Assessment of earthquake location uncertainties for the design of local seismic networks

The ability to estimate earthquake source locations,along with the appraisal of relevant uncertainties,is paramount in monitoring both natural and human-induced micro-seismicity.For this purpose,a monitoring network must be designed to minimize the location errors introduced by geometrically unbalanced networks.In this study,we first review different sources of errors relevant to the localization of seismic events,how they propagate through localization algorithms,and their impact on outcomes.We then propose a quantitative method,based on a Monte Carlo approach,to estimate the uncertainty in earthquake locations that is suited to the design,optimization,and assessment of the performance of a local seismic monitoring network.To illustrate the performance of the proposed approach,we analyzed the distribution of the localization uncertainties and their related dispersion for a highly dense grid of theoretical hypocenters in both the horizontal and vertical directions using an actual monitoring network layout.The results expand,quantitatively,the qualitative indications derived from purely geometrical parameters(azimuthal gap(AG))and classical detectability maps.The proposed method enables the systematic design,optimization,and evaluation of local seismic monitoring networks,enhancing monitoring accuracy in areas proximal to hydrocarbon production,geothermal fields,underground natural gas storage,and other subsurface activities.This approach aids in the accurate estimation of earthquake source locations and their associated uncertainties,which are crucial for assessing and mitigating seismic risks,thereby enabling the implementation of proactive measures to minimize potential hazards.From an operational perspective,reliably estimating location accuracy is crucial for evaluating the position of seismogenic sources and assessing possible links between well activities and the onset of seismicity.

Ideal Drift Response Curve for Robust Optimal Damper Design for Elastic-Plastic MDOF Structures under Multi-Level Earthquakes Dedicated to Professor Karl S.Pister for his 95th birthday

A new method of robust damper design is presented for elastic-plastic multi-degree-of-freedom(MDOF)building structures under multi-level ground motions(GMs).This method realizes a design that is effective for various levels of GMs.The robustness of a design is measured by an incremental dynamic analysis(IDA)curve and an ideal drift response curve(IDRC).The IDRC is a plot of the optimized maximum deformation under a constraint on the total damper quantity vs.the design level of the GMs.The total damper quantity corresponds to the total cost of the added dampers.First,a problem of generation of IDRCs is stated.Then,its solution algorithm,which consists of the sensitivity-based algorithm(SBA)and a local search method,is proposed.In the application of the SBA,the passive added dampers are removed sequentially under the specified-level GMs.On the other hand,the proposed local search method can search the optimal solutions for a constant total damper quantity under GMs’increased levels.In this way,combining these two algorithms enables the comprehensive search of the optimal solutions for various conditions of the status of the GMs and the total damper quantity.The influence of selecting the type of added dampers(oil,hysteretic,and so on)and the selection of the input GMs on the IDRCs are investigated.Finally,a robust optimal design problem is formulated,and a simple local search-based algorithm is proposed.A simple index using the IDRC and the IDA curve of the model is used as the objective function.It is demonstrated that the proposed algorithm works well in spite of its simplicity.

Damage investigation of girder bridges under the Wenchuan earthquake and corresponding seismic design recommendations

An investigation of girder bridges on National Highway 213 and the Doujiangyan-Wenchuan expressway after the Wenchuan earthquake showed that typical types of damage included： span collapses due to unseating at expansion joints; shear key failure; and damage of the expansion joint due to the slide-induced large relative displacement between the bottom of the girder and the top of the laminated-rubber bearing. This slide, however, can actually act as a form of isolation for the substructure, and as a result, the piers and foundation of most of the bridges on state route 213 suffered minor damage. The exception was the Baihua Bridge, which suffered severe damage. Corresponding seismic design recommendations are presented based on this investigation.

Lessons learned from the “5.12” Wenchuan Earthquake:evaluation of earthquake performance objectives and the importance of seismic conceptual design principles

Many different types of buildings were severely damaged or collapsed during the May 12, 2008 Great Wenchuan Earthquake. Based on survey data collected in regions that were subjected to moderate to severe earthquake intensities, a comparison between the observed building damage, and the three earthquake performance objectives and seismic conceptual design principles specified by the national ＂Code for Seismic Design of Buildings GB50011-2001,＂ was carried out. Actual damage and predicted damage for a given earthquake level for different types of structures is compared. Discussions on seismic conceptual design principles, with respect to multiple defense lines, strong column-weak beam, link beam of shear walls, ductility detailing of masonry structures, exits and staircases, and nonstructural elements, etc. are carried out. Suggestions for improving the seismic design of structures are also proposed. It is concluded that the seismic performance objectives for three earthquake levels, i.e., ＂no failure under minor earthquake level, ＂＂repairable damage under moderate earthquake level＂ and ＂no collapse under major earthquake level＂ can be achieved if seismic design principles are carried out by strictly following the code requirements and ensuring construction quality.

