Investigation of the relationship of seismic intensity measures and the accumulation of damage on concrete gravity dams using incremental dynamic analysis

Nonlinear analysis tools are gaining prominence for the design and evaluation of concrete gravity dams. The performance limits of concrete gravity dams within the framework of performance based design are challenging to determine in comparison to those used for the assessments based on linear elastic analyses. The uncertainty in quantifying the behavior of these systems and the strong dependence of the behavior on the ground motion play an important role. The purpose of the study is to quantify the damage levels on a representative monolith using incremental dynamic analysis (IDA). For this purpose, the constitutive model utilized was calibrated first to the existing experimental results to verify the ability of the utilized cracking model to simulate the crack propagation process. Next, the relation between the damage levels on the monolith and the ground motion characteristics was investigated. The results of the conducted IDA showed that the engineering demand parameters (EDP) such as the crest displacement and acceleration showed weak correlation with the damage states. The spectral velocity and the peak ground acceleration were determined to be better predictors for the damage on the monolith. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Contamination of seismicity catalogs by quarry blasts: An example from İstanbul and its vicinity,northwestern Turkey

Scientists have proposed two fault systems of different ages in the Sea of Marmara: the Thrace-Eski?ehir Fault Zone of Early Miocene–Early Pliocene age and the North Anatolian Fault Zone of Late Pliocene–Recent age. Different seismicity rates and extensions of these faults onto land near ?stanbul have been suggested. One of the reasons for these differences is the contamination of seismicity catalogs by seismic events from quarries operated in ?stanbul and its vicinity, including Gaziosmanpa?a (Cebeci and Kemerburgaz), Çatalca, Ömerli, Gebze, and Hereke.In this study, we investigated waveforms of 179 seismic events (1.8 < Md < 3.0) from the KOERI, NEMC digital database. We determined differences between earthquakes and quarry blasts based on time- and frequency-domain analyses of their seismograms (amplitude peak ratio, power ratio, and spectral amplitude ratio) and used these differences as discriminants. The results of this study indicate that 15% and 85% of the investigated seismic events are earthquakes and quarry blasts, respectively.     

Source mechanism and stress analysis of 23 October 2011 Van Earthquake (Mw = 7.1) and aftershocks

On 23 October 2011 at 1341 local time, a strong earthquake (Mw?=?7.1) occurred east of Lake Van (KOERI; Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute). The focal parameters of the main shock and 29 aftershocks with M?≥?4.0 were obtained from regional broadband seismic data from KOERI network by using Regional Moment Tensor Inversion Code (Dreger 2002). It is confirmed that the main shock had thrust faulting mechanism. The stress tensor analysis was completed using the focal mechanism solutions and the software developed by (Gephart Comp Geosci 16: 953-989, 1990). The maximum principal stress (P compressional) of the main shock is aligned in a N-S (NNW/SSE) direction and the tensional axis (T dilatation) is aligned in an E-W (ENE-WSW) direction. The b value is calculated as 0.96 using the maximum likelihood method (Utsu 1999).     

An integrated earthquake damage assessment methodology and its application for two districts in Istanbul, Turkey

This paper presents an integrated, earthquake-damage assessment that standardizes and quantifies methods of analysis. The proposed methodology evaluates all damage-causing phenomena, both individually and in combination. This approach inherently relates to soil-structure interactions by quantifying site-specific geotechnical and structural properties. Specifically considered is ground shaking, the primary damage-causing phenomenon. Also evaluated are the collateral effects of liquefaction, degradation of seismic-bearing capacity and slope failure (landslides). The methodology incorporates a literature-derived probabilistic assessment of damage-causation, and is interpreted and presented as single numbers deemed “Damage Grades.” These damage grades integrate the initial probabilistic evaluation with professional experience and judgment in order to determine potential damage to a particular structure at a particular location. This methodology was applied, with success, to two different locations in Istanbul, Turkey. It should be tested by engineering geologists and geotechnical engineers, for it may be applicable to earthquake-prone areas elsewhere.