Bi-normalized response spectra and scalar periods for developing uniform seismic design spectra

Aiming at the uniform features of acceleration response spectra, two scalar periods-the response spectral predominant period Tp and the smoothed spectral predominant period To are employed to normalize the abscissa of the normalized response spectra （NRS） of ground motions, respectively. Engineering characteristics of 5% -damped NRS, and the bi-normalized response spectra （BNRS） are investigated accounting for the effects of soil condition and fault distance. Nearly 600 horizontal ground motion components during the Chi-Chi earthquake are included in the analysis. It shows that the NRS strongly depends on soil condition and fault distance. However, soil condition and distance have only a slight influence on two kinds of BNRS. Dispersion analysis indicates that such normalization can reduce scatter in the derivation of response spectral shapes. Finally, a parametric analysis of the scalar periods （Tp, To） is performed and then compared with those of previous studies. These special and particular aspects of earthquake response spectra and scalar periods need to be considered in developing earthquake-resistant design criteria.

Bi-normalized response spectra and seismic intensity in Bucharest for 1986 and 1990 Vrancea seismic events

The Vrancea subcrustal earthquakes of August 30,1986 and May 30,1990 are the two most recent seismic events that have occurred in Romania with moment magnitudes M W ≥ 6.9.The spectral analysis of the strong ground motions recorded in Bucharest reveals that despite small differences in magnitude between the 1986 and 1990 earthquakes,their frequency contents are very different,sometimes even opposing.The main focus of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of the response spectra in terms of the bi-normalized response spectra(BNRS) proposed by Xu and Xie(2004 and 2007) for strong ground motions recorded in Bucharest during these two seismic events.The mean absolute acceleration and relative velocity response spectra for the two earthquakes are discussed and compared.Furthermore,the mean bi-normalized absolute acceleration and normalized relative velocity response spectra with respect to the control period T C are computed for the ground motions recorded in Bucharest in 1986 and 1990.The predominant period T P is also used in this study for the normalization of the spectral period axis.Subsequently,the methodology proposed by Martinez-Perreira and Bommer(1998) is applied in order to estimate the seismic intensity of the two events.The results are discussed and several conclusions regarding the possibility of using the bi-normalized response spectra(BNRS) are given.

An improved algorithm for numerical calculation of seismic response spectra

The information of seismic response spectra is key to many problems concerned with aseismic structure and is also helpful for earthquake disaster relief if it is generated in time when earthquake happens. While current numerical calculation methods suffer from poor precision, especially in frequency band near Nyquist frequency, we present a set of improved parameters for precision improvement. It is shown that precision of displacement and velocity response spectra are both further improved compared to current numerical algorithms. A uniform fitting formula is given for computing these parameters for damping ratio range of 0.01-0.9, quite convenient for practical application.

A study of ice response spectra

Some problems concerning the ice forces and ice response spectra are studied from both theoretical and practical points of view. On the basis of structural analysis,the analysis method of ice response spectra is proposed, since it plays an important role in the prediction of maximum structural response in cold regions. And it is illustrated that it is easy to study the structural response to ice using the ice response spectra.

Research on the attribution evaluating methods of dynamic effects of various parameter uncertainties on the in-structure floor response spectra of nuclear power plant

： Consideration of the dynamic effects of the site and structural parameter uncertainty is required by the standards for nuclear power plants （NPPs） in most countries. The anti-seismic standards provide two basic methods to analyze parameter uncertainty. Directly manually dealing with the calculated floor response spectra （FRS） values of deterministic approaches is the first method. The second method is to perform probability statistical analysis of the FRS results on the basis of the Monte Carlo method. The two methods can only reflect the overall effects of the uncertain parameters, and the results cannot be screened for a certain parameter＇s influence and contribution. In this study, based on the dynamic analyses of the floor response spectra of NPPs, a comprehensive index of the assessed impact for various uncertain parameters is presented and recommended, including the correlation coefficient, the regression slope coefficient and Tornado swing. To compensate for the lack of guidance in the NPP seismic standards, the proposed method can effectively be used to evaluate the contributions of various parameters from the aspects ＆sensitivity, acuity and statistical swing correlations. Finally, examples are provided to verify the set of indicators from systematic and intuitive perspectives, such as the uncertainty of the impact of the structure parameters and the contribution to the FRS of NPPs. The index is sensitive to different types of parameters, which provides a new technique for evaluating the anti-seismic parameters required for NPPs.