Performance-based seismic design of nonstructural building components:The next frontier of earthquake engineering

With the development and implementation of performance-based earthquake engineering,harmonization of performance levels between structural and nonstructural components becomes vital. Even if the structural components of a building achieve a continuous or immediate occupancy performance level after a seismic event,failure of architectural,mechanical or electrical components can lower the performance level of the entire building system. This reduction in performance caused by the vulnerability of nonstructural components has been observed during recent earthquakes worldwide. Moreover,nonstructural damage has limited the functionality of critical facilities,such as hospitals,following major seismic events. The investment in nonstructural components and building contents is far greater than that of structural components and framing. Therefore,it is not surprising that in many past earthquakes,losses from damage to nonstructural components have exceeded losses from structural damage. Furthermore,the failure of nonstructural components can become a safety hazard or can hamper the safe movement of occupants evacuating buildings,or of rescue workers entering buildings. In comparison to structural components and systems,there is relatively limited information on the seismic design of nonstructural components. Basic research work in this area has been sparse,and the available codes and guidelines are usually,for the most part,based on past experiences,engineering judgment and intuition,rather than on objective experimental and analytical results. Often,design engineers are forced to start almost from square one after each earthquake event: to observe what went wrong and to try to prevent repetitions. This is a consequence of the empirical nature of current seismic regulations and guidelines for nonstructural components. This review paper summarizes current knowledge on the seismic design and analysis of nonstructural building components,identifying major knowledge gaps that will need to be filled by future research. Furthermore,considering recent trends in earthquake engineering,the paper explores how performance-based seismic design might be conceived for nonstructural components,drawing on recent developments made in the field of seismic design and hinting at the specific considerations required for nonstructural components.

Revision of seismic design codes corresponding to building damagesin the “5.12” Wenchuan earthquake

A large number of buildings were seriously damaged or collapsed in the "5.12" Wenchuan earthquake. Based on field surveys and studies of damage to different types of buildings, seismic design codes have been updated. This paper briefly summarizes some of the major revisions that have been incorporated into the "Standard for classification of seismic protection of building constructions GB50223-2008" and "Code for Seismic Design of Buildings GB50011-2001." The definition of seismic fortification class for buildings has been revisited, and as a result, the seismic classifications for schools, hospitals and other buildings that hold large populations such as evacuation shelters and information centers have been upgraded in the GB50223-2008 Code. The main aspects of the revised GB50011-2001 code include: (a) modification of the seismic intensity specified for the Provinces of Sichuan, Shanxi and Gansu; (b) basic conceptual design for retaining walls and building foundations in mountainous areas; (c) regularity of building configuration; (d) integration of masonry structures and precast RC floors; (e) requirements for calculating and detailing stair shafts; and (f) limiting the use of single-bay RC frame structures. Some significant examples of damage in the epicenter areas are provided as a reference in the discussion on the consequences of collapse, the importance of duplicate structural systems, and the integration of RC and masonry structures.

Dynamics of risers for earthquake resistant designs

It is well known that no criterion about seismic design for risers is available, and relevant research has not been reported. A comprehensive study of riser dynamics during earthquakes is performed in this paper. A dynamic model for seismic analysis of risers is developed in accordance with the working environment of the risers and the influence of inertia force of the pipelines. The dynamic equations for the developed model are derived and resolved on the basis of the energy theory of beams. Numerical simulation for an engineering project in the Bohai Oil Field, China shows that the fundamental frequency of the riser plays the major role in the seismic responses, and for platforms in shallow water in Bohai Bay, the risers demonstrate a much lower stress response due to prominent differences between the riser frequency and the earthquake wave frequency. The presented model and its corresponding method for seismic analysis are practical and important for riser design resistant to earthquake waves.

Study on strength reduction factors consid-ering the effect of classification of design earthquake

The strength reduction factors are not only the key factors in determining seismic action for force-based seismic design, but also the key parameters to derive the inelastic response spectra for performance-based seismic design. In this paper, with a high quality ground motion database that includes a reasonable-sized set of records from China, a statistical study on the strength reduction factors is conducted and a new expression of strength reduction factors involving classification of design earthquake, which is an important concept to determine design spectra in Chinese seismic design code, is proposed. The expression of strength reduction factors can reflect the ground motion characteristics of China to a certain extent and is particularly suitable for Chinese seismic design. Then, the influence effects of site condition, classification of design earthquake, period of vibration, ductility level, earthquake magnitude and distance to fault on strength reduction factors are investigated. It is concluded that the effect of site condition on the strength reduction factors cannot be neglected, especially for the short-period structures of higher ductility. The classification of design earthquake also has an important effect on strength reduction factors and it may be unsuitable to use the existing expressions of strength reduction factors to the design spectra of current Chinese seismic code. The earthquake magnitude has no practical effect on strength reduction factors and if the near-fault records with forward directivity effect are not taken into consideration, the effect of distance to fault on strength reduction factors can also be neglected.

