Seismic Design Loads of Truss Arch Frames with Ceilings subjected to Vertical and Horizontal Earthquake Motions

Spatial structures such as a gymnasium and an exhibition hall often use ceilings because of enhancing sound effects and reducing heating bills. Although the ceiling members fell down on a large scale due to the seismic motion according to the past great earthquake disaster reports, structural engineers particularly do not carry out the seismic design. The study gives structural engineers the equivalent static loads for the design of the earthquake-proof design of the ceiling system. In particular, it is significant to investigate the dynamic behavior and the applied seismic loads for the complicated vibration of the long span arch building structures with RC columns.

Application Study on Synthesis Method of Earthquake Motion

For seismic design of structure and machinery, it is important to reproduce input earthquake motions that are likely to occur at a target site. Among the various methods used for generating artificial earthquake motions, the Synthesis Method of Trigonometric Function is used widely. In this method, artificial waves are reproduced by superimposing sine waves and then adding information about amplitude and phase in the frequency domain. In the Japanese architectural design code, the amplitude is standardized as the target response spectrum, and the phase can be defined by random numbers or by the phase of one observed wave. However, a random phase is distinctly different from the phase of an actual earthquake. Further, the phase of one observed wave is confined to the phase characteristic of the artificial wave of only one specific earthquake motion. In this paper, the authors introduce a new convenient method to reproduce artificial waves that not only satisfy the standardized spectrum property but also have the time-frequency characteristics of multiple observed waves. The authors show the feature of the artificial waves, discuss the merits of the method by comparing with existing methods, and report the tendencies of the non-liuear response by using simple model.

Fragility of disconnect switch subjected to random earthquake ground motions

A fragility calculation scheme is estabtished in this paper for porcelain-type equipments subjected to random earthquake ground motions. All steps of the method are illustrated by the seismic damage analysis of GW4-110 disconnect switch. The model of the equipment is built applying the finite element method with flexible joints, and the seismic response of the equipment is analyzed using elastic time history method. On the base, according to the strength damage index and Monte-Carlo Method, the seismic damage ratios are counted and the seismic fragility curves are presented. Then the seismic damage of GW4-110 disconnect switch can be predicted.

Instantaneous spectrum estimation of earthquake ground motions based on unscented Kalman filter method

Representing earthquake ground： motion as time varying ARMA model, the instantaneous spectrum can only be determined by the time varying coefficients of the corresponding ARMA model. In this paper, unscented Kalman filter is applied to estimate the time varying coefficients. The comparison between the estimation results of unscented Kalman filter and Kalman filter methods shows that unscented Kalman filter can more precisely represent the distribution of the spectral peaks in time-frequency plane than Kalman filter, and its time and frequency resolution is finer which ensures its better ability to track the local properties of earthquake ground motions and to identify the systems with nonlinearity or abruptness. Moreover, the estimation results of ARMA models with different orders indicate that the theoretical frequency resolving power of ARMA model which was usually ignored in former studies has great effect on the estimation precision of instantaneous spectrum and it should be taken as one of the key factors in order selection of ARMA model.

Variation of earthquake ground motionwith depth

The variation of ground motion with depth is investigated in this paper, which is essential in determining the seismic design ground motion for embedded structures and pipelines. Firstly the earthquake ground motion on surface and in subsoil recorded by Hosokura Mine array of Japan and six California Strong Motion Instrumentation Program geotechnical arrays of the United States from about fifty moderate and strong earthquakes are described. Then the arrays were classified into three different categories according to their site conditions. Finally the variation law of ground and sub-ground motion with depth is established as a result of a nonlinear regression analysis of the above-mentioned data. Through comparing the features in different sites, it is concluded that, in general, the amplitude (acceleration, velocity and displacement) of ground motion are decreasing with depth and the attenuation rate is higher in the shallow strata than that in deeper ones.

Study on Site Specific Design Earthquake Ground Motion of Nuclear Power Plants in China

The main technical backgrounds and requirements are introduced with regard to earthquake ground motion design parameters in several domestic and American standards,codes and guides involved in the seismic analysis and design activities of nuclear power plants in China.Based on the research results from site seismic safety evaluation of domestic nuclear power plant projects in the last years,characteristics and differences of site specific design spectra are analyzed in comparison with standard response spectra,and the suitability of standard response spectra for domestic nuclear power plant projects is discussed.

Nonlinear analysis of pounding between decks of multi-span bridge subjected to multi-support and multi-dimensional earthquake excitation

The nonlinear analysis of pounding between bridge deck segments subjected to multi-support excitations and multi-dimensional earthquake motion was performed.A novel bottom rigid element(BRE)method of the current displacement input model for structural seismic analysis under the multi-support excitations was used to calculate structural dynamic response.In the analysis,pounding between adjacent deck segments was considered.The seismic response of a multi-span bridge subjected to the multi-support excitation,considering not only the traveling-wave effect and partial coherence effect,but also the seismic non-stationary characteristics of multi-support earthquake motion,was simulated using finite element method(FEM).Meanwhile,the seismic response of the bridge under uniform earthquake was also analyzed.Finally,comparative analysis was conducted and some calculation results were shown for pounding effect,under multi-dimensional and multi-support earthquake motion,when performing seismic response analysis of multi-span bridge.Compared with the case of uniform/multi-support/multi-support and multi-dimensional earthquake input,the maximum values of pounding force in the case of multi-support and multi-dimensional earthquake input increase by about 5 8 times;the absolute value of bottom moment and shear force of piers increase by about50%600%and 23.1%900%,respectively.A conclusion can be given that it is very necessary to consider the pounding effect under multi-dimensional and multi-support earthquake motion while performing seismic response analysis of multi-span bridge.

