Pulses in ground motions identified through surface partial matching and their impact on seismic rocking consequence

In seismology and earthquake engineering,it is fundamental to identify and characterize the pulse-like features in pulse-type ground motions.To capture the pulses that dominate structural responses,this study establishes congruence and shift relationships between response spectrum surfaces.A similarity search between spectrum surfaces,supplemented with a similarity search in time series,has been applied to characterize the pulse-like features in pulse-type ground motions.The identified pulses are tested in predicting the rocking consequences of slender rectangular blocks under the original ground motions.Generally,the prediction is promising for the majority of the ground motions where the dominant pulse is correctly identified.

Seismic response and correlation analysis of a pile-supported wharf to near-fault pulse-like ground motions

Earthquake investigations have shown that near-fault pulse-like(NF-P)ground motions have unique characteristics compared to near-fault non-pulse-like(NF-NP)and far-field(FF)ground motions.It is necessary to study the seismic response of pile-supported wharf(PSW)structures under NF-P ground motions.In this study,a three-dimensional finite element numerical model is created to simulate a PSW.By imparting three types of ground motion,the engineering demand parameters(EDPs)of PSW under NF-P ground motions were analyzed and compared,in which EDPs are the maximum displacement and bending moment of the piles.Twenty intensity measures(IMs)were selected to characterize the properties of ground motions.The correlation between IMs and EDPs was explored.The results show that the piles present larger displacement and bending moment under NF-P ground motions compared to NF-NP and FF ground motions.None of the IMs have a high correlation with EDPs under NF-P ground motions,and these IMs are more applicable to FF ground motions.The correlation coefficients between EDPs and IMs under three types of ground motion were obtained,which will provide a valuable reference for the seismic design of PSWs.

Intensity measures for the seismic response evaluation of buried steel pipelines under near-field pulse-like ground motions

Ground-motion Intensity Measures (IMs) are used to quantify the strength of ground motions and evaluate the response of structures. IMs act as a link between seismic demand and seismic hazard analysis and therefore, have a key role in performance-based earthquake engineering. Many studies have been carried out on the determination of suitable IMs in terms of effi ciency, suffi ciency and scaling robustness. The majority of these investigations focused on ordinary structures such as buildings and bridges, and only a few were about buried pipelines. In the current study, the optimal IMs for predicting the seismic demand of continuous buried steel pipelines under near-fi eld pulse-like ground motion records is investigated. Incremental dynamic analysis is performed using twenty ground motion records. Using the results of the regression analysis, the optimality of 23 potential IMs are studied. It is concluded that specifi c energy density (SED) followed by VSI[ω1(PGD+RMSd )] are the optimal IMs based on effi ciency, suffi ciency and scaling robustness for seismic response evaluation of buried pipelines under near-fi eld ground motions.

Prediction of near-field strong ground motions for scenario earthquakes on active fault

A method to predict near-field strong ground motions for scenario earthquakes on active faults is proposed. First, macro-source parameters characterizing the entire source area, i.e., global source parameters, including fault length, fault width, rupture area, average slip on the fault plane, etc., are estimated by seismogeology survey, seismicity and seismic scaling laws. Second, slip distributions characterizing heterogeneity or roughness on the fault plane, i.e., local source parameters, are reproduced/evaluated by the hybrid slip model. Finally, the finite fault source model, developed from both the global and local source parameters, is combined with the stochastically synthetic technique of ground motion using the dynamic comer frequency based on seismology. The proposed method is applied to simulate the acceleration time histories on three base-rock stations during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Comparisons between the predicted and recorded acceleration time histories show that the method is feasible and practicable.

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.

