3D viscous-spring artificial boundary in time domain

After a brief review of studies on artificial boundaries in dynamic soil-structure interaction, a three-dimensional viscous-spring artificial boundary （VSAB） in the time domain is developed in this paper. First, the 3D VSAB equations in the normal and tangential directions are derived based on the elastic wave motion theory. Secondly, a numerical simulation technique of wave motion equations along with the VSAB condition in the time domain is studied. Finally, numerical examples of some classical elastic wave motion problems are presented and the results are compared with the associated theoretical solutions, demonstrating that high precision and adequate stability can be achieved by using the proposed 3D VSAB. The proposed 3D VSAB can be conveniently incorporated in the general finite element program, which is commonly used to study dynamic soil-structure interaction problems.

Influence of seismic input on response of Baihetan arch dam

The dynamic responses of the arch dam including dam-foundation-storage capacity of water system,using two different earthquake input models,i.e.viscous-spring artificial boundary(AB)condition and massless foundation(MF),were studied and analyzed for the 269 m high Baihetan arch dam under construction in China.By using different input models,the stress and opening of contraction joints(OCJs)of arch dam under strong shock were taken into consideration.The results show that the earthquake input models have slight influence on the responses including earthquake stresses and openings of contraction joints in different extents.

New artificial boundary condition for saturated soil foundations

Anew artificial boundary model based on multi-directional transmitting and viscous-spring artificial boundary theories is proposed to absorb stress waves in a saturated soil foundation in dynamic analysis. Since shear waves （S-waves） are the same in a saturated soil foundation and a single-phase medium foundation, a tangential visco-elastic boundary condition for a single-phase medium foundation can also be used for saturated soil foundations. Thus, the purpose of the artificial boundary proposed in this paper is primarily to absorb two types of P-waves in a saturated soil foundation. The main idea is that the stress of the P-waves in the saturated soil foundation is decomposed into two types. The first type of stress, δra＇ is absorbed by the first artificial boundary. The second type of stress, δrb, is balanced by the stress generated by the second artificial boundary. Ultimately, both types of P-waves （fast-P-waves and slow-P-waves） are absorbed by the artificial boundary model proposed in this paper. In particular, note that the fast-P-waves and slow-P-waves are absorbed at the position of the first boundary. Thus, the artificial boundary model proposed herein can simultaneously absorb P-fast waves, P-slow waves and shear waves. Finally, a numerical example is given to examine the proposed artificial boundary model, and the results show that it is very accurate.

Application of headed studs in steel fiber reinforced cementitious composite slab of steel beam-column connection

Steel fiber reinforced cementitous composites （SFRCC） is a promising material with high strength in both compression and tension compared with normal concrete. The ductility is also greatly improved because of 6% volume portion of straight steel fibers. A steel beam-column connection with Steel fiber reinforced cementitous composites （SFRCC） slab diaphragms is proposed to overcome the damage caused by the weld. The push-out test results suggested that the application of SFRCC promises larger shear forces transferred through headed studs allocated in a small area in the slab. Finite element models were developed to simulate the behavior of headed studs. The failure mechanism of the grouped arrangement is fiarther discussed based on a series of parametric analysis. In the proposed connection, the SFRCC slab is designed as an exterior diaphragm to transfer the beam flange load to the column face. The headed studs are densely arranged on the beam flange to connect the SFRCC slab diaphragms and steel beams. The seismic performance and failure mechanism of the SFRCC slab diaphragm beam-column connection were investigated based on the cyclic loading test. Beam hinge mechanism was achieved at the end of the SFRCC slab diaphragm by using sufficient studs and appropriate rebars in the SFRCC slab.

Influence of construction interfaces on dynamic characteristics of roller compacted concrete dams

To study the influence of construction interfaces on dynamic characteristics of roller compacted concrete dams(RCCDs),mechanical properties of construction interfaces are firstly analyzed. Then, the viscous-spring artificial boundary(VSAB) is adopted to simulate the radiation damping of their infinite foundations, and based on the Marc software, a simplified seismic motion input method is presented by the equivalent nodal loads. Finally, based on the practical engineering of a RCC gravity dam, effects of radiation damping and construction interfaces on the dynamic characteristics of dams are investigated in detail. Analysis results show that dynamic response of the RCC gravity dam significantly reduces about 25% when the radiation damping of infinite foundation is considered. Hot interfaces and the normal cold interfaces have little influence on the dynamic response of the RCC gravity dam.However, nonlinear fracture along the cold interfaces at the dam heel will occur under the designed earthquake if the cold interfaces are combined poorly. Therefore, to avoid the fractures along the construction interfaces under the potential super earthquakes,combination quality of the RCC layers should be significantly ensured.

Efficient Procedure for Seismic Analysis of Soil-Structure Interaction System

A simplified and efficient procedure, based on the viscous-spring artificial boundary and the modal superposition method, is developed to analyze the dynamic soil-structure interaction system in the time domain. The viscous-spring artificial boundary introduced in this procedure transforms the infinite soil-structure interaction system to an approximately finite system. A seismic wave input method is used to transform the wave scattering problem into the wave source problem. The modal superposition method is then applied to this approximate finite system. The results show that this method with only a few modes can significantly reduce the computational time with almost the same precision as the traditional direct integration method. Comparison of results from different loading times demonstrates that the advantages of this method are evident in computing with long loading time.