Shake table tests of suspended ceilings to simulate the observed damage in the M_s 7.0 Lushan earthquake, China

Severe damage to suspended ceilings of metal grids and lay-in panels was observed in public buildings during the 2013 M7.0 Lushan earthquake in China. Over the past several years, suspended ceilings have been widely used practice in public buildings throughout China, including government offices, schools and hospitals. To investigate the damage mechanism of suspended ceilings, a series of three-dimensional shake table tests was conducted to reproduce the observed damage. A full-scale reinforced concrete frame was constructed as the testing frame for the ceiling, which was single-story and infilled with brick masonry walls to represent the local construction of low-rise buildings. In general, the ceiling in the tests exhibited similar damage phenomena as the field observations, such as higher vulnerability of perimeter elements and extensive damage to the cross runners. However, it exhibited lower fragility in terms of peak ground/roof accelerations at the initiation of damage. Further investigations are needed to clarify the reasons for this behavior.

Adaptation of real earthquake records for their reproduction by a shaking table with limited stroke

Shaking tables with moving platforms are widely used in laboratory testing of structural models and full-sized devices. In most cases, the platform＇s movement should reproduce real ground acceleration records. However, the stroke of the platform, required for reproduction of real records, is usually rather large. This limitation does not allow an accurate realization of the ground motion by the shaking table. Commonly, in order to overcome this problem, original records are modified, which causes a significant change in the acceleration records＇ spectra. That is why structural responses to the original and to the modified records are different. A new method for modification of original acceleration records is proposed, in which the original record is corrected by an additional artificial one that changes the shaking platform＇s displacement. The corrected record is obtained as a sequence of impulses, The magnitude and duration of each impulse, as well as their location on the time scale, are obtained by an optimization procedure. The optimization is implemented according to a performance index, aimed to minimize the influence of the correcting acceleration record on the specmam of the original one. The proposed method has higher reproduction accuracy, compared to other known methods. Its effectiveness is demonstrated by comparison of response spectra and dynamic behaviors of three multi-story structures subjected to natural and modified seismic excitations.

Detection of the support damage of spatial steel structures under earthquakes based on shaking table test

There are always some local damages in spatial steel structures induced by strong earthquakes, such as welding cracks of steel nodes,anchor loose of supports etc.If these local damages of spatial steel structures occur,there will be serious dangers to the structural safety.In order to detect the position of local damage under earthquake quickly and accurately,the method of support damage diagnosis of spatial steel structures under earthquakes is studied by using wavelet packet decomposition,data fusion and cluster analysis.Furthermore,a scale model of spatial steel structure was tested on a seismic simulation shaking table to detect the position of damaged support.Results show that the damaged support position can be detected accurately by using the method proposed in this paper,which has practical applications to the damage detection of spatial steel structures.

Shaking Intensity Distribution of the April 14,2010 Yushu,China Earthquake

Two hours after the 2010 Yushu Earthquake, the shaking intensity distribution was obtained using the ShakeMap Rapid Generation System Based on Site Effects, developed by the author, which integrates the information of tectonic settings, the strike and scale of causative faults, focal mechanism solutions, fault rupture process and attenuation relationship in Western China, as well as local site effects. The results are as follows： （1） The major axis of shaking intensity distribution is directed NW-SE, parallel to the Yushu fault; （2） The meizoseismal area reaches an intensity IX and covers 300km^2; （3） The intensity IX area is mainly distributed in the area 40km southeast and 15km northwest of the epicenter along the causative fault; （4） Due to local soil conditions, the northwestern part of the area with intensity IX on bedrock shows an intensity Ⅷ when converting from the bedrock to the soil; （5） Areas with intensity Ⅷ, VII, VI measure 3,000km^2, 8,000km^2, and 24,000km^2, respectively.

Analysis of Earthquake-Triggered Failure Mechanisms of Slopes and Sliding Surfaces