Direct use of peak ground motion parameters for the estimation of inelastic displacement ratio of SDOF systems subjected to repeated far fault ground motions

This study is aimed at developing statistical equations to estimate the inelastic displacement ratio of singledegree-of-freedom systems subjected to far fault repeated earthquakes. In the study, peak ground motion parameters are used to define the scatter of the original data. The ratio of peak ground acceleration to peak ground velocity, and peak ground velocity of the ground motion records and structural parameters such as period of vibration and lateral strength ratio are used in the proposed equations. For the development of the equations, nonlinear time history analyses of single-degree-offreedom systems are conducted. Then, the results are used in a multivariate regression procedure. The equations are verified by comparing the estimated results with the calculated results. The average error and coefficient of variation of the proposed equations are presented. The analyses results revealed that the direct use of peak ground motion parameters for the estimation of inelastic displacement ratio significantly reduced the scatter in the original data and yielded accurate results. From the comparative results it is also observed that results obtained using equations specific to peak ground velocity or peak ground acceleration to peak ground velocity ratio are similar.

Traveling wave effect on the seismic response of a steel arch bridge subjected to near fault ground motions

In the 1990s, several major earthquakes occurred throughout the world, with a common observation that near fault ground motion （NFGM） characteristics had a distinct impact on causing damage to civil engineering structures that could not be predicted by using far field ground motions. Since then, seismic responses of structures under NFGMs have been extensively examined, with most of the studies focusing on structures with relatively short fundamental periods, where the traveling wave effect does not need to be considered. However, for long span bridges, especially arch bridges, the traveling wave （only time delay considered） effect may be very distinct and is therefore important. In this paper, the results from a case study on the seismic response of a steel arch bridge under selected NFGMs is presented by considering the traveling wave effect with variable apparent velocities. The effects of fling step and long period pulses of NFGMs on the seismic responses of the arch bridge are also discussed.

A note on near-field site amplification effects of ground motion from a radially inhomogeneous valley

To improve the understanding of the near-field soil and topographic amplification effects, an analytical solution by the authors for the scattering of plane SH waves by a radially inhomogeneous semi-cylindrical valley is extended to the case of a line source of cylindrical SH waves. Upon confirmation of its accuracy with past exact solutions for a homogeneous and an inhomogeneous semi-cylindrical valley under far-field plane SH waves, the extended solution is used to calculate the ground motion amplification factors for both the homogeneous and inhomogeneous valleys subjected to near-field waves. A comprehensive parametric study is conducted with respect to the location of the wave source, the dimensionless frequency of the incident waves, and the inhomogeneity degree of the covering soil layer. It is found that more amplifications and reductions of ground motions will occur within a certain range in and around the valley as the sources are located further. Consistent with the far-field case, it is confirmed that an increase of the degree of inhomogeneity of the covering soil layer generally amplifies the ground motions significantly.

Simulation of spatially correlated earthquake ground motions for engineering purposes

A new model to simulate spatially correlated earthquake ground motions is developed. In the model, the main factors that characterize three distinct effects of spatial variability, namely, the incoherency effect, the wave-passage effect and the site-response effect, are taken into account, and corresponding terms/parameters are incorporated into the well known model of uniform ground motions. Some of these terms/parameters can be determined by the root operation, and others can be calculated directly. The proposed model is first verified theoretically, and examples of ground motion simulations are provided as a further illustration. It is proven that the ensemble expected value and the ensemble auto-/cross-spectral density functions of the simulated ground motions are identical to the target spectral density functions. The proposed model can also be used to simulate other correlated stochastic processes, such as wave and wind loads.

Simulation of multi-support depth-varying earthquake ground motions within heterogeneous onshore and offshore sites

This paper presents a novel approach to model and simulate the multi-support depth-varying seismic motions（MDSMs） within heterogeneous offshore and onshore sites.Based on 1 D wave propagation theory,the three-dimensional ground motion transfer functions on the surface or within an offshore or onshore site are derived by considering the effects of seawater and porous soils on the propagation of seismic P waves.Moreover,the depth-varying and spatial variation properties of seismic ground motions are considered in the ground motion simulation.Using the obtained transfer functions at any locations within a site,the offshore or onshore depth-varying seismic motions are stochastically simulated based on the spectral representation method（SRM）.The traditional approaches for simulating spatially varying ground motions are improved and extended to generate MDSMs within multiple offshore and onshore sites.The simulation results show that the PSD functions and coherency losses of the generated MDSMs are compatible with respective target values,which fully validates the effectiveness of the proposed simulation method.The synthesized MDSMs can provide strong support for the precise seismic response prediction and performance-based design of both offshore and onshore large-span engineering structures.