Response spectrum of seismic design code for zones lack of near-fault strong earthquake records

It was shown from the study on the recently near-fault earthquake ground motions that the near-fault effects were seldom considered in the existing Chinese seismic code. Referring to the UBC97 design concept for near-fault factors, based on the collected world-widely free-site records of near-fault earthquakes ground motions classified by earthquake magnitude and site condition, the attenuation relationship expressions of the acceleration spectrum demand at the key points within the long period and moderate period were established in term of the earthquake magnitude and the site condition. Furthermore, the near-fault factors＇ expressions about the earthquake magnitude and the fault distance were deduced for the area lack of near-fault strong earthquake records. Based on the current Chinese Building Seismic Design Code, the near-fault effect factors and the modified design spectral curves, which were valuable for the seismic design, were proposed to analyze the seismic response of structures.

Optimal seismic design of reinforced concrete structures under timehistory earthquake loads using an intelligent hybrid algorithm

A reliable seismic-resistant design of structures is achieved in accordance with the seismic design codes by designing structures under seven or more pairs of earthquake records. Based on the recommendations of seismic design codes, the average time-history responses （ATHR） of structure is required. This paper focuses on the optimal seismic design of reinforced concrete （RC） structures against ten earthquake records using a hybrid of particle swarm optimization algorithm and an intelligent regression model （IRM）. In order to reduce the computational time of optimization procedure due to the computational efforts of time-history analyses, IRM is proposed to accurately predict ATHR of structures. The proposed IRM consists of the combination of the subtractive algorithm （SA）, K-means clustering approach and wavelet weighted least squares support vector machine （WWLS-SVM）. To predict ATHR of structures, first, the input-output samples of structures are classified by SA and K-means clustering approach. Then, WWLS-SVM is trained with few samples and high accuracy for each cluster. 9- and 18-storey RC frames are designed optimally to illustrate the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed IRM. The numerical results demonstrate the efficiency and computational advantages of IRM for optimal design of structures subjected to time-history earthquake loads.

Furniture Innovative Design with Earthquake Self-rescue Function： From Furniture Form and Structure Perspective

Firstly, the background of earthquake disasters occurred recently and the necessity of furniture design with earthquake emergency self-rescue function were analyzed. Then the research situation on furniture design with earthquake emergency self-rescue function were summarized, and the rethinking on functional design of furniture, especially design on form and structure, were conducted based on analysis of theoretical basis of furniture design with earthquake emergency self-rescue function. Finally, bedside tables were designed as demonstration, which provides a new approach to furniture design with earthquake emergency self-rescue function.

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.

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.

The Ultimate Anti-Seismic Design Method

The design mechanisms and methods of the invention are intended to minimize problems related to the safety of structures in the event of natural phenomena such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and strong winds. It is achieved by controlling the deformations of the structure. Damage and deformation are closely related concepts since the control of deformations also controls the damage. The design method of applying artificial compression to the ends of all longitudinal reinforced concrete walls and, at the same time, connecting the ends of the walls to the ground using ground anchors placed at the depths of the boreholes, transfers the inertial stresses of the structure in the ground, which reacts as an external force in the structure’s response to seismic displacements. The wall with the artificial compression acquires dynamic, larger active cross-section and high axial and torsional stiffness, preventing all failures caused by inelastic deformation. By connecting the ends of all walls to the ground, we control the eigenfrequency of the structure and the ground during each seismic loading cycle, preventing inelastic displacements. At the same time, we ensure the strong bearing capacity of the foundation soil and the structure. By designing the walls correctly and placing them in proper locations, we prevent the torsional flexural buckling that occurs in asymmetrical floor plans, and metal and tall structures. Compression of the wall sections at the ends and their anchoring to the ground mitigates the transfer of deformations to the connection nodes, strengthens the wall section in terms of base shear force and shear stress of the sections, and increases the strength of the cross-sections to the tensile at the ends of the walls by introducing counteractive forces. The use of tendons within the ducts prevents longitudinal shear in the overlay concrete, while anchoring the walls to the foundation not only dissipates inertial forces to the ground but also prevents rotation of the walls, thus maintaining the structural integrity of the beams. The prestressing at the bilateral ends of the walls restores the structure to its original position even inelastic displacements by closing the opening of the developing cracks.