Earthquake-induced landslides along the Dujiangyan-Yingxiu highway after the Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 were investigated. It was found that： （1） slopes were shattered and damaged during the earthquake and open tension cracks formed on the tops of the slopes; （2） the upper parts of slopes collapsed and slid, while the lower parts remained basically intact, indicating that the upper parts of slopes would be damaged more heavily than the lower parts during an earthquake. Large-scale shaking table model tests were conducted to study failure behavior of slopes under the Wenchuan seismic wave, which reproduced the process of deformation and failure of slopes. Tension cracks emerged at the top and upper part of model, while the bottom of the model remained intact, consistent with field investigations. Depth of the tension crack at the top of model is 32 cm, i.e., 3.2 m compared to the prototype natural slope with a height of 14 m when the length scale ratio （proto/model） is lo. Acceleration at the top of the slope was almost twice as large as that at the toe when the measured accelerations on shaking table are 4.85 m/s2 and 6.49 m/s2, which means that seismic force at the top of the slope is twice the magnitude of that at the toe. By use of the dynamic-strength-reduction method, numerical simulation was conducted to explore the process and mechanism of formation of the sliding surface, with other quantified information. The earthquake-induced failure surfaces commonly consist of tension cracks and shear zones. Within 5 mfrom the top of the slope, the dynamic sliding surface will be about 1 m shallower than the pseudo-static sliding surface in a horizontal direction when the peak ground acceleration （PGA） is 1 m/s2; the dynamic sliding surface will be about 2 m deeper than the pseudo-static sliding surface in a horizontal direction when the PGA is lo m/sL and the depths of the dynamic sliding surface and the pseudo-static sliding surface will be almost the same when the PGA is 2 m/s2. Based on these findings, it is suggested that the key point of anti-seismic design, as well as for mitigation of post-earthquake, secondary mountain hazards, is to prevent tension cracks from forming in the upper part of the slope. Therefore, the depth of tension cracks in slope surfaces is the key to reinforcement of slopes. The depth of the sliding surface from the pseudo-static method can be a reference for slope reinforcement mitigation.

Experimental validation of a signal-based approach for structural earthquake damage detection using fractal dimension of time frequency feature

This article extends a signal-based approach formerly proposed by the authors, which utilizes the fractal dimension of time frequency feature （FDTFF） of displacements, for earthquake damage detection of moment resist frame （MRF）, and validates the approach with shaking table tests. The time frequency feature （TFF） of the relative displacement at measured story is defined as the real part of the coefficients of the analytical wavelet transform. The fractal dimension （FD） is to quantify the TFF within the fundamental frequency band using box counting method. It is verified that the FDTFFs at all stories of the linear MRF are identical with the help of static condensation method and modal superposition principle, while the FDTFFs at the stories with localized nonlinearities due to damage will be different from those at the stories without nonlinearities using the reverse-path methodology. By comparing the FDTFFs of displacements at measured stories in a structure, the damage-induced nonlinearity of the structure under strong ground motion can be detected and localized. Finally shaking table experiments on a 1：8 scale sixteen-story three-bay steel MRF with added frictional dampers, which generate local nonlinearities, are conducted to validate the approach.

Novel dynamic test system for simulating high-speed train moving on bridge under earthquake excitation

China’s high-speed railways are always facing the potential damage risk induced by strong earthquakes.And the route design concept of“using bridge instead of embankment”has also greatly increased the probability of high speed trains moving on bridges when a strong earthquake happens.In the past decades,a bunch of theoretical and numerical studies have been conducted in the seismic dynamic field of high-speed railway.However,the effective dynamic test system for verifying the given method and theoretical results is still lacking.Therefore,a novel dynamic test system(DTS)consisting of a shaking table array and a train-pass-bridge reduced-scale model is proposed in this paper.Through some crucial technical problems discussion,the effectiveness of similar design scheme and the feasibility of reduced-scale DTS are elaborated,and then the detailed DTS structures are given and displayed as part-by-part.On this basis,the demonstration tests are conducted and compared with the numerical simulation.The results show that the proposed DTS is accurate and effective.Therefore,the DTS can provide a new physical simulation approach to study the high-speed train’s running safety on bridges under earthquakes and can also provide a reference for the construction of related systems.

The response law of far-field seismic ground motion of the Wenchuan earthquake and its damaging mechanism in the Loess Plateau