Representation of near-fault pulse-type ground motions

Near-fault ground motions with long-period pulses have been identified as critical in the design of structures. To aid in the representation of this special type of motion, eight simple pulses that characterize the effects of either the flingstep or forward-directivity are considered. Relationships between pulse amplitudes and velocity pulse period for different pulses are discussed. Representative ratios and peak acceleration amplification can exhibit distinctive features depending on variations in pulse duration, amplitude and the selected acceleration pulse shape. Additionally, response spectral characteristics for the equivalent pulses are identified and compared in terms of fixed PGA and PGV, respectively. Response spectra are strongly affected by the duration of pulses and the shape of the basic pulses. Finally, dynamic time history response features of a damped SDOF system subjected to pulse excitations are examined. These special aspects of pulse waveforms and their response spectra should be taken into account in the estimation of ground motions for a project site close to a fault.

Study on equivalent velocity pulse of nearfault ground motions

Near-fault strong ground motions that resulted in serious structural damage are characterized by directivity effect and pulse-type motion. Large-amplitude and long-period pulses are contained in the velocity time-history traces of near-fault pulse-type records. A reasonable model of equivalent velocity pulse is proposed on the basis of the ex- isted models in this paper to simplify the calculation and analysis. Based on the large amount of collected near-fault strong earthquakes records, the parameters describing equivalent velocity pulse model such as pulse period, pulse intensity and number of predominant pulses are studied, and comparison is made with the results obtained by others models. The proposed model is contributive to the seismic design for structures in near-fault areas.

Approximation approach to the SRM based on root decomposition in the simulation of spatially varying ground motions

The spectral representation method （SRM） is widely used to simulate spatially varying ground motions. This study focuses on the approximation approach to the SRM based on root decomposition, which can improve the efficiency of the simulation. The accuracy of the approximation approach may be affected by three factors： matrix for decomposition, distribution of frequency interpolation nodes and elements for interpolation. The influence of these factors on the accuracy of this approach is examined and the following conclusions are drawn. The SRM based on the root decomposition of the lagged coherency matrix exhibits greater accuracy than the SRM based on the root decomposition of the cross spectral matrix. The equal energy distribution of frequency interpolation nodes proposed in this study is more effective than the counter pith with an equal spacing. Elements for interpolation do not have much of an effect on the accuracy, so interpolation of the elements of the decomposed matrix is recommended because it is less complicated from a computational efficiency perspective.

Engineering characteristics of near-fault vertical ground motions and their effect on the seismic response of bridges

A wide variety of near-fault strong ground motion records were collected from various tectonic environments worldwide and were used to study the peak value ratio and response spectrum ratio of the vertical to horizontal component of ground motion, focusing on the effect of earthquake magnitude, site conditions, pulse duration, and statistical component. The results show that both the peak value ratio and response spectrum ratio are larger than the 2/3 value prescribed in existing seismic codes, and the relationship between the vertical and horizontal ground motions is comparatively intricate. In addition, the effect of the near-fault ground motions on bridge performance is analyzed, considering both the material nonlinear characteristics and the P-A effect.

Study on inelastic displacement ratio spectra for near-fault pulse-type ground motions

In displacement-based seismic design, inelastic displacement ratio spectra （IDRS） are particularly useful for estimating the maximum lateral inelastic displacement demand of a nonlinear SDOF system from the maximum elastic displacement demand of its counterpart linear elastic SDOF system. In this study, the characteristics of IDRS for near-fault pulse-type ground motions are investigated based on a great number of earthquake ground motions. The influence of site conditions, ratio of peak ground velocity （PGV） to peak ground acceleration （PGA）, the PGV, and the maximum incremental velocity （MIV） on IDRS are also evaluated. The results indicate that the effect of near-fault ground motions on IDRS are significant only at periods between 0.2 s - 1.5 s, where the amplification can approach 20%. The PGV/PGA ratio has the most significant influence on IDRS among the parameters considered. It is also found that site conditions only slightly affect the IDRS.