Development of Design Response Spectra Based on Various Attenuation Relationships at Specific Location

Peninsular Malaysia is located and lies in a low seismic region. Although Malaysia is not located in the active fault seismic area, it is closed to the Sumatran active seismic zones. Tall building are fIequently felt the tremor generated fTom Sumatran subduction and fault zones especially in the west cost of Peninsular Malaysia such as Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Existing design response spectra was developed based on attenuation relationship for each subduction and fault zone. In this study, the design response spectra were developed based on various attenuation relationships for selected location in Kuala Lumpur area, namely, Mutiara Damansara, Bandar Petaling Jaya and Bandar Puteri Puchong. The development of design response spectra based on various attenuation relationships is more reliable in selecting the appropriate attenuation relationship for the study area. Seven attenuations have been chosen and results show that Megawati et al. are the most appropriate attenuation relation for fault zone, where the predicted PGA （peak ground acceleration） is 0.0187 g which is the proposed PGA value for this study area. This study also found that most of soil in the study area can be categorized into SD （stiff soil） according to site classification in the NEHRP 2000 Provision/UBC 97. Bandar petaling Jaya was found to be highest AF （amplification factor） of 3.74 for stiff soil and Mutiara Damansara with AF of 2.67 for very dense soil or soft rock. The proposed design response spectra for each location were developed based on UBC 1997 （Uniform Building Code 1997）. The peak RSA （response spectrum acceleration） of 0.30 g for soil type SD for Bandar Petaling Jaya is the maximum level of acceleration on the soil surface with a period range of 0.10 to 0.52 seconds. All these values can be used for the seismic safety evaluation of existing structures and as a guideline in designing new structures to resist future earthquake, within the study area.

Dynamic responses under the excitation of pulse sequences

This paper studies the dynamic responses of SDOF system under pulse-dominant excitations.The purpose of the study is to prepare for scrutiny of some near-field pulse-dominantground motions and their potential to cause structural damage.Extending the single pulse dynamics,we consider the effect of pulse sequences.This kind of excitation was particularly obvious in some of previous earthquakes such as Northridge (1994) and Chi-Chi (1995).Based on the duration, peak and rise and decay era of the main pulse as well as its relationship with the predecessor and successor pulses,we propose a classification for the pulse sequences.Consequent studies have been canied out for acceleration,velocity and displacement response spectra of the main pulse with either a predecessor or a successor pulse.The analysis also includes general response behaviors in different fundamental period segments and special aspects of response at certain points (e.g.,the corresponding peak points).

Monte Carlo Simulation of in situ Gamma-Spectra Recorded by Na I(Tl) Detector in the Marine Environment

To develop a NaI （T1） detector for in situ radioactivity monitoring in the marine environment and enhance the confidence of the probability of the gamma-spectrum analysis, Monte Carlo simulations using the Monte Carlo N-Particle （ MNCP ） code were performed to provide the response spectra of some interested radionuclides and the background spectra originating from the natural radionuclides in seawater recorded by a NaI （T1） detector. A newly developed 75 mm × 75 mm NaI （T1） detector was calibrated using four reference radioactive sources 137Cs, 60Co, 40K and 54Mn in the laboratory before the field measurements in seawater. A simulation model was established for the detector immersed in seawater. The simulated spectra were all broadened with Gaussian pulses to reflect the statistical fluctuations and electrical noise in the real measurement. The simulated spectra show that the single-energy photons into the detector are mostly scattering low-energy photons and the high background in the low energy region mainly originates from the Compton effect of the high energy y-rays of natural radionuclides in seawater. The simulated background spectrum was compared with the experimental one recorded in field measurement and they seem to be in good agreement. The simulation method and spectra can be used for the accurate analysis of the filed measurement results of low concentration radioactivity in seawater.