A series of housing collapses and other serious damage was caused by the 2008 Wenchuan M_(S)8.0 earthquake in the seismic intensity Ⅵ areas of the Loess Plateau, which is hundreds of kilometers away from the epicenter, and which showed a remarkable seismic intensity anomaly. The seismic disasters are closely related to the seismic response characteristics of the site, therefore, the systematic study of the far-field seismic response law of the Wenchuan earthquake in the Loess Plateau is of great significance to prevent the far-field disaster of great earthquake. In this paper, the seismic acceleration records of several bedrock stations and loess stations from the seismogenic fault of the Wenchuan earthquake to the Loess Plateau were collected, and the attenuation law of ground motion along the propagation path and the characteristics of seismic response on the loess site are studied,and the mechanism of amplification effect of ground motion is analyzed based on the dynamic feature parameters of the loess site obtained through the HVSR method. Taking a typical loess site of thick deposit as the prototype, a series of shaking table tests of dynamic response of loess site models with different thicknesses were carried out.Amplification effect, spectral characteristics of acceleration in model sites were analyzed under the action of a farfield seismic wave of the Wenchuan earthquake. The results show that seismic attenuation on the propagation path along the NE strike of the seismogenic fault to the Loess Plateau is slower than that in other directions, and the predominant period range of ground motion on bedrock site of the Loess Plateau presents broadband characteristics. Because the natural periods of loess sites with thick deposits are within the predominant period range of bedrock input wave, loess sites appear significant amplification effect of ground motion, the horizontal acceleration of ground motion exceeds 0.1 g, the seismic intensity reaches 7°. The thicker the loess deposit is, the more significant the change of spectral characteristics of ground motion on loess sites, and the narrower the predominant period range of ground motion becomes, and the closer it is to the natural period of loess sites.Therefore, for some old houses on thick loess sites, the poor seismic performance and strong seismic response eventually led to their collapses and damages because their natural periods are very close to the predominant period of ground motion of the Wenchuan earthquake on thick loess sites;For these damaged high-rise buildings,the resonance effect might be the main reason for their damages because their natural periods are included in the predominant period range of ground motion of the Wenchuan earthquake on thick loess sites.These research results would provide a basis for seismic disasters prediction and evaluation and seismic design of construction engineering in the Loess Plateau.

A particular case study for earthquake soil amplification

Seismic wave amplification study is conducted for the town of Avcilar, Istanbul, located at about 120 kilometers west of the epicenter of the Kocaeli earthquake of August 17, 1999. The soil data is obtained from the literature published earlier by various researchers. It is determined, through the use of well known computer program Shake 2000, that the three major predominant periods of the ground are, 1.60, 1.00 and 0.70 s, respectively. Thus, the reasons of extensive damages occurred to 6 to 8 storey high residential buildings in the region, may be attributed to both the long distance effects of the high period waves of the earthquake and soil amplification.

Earthquake response of wrap faced embankment on soft clay soil in Bangladesh

A wrap-faced embankment model on soft clay soil subjected to earthquake motion was investigated in this study.The study was conducted both experimentally using a shaking table and numerically using PLAXIS 3D software.The amplification of acceleration,displacement,pore water pressure,and strain response were measured while varying input accelerations and surcharge pressures.Time histories of the Kobe record of the 1995 Hanshin earthquake were used as the input seismic motion.The input acceleration was 0.05 g,0.1 g,0.15 g,and 0.2 g,and different surcharge pressures were 0.70 kPa,1.12 kPa,and 1.72 kPa with relative density of Sylhet sand fixed to 48%.The output data from the shaking table tests and the numerical analysis performed through the PLAXIS 3D software were compared,and these findings were also compared with some earlier similar studies.The acceleration amplification,displacement,pore water pressure,and strain(%)changed along the elevation of the embankment and acceleration response increased with the increase in base acceleration.The increase was more noticeable at higher elevations.These findings enrich the knowledge of predicting the dynamic behavior of wrap-faced embankments and enable the design parameters to be adjusted more accurately.

The Stochastic Finite-Fault Modeling Based on a Dynamic Corner Frequency Simulating of Strong Ground Motion for Earthquake Scenario of North Tabriz Fault

The occurrence of the historical and machine Earthquakes, near to the North Tabriz Fault in NW Iran is an evidence for the seismic activity of this fault, which records a historical earthquake with a magnitude more than 7. Using the existing experimental relations, seismicity, and the fault geometry, a Mw 7.7 earthquake scenario was defined. The stochastic finite-fault modeling based on a dynamic corner frequency shows good agreement with common attenuation patterns. The shake map illustrates that Baghmisheh, Roshtieh, Ellahieh, Valiamr, and Eram region on Tabriz are at high hazard areas, and the maximum acceleration is located at the north direction with the same azimuth similar to fault strike.

Seismic response of tunnel under normal fault slips by shaking table test technique

Mountain tunnel crossing a normal fault in seismically active zone is easily affected by normal fault slip and earthquake. It is necessary to study tunnel dynamic response under action of normal fault slip and earthquake. In this paper, a three-dimensional normal fault sliding device was designed, and a shaking table test was carried out to study tunnel seismic performance under normal fault slip. The results show that peak acceleration of lining is dominated by an existence of fault and direction of seismic excitation, not normal fault slip. And the incremental strains of lining in critical zone with 1.7 times fault thickness and centered in faults induced by normal fault slip and seismic excitation are larger than ones only by seismic excitation. And the incremental strains in critical zone increase with the increase of normal fault slip magnitude ranging from 0 to 2 mm. And normal fault slip results in a significant reduction of overall tunnel stiffness subjected to an earthquake. These experimental results provide a scientific reference for prevention and control measurement of tunnel damage under earthquake and normal fault slip.

