Effects of vertical excitation on the seismic performance of a seismically isolated bridge with sliding friction bearings

A finite element model is constructed for a sliding friction bearing in a seismically isolated bridge under vertical excitation with contact/friction elements. The effects of vertical excitation on the seismic performance of a seismically isolated bridge with sliding friction bearings and different bearing friction coefficients and different stiffness levels （pier diameter） are discussed using example calculations, and the effects of excitation direction for vertical excitation on the analysis results are explored. The analysis results shows that vertical excitation has a relatively large impact on seismic performance for a seismically isolated bridge with sliding friction bearings, which should be considered when designing a seismically isolated bridge with sliding friction bearings where vertical excitation dominates.

Dynamic performance analysis of a seismically isolated bridge under braking force

In order to study the dynamic performance of seismically isolated bridges under the most unfavorable loads in the longitudinal direction, a dynamic equation for vehicle braking in the longitudinal direction is established. A four or five- order Runge-Kutta method is adopted to obtain the time-history response of a wheel set under braking force. The quadratic discretization method is then used to transform this time-history into a braking and bending force time-history of a structural fixed node, and a dynamic response analysis of the seismically isolated bridge under the vehicle＇s braking force is carried out using ANSYS, a universal finite element analysis software. According to the results, seismic isolation design results in a more rational distribution of braking force among piers; the influence of the initial braking velocity on the vehicle braking force is negligible; the location where the first wheel set leaves the bridge is the most unfavorable parking location; a seismic isolation bridge bearing constructed according to typical design methods enters into a yield stage under the braking force, while the shearing force at the bottom of the pier declines as the isolation period is extended; the design requirements can be met when the yield displacement of the seismic isolation bearing is less than 5 mm and the yield strength is greater than the braking force.

Fluid Dynamic Response of the Russia Seismically Differing Regions to the Global Geodynamics Processes

The results of the spectral-correlation analysis of the fluid-dynamic (radon and hydrogen) data monitoring obtained in the seismically active region—on Kamchatka and in conditions of Russian platform where compared to the results of the laser-deformometer measurements obtained on Caucasus. It allowed identify spectral components of the measured parameters, first of all, in the area of the lunar-solar tides. This identification have demonstrated the identical reaction of the mountain and platform regions to the global geodeformation processes of the tidal level and have shown the possibility of the measuring parameters response to the catastrophic events preparation processes. Really the prognostic effects in the investigated fields where indicated in periods of preparation and realization of the catastrophic earthquakes in Indian Ocean on December, 26, 2004 and on March, 28, 2005.

Nonlinear dynamic analysis of multi-base seismically isolated structures with uplift potentialⅡ:verification examples

The work presented in this paper serves as numerical verification of the analytical model developed in the companion paper for nonlinear dynamic analysis of multi-base seismically isolated structures. To this end, two numerical examples have been analyzed using the computational algorithm incorporated into program 3D-BASIS-ME-MB, developed on the basis of the newly-formulated analytical model. The first example concerns a seven-story model structure that was tested on the earthquake simulator at the University at Buflhlo and was also used as a verification example for program SAP2000. The second example concerns a two-tower, multi-story structure with a split-level seismic-isolation system. For purposes of verification, key results produced by 3D-BASIS-ME-MB are compared to experimental results, or results obtained from other structural/finite element programs. In both examples, the analyzed structure is excited under conditions of bearing uplift, thus yielding a case of much interest in verifying the capabilities of the developed analysis tool.

