Seismic Response Analysis of Steel Structure Isolation System Under Long-Period Seismic Motion

To analyze the seismic response of steel structure isolation systems under long-period seismic motion,a 9-story steel frame building was selected as the subject.Five steel structure finite element models were established using SAP2000.Response spectrum analysis was conducted on the seismic motion to determine if it adhered to the characteristics of long-period seismic motion.Modal analysis of each structural model revealed that the isolation structure significantly prolonged the structural natural vibration period and enhanced seismic performance.Base reactions and floor displacements of various structures notably increased under long-period seismic motion compared to regular seismic activity.Placing isolation bearings in the lower part of the structure proved more effective under long-period seismic motion.In seismic design engineering,it is essential to consider the impact of long-period seismic motion on structures and the potential failure of isolation bearings.

Double deck bridge behavior and failure mechanism under seismic motions using nonlinear analyzes

This paper investigates the behavior and the failure mechanism of a double deck bridge constructed in China through nonlinear time history analysis. A parametric study was conducted to evaluate the influence of different structural characteristics on the behavior of the double deck bridge under transverse seismic motions, and to detect the effect of bi- directional loading on the seismic response of this type of bridge. The results showed that some characteristics, such as the variable lateral stiffness, the foundation modelling, and the longitudinal reinforcement ratio of the upper and lower columns of the bridge pier bents have a major impact on the double deck bridge response and its failure mechanism under transverse seismic motions. It was found that the soft story failure mechanism ：is not unique to the double deck bridge and its occurrence is related to some conditions and structural characteristics of the bridge structure. The analysis also showed that the seismic vulnerability of the double deck bridge under bi-directional loading： was severely increased compared to the bridge response under unidirectional transverse loading, and out-of-phase movements were triggered between adjacent girders.

External Factors Influencing the Motion of Tectonic Plates

The investigation aims to understand how external forces influence tectonic plate movement, causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Our emphasis was on calculating perigee forces at various moon-Earth distances. Our initial concern is the fluctuating perigee distance between the Moon and Earth. Later, we will cover Earth’s mass fluctuations caused by crustal inhomogeneity. Gravitational force depends on distance and Earth’s mass variations. Wobbling’s Earth and translation around Sun are additional factors. Tidal variations from the Moon trigger subduction zone earthquakes. Volcanoes in the Ring of Fire are influenced by plate movement on fractures and faults.

Amplification of in-plane seismic ground motion by group cavities in layered half-space (Ⅱ): with saturated poroelastic soil layers

As the continuation study on amplification of in-plane seismic ground motion by underground group cavities in layered half-space, this study extends to the case of poroelastic half-space with dry poroelastic and saturated poroelastic soil layers. The influence of poroelastic layers on the amplification of seismic ground motion is studied both in frequency domain and time domain using indirect boundary element method （IBEM）. It is shown that for the example of a saturated poroelastic site in Tianjin under the excitation of Taft wave and E1 Centro wave, the amplification of seismic ground motion in poroelastic case is slightly smaller than that in the elastic case, and the amplification of PGA （peak ground acceleration） and its PRS （peak response spectrum）.. can be increased up to 38.8% and 64.6%; the predominant period of response spectra in poroelastic case becomes shorter to some extent compared with that in the elastic case. It is suggested that the effect of underground group cavities in poroelastic half-space on design seismic ground motion should be considered.

Orthogonal expansion of ground motion and PDEM-based seismic response analysis of nonlinear structures

This paper introduces an orthogonal expansion method for general stochastic processes. In the method, a normalized orthogonal function of time variable t is first introduced to carry out the decomposition of a stochastic process and then a correlated matrix decomposition technique, which transforms a correlated random vector into a vector of standard uncorrelated random variables, is used to complete a double orthogonal decomposition of the stochastic processes. Considering the relationship between the Hartley transform and Fourier transform of a real-valued function, it is suggested that the first orthogonal expansion in the above process is carried out using the Hartley basis function instead of the trigonometric basis function in practical applications. The seismic ground motion is investigated using the above method. In order to capture the main probabilistic characteristics of the seismic ground motion, it is proposed to directly carry out the orthogonal expansion of the seismic displacements. The case study shows that the proposed method is feasible to represent the seismic ground motion with only a few random variables. In the second part of the paper, the probability density evolution method （PDEM） is employed to study the stochastic response of nonlinear structures subjected to earthquake excitations. In the PDEM, a completely uncoupled one-dimensional partial differential equation, the generalized density evolution equation, plays a central role in governing the stochastic seismic responses of the nonlinear structure. The solution to this equation will yield the instantaneous probability density function of the responses. Computational algorithms to solve the probability density evolution equation are described. An example, which deals with a nonlinear frame structure subjected to stochastic ground motions, is illustrated to validate the above approach.

