• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.149-157
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the significant duration of ground motions on responses of base-isolated nuclear power plants (NPPs). Two sets of ground motion records with short duration (SD) and long duration (LD) motions, scaled to match the target response spectrum, are used to perform time-history analyses. The reactor containment building in the Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400) NPP is numerically modeled using lumped-mass stick elements in SAP2000. Seismic responses of the base-isolated NPP are monitored in forms of lateral displacements, shear forces, floor response spectra of the containment building, and hysteretic energy of the lead rubber bearing (LRB). Fragility curves for different limit states, which are defined based on the shear deformation of the base isolator, are developed. The numerical results reveal that the average seismic responses of base-isolated NPP under SD and LD motion sets were shown to be mostly identical. For PGA larger than 0.4g, the mean deformation of LRB for LD motions was bigger than that for SD ones due to a higher hysteretic energy of LRB produced in LD shakings. Under LD motions, median parameters of fragility functions for three limit states were reduced by 12% to 15% compared to that due to SD motions. This clearly indicates that it is important to select ground motions with both SD and LD proportionally in the seismic evaluation of NPP structures.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.1025-1037
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• 2015

Flexible base isolation bearings that separate superstructure from ground have been widely used in the construction field because they make a significant contribution to increasing the fundamental period of the structure, thereby decreasing response acceleration transmitted into the superstructure. However, the established bearing devices installed to uphold the whole building give rise to some problems involved with failure and collapse due to lack of the capacity as modern structures are getting more massive and higher. Therefore, this study suggests new isolation bearings assembled with additional restrainers enabled to reinforcing and recentering, and then evaluates their performance to withstand the seismic load. The superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) bars are installed into the conventional lead-rubber bearing (LRB) devices in order to provide recentering forces. These new systems are modeled as component spring models for the purpose of conducting nonlinear dynamic analyses with near fault ground motion data. The LRB devices with steel bars are also designed and analyzed to compare their responses with those of new systems. After numerical analyses, ultimate strength, maximum displacement, permanent deformation, and recentering ratio are compared to each model with an aim to investigate which base isolation models are superior. It can be shown that LRB models with superelastic SMA bars are superior to other models compared to each other in terms of seismic resistance and recentering effect.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.1-9
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• 2010

Most of shear wall structures require openings in shear walls and thus shear walls are linked by floor slabs or coupling beams resulting in the coupled shear wall structures. When these structures are subjected to seismic excitations, excessive shear forces are induced in coupling beams. Accordingly, brittle failure of coupling beams may occur or shear walls may yield first. To avoid this problem, damping devices can be installed in coupling beams. It can increase the vibration control effect and improve the seismic resistance performance of the coupled shear wall structure by avoiding stress concentration and the brittle failure of coupling beams. Based on this background research, an LRB (lead rubber bearing) was introduced in the middle of the coupling beam in this study and the authors investigated the seismic response control effect and stress distribution of the proposed system. To this end, a modeling technique that can effectively predict the structural behavior of coupled shear wall structures has been proposed. With this proposed technique, time history analyses of the example coupled shear wall structure subjected to seismic excitation were performed and the vibration control effects of the seismic responses were investigated.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.319-334
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• 2018

In this paper, an analytical study was carried out to propose an optimum base-isolated system for the design of steel structures equipped with lead rubber bearings (LRB). For this, 5 and 10-storey steel moment resisting frames (MRFs) were designed as Special Moment Frame (SMF). These two-dimensional and three-bay frames equipped with a set of isolation systems within a predefined range that minimizes the response of the base-isolated frames subjected to a series of earthquakes. In the design of LRB, two main parameters, namely, isolation period (T) and the ratio of strength to weight (Q/W) supported by isolators were considered as 2.25, 2.5, 2.75 and 3 s, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15, respectively. The Force-deformation behavior of the isolators was modelled by the bi-linear behavior which could reflect the nonlinear characteristics of the lead-plug bearings. The base-isolated frames were modelled using a finite element program and those performances were evaluated in the light of the nonlinear time history analyses by six natural accelerograms compatible with seismic hazard levels of 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years. The performance of the isolated frames was assessed in terms of roof displacement, relative displacement, interstorey drift, absolute acceleration, base shear and hysteretic curve.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.689-707
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• 2008

This study presents a method to evaluate the seismic risk of an extradosed bridge with seismic isolators of lead rubber bearings (LRBs), and also to show the effectiveness of the LRB isolators on the extradosed bridge, which is one of the relatively flexible and lightly damped structures in terms of seismic risk. Initially, the seismic vulnerability of a structure is evaluated, and then the seismic hazard of a specific site is rated using an earthquake data set and seismic hazard maps in Korea. Then, the seismic risk of the structure is assessed. The nonlinear seismic analyses are carried out to consider plastic deformation of bridge columns and the nonlinear characteristics of soil foundation. To describe the nonlinear behaviour of a column, the ductility demand is adopted, and the moment-curvature relation of a column is assumed to be bilinear hysteretic. The fragility curves are represented as a log-normal distribution function for column damage, movement of superstructure, and cable yielding. And the seismic hazard at a specific site is estimated using the available seismic hazard maps. The results show that in seismically-isolated extradosed bridges under earthquakes, the effectiveness of the isolators is much more noticeable in the columns than the cables and girders.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.9 no.1 s.41
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• pp.43-50
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• 2005