泸定地震中典型隔震建筑震害分析

为落实国务院744号令关于在“两区八类建筑”中推广使用隔震技术的要求,推动隔震技术的健康发展,对位于泸定地震震中的两栋隔震建筑的震害情况进行了调查。分析了某教学行政楼中隔震层的阻尼器及连接件、支墩震害原因,介绍了某宿舍楼的隔震支座震损情况,对两栋建筑隔离缝等构造处理的不合理导致震损的不足之处进行了全面、系统总结。提出了隔震建筑设计应全专业协调,避免过多设置隔离缝将建筑分割过于零碎;与阻尼器连接支墩需进行剪扭验算;穿越隔震层的设备管道的柔性连接应设置U形段预留变形长度,宽度较大的隔离缝应注意防掉落及通行需求的设计及构造等改进意见。并对隔震结构的施工,产品的检验、验收及建设单位责任提出了相关要求。

地震产品与信息可视化平台设计与实现

地震信息可视化表达可有效地减轻地震灾害损失。地震产品与信息可视化平台基于JavaEE开发,后端采用SpringMVC,前端采用REAT框架,业务信息通过ActiveMQ消息中间件传输,实现了多个地震信息产出平台的数据自动汇集。面向不同用户对象时,通过内容重构形成用户所需地震信息产品,并采用匹配的可视化手段,实现各类数据资源面向不同用户对象的可视化集成展示,提升了地震产品与信息的服务效能。

国家紧急地震信息服务系统的设计、开发及实践

紧急地震信息服务系统是国家地震烈度速报与预警工程五大技术系统的重要组成部分之一,也是对外发布紧急地震信息的关键环节和出口。作为国家地震烈度速报与预警工程“先行先试”单位,四川省地震局基于分布式服务架构开发平台,运用MQTT消息队列等技术,采用JAVA语言完成了四川紧急地震信息服务系统(B系统)的设计与定制开发。目前,该系统已纳入国家地震烈度速报与预警工程紧急地震信息发布的核心业务系统并在全国范围内部署应用,解决了现有紧急地震信息发布系统单一运行的风险,进一步提高了信息发布的稳定性、安全性和时效性。

高速铁路自复位摇摆桥墩抗震性能分析

基于OpenSEES平台分别建立4跨高速铁路传统简支梁桥和摇摆桥墩简支梁桥系统的有限元模型,并依据摇摆桥墩的基本抗震设防目标,设计摇摆桥墩耗能构件的面积和承载力。在考虑地震动随机性基础上,进行自复位摇摆桥墩在高铁桥梁系统中的抗震性能研究。结果表明:罕遇地震下自复位摇摆耗能装置能够有效降低墩底最大弯矩,减震率达20.26%,进而减少墩身损伤,但碰撞效应使墩底最大轴力放大了74.7%;墩底耗能构件基本进入塑性但未完全被破坏,可实现震后快速修复;摇摆桥墩的最大墩顶位移比传统桥墩增加了66%,但位移组成中可自复位的刚体旋转变形远大于弯曲变形,因此震后残余位移减少了35%;摇摆耗能机制对支座最大变形的减震率达12.3%,使主梁最大变形增大了约49%,但对其残余变形的影响在1 mm内;轨道约束会削弱桥墩摇摆行为,使墩顶最大位移减少了14%,但对墩顶残余位移无明显影响。

多塔大底盘RC框架隔震建筑抗震韧性设计研究

以位于Ⅷ度区(0.3 g)的某多塔钢筋混凝土(Reinforced Concrete,RC)框架建筑为研究对象,对其进行了大底盘隔震设计,研究了在设防、罕遇地震作用下3个塔楼的动力响应,并基于韧性评价标准对该隔震方案展开了2个地震水准下的抗震韧性评价。结果表明:隔震后结构基本周期延长至原来的3倍,降低了地震作用,有效控制了上部结构的地震响应。楼面绝对加速度的显著控制基本消除了加速度敏感型非结构构件的损伤。结构构件以及位移敏感型非结构构件的修复费用主导了建筑的修复费用。建筑的修复时间由阶段Ⅰ中结构构件的修复时间控制,此隔震方案下建筑的抗震韧性等级达到了三星。

地下结构抗震设计反应位移法的研究综述

近年来,反应位移法在地下结构抗震分析中的应用渐趋广泛。简要介绍了反应位移法的基本原理和应用现状,从地层变形、地基弹簧和结构模型等关键因素的角度详细总结了反应位移法的发展过程和最新研究进展,厘清了方法的完善思路,指出地层-结构相互作用是影响计算精度的重要误差来源。此外,在上述基础上论述了当前反应位移法应用过程中存在的突出问题,提出了反应位移法在进一步拓展应用场景、提升结果代表性过程中需要深入研究的关键问题。