Amplification of in-plane seismic ground motion by group cavities in layered half-space (Ⅰ)

Amplification of in-plane seismic ground motion by underground group cavities in layered half-space is studied both in frequency domain and time domain by using indirect boundary element method （IBEM）, and the effect of cavity interval and spectrum of incident waves on the amplification are studied by numerical examples. It is shown that there may be large interaction between cavities, and group cavities with certain intervals may have significant amplification to seismic ground motion. The amplification of PGA （peak ground acceleration） and its PRS （peak response spectrum） can be increased up to 45.2% and 84.4%, for an example site in Tianjin, under the excitation of Taft wave and E1 Centro wave; and group cavities may also affect the spectra of the seismic ground motion. It is suggested that the effect of underground group cavities on design seismic ground motion should be considered.

The effect of local irregular topography on seismic ground motion

Effects of irregUlar topography on ground motion for incident P, SV and the propagation of Rayleigh waves are studied by combining finite element method with modified transmitting boundary. TheoretiCal models include isolated protrUding topography and similar adjacent Protruding topography. The concluaion drawn from thisstudy is that the effects Of isolated protruding topography are remarkably larger for Rayleigh wave propagation than for P and SV they waves; Considering adjacent irregUlar toography ground motion is amplified, the duration of ground motion becomes longer and the speCtral ratios exhibit narrowband peaks Considering adjacent irregular topography and Rayleigh wave Propagation, the theoretical results wb more approach the results obtained in practice.

Analytical investigations of seismic responses for reinforced concrete bridge columns subjected to strong near-fault ground motion

Strong near-fault ground motion, usually caused by the fault-rupture and characterized by a pulse-like velocity- wave form, often causes dramatic instantaneous seismic energy （Jadhav and Jangid 2006）. Some reinforced concrete （RC） bridge columns, even those built according to ductile design principles, were damaged in the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake. Thus, it is very important to evaluate the seismic response of a RC bridge column to improve its seismic design and prevent future damage. Nonlinear time history analysis using step-by-step integration is capable of tracing the dynamic response of a structure during the entire vibration period and is able to accommodate the pulsing wave form. However, the accuracy of the numerical results is very sensitive to the modeling of the nonlinear load-deformation relationship of the structural member. FEMA 273 and ATC-40 provide the modeling parameters for structural nonlinear analyses of RC beams and RC columns. They use three parameters to define the plastic rotation angles and a residual strength ratio to describe the nonlinear load- deformation relationship of an RC member. Structural nonlinear analyses are performed based on these parameters. This method provides a convenient way to obtain the nonlinear seismic responses of RC structures. However, the accuracy of the numerical solutions might be further improved. For this purpose, results from a previous study on modeling of the static pushover analyses for RC bridge columns （Sung et al. 2005） is adopted for the nonlinear time history analysis presented herein to evaluate the structural responses excited by a near-fault ground motion. To ensure the reliability of this approach, the numerical results were compared to experimental results. The results confirm that the proposed approach is valid.

Simplified method for simulation of ergodic spatially correlated seismic ground motion

A simplified method for the simulation of the ergodic spatially correlated seismic ground motion is proposed based on the commonly used original spectral representation method. To represent the correlation in the ground motion, the phase angles are given by explicit terms with a clear physical meaning. By these explicit terms, the computational efficiency can be improved by converting the decomposition of the complex cross-spectral matrix into the decomposition of the real incoherence coefficient matrix. Double-indexing frequencies are introduced to simulate the ergodic seismic ground motion, and the ergodic feature of the improved method is demonstrated theoretically. Subsequently, an explicit solution of the elements of the lower triangular matrix under the Cholesky decomposition is given. With this explicit solution, the improved method is simplified, and the computational efficiency can be improved greatly by avoiding the repetitive Cholesky decomposition of the cross-spectral matrix in each frequency step. Finally, a numerical example shows the good characteristic of the improved method.

