Seismic self‐centering steel beam‐to‐column moment connections using bolted friction devices

This paper first presents the force–deformation relationship of a post‐tensioned (PT) steel beam‐to‐column connection constructed with bolted web friction devices (FDs). This paper then describes the test program conducted in the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering, Taiwan, on four bolted FDs and four full‐scale PT beam‐to‐column moment connection subassemblies using the FDs. Tests confirm that (1) the hysteretic behavior of four bolted FDs is very stable, (2) the friction coefficient between the steel plate and the brass shim is about 0.34, (3) the proposed force–deformation relationships reasonably predict the experimental responses of the PT connections under cyclically increasing deformations up to a beam peak rotation of 0.05 rad, and (4) the decompression moments do not degrade as beam cyclic deformations increase. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wave-dependence of friction velocity,roughness length,and drag coefficient over coastal and open water surfaces by using three databases

The parameterization of friction velocity, roughness length, and the drag coefficient over coastal zones and open water surfaces enables us to better understand the physical processes of air-water interaction. In context of measurements from the Humidity Exchange over the Sea Main Experiment (HEXMAX), we recently proposed wave-parameter dependent approaches to sea surface friction velocity and the aerodynamic roughness by using the dimensional analysis method. To extend the application of these approaches to a range of natural surface conditions, the present study is to assess this approach by using both coastal shallow (RASEX) and open water surface measurements (Lake Ontario and Grand Banks ERS-1 SAR) where wind speeds were greater than 6.44 m s^-1. Friction velocities, the surface aerodynamic roughness, and the neutral drag coefficient estimated by these approaches under moderate wind conditions were compared with the measurements mentioned above. Results showed that the coefficients in these approaches for coastal shallow water surface differ from those for open water surfaces, and that the aerodynamic roughness length in terms of wave age or significant wave height should be treated differently for coastal shallow and open water surfaces.     

Seismic effectiveness of tuned mass dampers considering soil–structure interaction

This paper presents how soil–structure interaction affects the seismic performance of Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD) when installed on flexibly based structures. Previous studies on this subject have led to inconsistent conclusions since the soil and structure models employed considerably differ from each other. A generic frequency-independent model is used in this paper to represent a general soil–structure system, whose parameters cover a wide spectrum of soil and structural characteristics. The model structure is subjected to a stationary random excitation and the root-mean-square responses of engineering interest are used to measure the TMD's performance. Extensive parametric studies have shown that strong soil–structure interaction significantly defeats the seismic effectiveness of TMD systems. As the soil shear wave velocity decreases, TMD systems become less effective in reducing the maximum response of structures. For a structure resting on soft soil, the TMD system can hardly reduce the structural seismic response due to the high damping characteristics of soil–structure systems. The model structure is further subjected to the NS component of the 1940 El Centro, California earthquake to confirm the TMD's performance in a more realistic environment. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Bedload transport resistance in rough open‐channel flows

During bedload movement by saltation, streamwise momentum is transferred from the ?ow to the saltating grains. When the grains collide with other grains on the bed or in the ?ow, streamwise momentum is reduced, and there is a decrease in streamwise ?ow velocity and an increase in ?ow resistance, herein termed bedload transport resistance f_bt. Based on experiments in two ?umes with ?xed and mobile plane beds and previously published data, an equation is developed that may be used to predict f_bt for both capacity and non‐capacity ?ows. The variables in this equation are identi?ed by dimensional analysis and the coef?cients are determined by non‐linear regression. This equation applies to rough turbulent open‐channel ?ows, where the relative submergence is between 1 and 20 and the entire sediment load moves by saltation. An investigation of the relative magnitudes of f_bt and grain resistance f_c suggests that where dimensionless shear stress θ is less than 1 and saltation is the dominant mode of bedload transport, f_bt/f_c increases with θ but never exceeds 1. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An experimental study on seismic responses of multifunctional vibration‐absorption reinforced concrete megaframe structures

Two models are tested on a shake‐table. One of the models is a normal reinforced concrete megaframe structure and the other is a multifunctional vibration‐absorption reinforced concrete megaframe structure in which the laminated rubber bearings are placed between the major frame and the minor frames. Two earthquake motions (the El Centro wave and the Taft wave) are used during the test. This paper presents the dynamic characteristic, the seismic responses and the failure mechanism of these two models under varying peak acceleration levels for each of the earthquake motions. The test results demonstrate that the aseismic behavior of a multifunctional vibration‐absorption reinforced concrete megaframe structure is much better than that of a normal reinforced concrete megaframe structure. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic tests on reinforced concrete and steel frames retrofitted with dissipative braces

