Application of fuzzy Delphi AHP method for the estimation and classification of Ghomrud tunnel from groundwater flow hazard

Water inflow and water pressure controls are needed in the design, construction, and exploitation of tunnels. The objective of this paper is to present a new system which can be appropriate for rating tunnel sites to evaluate the potential of groundwater inflow according to the preliminary site investigation data. In this paper, an evaluation model based on combining the analytic hierarchy process and the fuzzy Delphi method has been presented for assessing tunnel site rating from the groundwater hazard point of view. This research treats the tunnel site classification as a group decision problem and applies the fuzzy logic theory as the criterion to calculate the weighting factors. Afterward, the proposed method was successfully applied to determine the amount of groundwater inflow into tunnels. Results of several case studies in various geological conditions roughly show that it can be used to determine the groundwater inflow into tunnels. The introduced method has been examined successfully in Ghomroud tunnel. Results from the proposed method, analytical equations, and observed groundwater inflow into Ghomrud tunnel have been compared. Results show that, because most of parameters regulating groundwater inflow into tunnels have been considered in the method, results from the method are very close to the observed groundwater inflow. Applying this method, according to preliminary investigations conducted by the designers, provides a more suitable design of the drainage system, drilling method, and tunnel support.     

Large-scale replenishment of groundwater depletion by long-lived extreme rainstorms in arid regions: case study of the 2019 floods in Iran

The Dena rainstorm in Iran in March and April 2019 caused about US$ 8.3?×?10⁹ damage in the country; however, it resulted in the replenishment of half of the dam reservoirs and 35% of ponds and lakes. Also, it increased the volume of groundwater stored in aquifers by 3.6?×?10⁹ m³. In arid and semiarid regions such as most parts of Iran, which usually face water scarcity, getting water from rainstorms is essential for replenishing water resources. This research aims to quantify the direct and indirect effects of the Dena rainstorm on the replenishment of Iran’s groundwater storage using the groundwater balance method and water-table fluctuation method. Studies showed that the main mechanisms for replenishment of groundwater storage due to the rainstorm included increases in precipitation recharge, surface runoff recharge, and artificial recharge, and reductions in irrigation withdrawal and evapotranspiration, while the contribution of each factor is estimated to be about 23, 28, 2, 15, and 32%, respectively.

     

Probabilistic seismic loss estimation via endurance time method

Probabilistic Seismic Loss Estimation is a methodology used as a quantitative and explicit expression of the performance of buildings using terms that address the interests of both owners and insurance companies. Applying the ATC 58 approach for seismic loss assessment of buildings requires using Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA), which needs hundreds of time-consuming analyses, which in turn hinders its wide application. The Endurance Time Method (ETM) is proposed herein as part of a demand propagation prediction procedure and is shown to be an economical alternative to IDA. Various scenarios were considered to achieve this purpose and their appropriateness has been evaluated using statistical methods. The most precise and efficient scenario was validated through comparison against IDA driven response predictions of 34 code conforming benchmark structures and was proven to be sufficiently precise while offering a great deal of efficiency. The loss values were estimated by replacing IDA with the proposed ETM-based procedure in the ATC 58 procedure and it was found that these values suffer from varying inaccuracies, which were attributed to the discretized nature of damage and loss prediction functions provided by ATC 58.     

A method for matching response spectra of endurance time excitations via the Fourier transform

The endurance time(ET) method is a dynamic analysis in which structures are subjected to intensifying excitations, also known as ET excitation functions(ETEF). The ET method is a tool for structural response prediction. The main advantage of the ET method over conventional approaches is its much lower demand for computational efforts. The concept of acceleration spectra is used in generating existing ETEFs. It is expected that ETEF acceleration spectra increase consistently with time and remain proportional to a target spectrum. Nonlinear unconstrained optimization is commonly used to generate ETEFs. Generating new ETEFs is a complicated time-consuming mathematical problem. If the target acceleration spectrum changes, new ETEFs must be generated. This study intends to modify existing ETEFs to be compatible with a desired acceleration spectrum. This process, called spectral matching, obviates the need for using the complicated generating procedure in simulating new ETEFs. ETEFs spectral matching is introduced in this paper for the first time. A Fourier-based method for ETEFs spectral matching is proposed. This algorithm is then applied in a case study. Results are presented to prove the efficiency of the algorithm.     

Effects of panel zone yielding on seismic behavior of welded-flange-plate connections

In this study, effects of panel zone yielding on the seismic performance of welded-flange-plate (WFP) connections are investigated. In this work, four full-scale beam-to-column connections were used to run the experiments under cyclic loading. The obtained results can potentially lead to a better understanding of the influence of the panel zone inelastic shear deformation on the cyclic behavior of WFP connections for external joints in steel moment resisting frames (SMRFs). The main parameter in the testing program was the panel zone strength having a wide variation to gain the different levels of panel zone yielding. Results showed that all specimens had a high connection rotation capacity to satisfy the requirements of special moment frame connections. However, specimens with different panel zone strengths could provide the different amount of energy dissipation. Severe beam buckling was followed by tearing along the k-line region of the beam in the plastic hinge location, as well as tearing of the beam at the nose of the bottom flange plates which were both observed as a predominant failure mode in the specimens with a stronger panel zone. However, specimens with weak panel zone could develop a significant plastic rotation without causing any major problem to the beam-to-column connection groove welds. Based on mentioned observations and considering the effect of panel zone yielding because of different panel zone strengths on the hysteresis behavior of specimens, failure modes, plastic rotation capacity, and energy dissipation, some modifications were proposed for design requirements of the panel zone strength.