• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.447-470
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• 2014

Numerical simulation of the non-linear behavior of (RC) structural walls subjected to severe earthquake ground motions requires a reliable modeling approach that includes important material characteristics and behavioral response features. The objective of this paper is to optimize a simplified method for the assessment of the seismic response and damage development analyses of an RC structural wall building using macro-element model. The first stage of this study investigates effectiveness and ability of the macro-element model in predicting the flexural nonlinear response of the specimen based on previous experimental test results conducted in UCLA. The sensitivity of the predicted wall responses to changes in model parameters is also assessed. The macro-element model is next used to examine the dynamic behavior of the structural wall building-all the way from elastic behavior to global instability, by applying an approximate Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA), based on Uncoupled Modal Response History Analysis (UMRHA), setting up nonlinear single degree of freedom systems. Finally, the identification of the global stiffness decrease as a function of a damage variable is carried out by means of this simplified methodology. Responses are compared at various locations on the structural wall by conducting static and dynamic pushover analyses for accurate estimation of seismic performance of the structure using macro-element model. Results obtained with the numerical model for rectangular wall cross sections compare favorably with experimental responses for flexural capacity, stiffness, and deformability. Overall, the model is qualified for safety assessment and design of earthquake resistant structures with structural walls.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.23-32
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• 2012

Research on steel plate concrete (SC) structures for the modularization of nuclear power plants have been performed recently in Korea. In this study, the seismic capacity and stiffness characteristics of unstiffened SC shear walls under the effects of earthquakes were investigated through static pushover tests. Failure modes, sectional strength, and stiffness characteristics of SC structures under lateral loads were inspected by analyzing the experimental results. The strengths obtained by the experiments were also compared with those derived by the design code of the SC structures. One of the main failures of unstiffened SC shear walls was found to be the type of bending shear failure due to the debonding of the steel plate at the concrete interface. The ductility capacity of SC structures was also confirmed to be improved, which is considered to be a confining effect on steel plates in the longitudinal behavior of SC structures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.19-36
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• 2019

Cyclic behaviour of composite (steel-concrete) plate shear walls (CPSW) with variable column flexural stiffness is experimentally and numerically investigated. The investigation included design, fabrication and testing of three pairs of one-bay one-storey CPSW specimens. The reference specimen pair was designed in way that its column flexural stiffness corresponds to the value required by the design codes, while within the other two specimen pairs column flexural stiffness was reduced by 18% and 36%, respectively. Specimens were subjected to quasi-static cyclic tests. Obtained results indicate that column flexural stiffness reduction in CPSW does not have negative impact on the overall behaviour allowing for satisfactory performance for up to 4% storey drift ratio while also enabling inelastic buckling of the infill steel plate. Additionally, in comparison to similar steel plate shear wall (SPSW) specimens, column "pull-in" deformations are less pronounced within CPSW specimens. Therefore, the results indicate that prescribed minimal column flexural stiffness value used for CPSW might be conservative, and can additionally be reduced when compared to the prescribed value for SPSWs. Furthermore, finite element (FE) pushover simulations were conducted using shell and solid elements. Such FE models can adequately simulate cyclic behaviour of CPSW and as such could be further used for numerical parametric analyses. It is necessary to mention that the implemented pushover FE models were not able to adequately reproduce column "pull-in" deformation and that further development of FE simulations is required where cyclic loading of the shear walls needs to be simulated.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.304-313
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• 2000

This study presents the behavior of traditional wood structures of national heritage under earthquake loadings. A series of experimental program for four wood frames was performed to investigate characteristics of initial stiffness, behavior after ultimate loads, and hysteretic behaviors. The frames consisted of columns with a lintel by special joint and a bare frame was infilled by a mud wall. A pushover est was aimed to estimate the range of ultimate rotation of connection as a pilot test for cyclic load tests. One of frames infilled by a mud wall showed a larger stiffness than those of bare frames due to a strut action in the diagonal direction. However, the post yielding stiffness of the infilled frame was not increased.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.449-455
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• 2017

Using X-braced frames in steel structures is a current procedure to achieve good strength against lateral loads. Study on mid-connections of X-braces and their effects on frame behavior is a subject whose importance has been more or less disregarded by researchers. Experimentally inspecting models involves considerable expense and time; however, computer models can be more suitable substitutes. In this research, a numerical model of X-braced frame has been analyzed using finite element software. The results of pushover analysis of this frame are compared with those of the experimental test. With the help of computer model, the effects of different mid-connection details on ductility and lateral strength of the frame are inspected. Also performances of bolted and welded connections are compared. Taking into account ductility and strength, this study suggests details of a decent pattern for the mid-connection.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2013