Seismic tests have been conducted on two 3‐storey structures protected with pressurized fluid‐viscous spring damper devices. One of the structures was a reinforced concrete frame with clay elements in the slabs, while the other one was a steel frame with steel/concrete composite slabs. The spring dampers were installed through K bracing in between the floors. The tests were performed by means of the pseudodynamic method, which allowed the use of large and full‐size specimens, and by implementing a specific compensation strategy for the strain‐rate effect at the devices. The test results allowed the verification of the adequacy of the attachment system as well as the comparison of the behaviour of the unprotected buildings with several protected configurations, showing the benefits of the application of the devices and the characteristics of their performance. The response of the protected structures was always safer than that of the unprotected ones mainly due to a significant increase of equivalent damping. The increase in the damping ratio depends on the level of deformation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

宿迁市建设大厦消能减震设计

宿迁市建设大厦,21层,框架-抗震墙结构,按Ⅷ度(0．3g)进行抗震设防;由于建筑部分楼层层间位移超过《规范》要求,因此在部分楼层增设消能支撑,通过提高结构的附加阻尼比来降低结构的位移反应。整体结构的非线性时程分析结果表明,在框架-抗震墙结构中增设消能支撑,可以较为经济地控制结构薄弱层的位移,提高结构的抗震安全储备。本文可为高烈度区类似工程的设计提供借鉴。     

A probabilistic framework for estimating the residual drift of idealized SDOF systems of non‐degrading conventional and damped structures

This paper presents a general framework for predicting the residual drift of idealized SDOF systems that can be used to represent non‐degrading structures, including those with supplemental dampers. The framework first uses post‐peak oscillation analysis to predict the maximum ratio of residual displacement to the peak transient displacement in a random sample. Then, residual displacement ratios obtained from nonlinear time‐history analyses using both farfield and near‐fault‐pulse records were examined to identify trends, which were explained using the oscillation mechanics of SDOF systems. It is shown that large errors can result in existing probability models that do not capture the influence of key parameters on the residual displacement. Building on the observations that were made, a general probability distribution for the ratio of residual displacement to the peak transient displacement that more accurately reflects the physical bounds obtained from post‐peak oscillation analysis is proposed for capturing the probabilistic residual displacement response of these systems. The proposed distribution is shown to be more accurate when compared with previously proposed distributions in the literature due to its explicit account of dynamic and damping properties, which have a significant impact on the residual displacement. This study provides a rational basis for further development of a residual drift prediction tool for the performance‐based design and analysis of more complex multi‐degree‐of‐freedom systems.     

Lifecycle cost optimization of tuned mass dampers for the seismic improvement of inelastic structures

The seismic performance of tuned mass dampers (TMDs) on structures undergoing inelastic deformations may largely depend on the ground motion intensity. By estimating the impact of each seismic intensity on the overall cost of future seismic damages, lifecycle cost (LCC) proves a rational metric for evaluating the benefits of TMDs on inelastic structures. However, no incorporation of this metric into an optimization framework is reported yet. This paper presents a methodology for the LCC‐optimal design of TMDs on inelastic structures, which minimizes the total seismic LCC of the combined building‐TMD system. Its distinctive features are the assumption of a mass‐proportional TMD cost model, the adoption of an iterative suboptimization procedure, and the initialization of the TMD frequency and damping ratios according to a conventional linear TMD design technique. The methodology is applied to the seismic improvement of the SAC‐LA benchmark buildings, taken as representative of standard steel moment‐resisting frame office buildings in LA, California. Results show that, despite their limited performance at the highest intensity levels, LCC‐optimal TMDs considerably reduce the total LCC, to an extent that depends on both the building vulnerability and the TMD unit cost. They systematically present large mass ratios (around 10%) and frequency and damping ratios close to their respective linearly designed optima. Simulations reveal the effectiveness of the proposed design methodology and the importance of adopting a nonlinear model to correctly evaluate the cost‐effectiveness of TMDs on ordinary structures in highly seismic areas.