Estimation of Seismic Ground Motion Induced by the 23 January, 2005 Earthquake in Palu Region, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

On January 23rd 2005, a strong earthquake with moment magnitude （Mw 6.3） hit the Palu City （Central Sulawesi area）. The earthquake involved an area more than 800 km along the Palu Koro fault zone. In order to characterize the seismic ground motion of alluvium layers existing in the Palu City, eight sites of mierotremor array measurements were performed. The shear wave velocity of the top layer is ≤ 300 m/s. Palu City had deposited on a thick alluvial layer in the coastal area. The subsurface geology also changes slowly from soft sedimentary layers in the coastal area to igneous intrusion and metamorphic rock in the mountains. Seismic strong ground motion was predicted based on the statistical Green＇s function method. Considering the damage produced by the 2005 Palu earthquake （Mw 6.3）, we also estimated peak ground acceleration distribution at Palu City, with values ranging from 100 gal up to 500 gal on the PGA （peak ground acceleration） scale. Peak ground velocity becomes more than 0.3 m/s in some areas, which may likely lead to severe damage to buildings.

Seismic Ground Motion Zoning Maps of the Pangxi Region

The seismotectonic environment and seismic activity in Southwest China region were studied based on new data and new results obtained during the Eighth and Ninth Five-Year Plans, the seismic areas and zones and potential seismic source zones were determined, and the relation between seismic activity parameters and ground motion attenuation was determined. Finally the seismic ground motion zoning maps of the Pangxi region was compiled by using the multi-parameter and multi-scheme method.

Seismic Responses of Asymmetric Base-Isolated Structures under Near-Fault Ground Motion

An inter-story shear model of asymmetric base-isolated structures incorporating deformation of each isolation bearing was built, and a method to simultaneously simulate bi-directional near-fault and far-field ground motions was proposed. A comparative study on the dynamic responses of asymmetric base-isolated structures under near-fault and far-field ground motions were conducted to investigate the effects of eccentricity in the isolation system and in the superstructures, the ratio of the uncoupled torsional to lateral frequency of the superstructure and the pulse period of near-fault ground motions on the nonlinear seismic response of asymmetric base-isolated structures. Numerical results show that eccentricity in the isolation system makes asymmetric base-isolated structure more sensitive to near-fault ground motions, and the pulse period of near-fault ground motions plays an import role in governing the seismic responses of asymmetric base-isolated structures.

Study on the Relationship of Seismic Design Ground Motion at Different Fortification Levels in the Xinjiang Region

The seismic risk analysis results of 79 cities in Xinjiang are presented, and the bedrock peak ground accelerations under three seismic levels and their ratios are discussed. Then, the relationship between earthquake environments and the seismic risk analysis results of different exceeding probabilities are researched. The results show that minor and major earthquake motion parameters calculated from moderate earthquakes do not have a consistent probability and the ratio of bedrock peak accelerations under different exceedance probabilities are dosdy correlated with earthquake environments.

The Relationship Among Bedrock Seismic Ground Motion Parameters with Different Exceedance Probabilities in the Panxi Area

Based on the calculation of the bedrock effective peak acceleration (EPA) zoning map in the Panxi area, the ratios of EPA with exceedance probabilities of 63%, 5%, 3%, 2% and 1% over 50 years to that of 10% in 50 years are 0.302, 1.30, 1.55, 1.76 and 2.14, respectively. The seismic effect will be conservative and safe if taking this zoning map as the earthquake resistant fortification level and following the relevant rules of the Code for Seismic Design of Buildings (GBJ11 89) to calculate the seismic effect. Furthermore, the main factors that influence the A10/A63 ratios have been found to be the attenuation relationship of seismic ground motion, the division of seismic potential source regions and the seismicity parameters. These achievements are helpful to the spreading and applying of the zoning map.

