• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 2014

In this study, the probabilistic internal pressure fragility analysis was performed by using the non-linear finite element analysis method. The target structure is one of the containment buildings of typical domestic pressurized water reactors(PWRs). The 3-dimensional finite element model of the containment building was developed with considering the large equipment hatches. To consider uncertainties in the material properties and structural capacities, we performed the sensitivity analysis of the ultimate pressure capacity with respect to the variation of four important uncertain parameters. The results of the sensitivity analysis were used to the selection of the probabilistic variables and the determination of their probabilistic parameters. To reflect the present condition of the tendon pre-stressing force, the data of the pre-stressing force acquired from the in-service inspections of tendon forces were used for the determination of the median value. Two failure modes(leak, rupture) were considered and their limit states were defined to assess the internal pressure fragility of target containment building. The internal pressure fragilities for each failure mode were evaluated in terms of median internal pressure capacity, high confidence low probability of failure(HCLPF) capacity, and fragility curves with respect to the confidence levels. The HCLPF capacity was 115.9 psig for leak failure mode, and 125.0 psig for rupture failure mode.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.125-136
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• 2017

This study investigated the performance of a steel column standing on a reinforced concrete footing when it was subjected to collision of an eight-ton single unit truck. Finite element analyses of the structure with different connection schemes were performed using the finite element model of the truck, and the results showed that the behavior of the column subjected to the automobile impact depended largely on the column-footing connection detail. Various reinforcement schemes were investigated to mitigate the damage caused by the car impact. The probability of the model reinforced with a certain scheme to reach a given limit state was obtained by fragility analysis, and the effects of the combined reinforcement methods were investigated based on the equivalent fragility scheme. The analysis results showed that the reinforcement schemes such as increase of the pedestal area, decrease of the pedestal height, and the steel plate jacketing of the pedestal were effective in reducing the damage. As the speed of the automobile increased the contribution of the increase in the number of the anchor bolts and the dowel bars became more important to prevent crushing of the pedestal.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.203-214
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• 2018

Predictive demand and collapse fragility functions are two essential components of the probabilistic seismic demand analysis that are commonly developed based on statistics with enormous, costly and time consuming data gathering. Although this approach might be justified for research purposes, it is not appealing for practical applications because of its computational cost. Thus, in this paper, Bayesian regression-based demand and collapse models are proposed to eliminate the need of time-consuming analyses. The demand model developed in the form of linear equation predicts overall maximum inter-story drift of the lowto mid-rise regular steel moment resisting frames (SMRFs), while the collapse model mathematically expressed by lognormal cumulative distribution function provides collapse occurrence probability for a given spectral acceleration at the fundamental period of the structure. Next, as an application, the proposed demand and collapse functions are implemented in a seismic fragility analysis to develop fragility and consequently seismic demand curves of three example buildings. The accuracy provided by utilization of the proposed models, with considering computation reduction, are compared with those directly obtained from Incremental Dynamic analysis, which is a computer-intensive procedure.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.1695-1705
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• 2014

In the present study, a total of 275 tested specimens (149 of non-seismically designed and 126 of seismically designed) for reinforced concrete bridge piers with circular section have been investigated in order to suggest drift limits probabilistically according to damage states in seismic fragility analysis. Thus, quantitative damage states of the piers have been evaluated depending on details of the piers. Nonlinear time-history analyses have been conducted for a damaged bridge in terms of using the suggested drift limits. Then, seismic fragility analysis for a reinforced concrete bridge structure has been conducted using both suggested and existing drift limits. Comparative analyses have revealed that median values by the suggested limits is smaller than those by the existing limits. This implies that seismic performance of the structure can be overestimated when the existing limits are used.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.445-452
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• 2010

In this paper an assessment of the internal pressure fragility of the CANDU type containment buildings is performed. The uncertainties of the performance of the containment buildings, material properties and tendon characteristics are referred from the in-service reports of Wolsung Unit 1. The containment buildings are modeled as a three-dimensional finite elements with considering the major opening and penetrations. A new method to evaluate the probabilistic fragility of the massive structural system is developed. The fragility curves of the target containment building are presented with repect to the failure modes and reliability levels. The center of wall is reveled as the most weak structural component of the containment building in the sense of the rupture and catastrophic rupture failure modes.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2015

