Seismic fragility analysis of three-tower cable-stayed bridges with different connection configurations

Seismic fragility analysis of three-tower cable-stayed bridges with three different structural systems,including rigid system(RS),floating system(FS),and passive energy dissipation system(PEDS),is conducted to study the effects of connection configurations on seismic responses and fragilities.Finite element models of bridges are established using OpenSees.A new ground motion screening method based on the statistical characteristic of the predominant period is proposed to avoid irregular behavior in the selection process of ground motions,and incremental dynamic analysis(IDA)is performed to develop components and systems fragility curves.The effects of damper failure on calculated results for PEDS are examined in terms of seismic response and fragility analysis.The results show that the bridge tower is the most affected component by different structural systems.For RS,the fragility of the middle tower is significantly higher than other components,and the bridge failure starts from the middle tower,exhibiting a characteristic of local failure.For FS and PEDS,the fragility of the edge tower is higher than the middle tower.The system fragility of RS is higher than FS and PEDS.Taking the failure of dampers into account is necessary to obtain reliable seismic capacity of cable-stayed bridges.

Seismic fragility analysis of highway bridges considering multi-dimensional performance limit state

Fragility analysis for highway bridges has become increasingly important in the risk assessment of highway transportation networks exposed to seismic hazards. This study introduces a methodology to calculate fragility that considers multi-dimensional performance limit state parameters and makes a first attempt to develop fragility curves for a multi-span continuous (MSC) concrete girder bridge considering two performance limit state parameters: column ductility and transverse deformation in the abutments. The main purpose of this paper is to show that the performance limit states, which are compared with the seismic response parameters in the calculation of fragility, should be properly modeled as randomly interdependent variables instead of deterministic quantities. The sensitivity of fragility curves is also investigated when the dependency between the limit states is different. The results indicate that the proposed method can be used to describe the vulnerable behavior of bridges which are sensitive to multiple response parameters and that the fragility information generated by this method will be more reliable and likely to be implemented into transportation network loss estimation.

Seismic fragility analysis of clay-pile-pier systems considering the optimization of ground motion intensity measures

The performance of clay-pile-pier system under earthquake shaking was comprehensively examined via three-dimensional finite element analyses,in which the complex stress-strain relationships of a clay and piled pier system were depicted by a hyperbolic-hysteretic and an equivalent elastoplastic model,respectively.One hundred twenty ground motions with varying peak accelerations were considered,along with the variations in bridge superstructure mass and pile flexural rigidity.Comprehensive comparison studies suggested that peak pile-cap acceleration and peak pile-cap velocity are the optimal ground motion intensity measures for seismic responses of the pier and the pile,respectively.Furthermore,based on two optimal ground motion intensity measures and using curvature ductility to quantify different damage states,seismic fragility analyses were performed.The pier generally had no evident damage except when the bridge girder mass was equal to 960 t,which seemed to be comparatively insensitive to the varying pile flexural rigidity.In comparison,the pile was found to be more vulnerable to seismic damage and its failure probabilities tended to clearly reduce with the increment of pile flexural rigidity,while the influence of the bridge girder mass was relatively minor.

Comparison of seismic fragility analysis methods for arch dams

This study focuses on the seismic fragility analysis of arch dams.The multiple stripe analysis(MSA),cloud analysis(CLA),and incremental dynamic analysis(IDA)methods are compared.A comprehensive dam-reservoir-foundation rock system,which considers the opening of contraction joints,the nonlinearity of dam concrete and foundation rock,the radiation damping effect of semi-unbounded foundation,and the compressibility of reservoir water,is used as a numerical example.225,80,and 15 earthquake records are selected for MSA,CLA,and IDA,respectively.The results show that MSA provides satisfactory fragility analysis,while both CLA and IDA have assumptions that may lead to deviations.Therefore,MSA is the most reliable method among the three methods and is recommended for the fragility analysis of arch dams.It is also shown that the choice of demand level affects the reliability of fragility curves and the effect of the material uncertainty on the fragility of the dam is not significant.