Pseudo-dynamic tests on masonry residential buildings seismically retrofitted by precast steel reinforced concrete walls

A retrofitting technology using precast steel reinforced concrete（PSRC） panels is developed to improve the seismic performance of old masonry buildings. The PSRC panels are built up as an external PSRC wall system surrounding the existing masonry building. The PSRC walls are well connected to the existing masonry building, which provides enough confinement to effectively improve the ductility, strength, and stiffenss of old masonry structures. The PSRC panels are prefabricated in a factory, significantly reducing the situ work and associated construction time. To demonstrate the feasibility and mechanical effectivenss of the proposed retrofitting system, a full-scale five-story specimen was constructed. The retrofitting process was completed within five weeks with very limited indoor operation. The specimen was then tested in the lateral direction, which could potentially suffer sigifnicant damage in a large earthquake. The technical feasibility, construction workability, and seismic performance were thoroughly demonstrated by a full-scale specimen construction and pseudo-dynamic tests.

Real-Time Hybrid Simulation of Seismically Isolated Structures with Full-Scale Bearings and Large Computational Models

Hybrid simulation can be a cost effective approach for dynamic testing of structural components at full scale while capturing the system level response through interactions with a numerical model.The dynamic response of a seismically isolated structure depends on the combined characteristics of the ground motion,bearings,and superstructure.Therefore,dynamic full-scale system level tests of isolated structures under realistic dynamic loading conditions are desirable towards a holistic validation of this earthquake protection strategy.Moreover,bearing properties and their ultimate behavior have been shown to be highly dependent on rate-of-loading and scale size effects,especially under extreme loading conditions.Few laboratory facilities can test full-scale seismic isolation bearings under prescribed displacement and/or loading protocols.The adaptation of a full-scale bearing test machine for the implementation of real-time hybrid simulation is presented here with a focus on the challenges encountered in attaining reliable simulation results for large scale dynamic tests.These advanced real-time hybrid simulations of large and complex hybrid models with several thousands of degrees of freedom are some of the first to use high performance parallel computing to rapidly execute the numerical analyses.Challenges in the experimental setup included measured forces contaminated by delay and other systematic control errors in applying desired displacements.Friction and inertial forces generated by the large-scale loading apparatus can affect the accuracy of measured force feedbacks.Reliable results from real-time hybrid simulation requires implementation of compensation algorithms and correction of these various sources of errors.Overall,this research program confirms that real-time hybrid simulation is a viable testing method to experimentally assess the behavior of full-scale isolators while capturing interactions with the numerical models of the superstructure to evaluate system level and in-structure response.

Nonlinear dynamic analysis of multi-base seismically isolated structures with uplift potential Ⅰ:formulation

The complexity of modem seismically isolated structures requires the analysis of the structural, system and the isolation system in its entirety and the ability to capture potential discontinuous phenomena such as isolator uplift and their effects on the superstructures and the isolation hardware. In this paper, an analytical model is developed and a computational algorithm is formulated to analyze complex seismically isolated superstructures even when undergoing highly-nonlinear phenomena such as uplift. The computational model has the capability of modeling various types of isolation devices with strong nonlinearities, analyzing multiple superstructures （up to five separate superstructures） on multiple bases （up to five bases）, and capturing the effects of lateral loads on bearing axial forces, including bearing uplift. The model developed herein has been utilized to form the software platform 3D-BASIS-ME-MB, which provides the practicing engineering community with a versatile tool for analysis and design of complex structures with modem isolation systems.

On selection and scaling of ground motions for analysis of seismically isolated structures

A broader consensus on the number of ground motions to be used and the method of scaling to be adopted for nonlinear response history analysis （RHA） of structures is yet to be reached. Therefore, in this study, the effects of selection and scaling of ground motions on the response of seismically isolated structures, which are routinely designed using nonlinear RHA, are investigated. For this purpose, isolation systems with a range of properties subjected to bidirectional excitation are considered. Benchmark response of the isolation systems is established using large sets of unscaled ground motions systematically categorized into pulse-like, non-pulse-like, and mixed set of motions. Different subsets of seven to 14 ground motions are selected from these large sets using （a） random selection and （b） selection based on the best match of the shape of the response spectrum of ground motions to the target spectrum. Consequences of weighted scaling （also commonly referred to as amplitude scaling or linear scaling） as well as spectral matching are investigated. The ground motion selection and scaling procedures are evaluated from the viewpoint of their accuracy, efficiency, and consistency in predicting the benchmark response. It is confirmed that seven time histories are sufficient for a reliable prediction of isolation system displacement demands, for all ground motion subsets, selection and scaling procedures, and isolation systems considered. If ground motions are selected based on their best match to the shape of the target response spectrum （which should be preferred over randomly selected motions）, weighted scaling should be used if pulse-like motions are considered, either of weighted scaling or spectral matching can be used if non-pulse-like motions are considered, and an average of responses from weighted-scaled and spectrum-matched ground motions should be used for a mixed set of motions. On the other hand, the importance of randomly selected motions in representing inherent variability of response is recognized and it is found that weighted scaling is more appropriate for such motions.