Co-seismic changes of Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake and six aftershocks recorded by four deformation instruments at Xuzhou seismostation

Co-seismic changes of Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake and six strong aftershocks were recorded by 4 digital deformation instruments at Xuzhou seismostation at an cpicentral distance of 1392 km. The result shows that the straln-step changes and wave motions are caused by the arrival of the corresponding surface waves. The shape and size of the step changes and the response time were different for different instruments, even they were located in the same rock body only 7.65 m to 10.57 m apart. This difference is probably a reflection of different instrument properties, such as sensitivity and frequency response. The earthquake-caused stress changes, which were mainly compression in Xuzhou, had an important triggering effect on far-field strain changes

Time derivative of earthquake acceleration

Unlike acceleration, velocity, and displacement, the time derivative ofacceleration (TDoA) of ground motion has not been extensively studied. In this paper, the basiccharacteristics of TDoA are evaluated based on records from the 1999 Chi-Chi, earthquake (Mw 7.6)and one of its aftershocks (Mw 6.2). It is found that the maximum TDoA at a free-field station wasover 31,200 cm/s3 (31.8 g/s); and the duration of 'strong' TDoA, between the first and the last timepoints exceeding 2,000 cm/s3 (2 g/s), was almost one minute near the epicenter area. Since groundTDoA sensors are not commonly available, the time series are calculated by direct numericaldifferentiation of acceleration time series. Relative error analysis shows that the error isnon-transitive and total error is within 4%. The density function of TDoA amplitude, frequencycontent and spatial distribution of peak ground jerk (PGJ) are evaluated. The study also includesexamination of some TDoA responses from a seven-story building and comparison of ground TDoA withthe limit TDoA used in the transportation industry for ride comfort. Some potential impacts of TDoAon humans have also been reviewed.

Measuring ground deformations caused by 2015 Mw7.8 Nepal earthquake using high-rate GPS data

The April 25, 2015 Mw7.8 Nepal earthquake was successfully recorded by Crustal Movement Observation Network of China （CMONOC） and Nepal Geodetic Array （NGA）. We processed the high-rate GPS data （1 Hz and 5 Hz） by using relative kinematic positioning and derived dynamic ground motions caused by this large earthquake. The dynamic displacements time series clearly indicated the displacement amplitude of each station was related to the rupture directivity. The stations which located in the di- rection of rupture propagation had larger displacement amplitudes than others. Also dynamic ground displacement exceeding 5 cm was detected by the GPS station that was 2000 km away from the epicenter. Permanent coseismic displacements were resolved from the near-field high-rate GPS stations with wavelet decomposition-reconstruction method and P-wave arrivals were also detected with S transform method. The results of this study can be used for earthquake rupture process and Earthquake Early Warning studies.

The limit properties of spatial coherence of seismic ground motion

The limit properties of spatial coherence of seismic ground motion are studied based on the differential relation between rotation and translation in elastic theory, the results show that the empirical mathematical model of spatial coherence must satisfy some functional characteristics. It is also indicated that the key problem to estimate rotational power spectrum densities is to obtain precisely the two order derivative of spatial coherence.

Soft Soil Site Characterization on the Coast of Yantai and Its Effect on Ground Motion Parameters

According to the Chinese GB50011-2001 code and the recommended provisions of FEMANEHRP and EUROCODE 8, by using shear wave velocity and borehole data, the site classification is evaluated for a typical soft soil site on the Yantai seacoast. The site seismic ground motion effect is analyzed and the influence of the coastal soil on design ground motion parameters is discussed. The results show that the brief site classification can not represent the real conditions of a soft soil site; the soft soil on the coast has a remarkable impact on the magnitude and spectrum of ground motion acceleration. The magnification on peak acceleration is bigger, however, due to the nonlinear deformation of the soil. The magnification is reduced noulinearly with the increase of input ground motion; the spectrum is broadened and the characteristic period elongated on the soft soil site.