Earthquake Fragility Assessment of the Underground Tunnel Using an Efficient SSI Analysis Approach

This paper represents a simplified seismic fragility analysis approach of the underground tunnel structure in consideration of the soil-structure interaction (SSI) effect. SSI effect founds to be essential in the estimation of dynamic analysis of underground structures like tunnels and thus needs to be considered. The ground response acceleration method for buried structures (GRAMBS) known to be a very efficient quasi-static method that can consider SSI effect is used in the proposed approach to evaluate seismic structural responses without sacrificing much accuracy. Seismic fragility curves are then developed by applying the maximum likelihood estimates (MLE) to responses of a large set of artificial ground motion time histories generated for multiple different levels of earthquake intensity. It is also assumed in this paper that the seismic fragility curve can be represented by a two-parameter lognormal distribution function with median and log-standard deviation that need to be defined using MLE.

Probabilistic fragility analysis:A tool for assessing design rules of RC buildings

In this work, fragility analysis is performed to assess two groups of reinforced concrete structures. The first group of structures is composed of buildings that implement three common design practices; namely, fully infilled, weak ground story and short columns. The three design practices are applied during the design process of a reinforced concrete building. The structures of the second group vary according to the value of the behavioral factors used to define the seismic forces as specified in design procedures. Most seismic design codes belong to the class of prescriptive procedures where if certain constraints are fulfilled, the structure is considered safe. Prescriptive design procedures express the ability of the structure to absorb energy through inelastic deformation using the behavior factor. The basic objective of this work is to assess both groups of structures with reference to the limit-state probability of exceedance. Thus, four limit state fragility curves are developed on the basis of nonlinear static analysis for both groups of structures. Moreover, the 95% confidence intervals of the fragility curves are also calculated, taking into account two types of random variables that influence structural capacity and seismic demand.

Machine Learning-Based Seismic Fragility Analysis of Large-Scale Steel Buckling Restrained Brace Frames

Steel frames equipped with buckling restrained braces(BRBs)have been increasingly applied in earthquake-prone areas given their excellent capacity for resisting lateral forces.Therefore,special attention has been paid to the seismic risk assessment(SRA)of such structures,e.g.,seismic fragility analysis.Conventional approaches,e.g.,nonlinear finite element simulation(NFES),are computationally inefficient for SRA analysis particularly for large-scale steel BRB frame structures.In this study,amachine learning(ML)-based seismic fragility analysis framework is established to effectively assess the risk to structures under seismic loading conditions.An optimal artificial neural network model can be trained using calculated damage and intensity measures,a technique which will be used to compute the fragility curves of a steel BRB frame instead of employing NFES.Numerical results show that a highly efficient instantaneous failure probability assessment can be made with the proposed framework for realistic large-scale building structures.

Economic Growth and Agro-environmental Fragility——Based on the Provincial Panel Data Analysis

The agro-environmental fragility of 31 provinces and regions (except Hong Kong,Macao and Taiwan) of our country during the years 1978-2004 is measured by adopting the method of principal component analysis.With the support of analytical model of panel data,regressive analysis is achieved from the aspects of introducing regional differences,not introducing regional differences,existing industrial differences and not existing industrial differences respectively.The conclusion points out that there are both industrial and regional differences in the economic growth effect on the environmental fragility;these differences are reflected on the industrial or regional development levels.The higher the development level it is,the less the effect it is when the economic growth effect on the environmental fragility is negative,the more when the effect is positive,and it will change from being negative to positive when on the critical point;and vice versa.

Seismic fragility analysis of bridges by relevance vector machine based demand prediction model

A relevance vector machine(RVM)based demand prediction model is explored for efficient seismic fragility analysis(SFA)of a bridge structure.The proposed RVM model integrates both record-to-record variations of ground motions and uncertainties of parameters characterizing the bridge model.For efficient fragility computation,ground motion intensity is included as an added dimension to the demand prediction model.To incorporate different sources of uncertainty,random realizations of different structural parameters are generated using Latin hypercube sampling technique.Mean fragility,along with its dispersions,is estimated based on the log-normal fragility model for different critical components of a bridge.The effectiveness of the proposed RVM model-based SFA of a bridge structure is elucidated numerically by comparing it with fragility results obtained by the commonly used SFA approaches,while considering the most accurate direct Monte Carlo simulation-based fragility estimates as the benchmark.The proposed RVM model provides a more accurate estimate of fragility than conventional approaches,with significantly less computational effort.In addition,the proposed model provides a measure of uncertainty in fragility estimates by constructing confidence intervals for the fragility curves.