In this study, The failure of water supply facilities is categorized into two phases: functional failure and complete collapse. The fragility curve of water supply facilities under PGA has been developed for two loading cases: actual overseas earthquake and Korean artificial earthquake. The seismic fragility of water supply facilities has been analyzed and compared about failure phases and PGA. From the analysis results, the probability of failure of the wrapped steel pipe and ductile case iron pipe under Korean artificial earthquake has been shown as lower than that under actual overseas earthquake in the range from 0.1 to 0.4. The suggested seismic fragility curve by using Korean artificial earthquake can be exploited in a reasonable seismic design reflecting Korean local ground condition.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2017

The friction pendulum system(FPS) is a kind of seismic isolation devices for isolating structures from an earthquake. To analyze the effect of friction materials used in the friction pendulum system, fragility analysis of LNG tank with seismic isolation system was conducted. In this study, titanium dioxide($TiO_2$) nanoparticles were incorporated into polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF) matrix to produce friction materials attached to the FPS. The base moment of the concrete outer tank and the acceleration of the structure were evaluated from different mixing ratios of constituents for the friction materials. The seismic fragility curves were developed based on two types of limit state. It is confirmed that evaluation of combined fragility curves with several limit states can be applied to select the optimum friction material satisfying the required performance of the FPS for various infrastructure.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.25-36
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• 2018

Soil liquefaction is one of the types of major seismic damage. Soil liquefaction is a phenomenon that can cause enormous human and economic damages, and it must be examined before designing geotechnical structures. In this study, we proposed a practical method of developing a multi-hazard fragility surface for liquefaction of levee considering earthquake magnitude and water level. Limit state for liquefaction of levee was defined by liquefaction potential index (LPI), which is frequently used to assess the liquefaction susceptibility of soils. In order to consider the uncertainty of soil properties, Monte Carlo Simulation based probabilistic analysis was performed. Based on the analysis results, a 3D fragility surface representing the probability of failure by soil liquefaction as a function of the ground motion and water level has been established. The prepared multi-hazard fragility surface can be used to evaluate the safety of levees against liquefaction and to assess the risk in earthquake and flood prone areas.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.7_spc
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• pp.435-441
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• 2016

The Korean peninsula has known as a minor-to-moderate seismic region. However, some recent studies had shown that the maximum possible earthquake magnitude in the region is approximately 6.3-6.5. Therefore, a seismic vulnerability assessment of the existing infrastructures considering ground motions in Korea is necessary. In this study, we developed seismic fragility curves for a continuous steel box girder bridge and two typical transmission towers, in which a set of seven artificial and natural ground motions recorded in South Korea is used. A finite element simulation framework, OpenSees, is utilized to perform nonlinear time history analyses of the bridge and a commercial software, SAP2000, is used to perform time history analyses of the transmission towers. The fragility curves based on Korean ground motions were then compared with the fragility curves generated using worldwide ground motions to evaluate the effect of the two ground motion groups on the seismic fragility curves of the structures. The results show that both non-isolated and base-isolated bridges are less vulnerable to the Korean ground motions than to worldwide earthquakes. Similarly to the bridge case, the transmission towers are safer during Korean motions than that under worldwide earthquakes in terms of fragility functions.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.65-72
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• 2011

Extensive computer simulations to account for the randomness in the process of seismic demand estimation have been a serious obstacle to the adoption of probabilistic performance assessments for the decision of applying seismic intervention schemes. In this study, a method for rapid fragility assessments based on a response database and the fragility contour method are presented. By the comparison of response contours in different formats, it is shown that representing maximum responses in ductility demand is better for the investigation of the effect of structural parameter changes on seismic demands than representations in absolute values. The presented fragility contour enables designers to practically investigate the probabilistic performance level of every possible retrofit option in a convenient manner using visualized data sets. This example demonstrates the extreme efficiency of the proposed approach in performing fragility assessments and successful application to the seismic retrofit strategies based on limit state probabilities.