A neural network based methodology to predict site-specific spectral acceleration values

A general neural network based methodology that has the potential to replace the computationally-intensive site-specific seismic analysis of structures is proposed in this paper. The basic framework of the methodology consists of a feed forward back propagation neural network algorithm with one hidden layer to represent the seismic potential of a region and soil amplification effects. The methodology is implemented and verified with parameters corresponding to Delhi city in India. For this purpose, strong ground motions are generated at bedrock level for a chosen site in Delhi due to earthquakes considered to originate from the central seismic gap of the Himalayan belt using necessary geological as well as geotechnical data. Surface level ground motions and corresponding site-specific response spectra are obtained by using a one-dimensional equivalent linear wave propagation model. Spectral acceleration values are considered as a target parameter to verify the performance of the methodology. Numerical studies carried out to validate the proposed methodology show that the errors in predicted spectral acceleration values are within acceptable limits for design purposes. The methodology is general in the sense that it can be applied to other seismically vulnerable regions and also can be updated by including more parameters depending on the state-of-the-art in the subject.

Determination of horizontal and vertical design spectra based on ground motion records at Lali tunnel, Iran

Most acceleration diagrams show high levels of unpredictability, as a result, it is the best to avoid using diagrams of earthquake acceleration spect~＇a, even if the diagrams recorded at the site in question. In order to design earthquake resistant structures, we, instead, suggest constructing a design spectrum using a set of spectra that have common characteristics to the recorded acceleration diagrams at a particular site and smoothing the associated data. In this study, we conducted a time history analysis and determined a design spectrum for the region near the Lali tunnel in Southwestern Iran. We selected 13 specific ground motion records from the rock site to construct the design spectrum. To process the data, we first applied a base-line correction and then calculated the signal-to-noise ratio （]~SN） for each record. Next, we calculated the Fourier amplitude spectra of the acceleration pertaining to the signal window （1）, and the Fourier amplitude spectra of the associated noise （2）. After dividing each spectra by the square root of the selected window interval, they were divided by each other （1 divided by 2）, in order to obtain the ~SN ratio （filtering was also applied）. In addition, all data were normalized to the peak ground acceleration （PGA）. Next, the normalized vertical and horizontal responses and mean response spectrum （50%） and the mean plus-one standard deviation （84%） were calculated for all the selected ground motion records at 5% damping. Finally, the mean design spectrum and the mean plus-one standard deviation were plotted for the spectrums. The equation of the mean and the above-mean design spectrum at the Lali tunnel site are also provided, along with our observed conclusions.

INFLUENCE OF UNCERTAINTY OF ROCK PROPERTIES ON SEISMIC RESPONSES OF REACTOR BUILDINGS

The influence of the dispersion and uncertainty of the dynamic shear wave velocity and Poisson＇s ratio of soil in a hard rock site was investigated on the seismic response of reactor building structure. The analysis is performed by considering the soil-structure interaction effects and based on the model of the reactor building in a typical pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant （NPP）. The numerical results show that for the typical floor selected, while the relative increment ratio of the dynamic shear wave velocity varies from -30% to 30% compared to the basis of 1 930 m/s, the relative variation of the horizontal response spectra peak value lies in the scope of ±10% for the internal structure, and the relative variation of the frequency corresponding to the spectra peak is 0.0% in most cases. The relative variation of the vertical response spectra peak value lies in the scope of - 10% to 22%, and the relative variation of the frequency corresponding to the Spectra peak lies in the scope of - 22% to 4%. The analysis indicates that the dynamic shear wave velocity and the Poisson＇s ratio of the rock would affect the seismic response of structure and the soil-structure interaction effects should be considered in seismic analysis and design of NPP even for a hard rock site.