Characteristics of Far-field Seismic Radiated Energy from the Five Earthquakes with MS≥5. 0 in the Earthquake Swarm Sequence of 2013,MS5. 8,Qianguo,Jilin Province,China

The Qianguo Ms5. 8 earthquake swarm of 2013 occurred in Qianguo, Jilin Province, China. There are five earthquakes with Ms ≥5. 0 in the Qianguo earthquake swarm, with magnitudes of Ms 5. 5, Ms 5. 0, Ms 5. 3, Ms 5. 8 and Ms 5. 0. In this study, the far-field seismic radiated energy characteristics of the earthquakes are compared based on the source spectrum and the ground motion spectrum of the earthquake swarm. The ground motion spectrum of the five earthquakes at Changchun seismic station （CN2）, which is the national standard station, is first investigated with the recorded ground motions, and then the far-field seismic radiated energy is calculated and combined with the relationships of the source spectrum to describe the variable characteristics of the Qianguo earthquake swarm. Research results indicate that the second earthquake （No. 2） with Ms5. 0 is the key event of the earthquake swarm, which occurred on October 31, the same day following the first Ms5. 5 earthquake （No.l）. In fact, the magnitude of event No. 2 decreased compared to event No.l, which did not agree with its large far-field seismic radiated energy. It needs to be pointed out that event No. 2 was the turning point event of the Qianguo earthquake swarm, as being a significant transition before the largest Ms5. 8 earthquake.

Scattering of SH waves induced by a symmetrical V-shaped canyon: a unified analytical solution

This paper reports a series solution of wave functions for two-dimensional scattering and diffraction of plane SH waves induced by a symmetrical V-shaped canyon with different shape ratios. A half-space with a symmetrical V-shaped canyon is divided into two sub-regions by using a circular-arc auxiliary boundary. The two sub-regions are represented by global and local cylindrical coordinate systems, respectively. In each coordinate system, the wave field satisfying the Helmholtz equation is represented by the separation of variables method, in terms of the series of both Bessel functions and Hankel functions with unknown complex coefficients. Then, the two wave fields are described in the local coordinate system using the Graf addition theorem. Finally, the unknown coefficients are sought by satisfying the continuity conditions of the auxiliary boundary. To consider the phase characteristics of the wave scattering, a parametric analysis is carried out in the time domain by assuming an incident signal of the Ricker type. Surface and subsurface transient responses demonstrate the characteristics and mechanisms of wave propagating and scattering.

Some considerations on the physical mea-sure of seismic intensity

The study on seismic intensity can be traced prior to the time that modern seismology was established. In its early stage the seismic intensity was designed to serve as a measure in scaling the severity of earthquake damage to civil engineering and environmental structures. Also the seismic intensity is usually assigned by engineers and seismologists with one or two characteristic parameters of earthquake ground motions to reflect earthquake damage potential so as to be able to serve as an input earthquake load for seismic design of structures. So choosing a proper parameter to reflect the action of seismic intensity is the main objective of the research on physical measure of seismic intensity. However, since various kinds of structures have quite different damage mechanisms, there will exist great differences in damages to different structures located at the same area during the same earthquake. Particularly, in some cases, quite different damages have happened even to the structures of same kind due to many other factors such as different construction materials, different configurations or on the different types of sites where structures located. In addition, the ground motion parameters, which result in damage to structures, are not the single peak value of ground motion. Hence, this paper emphasizes that the research on new physical measure of seismic intensity should not only consider the structural characteristics but also take into account other parameters such as duration, energy of ground motion and so on. In particular, as the physical measures of intensity, different ground motion parameter should be adopted for different structures.

Rupture Process of the M_s 7.0 Lushan Earthquake Determined by Joint Inversion of Local Static GPS Records, Strong Motion Data, and Teleseismograms

On April 20, 2013, an M_s 7.0 earthquake struck Lushan County in Sichuan Province, China, and caused serious damage to the source region. We investigated the rupture process of the M_s7.0 Lushan earthquake by jointly inverting waveforms of teleseismic P waveforms and local strong motion records as well as static GPS observations. The inverted results indicate that the rupture of this earthquake was dominated by the failure of an asperity with a triangular shape and that the main shock was dominated by thrust slip. The earthquake released a total seismic moment of 1.01× 10^（19）Nm, with 92% of it being released during the first 11 s. The rupture had an average slip of 0.9 m and produced an average stress drop of 1.8 MPa. Compared with our previous work that was based mainly on a unique dataset, this joint inversion result is more consistent with field observations and the distribution of aftershock zones.

Scattering of SH waves by a scalene triangular hill with a shallow cavity in half-space

In this study,a theoretical approach is used to investigate the scattering problem of circular holes under a scalene triangle on the surface.The wave displacement function is obtained by solving the Helmholtz equation that meets the zero-stress boundary conditions by adopting the method of separation of variables.Based on the complex function,multi-polar coordinate method,and region-matching technique,algebraic equations are established at auxiliary boundaries and free boundaries conditions in a complex domain.The auxiliary circle is used to solve the singularity of the reflex angle at the triangle corner.Then,according to sample statistics,the least squares method is used instead of the Fourier expansion method to solve the undetermined coefficient of the algebraic equations by discrete boundary.Numerical results show that the continuity of the auxiliary boundaries and the accuracy of the zero-stress boundaries are adequate,and the displacement of the free surface and the stress of the circular hole are related to the shape of the triangle,the position of the circular hole,the direction of the incident wave,and the frequency content of the excitation.Finally,time-domain responses are calculated by FFT based on the frequency domain theory,and the results reveal the wave propagation mechanism in a complicated structure.