Source side seismic tomography(3STomo):A novelmethod to image the subsurface structure beneath seismically active region

We propose a novel seismic tomography method, Source Side Seismic Tomography （3STomo）, which is designed particularly to image the subsurface structure beneath seismically active regions. Unlike the teleseismic tomography, in which the data are relative traveltime residuals between closely spaced stations for each teleseismic event, 3STomo uses relative traveltime shifts between earthquakes within the study region for each distant station. Given the relatively evener distribution of global seismic stations, this method has unique advantages for imaging the structure beneath regions that have numerous earthquakes but lack of dense seismic stations, for example, some subduction zones and spreading ridges in the ocean. In addition, 3STomo has potentially better vertical resolution at shallow depths than the traditional teleseismic tomo- graphy. The effect of the inaccurate source parameters on its resolution can be minimized by using depth phases and the technique of joint source and structure inversion. Numerical experiments and application to Luzon Island, Philippines show that 3STomo can be a valuable tool to investigate the subsurface structure beneath some areas where the traditional method cannot be applied to, or at least it can be used as a complementary component of conventional teleseismic tomography to obtain better back-azimuth coverage and achieve higher resolution at shallow depths in the inversion.

Experimental investigation of damage behavior of RC frame members including non-seismically designed columns

Reinforced concrete （RC） frame structures are one of the mostly common used structural systems, and their seismic performance is largely determined by the performance of columns and beams. This paper describes horizontal cyclic loading tests often column and three beam specimens, some of which were designed according to the current seismic design code and others were designed according to the early non-seismic Chinese design code, aiming at reporting the behavior of the damaged or collapsed RC frame strctures observed during the Wenchuan earthquake. The effects of axial load ratio, shear span ratio, and transverse and longitudinal reinforcement ratio on hysteresis behavior, ductility and damage progress were incorporated in the experimental study. Test results indicate that the non-seismically designed columns show premature shear failure, and yield larger maximum residual crack widths and more concrete spalling than the seismically designed columns. In addition, longitudinal steel reinforcement rebars were severely buckled. The axial load ratio and shear span ratio proved to be the most important factors affecting the ductility, crack opening width and closing ability, while the longitudinal reinforcement ratio had only a minor effect on column ductility, but exhibited more influence on beam ductility. Finally, the transverse reinforcement ratio did not influence the maximum residual crack width and closing ability of the seismically designed columns.

Electrical Conductivity and Aftershock Activity in Seismically Active Region of Chamoli, Lesser Himalayas

The Chamoli earthquake (M6.8) of 29th March 1999 in Himalayan region is one of the recent devastating earthquakes that has killed more than a few hundred lives and caused damage in the vicinity of Chamoli and Gopeshwar districts of Gharwal Himalayan region. A wide band (8192 - 0.008 Hz) magnetotelluric (MT) study has been carried out in the epicentral zone after the earthquake during May-June, 1999 to understand the processes related to tectonic activity. A total of 23 sites were occupied passing through the epicenter along NE-SW and E-W oriented profiles passing through the epicenter. In the present study, the results obtained along NE-SW profile are presented. The deeper electrical structure shows a north-eastward dipping electrical conductor (50 - 100 Ωm) and correlates well with the regional tectonics of the region. Interestingly, the concentration of hypocenters is located at the transition zone of resistor (brittle) and conductor (ductile) at depths of around 10 - 15 km. These results are discussed with reference to the seismotectonics of the region.