Estimation of Aleatory Randomness by S_(a)(T_(1))-Based Intensity Measures in Fragility Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Frame Structures

Based on the multiple stripes analysis method,an investigation of the estimation of aleatory randomness by S_(a)(T_(1))-based intensity measures(IMs)in the fragility analysis is carried out for two typical low-and mediumrise reinforced concrete(RC)frame structures with 4 and 8 stories,respectively.The sensitivity of the aleatory randomness estimated in fragility curves to various S_(a)(T_(1))-based IMs is analyzed at three damage limit states,i.e.,immediate occupancy,life safety,and collapse prevention.In addition,the effect of characterization methods of bidirectional ground motion intensity on the record-to-record variability is investigated.It is found that the damage limit state of the structure has an important influence on the applicability of the ground motion IM.The S_(a)(T_(1))-based IMs,considering the effect of softened period,can maintain lower record-to-record variability in the three limit states,and the S_(a)(T_(1))-based IMs,considering the effect of higher modes,do not show their advantage over S_(a)(T_(1)).Furthermore,the optimal multiplier C and exponentαin the dual-parameter ground motion IM are proposed to obtain a lower record-to-record variability in the fragility analysis of different damage limit state.Finally,the improved dual-parameter ground motion IM is applied in the risk assessment of the 8-story frame structure.

Fragility curves of concrete bridges retrofitted by column jacketing

The Northridge earthquake inflicted various levels of damage upon a large number of Caltrans' bridges not retrofitted by column jacketing.In this respect,this study represents results of fragility curve development for two (2) sample bridges typical in southern California,strengthened for seismic retrofit by means of steel jacketing of bridge columns.Monte Carlo simulation is performed to study nonlinear dynamic responses of the bridges before and after column retrofit.Fragility curves in this study are represented by lognormal distribution functions with two parameters and developed as a function of PGA.The sixty (60) ground acceleration time histories for the Los Angeles area developed for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) SAC (SEAOC-ATC CUREe) steel project are used for the dynamic analysis of the bridges. The improvement in the fragility with steel jacketing is quantified by comparing fragility curves of the bridge before and after column retrofit.In this first attempt to formulate the problem of fragility enhancement,the quantification is made by comparing the median values of the fragility curves before and after the retrofit.Under the hypothesis that this quantification also applies to empirical fragility curves developed on the basis of Northridge earthquake damage,the enhanced version of the empirical curves is developed for the ensuing analysis to determine the enhancement of transportation network performance due to the retrofit.

Development of seismic fragility curves for low-rise masonry infilled reinforced concrete buildings by a coefficient-based method

This study presents a seismic fragility analysis and ultimate spectral displacement assessment of regular low-rise masonry infilled （MI） reinforced concrete （RC） buildings using a coefficient-based method. The coefficient-based method does not require a complicated finite element analysis; instead, it is a simplifed procedure for assessing the spectral acceleration and displacement of buildings subjected to earthquakes. A regression analysis was first performed to obtain the best-fitting equations for the inter-story drift ratio （IDR） and period shift factor of low-rise MI RC buildings in response to the peak ground acceleration of earthquakes using published results obtained from shaking table tests. Both spectral acceleration- and spectral displacement-based fragility curves under various damage states （in terms of IDR） were then constructed using the coefficient-based method. Finally, the spectral displacements of low-rise MI RC buildings at the ultimate （or near- collapse） state obtained from this paper and the literature were compared. The simulation results indicate that the fragility curves obtained from this study and other previous work correspond well. Furthermore, most of the spectral displacements of low-rise MI RC buildings at the ultimate state from the literature fall within the bounded spectral displacements predicted by the coefficient-based method.

