A finite element model for seismic response analysis of deformable rocking frames

A new finite element model to analyze the seismic response of deformable rocking bodies and rocking structures is presented. The model comprises a set of beam elements to represent the rocking body and zero‐length fiber cross‐section elements at the ends of the rocking body to represent the rocking surfaces. The energy dissipation during rocking motion is modeled using a Hilber–Hughes–Taylor numerically dissipative time step integration scheme. The model is verified through correct prediction of the horizontal and vertical displacements of a rigid rocking block and validated against the analytical Housner model solution for the rocking response of rigid bodies subjected to ground motion excitation. The proposed model is augmented by a dissipative model of the ground under the rocking surface to facilitate modeling of the rocking response of deformable bodies and structures. The augmented model is used to compute the overturning and uplift rocking response spectra for a deformable rocking frame structure to symmetric and anti‐symmetric Ricker pulse ground motion excitation. It is found that the deformability of the columns of a rocking frame does not jeopardize its stability under Ricker pulse ground motion excitation. In fact, there are cases where a deformable rocking frame is more stable than its rigid counterpart. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Performance‐based design using structural optimization

A new methodology for seismic design is proposed based on structural optimization with performance‐based constraints. Performance‐based criteria are introduced for the seismic design of new buildings. These criteria are derived from the National Guidelines for Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings (Reference [19], Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), ‘NHERP Guidelines for seismic rehabilitation of buildings’, Report Nos 273 and 274, Washington, DC, 1997) for retrofitting existing structures. The proposed design methodology takes into account the non‐linear behaviour of the structure. The goal is to incorporate in the design the actual performance levels of the structure, i.e. how much reserve capacity the structure has in an earthquake of a given magnitude. The optimal design of the structure minimizes the structural cost subjected to performance constraints on plastic rotations of beams and columns, as well as behavioural constraints for reinforced concrete frames. Uncertainties in the structural period and in the earthquake excitation are taken into account using convex models. The optimization routine incorporates a non‐linear analysis program and the procedure is automated. The proposed methodology leads to a structural design for which the levels of reliability (performance levels) are assumed to be quantifiable. Furthermore, the entire behaviour of the structure well into the non‐linear range is investigated in the design process. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SIMPLE PUSH-OVER ANALYSIS OF ASYMMETRIC BUILDINGS

A simple method for the non-linear static analysis of complex building structures subjected to monotonically increasing horizontal loading (push-over analysis) is presented. The method is designed to be a part of new methodologies for the seismic design and evaluation of structures. It is based on the extension of a pseudo-three-dimensional mathematical model of a building structure into the non-linear range. The structure consists of planar macroelements. For each planar macroelement, a simple bilinear or multilinear base shear–top displacement relationship is assumed. By a step-by-step analysis an approximate relationship between the global base shear and top displacement is computed. During the analysis the development of plastic hinges throughout the building can be monitored. The method has been implemented into a prototype computer program. In the paper the mathematical model, the base shear–top displacement relationships for different types of macroelements, and the step-by-step computational procedure are described. The method has been applied for the analysis of a symmetric and an asymmetric variant of a seven-storey reinforced concrete frame–wall building, as well as for the analysis of a complex asymmetric 21-storey reinforced concrete wall building. The influence of torsion on structural behaviour is discussed. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

地下结构抗震设计的改进等效反应加速度法

对地下结构横向抗震分析中的等效反应加速度法进行综合分析。结合算例,以动力时程法为基准,全面评价了等效反应加速度法的适用性;进而深入分析其误差来源,并做针对性改进优化,通过引入动力响应调整系数β,提出了一种改进等效反应加速度法;结合算例分析,评价了改进等效反应加速度法对不同工况的适用性。结果表明：等效反应加速度法计算所得结构内力及变形均偏小;且计算精度随地层剪切波速的增大整体呈上升趋势,但几乎不受结构埋深的影响;同时,明确了等效反应加速度法的误差源自于其忽略了地下结构对其周围土体动力响应的干扰作用,改进优化后提出了改进等效反应加速度法;相比现有等效反应加速度法,改进等效反应加速度法具有更广泛的适用性及更优的计算精度,可为地下结构抗震设计和分析提供新的计算方法。     

Estuarine biofilm patterns: Modern analogues for Precambrian self-organization

This field and laboratory study examines whether regularly patterned biofilms on present-day intertidal flats are equivalent to microbially induced bedforms found in geological records dating back to the onset of life on Earth. Algal mats of filamentous Vaucheria species, functionally similar to microbial biofilms, cover the topographic highs of regularly spaced ridge–runnel bedforms. As regular patterning is typically associated with self-organization processes, indicators of self-organization are tested and found to support this hypothesis. The measurements suggest that biofilm-induced sediment trapping and biostabilization enhance bedform relief, strength and multi-year persistence. This demonstrates the importance of primitive organisms for sedimentary landscape development. Algal-covered ridges consist of wavy-crinkly laminated sedimentary deposits that resemble the layered structure of fossil stromatolites and microbially induced sedimentary structures. In addition to layering, both the morphological pattern and the suggested formation mechanism of the recent bedforms are strikingly similar to microbialite strata found in rock records from the Precambrian onwards. This implies that self-organization was an important morphological process in times when biofilms were the predominant sessile ecosystem. These findings furthermore emphasize that self-organization dynamics, such as critical transitions invoking ecosystem emergence or collapse, might have been captured in fossil microbialites, influencing their laminae. This notion may be important for paleoenvironmental reconstructions based on such strata. © 2019 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

