• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.89-94
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• 2014

Spatial variations of a seismic wave are mainly wave passage and wave scattering. Wave passage effect is produced by changed characteristics of exciting seismic input motions applied to the bedrock. Modified input motions travel horizontally with time differences determined by apparent shear wave velocity of the bedrock. In this study, wave passage effect on the seismic response of a structure-soil system is investigated by modifying the finite element software of P3DASS (Pseudo 3-Dimensional Dynamic Analysis of a Structure-soil System) to apply inconsistent (time-delayed) seismic input motions along the soft soil-bedrock interface. Study results show that foundation size affected on the seismic response of a structure excited with inconsistent input motions in the lower period range below 0.5 seconds, and seismic responses of a structure were decreased considerably in the lower period range around 0.05 seconds due to the wave passage. Also, shear wave velocity of the bedrock affected on the seismic response of a structure in the lower period range below 0.3 seconds, with significant reduction of the seismic response for smaller shear wave velocity of the bedrock reaching approximately 20% for an apparent shear wave velocity of 1000m/s at a period of 0.05 seconds. Finally, it is concluded that wave passage effect reduces the seismic response of a structure in the lower period range when the bedrock under a soft soil is soft or the bedrock is located very deeply, and wave passage is beneficial for the seismic design of a short period structure like a nuclear container building or a stiff low-rise building.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.153-167
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• 2011

The Subspace based System Identification Techniques (SSIT) have been very popular within the research circles in the last decade due to their proven superiority over the other existing system identification techniques. For operational (output only) modal analysis, the stochastic SSIT and for operational modal analysis in the presence of exogenous inputs, the combined deterministic stochastic SSIT have been used in the literature. This study compares the application of the two alternative techniques on a typical school building in Istanbul using 100 Monte Carlo simulations. The study clearly shows that the combined deterministic stochastic SSIT performs superior to the stochastic SSIT when the techniques are applied on noisy data from low to mid rise stiff structures.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.7_spc
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• pp.527-536
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• 2016

This paper investigates seismic damage potential of recent September 12 M5.8 Gyeongju earthquake from diverse earthquake engineering perspectives using the accelerograms recorded at three stations near the epicenter. In time domain, strong motion durations are evaluated based on the accelerograms and compared with statistical averages of the ground motions with similar magnitude, epicentral distance and soil conditions, while Fourier analysis using FFT is performed to identify damaging frequency contents contained in the earthquake. Effective peak ground accelerations are evaluated from the calculated response spectra and compared with apparent peak ground accelerations and the design spectrum in KBC 2016. All these results are used to consistently explain the reason why most of seismic damage in the earthquake was concentrated on low-rise stiff buildings but not quite significant. In order to comparatively appraise the damage potential, the constant ductility spectrum constructed from the Gyeongju earthquake is compared with that of the well-known 1940 El Centro earthquake. Deconvolution analysis by using one accelerogram speculated to be recorded at a stiff soil site is also performed to estimate the soil profile conforming to the response spectrum characteristics. Finally, response history analysis for 39- and 61-story tall buildings is performed as a case study to explain significant building vibration felt on the upper floors of some tall buildings in Busan area during the Gyeongju earthquake. Seismic design and retrofit implications of M5.8 Gyeongju earthquake are summarized for further research efforts and improvements of relevant practice.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.939-963
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• 2016