Spectral and fragility evaluations of retrofitted structures through strength reduction and enhanced damping

A retrofit procedure for existing buildings called the ＂weakening and damping technique＂ （WED） is presented in this paper. Weakening of structures can limit the maximum response accelerations during severe ground motions, but leads to an increase in the displacements or inter-story drifts. Added damping by using viscous dampers, on the other hand, reduces the inter-story drifts and has no significant effect on total accelerations, when structures behave inelastically. The weakening and damping technique addresses the two main causes for both structural and nonstructural damage in structures. The weakening retrofit is particularly suitable for structures that have overstressed components and weak brittle components. In this paper, the advantages of the WeD are verified by nonlinear dynamic analysis and simplified spectral approach that has been modified to fit structures with additional damping devices. A hospital structure located in the San Fernando Valley in California is selected as a case study. The results from both analyses show that the retrofit solution is feasible to reduce both structural acceleration and displacement. A sensitivity analysis is also carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the retrofitting method using different combinations of performance thresholds in accelerations and displacements through fragility analysis.

Assessing the seismic behavior of steel moment frames equipped by elliptical brace through incremental dynamic analysis(IDA)

Incremental dynamic analysis and nonlinear static pushover analysis are carried out on a performance-based design to determine the seismic demands and capacities of an elliptic braced moment resisting frame(ELBRF).The objective is to assess ductility,overstrength and response modification factors in a modern steel-braced structural system based on incremental dynamic analysis.This integrated system is connected to a beam and column with an appropriate length while providing enough architectural space to allow for an opening without having the common problems associated with architectural spaces in braced systems.Several different classes of buildings are considered on soil type II.Linear dynamic analysis,nonlinear static pushover analysis and incremental nonlinear dynamic analysis related to 12 records from past earthquakes are carried out using OpenSees software.The factors of ductility,overstrength and response modification are calculated for this system.The values of 9.5 and 6.5 are found and suggested only for the response modification factor for ELBRF systems in allowable stress and ultimate limit state methods,respectively.The fragility curves are plotted for the first time for this type of bracing,which contributes to the assessment of building seismic damage.

Seismic fragility reduction of an unreinforced masonry school building through retrofit using ferrocement overlay

The Himalayan region is one of the major seismic areas in the world.However,similar to many other seismically active locations,there are substantial numbers of unreinforced masonry(URM)buildings;the majority of which have not been designed for seismic loads.Past seismic events have shown that such buildings are highly vulnerable to earthquakes.Retrofitting of these URM buildings is an important concern in earthquake mitigation programs.Most government school buildings in rural areas of northern India are constructed of unreinforced masonry.These school buildings are socially important structures and serve as a crucial resource for rehabilitation during any disaster.The effectiveness of ferrocement(FC)to create a URM-FC composite is described in this study by estimating the performance and fragility of a URM school building before and after a retrofit.Analytical models,based on the equivalent frame method,are developed and used for nonlinear static analysis to estimate the enhancement in capacity.The capacity enhancement due to retrofitting is presented in terms of the maximum PGA sustained and damage probabilities at the expected level of earthquake hazard.

Performance-based passive control analysis of adjacent structures:Optimization of Maxwell dampers

The performance-based passive control analysis of the Maxwell dampers between one 10-story and one 6-story adjacent RC frames is conducted in this work.Not only the optimal parameters but also the optimal arrangements of the Maxwell dampers are proposed based on the optimal target of making the total exceeding probability of the adjacent structures to be minimal.The applicability of the analytical expressions of the Maxwell damper damping parameters under different seismic performance targets are firstly examined and then the preferable damping parameters of the Maxwell dampers are proposed through the extensive parametric studies.Furthermore,the optimal arranging positions and optimal arranging numbers of the Maxwell dampers between the adjacent buildings are derived based on a large number of seismic fragility analyses,as well.The general arranging laws of the Maxwell dampers between the adjacent buildings are generated based on the discussion of the theoretical method through the simplified plane model.The optimal parameters and optimal arrangement of the Maxwell dampers presented make both the adjacent structures have preferable controlled effects under each seismic performance target which can satisfy the requirements of multi-performance seismic resistance of the modern seismic codes.