Many highway bridges in Korea need seismic retrofit because only one decade has passed since the seismic design criteria was introduced. For the highway bridges of which bearings are worn and dysfunctional, the validity of seismic retrofit method using laminated rubber bearings was discussed in this study. Real scale RC pier specimens without seismic details were constructed. And then, Pot bearing, Rubber bearing (RB), Lead-rubber bearing (LRB) were applied to these specimens. Through pseudo dynamic test method, dynamic behavior of these RC piers under earthquake was simulated and compared. From the test results, proposed seismic retrofit method was found to be valid.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.03a
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• pp.457-464
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• 2003

최근 교량의 건설에 있어서 내진설계가 주요문제로 부각되면서, 구조물의 진동응답을 제어 하는 갖가지 형태의 진동제어 기법이 적용되고 있다. LRB(Lead Rebbe. Bearing), LUD(Lock Up Device)등 다양한 지진격리장치가 설계에 적용되고 있으며 특히, 설계변경 .내진보수보강과 같이 제약 조건이 있는 상황에서 유용한 면진방법으로 사용되고 있다. 이러한 지진격리장치는 기본적인 설계특성인 수평강성, 감쇠성능에 대한 검증을 필요로 한다. 특히, 지진과 같은 동적하중에 대하여 하중속도, 수직력, 변형률 등에 대한 의존성과 내구성의 검토가 필요하며 유사장치에 대하여 검증실험기준의 정립이 진행 중에 있다. 강재이력댐퍼인 E-Shape 댐퍼는 지진격리장치로서 교각의 고정단에 교좌장치로 설치되어 상시에는 탄성영역 내에서 거동하는 고정단의 역할을 하다가, 지진발생시에는 E-Shape형태의 강재댐퍼가 소성변형을 통한 이력거동으로 에너지 소산기능을 가진 교좌장치이다. 최근 LRB에 대하여는 다양한 특성실험이 수행되고 있으나 상대적으로 강재이력댐퍼에 대하여는 이러한 검증실험이 수반되지 않고 사용되고 있다. 본 실험연구에서는 E-Shape 강재이력댐퍼에 대하여 연직하중, 수평변형률, 수평속도에 패한 동적특성을 평가함으로서 강재이력댐퍼를 이용한 지진격리설계의 타당성과 면진성능을 평가해 보았다.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.603-619
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• 2014

Soft storey buildings are characterised by having a storey that has a large amount of open space. This soft storey creates a major weak point during an earthquake. As the soft stories are typically associated with retail spaces and parking garages, they are often on the lower levels of tall building structures. Thus, when these stories collapse, the entire building can also collapse, causing serious structural damage that may render the structure completely unusable. The use of special soft storey is predominant in the tall building structures constructed by several local developers, making the issue important for local building structures. In this study, the effect of the incorporation of an isolator on the seismic behaviour of tall building structures is examined. The structures are subjected to earthquakes typical of the local city, and the isolator is incorporated with the appropriate isolator time period and damping ratio. A FEM-based computational relationship is proposed to increase the storey height so as to incorporate the isolator with the same time period and damping ratio for both a lead rubber bearing (LRB) and high-damping rubber bearing (HDRB). The study demonstrates that the values of the FEM-based structural design parameters are greatly reduced when the isolator is used. It is more beneficial to incorporate a LRB than a HDRB.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.23-48
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• 2013

In this study, the effect of flexibility of superstructures and nonlinear characteristics of LRB (Lead Rubber Bearing) isolator on inelastic response of base isolated structures is investigated. To demonstrate the intensity of damage in superstructures, demand response modification factor without the consideration of damping reduction factor, demand RI, is used and the N2 method is applied to compute this factor. To evaluate the influence of superstructure flexibility on inelastic response of base isolated structures, different steel intermediate moment resisting frames with different heights have been investigated. In lead rubber bearing, the rubber provides flexibility and the lead is the source of damping; variations of aforementioned characteristics are also investigated on inelastic response of superstructures. It is observed that an increase in height of superstructure leads to higher value of demand RI till 4-story frame but afterward this factor remains constant; in other words, an increase in height until 4-story frame causes more damage in the superstructure but after that superstructure's damage is equal to the 4-story frame's. The results demonstrate that the low value of second stiffness (rubber stiffness in LRBs) tends to show a significant decrease in demand RI. Increase in value of characteristic strength (yield strength of the lead in LRBs) leads to decrease in the demand RI.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.455-462
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• 2000

In this study seismic response of a base-isolated bridge for soil types is compared. Bilinear model is used for lead rubber bearing(LRB). Accelerograms whose response spectrum matches the design spectrum for soil types are used as earthquake ground excitation. Nonlinear time history analyses using the SAP2000 program is performed. The results show that seismic response of a base-isolated bridge is increased as the soil becomes soft.