Effectiveness of structural control based on control energy perspectives

A computational algorithm for maximizing the control efficiency in actively controlling the elastic structural responses during earthquake is proposed. Study of optimal linear control using a single degree of freedom shows that applying active control is very effective in reducing the structural displacement and velocity responses for long‐period structures, but at the same time it has an adverse effect in increasing the absolute acceleration response. The extent of this adverse effect reduces the effectiveness of the control system, and therefore it poses a limit on the maximum control force in order to provide maximum control efficiency. In view of this shortcoming, maximum control energy dissipation is used to define the most effective optimal linear control law. Less displacement and velocity response are expected as larger control force is applied, but there is always a limit that maximum control energy can be dissipated. This study shows that this limit depends on the structural characteristics as well as the input ground motion, and a general trend is that the maximum control energy decreases as damping increases. Finally, application of the proposed algorithm on a six‐storey hospital building is presented to show the effectiveness of using optimal linear control on a multi‐degree‐of‐freedom system from the control energy perspectives. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hailstorm Risk Assessment in Rural New South Wales

The risk of hail damage at a particular location depends on the frequency and severity (intensity) of hailfall. Three data sets were used to determine the relative risk of hail damage in the various weather forecasting districts of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Two of the data sets were observational data and the third was a set of crop insurance data. The crop insurance data was the least spatially-biased data available for rural areas. Combined data revealed that hailstorms were most frequent in the tablelands and most severe in the north of the state where there is summer-dominant rainfall.     

Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment Along the Southeastern Coast of Vietnam

On the basis of the analysis of geological, tectonic characteristics and earthquake manifestation features, a causative relation between geodynamic regime and seismicity has been established for the southeastern coastal zone and continental shelf of Vietnam. The probabilistic methods have been used to evaluate ground shaking effects at Nha Trang city aswell as for the entire study area. Short, intermediate and long term predictions of ground shaking (in the form of peak ground accelerationmaps) show high risks in the coastal zone of central Vietnam and in the southeastern continental shelf of the country.     

Impacts of the Kuwait Oil Fires on the Mount Qomolangma Region

Mt. Qomolangma (also known as Mt. Everest), the world’s highest mountain, is situated over the world’s highest plateau, the Tibetan Plateau. Because of its height and because of its distance from industrialized areas, the environmental state of the Mt. Qomolangma region can normally be considered “undisturbed”. It is interesting to investigate how this “undisturbed” state has been changing with time and whether it has been influenced by large environmentally disruptive events such as the Kuwait oil fires of 1990 and 1991 (Small, 1991). In order to do this, riv-er water samples were collected from the Rongpu River at Rongpu Temple Station in the summers of 1992 and 1993, as was done in 1975, and aerosol samples were collected in the summer of 1992 at the same station as was done in 1980. River water samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Aerosol samples were analyzed using proton-induced x-ray emission (PIXE) at the University of Fudan in Shanghai. The results show that the concentrations of chemical species in the river water at Rongpu Temple Station were much higher in the summer of 1992 than they were in 1975 and 1993, and the concentrations of atmospheric chemical species were much higher in 1992 than they were in 1980. The environment of the north slope of Mt. Qomolangma was therefore heavily polluted before and/or during the summer of 1992, possibly due to the Kuwait oil fires in 1990 and 1991.     

北部湾地震的动力学参数与应力场

从震源机制和动力学参数方面讨论了北部湾地震的震源应力场，结果表明，主震是在北东东向构造的作用下发生的，同时计算了动力学参数如破裂长度，地震矩，应力降，破裂面积和平均位错等，并探讨了非线性地震与较大余震的关系。     

近海地震活动特征及其测震学前兆的某些研究

利用反映震级－频度关系的参量Ｃ值，η值，ｂ值和ｂ值谱以及反映地震空间分布的森下指等研究了近海地震活动的一些主要特征，发现近海强震前地震活动性指标及图象的变化特征与陆地上强震前的特征存在一定差异；给出了新研究的可用于近海及滨海地区强震预报的短期和临震     

地震断层气监测的现状与展望

断层气测量是地震科学研究的重要方法之一，断层气测量具有实用、轻便、快便、价廉等优点，在地震监测预报和减灾活动中具有广阔的应用前景和巨大的潜力。本文对断层气测量在地震科学中的应用和现状作了简要的介绍，同时探讨了我国地震断层气监测系统中存在的一些主要问题，对今后的发展进行了展望。最后简单介绍了几种断层气监测新技术及新型气敏传感器。     

鲜水河断裂带北西段的枢纽运动与强震的发生

由炉霍，道孕，乾宁三条次级断裂左阶斜列组合而成的鲜水河断裂带的北西段。在断裂左旋走滑运动中，普遍出现断裂的枢纽运动。在产生的枢纽轴部，是强震发生的最佳地质的构造部位。近代发生的１９７３年炉霍７．６级地震，１０２３年炉堆道孕间介促７．３级地震，１８９３年乾宁７．３级地震，都分别发生在断裂的枢纽轴部，审由于枢纽部易于造成闭锁的结果。     

铜街子电站水库诱发地震的判定及最大可能诱发地震震级的估计

对于水库围堰后猛然增加的地震活动，人们普遍关心两个问题，第一是这些地震的成因，第二是这些地震能对大坝安全性带来多大的影响。位于四川省乐山地区的铜街子电站在蓄水后地震活动骤然增高。本文通过对地震活动的分布范围、震源深度、震源机制解以及地震活动与库水水位变化之间的关系判定这些地震系铜街子电站蓄水后所诱发的地震。为了估计该水库所诱发地震的震级上限，本文通过定性预测方法和定量预测方法试图对诱震震级上限给出一个估计，但各手段所给出的结果却不完全一致，这说明目前的预测手段的不完善。在对各手段给出的结果进行综合分析之后，认为铜街子电站最大可能诱发地震震级上限在５．０级左右。当然，也可能以较小震级的震群型形式出现。     

1976年11月7日盐源—宁蒗6.7级地震的前兆异常特征

盐源—宁蒗６．７级地震具有较丰富的前兆异常。前兆异常具有长、中、短、临的阶段性；在时间分布上成批出现，在空间分布上集中在几个小范围内出现。趋势性异常分期分批，在几个小范围内出现。临震异常呈突发性的脉冲式突跳或大幅度的阶跃状的突变，出现的时间均在震前一个月，平均异常时间为１４天。震前半个月在震中区附近观测异常相对密集。