The Behavior of Multi-Story Buildings Seismically Isolated System Hybrid Isolation (Friction, Rubber and with the Addition of Rotational Friction Dampers)

Increasing buildings’ resistance to earthquake forces is not always a desirable solution especially for the building contents that are irreplaceable or simply more valuable than the actual primary structure (e.g. museums, data storage Centre’s, etc.). Base isolation and seismic dampers can be employed to minimize inter-story drifts and floor accelerations via specially designed isolation and dampers system at the structural base, or at higher levels of the superstructure. In this research, we’ll examine the response of buildings isolated using isolation system hybrid consisting of Lead-Rubber Bearings (LRB), Flat Sliding Bearings (FSB), with the addition of Rotation Fiction Damper (FD) at the base, then compare the results with buildings that have traditional foundation, in terms of the (period, displacement and distribution shear force and height of the building). It conducts TIME HISTORY seismic analysis for some varying height buildings (eight, twelve, sixteen, and twenty stories), with help of SAP2000 using an earthquake acceleration-time history for (El- Centro). The results show that the use of insulation system Hybrid has had a significant impact on improving the performance of origin in terms of reducing displacements and base shear with in-creasing height of the building, but has had a negative impact on the drift, which leads to an in-crease in drift with the increased flexibility of the building.

Monitoring and Identification of the Seismically Isolated “Our Lady of Tears” Shrine in Syracuse

This paper describes the installation and management of the monitoring system of the “Our Lady of Tears Shrine” in Syracuse, whose dome is an imposing r.c. and prestressed r.c. structure of about 22,000 ton that was seismically isolated by flat sliding devices with hysteretic dampers. The monitoring system, representing an upgrading and improvement of an old system never made working, has some innovative features, because it allows to manage with the same dedicated hardware and software both the slow (thermal variations, relative humidity, wind direction and velocity) and the fast acquisitions (dynamic vibrations by wind and earthquake). The monitoring system was inserted among those structures maintained and controlled by the Seismic Observatory of Structures of the National Department of Civil Protection. Some records of low magnitude earthquakes allowed to validate the correct behaviour of the whole structure, as well as to make a dynamic identification of the complex construction and to calibrate a detailed finite element model of the Sanctuary, thus predicting isolators’ behaviour under design earthquake.

Implications for fault reactivation and seismicity induced by hydraulic fracturing

Evaluating the physical mechanisms that link hydraulic fracturing(HF) operations to induced earthquakes and the anticipated form of the resulting events is significant in informing subsurface fluid injection operations. Current understanding supports the overriding role of the effective stress magnitude in triggering earthquakes, while the impact of change rate of effective stress has not been systematically addressed. In this work, a modified critical stiffness was brought up to investigate the likelihood, impact,and mitigation of induced seismicity during and after hydraulic fracturing by developing a poroelastic model based on rate-and-state fraction law and linear stability analysis. In the new criterion, the change rate of effective stress was considered a key variable to explore the evolution of this criterion and hence the likelihood of instability slip of fault. A coupled fluid flow-deformation model was used to represent the entire hydraulic fracturing process in COMSOL Multiphysics. The possibility of triggering an earthquake throughout the entire hydraulic fracturing process, from fracturing to cessation, was investigated considering different fault locations, orientations, and positions along the fault. The competition between the effects of the magnitude and change rate of effective stress was notable at each fracturing stage. The effective stress magnitude is a significant controlling factor during fracturing events, with the change rate dominating when fracturing is suddenly started or stopped. Instability dominates when the magnitude of the effective stress increases(constant injection at each fracturing stage) and the change rate of effective stress decreases(the injection process is suddenly stopped). Fracturing with a high injection rate, a fault adjacent to the hydraulic fracturing location and the position of the junction between the reservoir and fault are important to reduce the Coulomb failure stress(CFS) and enhance the critical stiffness as the significant disturbance of stresses at these positions in the coupled process. Therefore,notable attention should be given to the injection rate during fracturing, fault position, and position along faults as important considerations to help reduce the potential for induced seismicity. Our model was verified and confirmed using the case of the Longmaxi Formation in the Sichuan Basin, China, in which the reported microseismic data were correlated with high critical stiffness values. This work supplies new thoughts of the seismic risk associated with HF engineering.