A Discussion on Correlations of Plate Motion with Seismic Anisotropy and Stress Field in Plate Boundary Zones

In many parts of the global plates,including subduction zones,mid-ocean ridges and even the interior of the continental plates,seismic anisotropy has a certain correlation with image of absolute plate motion( APM),or is in accord with the predominant direction of the intraplate stress field. In our study,a statistical analysis is done on the correlations of plate motion with seismic anisotropy as well as a stress field within nine plate boundaries which contain major subduction zones in the globe. Results indicate that absolute or relative plate motion( RPM) controls the seismic anisotropy and stress field of the plate boundary,which is especially obvious for the RPM. It can also be inferred that the correlation of RPM is better than that of APM. Because of the complexity of subduction mechanism and diversity of controlling factors at plate boundaries containing subduction zones,the correlation becomes much complex. Sources of anisotropy at various depths show different characteristics,and stress state is controlled by many factors,thus further discussions on the correlations are required.

Geological inferences about the upper crustal configuration of the Medellin-Aburra Valley(Colombia)using strong motion seismic records

In regions of complex geology and tectonic assembly, strong motion seismic arrival time records can be used to test the plausibility of existing hypothesis about the origin of lithological and tectonic features and how they are related in space and time. In this study we use differential travel time residuals at some strong motion accelerographic stations in the Medellin-Aburra Valley, in the northern Central Cordillera of the Colombian Andes, to discuss some aspects of the geological configuration. We based our work on the hypothesis that the differences between seismic travel time residuals among pairs of stations are a function of the differences in the surface geology and the near-surface upper crustal configuration. Our results are consistent with the volcanic rocks of the Quebradagrande Complex being less mafic, more weathered or more tectonically affected than previously thought, with the presence of a relatively thin dunite body on top of the metamorphic basement, and with a large lateral heterogeneity in the mainly mafic San Diego Stock.

Seismic Performance Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Box Culverts under Near and Far Fault Seismic Ground Motion Records

Studying the critical response characteristics of reinforced concrete box culverts with diverse geometrical configurations under seismic excitations is a necessary step to develop a reasonable design method. In this work, numerical analysis and assessment of reinforced concrete box culverts for seismic loading in addition to standard static loading from dead and live loads is conducted, aiming to highlight the critical difference in the seismic performances between two and three cell box culverts under near and far-fault ground motion. The results show how and where the seismic loading alters the responses of seismic loading of the models including the effect on safety and failure. The geometrical configurations of the culvert combined with the loading scenarios also significantly influence the magnitude and distribution of the seismic responses. The findings of this work shed light on the critical role of the geometrical configurations and shaking event in the seismic responses of reinforced concrete box culverts and this procedure can be applied as seismic assessment method to any culvert shape, size, and material.

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 automatic recognition of the first motion in a seismic event

In this paper, we have studied the waveforms of background noise in a seismograph and set up an AR model to characterize them. We then complete the modeling and the automatic recognition program. Finally, we provide the results from automatic recognition and the manual recognition of the first motion for 25 underground explosions.

我国黄土高原地区地震动衰减关系研究的若干进展

地震动的衰减关系是指地震动随震级、距离和场地条件等变化的经验关系,近年来在我国亦被称为地震动预测方程,是估计地震动及其影响场的主要方法之一,在地震区划和重大工程场地地震安全性评价中被广泛应用。黄土是一种特殊土,在我国广泛分布。我国黄土高原地区地质构造复杂,新构造活动强烈,中强地震频发,地震动的衰减关系有其特殊性,总结我国黄土高原地区地震动衰减关系的研究成果对促进黄土高原地区抗震研究有重要意义。在简要介绍国内外地震动衰减关系研究的基础上,全面系统地总结我国学者在黄土高原地区的地震烈度衰减关系,基岩和土层场地地震动峰值加速度、峰值速度、峰值位移以及反应谱衰减关系方面的研究成果;评述和讨论在黄土覆盖地区地震动衰减研究领域存在的问题和今后的研究方向。文章的研究工作对从事黄土高原地区地震工程研究的科技人员有重要参考价值。