Near-fault ground motions with prominent acceleration pulses:pulse characteristics and ductility demand

Major earthquakes of last 15 years （e.g., Northridge 1994, Kobe 1995 and Chi-Chi 1999） have shown that many near-fault ground motions possess prominent acceleration pulses. Some of the prominent ground acceleration pulses are related to large ground velocity pulses, others are caused by mechanisms that are totally different from those causing the velocity pulses or fling steps. Various efforts to model acceleration pulses have been reported in the literature. In this paper, research results from a recent study of acceleration pulse prominent ground motions and an analysis of structural damage induced by acceleration pulses are summarized. The main results of the study include： （1） temporal characteristics of acceleration pulses; （2） ductility demand spectrum of simple acceleration pulses with respect to equivalent classes of dynamic systems and pulse characteristic parameters; and （3） estimation of fundamental period change under the excitation of strong acceleration pulses. By using the acceleration pulse induced linear acceleration spectrum and the ductility demand spectrum, a simple procedure has been developed to estimate the ductility demand and the fundamental period change of a reinforced concrete （RC） structure under the impact of a strong acceleration pulse.

Vertical-to-horizontal response spectral ratio for offshore ground motions:Analysis and simplified design equation

In order to study the differences in vertical component between onshore and offshore motions,the vertical-to-horizontal peak ground acceleration ratio(V/H PGA ratio) and vertical-to-horizontal response spectral ratio(V/H) were investigated using the ground motion recordings from the K-NET network and the seafloor earthquake measuring system(SEMS).The results indicate that the vertical component of offshore motions is lower than that of onshore motions.The V/H PGA ratio of acceleration time histories at offshore stations is about 50%of the ratio at onshore stations.The V/H for offshore ground motions is lower than that for onshore motions,especially for periods less than 0.8 s.Furthermore,based on the results in statistical analysis for offshore recordings in the K-NET,the simplified V/H design equations for offshore motions in minor and moderate earthquakes are proposed for seismic analysis of offshore structures.

Fractal characterization and frequency properties of near-fault ground motions

This study explores the irregularity and complexity of strong earthquake ground motions from the perspective of fractal geometry, and constructs a relation with the frequency content of the ground motions. The box-counting fractal dimensions and five representative period parameters of near-fault ground motions from the Chi-Chi and Northridge earthquakes are calculated and compared. Numerical results indicate that the acceleration and velocity time histories of ground motions present the statistical fractal property, and the dominant pulses of near-fault ground motions have a significant influence on their box dimensions and periods. Further, the average box dimension of near-fault impulsive ground motions is smaller, and their irregular degree of wave forms is lower. Moreover, the box dimensions of ground motions reflect their frequency properties to a large extent, and can be regarded as an alternative indicator to represent their frequency content. Finally, the box dimension D of the acceleration histories shows a considerably negative correlation with the mean period T. Meanwhile, the box dimension of the velocity histories Dye is negatively correlated with the characteristic period T and improved characteristic period Tgi.

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.

Performance of rectangular closed diaphragm walls in gently sloping liquefiable deposits subjected to different earthquake ground motions

The performance of rectangular closed diaphragm walls(RCDW)subjected to earthquake ground motions is extremely complicated in gently sloping liquefiable deposits and requires further investigation.A nonlinear finite element(FE)model was developed to investigate the seismic performance of an RCDW in the OpenSees platform.Initially,the feasibility of the FE model to simulate the seismic behavior of the RCDW was validated by comparing the numerical results with the experimental data.The numerical results agree well with the centrifuge test data.Then,the calibrated model was used to study the seismic performance of the RCDW subjected to different ground motions in gently sloping liquefiable deposits.The numerical results indicate that the soil-RCDW system under near-fault ground motions is more likely to be damaged than that under far-fault ground motions.The difference between the maximum and minimum(Dmax-min)the RCDW displacement and the maximum excess pore pressure in the soil core increased as the Arias intensity increased.The seismic response of the soil-RCDW system was strongly affected by the frequency content,durations,energy distribution and initial directions of the ground motions.Moreover,the modified specific energy density(MSED)has a good linear relationship with the Dmax-min of the RCDW displacement.