

A new methodology for performance‐based optimal seismic retrofitting using a limited number of size groups of viscous dampers is presented. The damping coefficient of each size group of dampers is taken as a continuous variable and is determined by the optimization algorithm. Furthermore, for each potential location, a damper of a single size group is optimally assigned, if any. Hence, the formulation presents a large step forward towards practical optimal design of dampers. The key for achieving an efficient optimization scheme is the incorporation of material interpolation techniques that were successfully applied in other structural optimization problems of discrete nature. This results in a very effective optimization methodology that is expected to be very efficient for large‐scale structures. The proposed approach is demonstrated on several example problems of 3D irregular frame structures. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.