• 한국지진공학회논문집
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.29-36
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• 2015

Base isolation is considered as a seismic protective system in the design of next generation Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). If seismic isolation devices are installed in nuclear power plants then the safety under a seismic load of the power plant may be improved. However, with respect to some equipment, seismic risk may increase because displacement may become greater than before the installation of a seismic isolation device. Therefore, it is estimated to be necessary to select equipment in which the seismic risk increases due to an increase in the displacement by the installation of a seismic isolation device, and to perform research on the seismic performance of each piece of equipment. In this study, modified NRC-BNL benchmark models were used for seismic analysis. The numerical models include representations of isolation devices. In order to validate the numerical piping system model and to define the failure mode, a quasi-static loading test was conducted on the piping components before the analysis procedures. The fragility analysis was performed by using the results of the inelastic seismic response analysis. Inelastic seismic response analysis was carried out by using the shell finite element model of a piping system considering internal pressure. The implicit method was used for the direct integration time history analysis. In addition, the collapse load point was used for the failure mode for the fragility analysis.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.389-398
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• 2018

The seismic isolation system makes a structure isolated from ground motions to protect the structure from seismic events. Seismic isolation techniques have been implemented in full-scale buildings and bridges because of their simplicity, economic effectiveness, inherent stability and reliability. As for the responses of an isolated structure due to seismic events, it is well known that the most uncertain aspects are the seismic loading itself and structural properties. Due to the randomness of earthquakes and uncertainty of structures, seismic response distributions of an isolated structure are needed when evaluating the seismic fragility assessment (or probabilistic seismic safety assessment) of an isolated structure. Seismic response time histories are useful and often essential elements in its design or evaluation stage. Thus, a large number of non-linear dynamic analyses should be performed to evaluate the seismic performance of an isolated structure. However, it is a monumental task to gather the design or evaluation information of the isolated structure from too many seismic analyses, which is impractical. In this paper, a new methodology that can evaluate the seismic fragility assessment of an isolated structure is proposed by using stochastic response database, which is a device that can estimate the seismic response distributions of an isolated structure without any seismic response analyses. The seismic fragility assessment of the isolated nuclear power plant is performed using the proposed methodology. The proposed methodology is able to evaluate the seismic performance of isolated structures effectively and reduce the computational efforts tremendously.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제18권3호
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• pp.285-296
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• 2020

Dams are important structures for management of water supply for irrigation or drinking, flood control, and electricity generation. In seismic regions, the structural safety of concrete gravity dams is important due to the high potential of life and economic loss if they fail. Therefore, the seismic analysis of existing dams in seismically active regions is crucial for predicting responses of dams to ground motions. In this paper, earthquake response of concrete gravity dams is investigated using the finite element (FE) method. The FE model accounts for dam-water-foundation rock interaction by considering compressible water, flexible foundation effects, and absorptive reservoir bottom materials. Several uncertainties regarding structural attributes of the dam and external actions are considered to obtain the fragility curves of the dam-water-foundation rock system. The structural uncertainties are sampled using the Latin Hypercube Sampling method. The Pine Flat Dam in the Central Valley of Fresno County, California, is selected to demonstrate the methodology for several limit states. The fragility curves for base sliding, and excessive deformation limit states are obtained by performing non-linear time history analyses. Tensile cracking including the complex state of stress that occurs in dams was also considered. Normal, Log-Normal and Weibull distribution types are considered as possible fits for fragility curves. It was found that the effect of the minimum principal stress on tensile strength is insignificant. It is also found that the probability of failure of tensile cracking is higher than that for base sliding of the dam. Furthermore, the loss of reservoir control is unlikely for a moderate earthquake.

• 한국지진공학회논문집
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.1-13
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• 2012

본 연구에서는 에너지 소산형 감쇠기가 설치된 철근콘크리트 구조물의 지진응답 저감효과를 확률적으로 평가하기 위하여 지진취약도 함수를 도출하였다. 가속도민감 영역과 속도민감 영역에 속하는 대표 고유주기를 갖는 비선형 단자유도 시스템으로 모델링된 철근콘크리트 구조물을 대상으로 강도와 강성의 불확실성을 고려하였다. 원구조물에 다양한 강성과 감쇠를 갖는 변위의존형 감쇠기를 부가하여 비선형시간이력해석을 수행하였으며, 해석결과의 통계를 바탕으로 로그정규분포 형태의 지진취약도 함수를 도출하였다. 원구조물의 종류별로 감쇠기의 설계변수에 따른 지진취약도 함수의 변화를 검토하고 이를 통해 손상확률의 저감효과를 분석하였다.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.341-380
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• 2023

This study evaluates the seismic fragilities in fill slopes in South Korea through parametric finite element analyses that have been barely investigated thus far. We consider three slope geometries for a slope of height 10 m and three slope angles, and two soil types, namely frictional and frictionless, associated with two soil states, loose and dense for frictional soils and soft and stiff for frictionless soils. The input ground motions accounting for four site conditions in South Korea are obtained from one-dimensional site response analyses. By comparing the numerical modeling of slopes using PLAXIS^2D against the previous studies, we compiled suites of the maximum permanent slope displacement (D_max) against two ground motion parameters, namely, peak ground acceleration (PGA) and Arias Intensity (I_A). A probabilistic seismic demand model is adopted to compute the probabilities of exceeding three limit states (minor, moderate, and extensive). We propose multiple seismic fragility curves as functions of a single ground motion parameter and numerous seismic fragility surfaces as functions of two ground motion parameters. The results show that soil type, slope angle, and input ground motion influence these probabilities, and are expected to help regional authorities and engineers assess the seismic fragility of fill slopes in the road systems in South Korea.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제10권4호
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• pp.789-810
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• 2016

