The effects of hazard zone information on judgements about earthquake damage

This study investigates the extent to which people's views on the causes and preventability of earthquake damage might be influenced by their degree of exposure to hazard as well as what information they have been given about the hazard. The results show that the provision of hazard zoning information influences judgements on preventability and causes of damage, but this effect depends on the degree of hazard faced by residents. In low hazard zones, information leads to the view that causes are manageable, whereas in high hazard zones information may induce a degree of fatalism. The use of public information in risk management needs to take into account the degree of risk faced by the recipients.     

The Earthquake Readiness Scale: The Development of a Valid and Reliable Unifactorial Measure

Preparedness is a key dependent variable in many studies examining people’s response to disasters such as earthquakes. A feature of many studies on this issue, however, is the lack of attention given to psychometric issues when constructing measures of preparedness. With regard to earthquake preparation, for example, many studies could be greatly improved by the use of a valid and reliable measure of preparedness. This research developed such a measure that assessed both low-level preparedness, such as having an emergency kit, and high-level preparedness, such as altering home structures to mitigate damage. Studies of Wellington (New Zealand) residents using two samples totalling n=652 showed that 23 items measuring these different aspects of earthquake preparation could be combined into a reliable, valid, unifactorial scale. This brief scale should have utility in multivariate studies of earthquake preparation, either as a dependent variable, where preparation is the outcome variable of primary interest, or as one of several independent variables, where preparation and other measures predict another outcome variable.     

桩锚支挡体系在广西寨-任二级公路高边坡治理工程中的应用

(六)寨-(水)任二级公路施工后,滑坡、坍塌、崩塌现象甚多,边坡治理迫在眉睫。桩锚支挡体系是一项主动性加固边坡技术,具结构轻巧、用材合理、施工简单、工期短、费用低等特点。论文通过其在(六)寨-(水)任二级公路K56段高边坡治理工程中的应用,对桩锚支挡体系的设计及施工要点作了介绍。     

青藏高原中部的东西向扩张构造运动

系统分析了1933~2003年间青藏高原及其周缘发生的745个中、强地震的震源机制解,研究了高原地壳构造运动及其动力学特征。结果表明,大量正断层型地震集中发生在青藏高原中部海拔4000m以上的地区,其中许多地震是纯正断层型地震。震源机制结果显示,该区正断层型地震的断层走向多为南北方向,断层位错矢量的水平分量均位于近东西方向,这表明青藏高原高海拔地区存在着近东西方向的扩张构造运动。地震震源应力场的研究结果表明,在高原中部高海拔地区,E-W向或WNW-ESE向的水平扩张作用控制着该区的地壳应力场。青藏高原高海拔地区近东西方向的扩张构造运动是该区引张应力场的作用结果,其动力学原因可能与持续隆升的高原自重增大引起的重力崩塌及其周边区域构造应力状况有关。而青藏高原周缘地区,除了东部边缘外,南部的喜马拉雅山前沿以及青藏高原的北部、西部边缘所发生的绝大部分地震都是逆断层型或走滑逆断层型地震。在青藏高原周缘地区,北东或者北北东方向水平挤压的构造应力场为优势应力场。在中国西部的大范围内,主压应力P轴水平分量位于NE-SW方向,形成了一个广域的NE-SW方向的挤压应力场。青藏高原及其周缘应力场特征表明,印度板块的北上运动以及它与欧亚板块之间的碰撞所形成的挤压应力场是高原强烈隆起的直接原因。在青藏高原中南部形成了近东西向引张应力场为主的区域,并以东西向扩张构造运动部分释放其应力积累。研究高原高海拔地区的引张应力场和近东西向扩张构造运动的特征,对于认识青藏高原强烈隆起的地球动力学过程与机制,有着重要的理论意义。     

VBA的开发

介绍了能够加强Ms Office功能的二次开发工具VBA语言，以及VBA的特点与优点；介绍了在Visul Basic中利用VBA的强大功能来实现具有Office界面、功能的方法。     

Optimal design of passive energy dissipation systems based on H∞ and H2 performances

Passive energy dissipation devices (EDDs), such as viscous dampers, viscoelastic dampers, etc., have been used to effectively reduce the dynamic response of civil infrastructures, such as buildings and bridges, subject to earthquakes and strong winds. The design of these passive energy dissipation devices (EDDs) involves the determination of the optimal locations and the corresponding capacities. In this paper, we present two optimal design methodologies for passive EDDs based on active control theories, including H_∞ and H₂ performances, respectively. The optimal design methodologies presented are capable of determining the optimal locations and the corresponding capacities of EDDs. Emphasis is placed on the application of linear matrix inequality (LMI) for the effective design of passive EDDs using the popular MATLAB toolboxes. One important advantage of the proposed approaches is that the computation of the structural response is not needed in the design process. The proposed optimal design methodologies have been applied to: (i) a 10‐storey building and a 24‐storey building both subject to earthquake excitations, and (ii) a 76‐storey wind‐excited benchmark building, to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed design methodologies over the conventional equal capacity design. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Towards a direct collapse–load method of design for concrete frames subjected to severe ground motions

Most current methods of design for concrete structures under earthquake loads rely on highly idealized ‘equivalent’ static representations of the seismic loads and linear‐elastic methods of structural analysis. With the continuing development of non‐linear methods of dynamic analysis for the overload behaviour and collapse of complete concrete structures, a more direct and more accurate design procedure becomes possible which considers conditions at system collapse. This paper describes an evaluation procedure that uses non‐linear dynamic collapse–load analysis together with global safety coefficients. A back‐calibration procedure for evaluating the global safety coefficients is also described. The aim of this paper is to open up discussion of alternative methods of design with improved accuracy which are necessary to move towards a direct collapse–load method of design. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.