Soft storey failure mechanism is a common collapse mode for masonry-infilled (MI) reinforced concrete (RC) buildings subjected to severe earthquakes. Simple analytical equations correlating global with local ductility demands are derived from pushover (PO) analyses for seismic assessments of regular MI RC frames, considering the critical interstorey drift ratio, number of storeys and lateral loading configurations. The reliability of the equations is investigated using incremental dynamic analyses for MI RC frames of up to 7 storeys. Using the analytical ductility relationship and a coefficient-based method (CBM), the response spectral accelerations and period shift factors of low-rise MI RC frames are computed. The results are verified through published shake table test results. In general applications, the analytical ductility relationships thus derived can be used to bypass the onerous PO analysis while accurately predicting the local ductility demands for seismic assessment of regular MI RC frames.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.23-32
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• 2007

This study developed an analytical model for predicting nonlinear behavior of PT flat plate frames having slab-column connections with and without slab bottom reinforcement passing through the column. The developed model can predict the failure sequence until punching failure occurs. For verifying the analytical model, the test results of PT flat plate slab-column connections were compared with the results of the analysis. Moreover, the results of static pushover test and shaking table test of 2 story PT flat plate frame were compared with analysis results. For evaluating seismic performance of PT flat plate frame, this study conducted nonlinear response history analysis of the 2 story PT flat plate frame with and without slab bottom reinforcement passing through the column under 1940 El Centro ground motion scaled to have pseudo spectral acceleration of 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7g at the fundamental period of the frame. This study observed that as ground motion is more intense, seismic demands for the frame having the connections without slab bottom reinforcement passing through the column are larger than those without slab bottom reinforcement.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.571-587
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• 2020

In this article the seismic demand and performance of two recent braced steel frames named steel moment frames with the elliptic bracing (ELBRFs) are assessed through a laboratory program and numerical analyses of FEM. Here, one of the specimens is without connecting bracket from the corner of the frame to the elliptic brace (ELBRF-E), while the other is with the connecting brackets (ELBRF-B). In both the elliptic braced moment resisting frames (ELBRFs), in addition to not having any opening space problem in the bracing systems when installed in the surrounding frames, they improve structure's behavior. The experimental test is run on ½ scale single-story single-bay ELBRF specimens under cyclic quasi-static loading and compared with X-bracing and SMRF systems in one story base model. This system is of appropriate stiffness and a high ductility, with an increased response modification factor. Moreover, its energy dissipation is high. In the ELBRF bracing systems, there exists a great interval between relative deformation at the yield point and maximum relative deformation after entering the plastic region. In other words, the distance from the first plastic hinge to the collapse of the structure is fairly large. The experimental outcomes here, are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.525-535
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• 2018

This study presents a new beam-column model comprising material nonlinearity and joint flexibility to predict the nonlinear response of reinforced concrete structures. The nonlinear behavior of connections has an outstanding role on the nonlinear response of reinforced concrete structures. In presented research, the joint flexibility is considered applying a rotational spring at each end of the member. To derive the moment-rotation behavior of beam-column connections, the relative rotations produced by the relative slip of flexural reinforcement in the joint and the flexural cracking of the beam end are taken into consideration. Furthermore, the considered spread plasticity model, unlike the previous models that have been developed based on the linear moment distribution subjected to lateral loads includes both lateral and gravity load effects, simultaneously. To confirm the accuracy of the proposed methodology, a simply-supported test beam and three reinforced concrete frames are considered. Pushover and nonlinear dynamic analysis of three numerical examples are performed. In these examples the nonlinear behavior of connections and the material nonlinearity using the proposed methodology and also linear flexibility model with different number of elements for each member and fiber based distributed plasticity model with different number of integration points are simulated. Comparing the results of the proposed methodology with those of the aforementioned models describes that suggested model that only uses one element for each member can appropriately estimate the nonlinear behavior of reinforced concrete structures.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.137-154
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• 2006

The reliable pushover analysis of RC structures requires a realistic prediction of moment-curvature relations, which can be obtained by utilizing proper constitutive models for the stress-strain relationships of laterally confined concrete members. Theoretical approach of Mander is still a single stress-strain model, which employs a multiaxial failure surface for the determination of the ultimate strength of confined concrete. Alternatively, this paper introduces a simple and practical failure criterion for confined concrete with emphasis on introduction of significant modifications into the two-parameter Drucker-Prager model. The new criterion is only applicable to triaxial compression stress state which is exactly the case in the RC columns. Unlike many existing multi-parameter criteria proposed for the concrete fracture, the model needs only the compressive strength of concrete as an independent parameter and also implies for the influence of the Lode angle on the material strength. Adopting Saenz equation for stress-strain plots, satisfactory agreement between the measured and predicted results for the available experimental test data of confined normal and high strength concrete specimens is obtained. Moreover, it is found that further work involving the confinement pressure is still encouraging since the confinement model of Mander overestimates the ultimate strength of some RC columns.