Reinforced concrete (RC) bridges with both skew and curvature are pretty common in areas with complex terrains. Existing studies have shown skewed and/or curved bridges exhibit more complicated seismic performance than straight bridges, and yet related seismic risk studies are still rare. These bridges deserve more studies in low-to-moderate seismic regions than those in seismic-prone areas. This is because for bridges with irregular and complex geometric designs, comprehensive seismic analysis is not always required and little knowledge about actual seismic risks for these bridges in low-to-moderate regions is available. To provide more insightful understanding of the seismic risks and the impact from the geometric configurations, analytical fragility studies are carried out on four typical bridge designs with different geometric configurations (i.e., straight, curved, skewed, skewed and curved) in the mountain west region of the United States. The results show the curved and skewed geometries can considerably affect the bridge seismic fragility in a complex manner, underscoring the importance of conducting detailed seismic risk assessment of skewed and curved bridges in low-to-moderate seismic regions.

• Wind and Structures
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.59-73
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• 2020

Wind fragility analysis (WFA) of concrete chimney is often executed disregarding temperature effects. But combined wind and temperature effect is the most critical limit state to define the safety of a chimney. Hence, in this study, WFA of a 70 m tall RC chimney for combined wind and temperature effects is explored. The wind force time-history is generated by spectral representation method. The safety of chimney is assessed considering limit states of stress failure in concrete and steel. A moving-least-squares method based dual response surface method (DRSM) procedure is proposed in WFA to alleviate huge computational time requirement by the conventional direct Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) approach. The DRSM captures the record-to-record variation of wind force time-histories and uncertainty in system parameters. The proposed DRSM approach yields fragility curves which are in close conformity with the most accurate direct MCS approach within substantially less computational time. In this regard, the error by the single-level RSM and least-squares method based DRSM can be easily noted. The WFA results indicate that over temperature difference of 150℃, the temperature stress is so pronounced that the probability of failure is very high even at 30 m/s wind speed. However, below 100℃, wind governs the design.

• 한국지진공학회논문집
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.33-41
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• 2013

Due to a high level of system ductility, steel moment resisting frames have been widely used for lateral force resisting structural systems in high seismic zones. Earthquake field investigations after Northridge earthquake in 1994 and Kobe earthquake in 1995 have reported that many steel moment resisting frames designed before 1990's had suffered significant damages and structural collapse. In this research, seismic performance assessment of steel moment resisting frames designed in accordance with the previous seismic provisions before 1990's was performed. Buckling-restrained braces and shear walls are considered for seismic retrofit of the reference buildings. Increasing stiffness and strength of the buildings using buckling-restrained braces and shear walls are considered as options to rehabilitate the damaged buildings. Probabilistic seismic performance assessment using fragility analysis results is used for the criteria for determining an appropriate seismic retrofit strategy. The fragility contour method can be used to provide an intial guideline to structural engineers when various structural retrofit options for the damaged buildings are available.

• 한국지진공학회논문집
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.133-141
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• 2013

This paper presents the seismic evaluation and prediction of a damaged piloti-type Reinforced Concrete (RC) building before and after post-retrofitting under successive earthquakes. For considering realistic successive earthquakes, the past records measured at the same station were combined. In this study, the damaged RC building due to the first earthquake was retrofitted with a buckling-restrained brace (BRB) before the second earthquake occurred. Nonlinear Time History Analysis (NTHA) was performed under the scaled intensity of the successive ground motions. Based on the extensive structural response data obtained form from the NTHA, the fragility relationships between the ground shaking intensity and the probability of reaching a pre-determined limit state was were derived. In addition, The the fragility curves of the pre-damaged building without and with the BRBs were employed to evaluate the effect of the successive earthquakes and the post-retrofit effect. Through the seismic assessment subjected to the successive records, it was observed that the seismic performance of the pre-damaged building was significantly affected by the severity of the damage from the first earthquake damages and the hysteresis behavior of the retrofit element.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• 제5권2호
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• pp.101-126
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• 2016

Seismic structural fragility constitutes an important step for performance based seismic design. Lateral load-resisting structural members are often analyzed under one component base excitation, while the effect of bi-directional shaking is accounted per simplified rules. Fragility curves are constructed herein under real bi-directional excitation by a simple extension of the conventional Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) under uni-directional shaking. Simple SODF systems, parametrically adjusted to different periods, are examined under a set of near-fault and far-fault excitations. Consideration of bi-directional interaction appears important for stiff systems. Further, the study indicates that the peak ground accelertaion, velocity and displacement (PGA, PGV and PGD) of accelerogram are relatively stable and efficient intensity measures for short, medium and long period systems respectively. '30%' combination rule seems to reasonably predict the fragility under bi-directional shaking at least for first mode dominated systems dealt herein up to a limit state of damage control.