A Study of the Effect of Soil Improvement Based on the Numerical Site Response Analysis of Natural Ground in Babol City

A series of numerical calculations have been performed to investigate the effect of soil improvement on seismic site response. Seismic site response analyses were also performed using data collected from a study area in Babol city. The improved site is a composite ground and has more or less different mechanical properties than the natural ground. In this research, the influence of the elastic modulus of the pile, the pile distance ratio, ground motion input, distance to fault rupture, and PGA of the earthquakes on seismic response characteristics are especially investigated. The results reveal that the values of the PGA and amplification factor on the surface of the natural and improved grounds depend strongly on the fundamental period of the site, the predominant period, and the intensity of the ground motion input. The acceleration response spectra also are affected by the characteristics of ground motion input and soil layers. Changing the pile distance ratio doesn’t have a significant effect on the seismic response of the site.

Dominant pulse simulation of near fault ground motions

In this study, a new mathematical model is developed composed of two parts, including harmonic and polynomial expressions for simulating the dominant velocity pulse of near fault ground motions. Based on a proposed velocity function, the corresponding expressions for the ground acceleration and displacement time histories are also derived. The proposed model is then fitted using some selected pulse-like near fault ground motions in the Next Generation Attenuation （NGA） project library. The new model is not only simple in form but also simulates the long-period portion of actual velocity near fault records with a high level of precision. It is shown that the proposed model-based elastic response spectra are compatible with the near fault records in the neighborhood of the prevailing frequency of the pulse. The results indicate that the proposed model adequately simulates the components of the time histories. Finally, the energy of the proposed pulse was compared with the energy of the actual record to confirm the compatibility.

Seismic force demands on acceleration-sensitive nonstructural components:a state-of-the-art review

Nonstructural components(NSCs)are parts,elements,and subsystems that are not part of the primary loadbearing system of building structures but are subject to seismic loading.Damage to NSCs may disrupt the functionality of buildings and result in significant economic losses,injuries,and casualties.In past decades,extensive studies have been conducted on the seismic performance and seismic design methods of NSCs.As the input for the seismic design of NSCs,floor response spectra(FRS)have attracted the attention of researchers worldwide.This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of FRS.Different methods for generating FRS are summarized and compared with those in current seismic design codes.A detailed review of the parameters influencing the FRS is presented.These parameters include the characteristics of ground motion excitation,supporting building and NSCs.The floor acceleration response and the FRS obtained from experimental studies and field observations during earthquakes are also discussed.Three RC frames are used in a case study to compare the peak floor acceleration(PFA)and FRS calculated from time history analyses(THA)with that generated using current seismic design codes and different methods in the literature.Major knowledge gaps are identified,including uncertainties associated with developing FRS,FRS generation methods for different types of buildings,the need for comprehensive studies on absolute acceleration,relative velocity,and relative displacement FRS,and the calibration of FRS by field observations during earthquakes.

Seismic ground amplification induced by box-shaped tunnels

The growing use of underground structures,specifically to facilitate urban transportation,highlights the need to scrutinize the effects of such spaces on the seismic ground response as well as the surrounding buildings.In this regard,the seismic ground amplification variations in the vicinity of single and twin box-shaped tunnels subjected to SV waves have been investigated by the finite difference method.To evaluate the effects,generalizable dimensionless diagrams based on the results of parametric numerical analysis considering factors such as variations in the tunnels′depth,the distances between the tunnels,tunnel lining flexibility,and input wave frequency,have been presented.In addition,to assess the effects of underground box-shaped tunnels on the response spectrum of the ground surface,seven selected accelerograms have been matched based on a specific design spectrum for the stiff soil condition of Eurocode 8(CEN,2006).The results underline the significant amplification effect of the box-shaped tunnels on the ground motions,specifically in the case of horizontal twin tunnels,which should be given more attention in current seismic design practices for surface structures.