Seismic fragility assessment of low-rise stone masonry buildings

Many historic buildings in old urban centers in Eastern Canada are made of stone masonry reputed to be highly vulnerable to seismic loads.Seismic risk assessment of stone masonry buildings is therefore the first step in the risk mitigation process to provide adequate planning for retrofit and preservation of historical urban centers.This paper focuses on development of analytical displacement-based fragility curves reflecting the characteristics of existing stone masonry buildings in Eastern Canada.The old historic center of Quebec City has been selected as a typical study area.The standard fragility analysis combines the inelastic spectral displacement,a structure-dependent earthquake intensity measure,and the building damage state correlated to the induced building displacement.The proposed procedure consists of a three-step development process：（1） mechanics-based capacity model,（2） displacement-based damage model and（3） seismic demand model.The damage estimation for a uniform hazard scenario of 2% in 50 years probability of exceedance indicates that slight to moderate damage is the most probable damage experienced by these stone masonry buildings.Comparison is also made with fragility curves implicit in the seismic risk assessment tools Hazus and ELER.Hazus shows the highest probability of the occurrence of no to slight damage,whereas the highest probability of extensive and complete damage is predicted with ELER.This comparison shows the importance of the development of fragility curves specific to the generic construction characteristics in the study area and emphasizes the need for critical use of regional risk assessment tools and generated results.

Development of seismic fragility curves for precast concrete frames with cast-in-situ concrete shear-walls

Precast reinforced concrete buildings have been well received in some seismic zones worldwide due to advantages such as the ease and the speed of implementation,and the possibility of working in inappropriate atmospheric conditions.In this research,seismic fragility curves were developed for precast concrete frames with a cast-in-situ concrete shear-wall,concerning the important issues of modeling the precast beam-column joints,construction quality,and soil type effects.For this purpose,the incremental dynamic analysis(IDA)was conducted for three-dimensional models of 3-,5-,and 8-story buildings under two record sets corresponding to soil types C and D of the NEHRP code.Beam-column joints were modeled using nonlinear rotational springs with rigid links with respect to the finite size of the joint panel.Results demonstrate that the Weibull distribution can be fitted to the damage state capacities better than the lognormal distribution at the intensities that are more than one standard deviation away from the median damage capacity.The seismic vulnerability of precast structures increases at all damage states as the height of the building increases.It is also observed that soil type has almost no considerable effect on the fragility curve parameters for all damage states considered herein.

Multi-dimensional blind separation method for STBC systems

Intercepted signal blind separation is a research topic with high importance for both military and civilian communication systems. A blind separation method for space-time block code （STBC） systems is proposed by using the ordinary independent component analysis （ICA）. This method cannot work when specific complex modulations are employed since the assumption of mutual independence cannot be satisfied. The analysis shows that source signals, which are group-wise independent and use multi-dimensional ICA （MICA） instead of ordinary ICA, can be applied in this case. Utilizing the block-diagonal structure of the cumulant matrices, the JADE algorithm is generalized to the multidimensional case to separate the received data into mutually independent groups. Compared with ordinary ICA algorithms, the proposed method does not introduce additional ambiguities. Simulations show that the proposed method overcomes the drawback and achieves a better performance without utilizing coding information than channel estimation based algorithms.

Measurement and Decomposition of Multi-Dimensional Poverty in China

Based on China Family Panel Studies(CFPS) data and global MPI standard,this paper measures and analyzes multi-dimensional poverty in China. The study finds that the level of multi-dimensional poverty in China is not high and tends to decrease over time.Uneven regional development significantly affects multi-dimensional poverty. The poor are deprived in health, education and other aspects, but indicator contributions vary among specific groups of people. Overlap between economic poverty and multi-dimensional poverty has a trend of inter-temporal reduction. China's development-centered poverty reduction policy has achieved great results and significantly improved the development capabilities of the poor. Development-oriented approach is China's important experience in poverty reduction, and forebodes China's bright prospect of achieving its goal to complete building a moderately prosperous society by 2020.