Seismic fragility assessment of RC frame structure designed according to modern Chinese code for seismic design of buildings

Following several damaging earthquakes in China, research has been devoted to find the causes of the collapse of reinforced concrete （RC） building sand studying the vulnerability of existing buildings. The Chinese Code for Seismic Design of Buildings （CCSDB） has evolved over time, however, there is still reported earthquake induced damage of newly designed RC buildings. Thus, to investigate modern Chinese seismic design code, three low-, mid- and high-rise RC frames were designed according to the 2010 CCSDB and the corresponding vulnerability curves were derived by computing a probabilistic seismic demand model （PSDM）.The PSDM was computed by carrying out nonlinear time history analysis using thirty ground motions obtained from the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center. Finally, the PSDM was used to generate fragility curves for immediate occupancy, significant damage, and collapse prevention damage levels. Results of the vulnerability assessment indicate that the seismic demands on the three different frames designed according to the 2010 CCSDB meet the seismic requirements and are almost in the same safety level.

Applications of different criteria in structural damage identification based on natural frequency and static displacement

This paper presents a damage identification method that consists of a fusion sensitivity matrix that contains information on dynamic and static responses. Based on natural frequency and static displacement, the study defines and considers damage criteria such as 1D and 2D single and fusion load cases. To overcome the lack of sufficient information on damage identification in large-scale structures, the authors consider multiple responses to and objective descriptions of uncertainties and various criteria.According to the finite element model and the structural responses described and measured, the fusion methods and damage criteria treat uncertainty as non-probability intervals. As long as we know the bounds of uncertain parameters, the intervals of the elemental stiffness parameters in undamaged and damaged models can be obtained by interval technology. Two numerical examples—a damage-criteria numerical example and a 5-span with 25-bar truss structure in a space solar power station—are proposed. Both examples indicate the veracity of the interval method.

Simultaneous investigation of blast induced ground vibration and airblast effects on safety level of structures and human in surface blasting

The significance of studying, monitoring and predicting blast induced vibration and noise level in mining and civil activities is justified in the capability of imposing damages, sense of uncertainty due to negative psychological impacts on involved personnel and also judicial complaints of local inhabitants in the nearby area. This paper presents achieved results during an investigation carried out at Sungun Copper Mine, lran. Besides, the research also studied the significance of blast induced ground vibration and air- blast on safety aspects of nearby structures, potential risks, frequency analysis, and human response. According to the United States Bureau of Mines （USBM） standard, the attenuation equations were devel- oped using field records. A general frequency analysis and risk evaluation revealed that： 94% of generated frequencies are less than 14 Hz which is within the natural frequency of structures that increases risk of damage. At the end, studies of human response showed destructive effects of the phenomena by ranging between 2.54 and 25.40 mm/s for ground vibrations and by the average value of 110 dB for noise levels which could increase sense of uncertainty among involved employees.

Postbuckling of Marine Stifened Composite Plates with Initial Geometric Imperfections Using Progressive Failure Analysis

This work explores the postbuckling behavior of a marine stifened composite plate in the presence of initial imperfections.The imperfection shapes are derived from buckling mode shapes and their combinations.Thereafter,these imperfection shapes are applied to the model,and nonlinear large defection fnite element and progressive failure analyses are performed in ANSYS 18.2 software.The Hashin failure criterion is employed to model the progressive failure in the stifened composite plate.The efect of the initial geometric imperfection on the stifened composite plate is investigated by considering various imperfection patterns and magnitudes.Results show that when the magnitude of the imperfection is 20 mm,the ultimate strength of the stifened composite plate decreases by 31%.Moreover,global imperfection shapes are found to be fundamental in determining the ultimate strength of stifened composite plates and their postbuckling.

The Study of the Damage Laws of Pool Fires

This paper studies pool fires in open air and their damage laws. First, it discusses the damage criteria of thermal radiation, then presents an algorithm to predict damage radii of pool fires, and performs numerical calculations by using a software called POOLFIRE, which has been developed by the authors, finally discusses the possible ways to improve the algorithm and gives the conclusions obtained from the study.

Safety evaluation of Dagangshan arch dam resisting strong earthquakes with a rate-dependency anisotropic damage model

This paper presents a model to simulate the safe behavior of Dagangshan arch dam with a rate-dependency anisotropic damage model. This model considers the damage of asymmetry and anisotropy under cyclic loading of tension and compression, and it is used in the compiled finite element code. The material parameters used in the model can be identified from uniaxial static and dynamic experiments. Thereafter, it is used for analyzing damage and failure patterns of the dam subjected to water pressure and strong earthquakes. The numerical results show that it is necessary to consider both asymmetry between tension and compression and anisotropy of damage. Severe damage regions of the dam reveal brittle and risky positions clearly. Meanwhile damage patterns show the failure trend and safety behaviors of the dam. These results match well with that of the experiments carried out in DUT. The proposed model may be used to predict the damage patterns and potential failure modes of concrete structures like the dam. And the aseismic performance of the dam can be figured out.