悼念George W. Housner 教授

著名地震工程学家George W．Housner教授于2008年11月10日逝世。世界地震工程界的一颗巨星陨落了!对于他的溘然长逝,我们表示深切的悼念。     

Correlation failure analysis of an uncertain hysteretic vibration system

In this paper, a numerical method for correlation sensitivity analysis of a nonlinear random vibration system is presented. Based on the first passage failure model, the probability perturbation method is employed to determine the statistical characteristics of failure modes and the correlation between them. The sensitivity of correlation between failure modes with respect to random parameters characterizing the uncertainty of the hysteretic loop is discussed. In a numerical example, a two-DOF shear structure with uncertain hysteretic restoring force is considered. The statistical characteristics of response, failure modes and the sensitivity of random hysteretic loop parameters are provided, and also compared with a Monte Carlo simulation.     

Building damage in Dujiangyan during Wenchuan Earthquake

A field damage survey of 1,005 buildings damaged by the Wenchuan Earthquake in Dujiangyan City was carried out and the resulting data was analyzed using the statistical method. It is shown that buildings that were seismically designed achieved the desired seismic fortification target; they sustained less damage than the non-seismically designed buildings. Among the seismically designed buildings investigated, RC frame buildings performed the best in terms of seismic resistance. Masonry buildings with a ground story of RC frame structure were the second best, and masonry buildings performed the worst. Considering building height, multistory buildings sustained more severe damage than high-rise buildings and 2- and 3-story buildings. Compared to residential buildings, public buildings, such as schools and hospitals, suffered more severe damage.     

Effect of abutment modeling on the seismic response of bridge structures

Abutment behavior significantly influences the seismic response of certain bridge structures. Specifically in the case of short bridges with relatively stiff superstructures typical of highway overpasses, embankment mobilization and inelastic behavior of the soil material under high shear deformation levels dominate the response of the bridge and its column bents. This paper investigates the sensitivity of bridge seismic response with respect to three different abutment modeling approaches. The abutment modeling approaches are based on three increasing levels of complexity that attempt to capture the critical components and modes of abutment response without the need to generate continuum models of the embankment, approach, and abutment foundations. Six existing reinforced concrete bridge structures, typical of Ordinary Bridges in California, are selected for the analysis. Nonlinear models of the bridges are developed in OpenSees. Three abutment model types of increasing complexity are developed for each bridge, denoted as roller, simplified, and spring abutments. The roller model contains only single-point constraints. The spring model contains discrete representations of backfill, bearing pad, shear key, and back wall behavior. The simplified model is a compromise between the efficient roller model and the comprehensive spring model. Modal, pushover, and nonlinear dynamic time history analyses are conducted for the six bridges using the three abutment models for each bridge. Comparisons of the analysis results show major differences in mode shapes and periods, ultimate base shear strength, as well as peak displacements of the column top obtained due to dynamic excitation. The adequacy of the three abutment models used in the study to realistically represent all major resistance mechanisms and components of the abutments, including an accurate estimation of their mass, stiffness, and nonlinear hysteretic behavior, is evaluated. Recommendations for abutment modeling are made.     

Trust-region based instantaneous optimal semi-active control of long-span spatially extended structures with MRF-04K damper

In the field of civil engineering, magnetorheological fluid （MRF） damper-based semi-active control systems have received considerable attention for use in protecting structures from natural hazards such as strong earthquakes and high winds. In this paper, the MRF damper-based semi-active control system is applied to a long-span spatially extended structure and its feasibility is discussed. Meanwhile, a _trust-region method based instantaneous optimal semi-active control algorithm （TIOC） is proposed to improve the performance of the semi-active control system in a multiple damper situation. The proposed TIOC describes the control process as a bounded constraint optimization problem, in which an optimal semi- active control force vector is solved by the trust-region method in every control step to minimize the structural responses. A numerical example of a railway station roof structure installed with MRF-04K dampers is presented. First, a modified Bouc- Wen model is utilized to describe the behavior of the selected MRF-04K damper. Then, two semi-active control systems, including the well-known clipped-optimal controller and the proposed TIOC controller, are considered. Based on the characteristics of the long-span spatially extended structure, the performance of the control system is evaluated under uniform earthquake excitation and travelling-wave excitation with different apparent velocities. The simulation results indicate that the MR fluid damper-based semi-active control systems have the potential to mitigate the responses of full-scale long-span spatially extended structures under earthquake hazards. The superiority of the proposed TIOC controller is demonstrated by comparing its control effectiveness with the clipped-optimal controller for several different cases.     

Damage investigation of girder bridges under the Wenchuan earthquake and corresponding seismic design recommendations

An investigation of girder bridges on National Highway 213 and the Doujiangyan-Wenchuan expressway after the Wenchuan earthquake showed that typical types of damage included： span collapses due to unseating at expansion joints; shear key failure; and damage of the expansion joint due to the slide-induced large relative displacement between the bottom of the girder and the top of the laminated-rubber bearing. This slide, however, can actually act as a form of isolation for the substructure, and as a result, the piers and foundation of most of the bridges on state route 213 suffered minor damage. The exception was the Baihua Bridge, which suffered severe damage. Corresponding seismic design recommendations are presented based on this investigation.     

1983～2006年新疆及邻区地震活动的时空格局分析

利用中国地震台网（CSN）地震目录整理了1983年以来发生在新疆及邻区ML≥3．0的浅源地震,并在MapGIS平台下,运用数字地图技术,制作了分震级、分年份、分月份系列地震图谱,分析地震发生的时空特征,表明：新疆及邻区地震呈带状分布,自北往南可分为阿尔泰地震带、天山地震带、西昆仑地震带和阿尔金地震带;各地震带活动水平不同,前3条地震带在2003年出现地震次数最高值,具有近10年的活动周期,阿尔金地震带地震次数最高值出现在1993年,有约5年的活动周期;各地震带带内活动水平也有一定差异,帕米尔地区地震最为频繁;年内地震主要集中在2、5、8、10月4个月份。     

三维地震勘探炮检点可视化快速校准系统研究

针对三维地震资料处理时炮点、检波点位置关系校准工作中存在的效率低、容易出现人为错误情况,提出了三维地震勘探炮检点可视化快速校准系统研究思路和方法,就具体实现技术选型、数据格式、关键技术点进行了介绍。经工程化验证,开发的校准系统实现了可视化的、快速化的炮检点位置校准功能,对于提升工作效率,确保资料处理结果的准确性具有十分重要的意义。