Introduction to a recently released dataset entitled CSNCD:A Comprehensive Dataset of Chinese Seismic Network

China and its adjacent regions are heavily affected by earthquake disasters,which has led to strong demand and vigorous development of the Chinese Seismic Network(CSN).Since 2004,China Earthquake Networks Center(CENC)has been authorized by China Earthquake Administration(CEA)to take charge of CSN management,mainly observing product output and quality control.

Resilience-incorporated seismic risk assessment of precast concrete frames with“dry”connections

A resilience-incorporated risk assessment framework is proposed and demonstrated in this study to manifest the advantageous seismic resilience of precast concrete frame(PCF)structures with“dry”connections in terms of their low damage and rapid recovery.The framework integrates various uncertainties in the seismic hazard,fragility,capacity,demand,loss functions,and post-earthquake recovery.In this study,the PCF structures are distinguished from ordinary reinforced concrete frame(RCF)structures by characterizing multiple limit states for the PCF based on its unique damage mechanisms.Accordingly,probabilistic story-wise pushover analyses are performed to yield story-wise capacities for the predefined limit states.In the seismic resilience analysis,a step-wise recovery model is proposed to idealize the functionality recovery process,with separate considerations of the repair and non-repair events.The recovery model leverages the economic loss and downtime to delineate the stochastic post-earthquake recovery curves for the resilience loss estimation.As such,contingencies in the probabilistic post-earthquake repairs are incorporated and the empirical judgments on the recovery parameters are largely circumvented.The proposed framework is demonstrated through a comparative study between two“dry”connected PCFs and one RCF designed as alternative structural systems for a prototype building.The results from the risk quantification indicate that the PCFs show reduced loss hazards and lower expected losses relative to the RCF.Particularly,the PCF equipped with energy dissipation devices at the“dry”connections largely reduces the expected economic loss,downtime,and resilience loss by 29%,56%,and 60%,respectively,compared to the RCF.

The 2023 Turkey earthquake doublet: Earthquake relocation, seismic tomography, and stress field inversion

On February 6,2023,two earthquakes with magnitudes of M_(W) 7.8 and M_(W) 7.5 struck southeastern Turkey,causing significant casualties and economic losses.These seismic events occurred along the East Anatolian Fault Zone,a convergent boundary between the Arabian Plate and the Anatolian Subplate.In this study,we analyze the M_(W) 7.8 and M_(W) 7.5 earthquakes by comparing their aftershock relocations,tomographic images,and stress field inversions.The earthquakes were localized in the upper crust and exhibited steep dip angles.Furthermore,the aftershocks occurred either close to the boundaries of low and high P-wave velocity anomaly zones or within the low P-wave velocity anomaly zones.The East Anatolia Fault,associated with the M_(W) 7.8 earthquake,and the SürgüFault,related to the M_(W) 7.5 earthquake,predominantly experienced shear stress.However,their western sections experienced a combination of strike-slip and tensile stresses in addition to shear stress.The ruptures of the M_(W) 7.8 and M_(W) 7.5 earthquakes appear to have bridged a seismic gap that had seen sparse seismicity over the past 200 years prior to the 2023 Turkey earthquake sequence.

