Strength failure of spatial reticulated structures under multi-support excitation

Under strong earthquakes, long-span spatial latticed structures may collapse due to dynamic instability or strength failure. The elasto-plastic dynamic behaviors of three spatial latticed structures, including two double-layer cylindrical shells and one spherical shell constructed for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, were quantitatively examined under multi-support excitation (MSE) and uniform support excitation (USE). In the numerical analyses, several important parameters were investigated such as the peak acceleration and displacement responses at key joints, the number and distribution of plastic members, and the deformation of the shell at the moment of collapse. Analysis results reveal the features and the failure mechanism of the spatial latticed structures under MSE and USE. In both scenarios, the double-layer reticulated shell collapses in the “overflow” mode, and the collapse is governed by the number of invalid plastic members rather than the total number of plastic members, beginning with damage to some of the local regions near the supports. By comparing the numbers and distributions of the plastic members under MSE to those under USE, it was observed that the plastic members spread more sufficiently and the internal forces are more uniform under MSE, especially in cases of lower apparent velocities in soils. Due to the effects of pseudo-static displacement, the stresses in the members near the supports under MSE are higher than those under USE.