Study on dynamic response of embedded long span corrugated steel culverts using scaled model shaking table tests and numerical analyses

A series of scaled-model shaking table tests and its simulation analyses using dynamic finite element method were performed to clarify the dynamic behaviors and the seismic stability of embedded corrugated steel culverts due to strong earth-quakes like the 1995 Hyogoken-nanbu earthquake. The dynamic strains of the embedded culvert models and the seismic soil pressure acting on the models due to sinusoidal and random strong motions were investigated. This study verified that the cor-rugated culvert model was subjected to dynamic horizontal forces (lateral seismic soil pressure) from the surrounding ground, which caused the large bending strains on the structure; and that the structures do not exceed the allowable plastic deformation and do not collapse completely during strong earthquake like Hyogoken-nanbu earthquake. The results obtained are useful for design and construction of embedded long span corrugated steel culverts in seismic regions.

Shaking table test of seismic responses of anchor cable and lattice beam reinforced slope

As a combined supporting structure,the anchor cable and lattice beam have a complex interaction with the slope body.In order to investigate the seismic behaviors of the slope reinforced by anchor cable and lattice beam,a largescale shaking table test was carried out on a slope model(geometric scale of 1:20)by applying recorded and artificial seismic waves with different amplitudes.The acceleration and displacement of the slope,the displacement of lattice beam and the axial force of anchor cable were obtained to study the interaction between the slope and the supporting structure.The test results show that:(1)the acceleration responses of the slope at different relative elevations display obvious nonlinear characteristics with increasing of the peak ground acceleration(PGA)of the inputted seismic waves,and the weak intercalated layer has a stronger effect on acceleration amplification at the upper part of the slope than that at the lower part of the slope;(2)the frequency component near the second dominant frequency is significantly magnified by the interaction between the slope and the supporting structure;(3)the anchor cables at the upper part of the slope have larger peak and residual axial forces than that at the lower part of the slope,and the prestress loss of the anchor cable first occurs at the top of the slope and then passes down;(4)the peak and residual displacements inside the slope and on the lattice beam increase with the increase of relative elevation.When the inputted PGA is not greater than 0.5 g,the combined effect of anchor cable and lattice beam is remarkable for stabilizing the middle and lower parts of the potential sliding body.The research results can provide a reference for the seismic design of such slope and the optimization of supporting structure.

A shake table investigation of dynamic behavior of pile supported bridges in liquefiable soil deposits

Bridges are a part of vital infrastructure,which should operate even after a disaster to keep emergency services running.There have been numerous bridge failures during major past earthquakes due to liquefaction.Among other categories of failures,mid span collapse(without the failure of abutments)of pile supported bridges founded in liquefiable deposits are still observed even in most recent earthquakes.This mechanism of collapse is attributed to the effects related to the differential elongation of natural period of the individual piers during liquefaction.A shake table investigation has been carried out in this study to verify mechanisms behind midspan collapse of pile supported bridges in liquefiable deposits.In this investigation,a typical pile supported bridge is scaled down,and its foundations pass through the liquefiable loose sandy soil and rest in a dense gravel layer.White noise motions of increasing acceleration magnitude have been applied to initiate progressive liquefaction and to characterize the dynamic features of the bridge.It has been found that as the liquefaction of the soil sets in,the natural frequency of individual bridge support is reduced,with the highest reduction occurring near the central spans.As a result,there is differential lateral displacement and bending moment demand on the piles.It has also been observed that for the central pile,the maximum bending moment in the pile will occur at a higher elevation,as compared to that of the interface of soils of varied stiffness,unlike the abutment piles.The practical implications of this research are also highlighted.