On electro-acoustic characteristics of a marine broadband sparker for seismic exploration

The construction of major marine infrastructure projects and the exploration and development of deep-sea mineral resources require fine imaging of seabed strata and structures.The highresolution marine seismic exploration based on a high broadband sparker source is an important approach to reveal seabed stratum and reservoir structure,and identify geohazard.To optimize the performance of sparker seismic source,we investigated the electro-acoustic characteristics of spark discharge under conditions of different charging voltages and electrode numbers.Results show that the sound source level increased with the increase of the charging voltage,whereas the main frequency decreased when the charging voltage increases.In addition,it was found that the charging capacitance had more obvious influence on the main frequency than the sound source level did.Although the load energy decreased with increasing electrode number,the sound source level still increased but the main frequency decreased.Meanwhile,the primary to bubble(P/B)ratio increased with the increase of the electrode number.To gain a deeper insight into the electro-acoustic characteristics,we investigate the relationship between sound source level and power peak,from which a good correlation was observed.A more practical statistical analysis on the rise rate of current was processed,and a perfect logarithmic function was derived.Furthermore,we found that the main frequency was most possibly subjected to the electrical energy,especially the charging energy per electrode.The results indicate that the charging energy per electrode less than 10 J could increase the main frequency to above 300 Hz.At last,the main frequency could be reduced to 20 Hz when the charging energy of a single-electrode discharge was enhanced to over 4 kJ.This study shall be helpful in developing a sparker seismic source and improving the performance for marine engineering exploration and geohazard assessment.

Detailed seismic zoning of the East Kazakhstan region in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is currently drafting new construction regulations that comply with the major provisions of the Eurocodes.Such regulations are created on the basis of seismic zoning maps of various degrees of detail,developed by our Institute of Seismology using a new methodological approach for Kazakhstan.The article is about creating the first normative map of the Detailed Seismic Zoning on a probabilistic foundation for the Republic of Kazakhstan’s East Kazakhstan region.We carried out the probabilistic assessment of seismic hazard using a methodology consistent with the main provisions of Eurocode 8and updated compared with that used in developing maps of Kazakhstan’s General Seismic Zoning and seismic microzoning of Almaty.The most thorough and current data accessible for the area under consideration were combined with contemporary analytical techniques.Updates have been done to not only the databases being used but also the way seismic sources were shown,including active faults now.On a scale of 1:1000000,precise seismic zoning maps of the East Kazakhstan region were created for two probabilities of exceedance:10%and 2%in 50 years in terms of peak ground accelerations and macroseismic intensities.The obtained seismic hazard distribution is generally consistent with the General Seismic Zoning of Kazakhstan’s previous findings.However,because active faults were included and a thoroughly revised catalog was used,there are more pronounced zones of increased danger along the fault in the western part of the region.In the west of the territory,acceleration values also increased due to a more accurate consideration of seismotectonic conditions.Zoning maps are the basis for developing new state building regulations of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Equivalent linear model for seismic damage evaluation of single-degree-of-freedom systems representing reinforced concrete structures considering cyclic degradation behavior

In this study,a novel equivalent damping ratio model that is suitable for reinforced concrete(RC)structures considering cyclic degradation behavior is developed,and a new equivalent linearization analysis method for implementing the proposed equivalent damping ratio model for use in seismic damage evaluation is presented.To this end,Ibarra’s peak-oriented model,which incorporates an energy-based degradation rule,is selected for representing hysteretic behavior of RC structure,and the optimized equivalent damping for predicting the maximum displacement response is presented by using the empirical method,in which the effect of cyclic degradation is considered.Moreover,the relationship between the hysteretic energy dissipation of the inelastic system and the elastic strain energy of the equivalent linear system is established so that the proposed equivalent linear system can be directly integrated with the Park-Ang seismic model to implement seismic damage evaluation.Due to the simplicity of the equivalent linearization method,the proposed method provides an efficient and reliable way of obtaining comprehensive insight into the seismic performance of RC structures.The verification demonstrates the validity of the proposed method.