Strength reduction factors for seismic analyses of buildings exposed to near-fault ground motions

To estimate the near-fault inelastic response spectra, the accuracy of six existing strength reduction factors （R） proposed by different investigators were evaluated by using a suite of near-fault earthquake records with directivity-induced pulses. In the evaluation, the force-deformation relationship is modelled by elastic-perfectly plastic, bilinear and stiffness degrading models, and two site conditions, rock and soil, are considered. The R-value ratio （ratio of the R value obtained from the existing R-expressions （or the R-p-T relationships） to that from inelastic analyses） is used as a measurement parameter. Results show that the R-expressions proposed by Ordaz ＆ Perez-Rocha are the most suitable for near-fault ground motions, followed by the Newmark ＆ Hall and the Berrill et al. relationships. Based on an analysis using the near-fault ground motion dataset, new expressions of R that consider the effects of site conditions are presented and verified.

Attenuation characteristics of ground motions in northern China

Four recently developed attenuation models are calibrated by using a very limited amount of strong motion data recorded in China.The research shows that the attenuation characteristics of the earthquake shaking in northern China are similar to those in the western US.The supporting evidence includes Q factors,preliminary results of kappa values,stress drop, shear wave velocity profile in the shallow earth crust,areas enclosed by the isoseismals of Modified Mercalli Intensity V.From these comparison,s of different attenuation models,it is recommended that the Crouse and McGuire spectral attenuation model could possibly be used for northern China.

Investigation on directional effects of Vrancea subcrustal earthquakes

This paper evaluates possible directional effects from strong ground motions recorded during the last four significant subcrustal earthquakes produced in the Vrancea seismic zone（Romania） in August 1986（Mw=7.1）,May 1990（Mw=6.9 and 6.4） and October 2004（Mw=6.0）.Several measures of the horizontal component of the ground motion given in the literature（Boore et al.,2006;Boore,2010） are computed and are related to the geometric mean of the as-recorded horizontal components.ANOVA method is applied in order to quantify the influence of the earthquake magnitude and of the soil class on some strong ground motion parameters（e.g.Arias intensity,PGV/PGA,or mean period TM）.The study of the directional effects is performed using the distribution of IJMAand of the rotation angle corresponding to a measure of the horizontal component of the ground motion（RotD 100） and the results reveal a visible directional pattern for IJMA,while in the case of RotD100 the directional patterns are less visible.

A novel simple procedure to consider seismic soil structure interaction effects in 2D models

A method is proposed to estimate the seismic soil-structure-interaction （SSI） effects for use in engineering practice. It is applicable to 2D structures subjected to vertically incident shear waves supported by homogenous half-spaces. The method is attractive since it keeps the simplicity of the spectral approach, overcomes some of the difficulties and inaccuracies of existing classical techniques and yet it considers a physically consistent excitation. This level of simplicity is achieved through a response spectra modification factor that can be applied to the free-field 5%-damped response spectra to yield design spectral ordinates that take into account the scattered motions introduced by the interaction effects. The modification factor is representative of the Transfer Function （TF） between the structural relative displacements and the free- field motion, which is described in terms of its maximum amplitude and associated frequency. Expressions to compute the modification factor by practicing engineers are proposed based upon a parametric study using 576 cases representative of actual structures. The method is tested in 10 cases spanning a wide range of common fundamental vibration periods.

Study on the Method for Obtaining Acceleration Waveform Records from Velocity Type Seismograms of the Digital Seismograph Network

The authors proposed a method for obtaining high-quality acceleration seismograms from velocity type seismograms of digital Seismographic network, and took as an example the analysis and processing of the seismograms of a same earthquake that was simultaneously recorded by velocity seismograph CTS1-EDAS24 and strong motion seismograph EST-Q4128 installed in Jixian Station, Tianjin. The calculation steps and the processing method have been discussed in detail. From the analysis and the comparison of the obtained results, it is concluded that the proposed method is simple and effective, and it broadens the application of digital seismographic network.