Numerical simulations of shake-table experiment for dynamic soil-pile-structure interaction in liquefi able soils

A shake-table experiment on pile foundations in liquefi able soils composed of liquefi able sand and overlying soft clay is studied. A three-dimensional(3D) effective stress fi nite element(FE) analysis is employed to simulate the experiment. A recently developed multi-surface elasto-plastic constitutive model and a fully coupled dynamic inelastic FE formulation(u-p) are used to model the liquefaction behavior of the sand. The soil domains are discretized using a solid-fl uid fully coupled(u-p) 20-8 noded brick element. The pile is simulated using beam-column elements. Upon careful calibration, very good agreement is obtained between the computed and the measured dynamic behavior of the ground and the pile. A parametric analysis is also conducted on the model to investigate the effect of pile-pinning, pile diameter, pile stiffness, ground inclination angle, superstructure mass and pile head restraints on the ground improvement. It is found that the pile foundation has a noticeable pinning effect that reduces the lateral soil displacement. It is observed that a larger pile diameter and fi xed pile head restraints contribute to decreasing the lateral pile deformation; however, a higher ground inclination angle tends to increase the lateral pile head displacements and pile stiffness, and superstructure mass seems to effectively infl uence the lateral pile displacements.

Shaking Table Test on Out-of-Plane Stability of Infill Masonry Wall

The behaviors of infill wall in earthquakes show that infill masonry walls,which are used as nonstructural elements of concrete frames,are vulnerable when they are subjected to earthquake.In order to achieve an optimal antiseismic behavior,or even stability,two methods of connection are investigated.The shaking table tests,with 1:3 scale walls of two-storey model subjected to horizontal earthquake loads,were carried out to investigate the out-of-plane behaviors with different connections between walls and beams.The test results show that the connection methods employed between walls and beams have a significant effect on the out-of-plane stability of infill walls.The walls bound by bars with the beams perform better than those with inclined bricks without gaps.

Shaking table tests and numerical simulation of dynamic properties of underground structures

It is considered thai the damage of the underground structures caused by earthquakes is minor for a long time. However, the catastrophic damages induced by several recent earthquakes （e. g. Kobe earthquake in 1995 ） revealed that the study on the dynamic properties of the underground structures is indispensable. The dynamic behavior and damage mechanism of underground structure are analyzed by using shaking table tests （ both shallow-and deep-buried） and numerical simulation （3D FEM） including horizontal and vertical input motions, individually and simultaneously. From the results, the underground structure collapsed due to strong horizontal forces although vertical deformation is not negligible. The vertical excitation increases the response of structure, especially the stress and shear stress at the upper section; the soil influenced the property of soilstructure system. In the same excitation, the response in shallow-buried test is larger than deep case. Both overburden and vertical earthquake play important roles in the response of structure and those are two critical aspects in the design of the large-span underground structures, such as subway stations.

地震作用下非等宽平台路堑边坡的动力响应研究

非等宽平台设计是提高碎裂岩体路堑高边坡动力稳定性的有效方法之一,在规范平台宽度不小于2 m背景下,研究该类型边坡的动力响应特征具有重要工程应用价值。通过FLAC3D有限元软件计算三级台阶式边坡平台位置的PGA放大系数、塑性变形区和最大剪应变,然后基于数值模拟结果设计大型振动台物理模拟试验开展非等宽台阶式边坡变形失稳特征和PGA放大系数变化研究,对二级平台宽度引起的边坡破坏程度进行分析,提出路堑边坡工程设计建议。数值模拟表明,随着中间平台宽度增加PGA放大系数先减后增,考虑平台的分割效应下建议该工程二级平台宽度为4 m;物理试验表明,边坡易在平台处产生应力集中,平台分割效应使边坡逐渐分解为局部破坏,地震作用下发生累进变形破坏,分为缓慢变形、加速变形和失稳破坏阶段。研究成果为该类型路堑边坡平台的设计提供了依据。

强震损伤格栅墙处理地基抗液化性能离心模型试验研究

水泥土格栅墙能有效减缓被围束土体在地震作用下的剪切荷载及变形,已广泛应用为一种高效的抗液化对策。针对其长期服役过程,开展了两组超重力离心模型试验以研究强振历史对水泥土格栅墙内被围束土体液化响应的影响。两组模型均由15 m厚的易液化含黏粒砂土和2.5 m厚的粗砂层组成。其中,一组模型采用水泥土格栅墙对易液化层进行加固;另一组模型则未进行处理,作为自由场地对照组。两组模型均经历振幅为0.15g的振动事件,且在0.15g振动事件前,对两组模型施加振幅为0.4g的振动事件作为强振历史。试验结果表明,格栅墙在强振下主要的损伤模式表现为竖向贯穿型裂缝,并部分伴随有局部斜向裂缝,且外侧格室对于中心格室表现出类似于群桩基础的“遮蔽效应”。强振历史后,格栅墙中心格室内被围束土体的超静孔压显著低于自由场地,损伤后格栅墙仍具有良好的抗液化效果。同时,格栅墙由于强振后整体刚度的削弱,其与下卧粗砂层间的剪切变形显著减小。