村镇滑移隔震建筑瞬时摩擦耗能的参数敏感性分析

给出了村镇滑移隔震建筑瞬时摩擦耗能的概念,并以此概念为响应指标。通过极差大小的对比,分析了该响应指标对刚度比、第二阶段刚度系数、隔震层屈服位移、隔震层摩擦系数、系统质量比和上部结构自振周期六个参数变化的敏感程度,阐述了上述系统参数对瞬时摩擦耗能这一响应指标的影响规律。研究表明:场地条件和地震动幅值大小对瞬时摩擦耗能均有显著影响;在所考虑的参数范围内,上部结构自振周期总是对瞬时摩擦耗能有较为显著的影响,摩擦系数对瞬时摩擦耗能的影响跟场地条件有关,Ⅰ类场地条件中摩擦系数对瞬时摩擦耗能影响不显著,而Ⅱ、Ⅲ和Ⅳ类场地条件中,摩擦系数对瞬时摩擦耗能的影响则非常显著;隔震层屈服位移、刚度比和第二阶段刚度系数总得来讲对瞬时摩擦耗能影响不显著,质量比对瞬时摩擦耗能影响居中。     

The evolution of brittle and ductile structures at the surface of a partly debris-covered,rapidly thinning and slowly moving glacier in 1998–2012 (Pasterze Glacier,Austria)

Many glaciers in alpine regions are currently rapidly receding and thinning at historically unobserved rates causing changes in the velocity field and in normal and shear stresses affecting the surface expression of structures within the ice. We studied the distribution of brittle and ductile structures at the surface of Pasterze Glacier during a 14-year period by analysing orthophotos and digital elevation models of five stages (1998, 2003, 2006, 2009 and 2012). A structural glaciological mapping key was applied. Normal faults, strike-slip faults, en échelon structures (systematic stepping of fractures), thrust faults, and band ogives were distinguished. Results indicate substantial deceleration and glacier thinning in 1998–2012. Glacier thinning was not homogenous over time related to the uneven distribution of supraglacial debris causing differential ablation or the selective ablation effects of subglacial water channels. Peculiar supraglacial features observed are circular collapse structures with concentric crevasses which form when the ice between the surface and the roof of water channels decreases. The total length of brittle structures increased from 38.4 km to 56.9 km whereas the extent of the glacier tongue decreased by 25%. The fracture density doubled from 0.009 to 0.018 m/m². Areas of the glacier tongue which were up to 100 m away from the nearest brittle structure increased by 16%. The visual appearance of thrust faults shifted upglacier due to decreasing glacier velocity causing horizontal shortening or due to exhumation of faults that did not previously extend to the surface. A large number of brittle structures are progressively independent from glacier motion. Our study suggests that glacier tongues which are in a state of rapid decay and thinning are prone to fracturing due to normal fault formation and glacier disintegration. Water further increases ablation rates substantially if rather large amounts drain through supra-, en- or subglacial water channels. © 2018 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

考虑力组合效应的钢框架端板连接力学行为

为研究不同力组合效应对平齐端板连接力学行为的影响,采用ABAQUS程序建立不同受力情况下连接的非线性简化有限元模型,通过与国内外典型试验结果对比分析,验证了有限元模型的可靠性。基于此通过考虑8种力组合因素的影响,分析了2种不同钢等级的梁柱节点力学行为,进一步讨论了EC3 Part 1-8规范的适用性。结果表明:简化有限元模型在弯矩-转角曲线、破坏形态、初始刚度和塑性抗力等方面与试验结果吻合良好。框架梁轴力对节点的力学行为影响显著,当轴拉力为20%的框架梁轴向塑性抗力N_pl时,高强钢节点的刚度和强度分别降低68%和52%;当轴压力为-20%N_pl时,刚度和强度分别增加89%和42%。此外节点的滞回耗能能力、破坏模式以及分类属性与梁轴力水平密切相关。对于高强钢梁柱平齐端板节点,EC3规范对框架梁轴压力的限值仍过于保守。研究结果对于提高结构的抗倒塌能力和组合力作用下的理论研究具有重要参考价值。     

Analytical solution of seismic response of base-isolated structure with supplemental inerter

Closed-form solutions are derived for the modal characteristics and seismic response of a base-isolated structure equipped with additional inerters. By simplifying the structure-isolator-inerter system in terms of the two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) model, the modal frequencies, mode shapes, damping ratios, and participation factors of the system are derived. Consequently, analytical seismic response solutions are formulated by the modal superposition method. Utilizing these analytical solutions, an extensive parametric study has been carried out to investigate the effect of supplement inerters on both the modal characteristics and seismic response of the structure-isolator-inerter system. There is a critical inertance leading to the zero second modal participation factor (ie, the disappearance of the second modal response). The associated critical inertance ratio is derived in closed form as well. Moreover, it is observed that the reduction of deformation of isolators by increasing the inertance may be offset by the increase in relative displacements of the superstructure. To circumvent this adverse effect, an optimal range of inertance is identified whereby both the deformation of isolators and the relative displacement of the superstructure are mitigated concurrently.