According to the new directives about the rational and efficient use of energy, thermal bridges in buildings have to be avoided, and the thermal insulation (TI) layer should run without interruptions all around the building - even under its foundations. The paper deals with the seismic response of multi-storeyed reinforced concrete (RC) frame building structures founded on an extruded polystyrene (XPS) layer placed beneath the foundation slab. The purpose of the paper is to elucidate the problem of buildings founded on a TI layer from the seismic resistance point of view, to assess the seismic behaviour of such buildings, and to search for the critical parameters which can affect the structural and XPS layer response. Nonlinear dynamic and static analyses were performed, and the seismic response of fixed-base (FB) and thermally insulated (TI) variants of nonlinear RC building models were compared. Soil-structure interaction was also taken into account for different types of soil. The results showed that the use of a TI layer beneath the foundation slab of a superstructure generally induces a higher peak response compared to that of a corresponding system without TI beneath the foundation slab. In the case of stiff structures located on firm soil, amplification of the response might be substantial and could result in exceedance of the superstructure's moment-rotation plastic hinge capacities or allowable lateral roof and interstorey drift displacements. In the case of heavier, slenderer, and higher buildings subjected to stronger seismic excitations, the overall response is governed by the rocking mode of oscillation, and as a consequence the compressive strength of the XPS could be insufficient. On the other hand, in the case of low-rise and light-weight buildings, the friction capacity between the layers of the applied TI foundation set might be exceeded so that sliding could occur.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.15-19
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• 2012

Occupant footfalls are often the most critical source of floor vibration on upper floors of buildings. Floor motions can degrade the performance of imaging equipment, disrupt sensitive research equipment, and cause discomfort for the occupants. It is essential that low-vibration environments be provided for functionality of sensitive spaces on floors above grade. This requires a sufficiently stiff and massive floor structure that effectively resists the forces exerted from user traffic. Over the past 25 years, generic vibration limits have been developed, which provide frequency dependent sensitivities for wide classes of equipment, and are used extensively in lab design for healthcare and research facilities. The same basis for these curves can be used to quantify acceptable limits of vibration for human comfort, depending on the intended occupancy of the space. When available, manufacturer's vibration criteria for sensitive equipment are expressed in units of acceleration, velocity or displacement and can be specified as zero-to-peak, peak-to-peak, or root-mean-square (rms) with varying frequency ranges and resolutions. Several approaches to prediction of floor vibrations are currently applied in practice. Each method is traceable to fundamental structural dynamics, differing only in the level of complexity assumed for the system response, and the required information for use as model inputs. Three commonly used models are described, as well as key features they possess that make them attractive to use for various applications. A case study is presented of a tall building which has fitness areas on two of the upper floors. The analysis predicted that the motions experienced would be within the given criteria, but showed that if the floor had been more flexible, the potential exists for a locked-in resonance response which could have been felt over large portions of the building.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2013

The seismic response of RC space frame structures with isolated footing resting on a shallow soil stratum on rock is presented in this paper. Homogeneous soil stratum of different stiffness in the very soft to stiff range is considered. Soil, footing and super structure are considered to be the parts of an integral system. A finite element model of the integrated system is developed and subjected to scaled acceleration time histories recorded during two different real earthquakes. Dynamic analysis is performed using mode superposition method of transient analysis. A parametric study is conducted to investigate the effect of flexibility of soil in the dynamic behaviour of low-rise building frames. The time histories and Fourier spectra of roof displacement, base shear and structural response quantities of the space frame on compliant base are presented and compared with the fixed base condition. Results indicate that the incorporation of soil flexibility is required for the realistic estimate of structural seismic response especially for single storey structures resting on very soft soil.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.1193-1219
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the seismic performance of high-rise reinforced concrete (RC) box-type wall structures commonly used for most residential buildings in Korea. For this purpose, an analytical model was calibrated with the results of the earthquake simulation tests on a 1:5 scale 10-story distorted model. This calibrated model was then transformed to a true model. The performance of the true model in terms of the stiffness, strength, and damage distribution through inelastic energy dissipation was observed with reference to the earthquake simulation test results. The model showed high overstrength factors ranging from 3 to 4. The existence of slab in this box-type wall system changed the main resistance mode in the wall from bending moment to tension/compression coupled moment through membrane actions, and increased the overall resistance capacity by about 25~35%, in comparison with the common design practice of neglecting the slab's existence. The flexibility of foundation, which is also commonly neglected in the engineering design, contributes to 30~50% of the roof drift in the stiff direction containing many walls. The possibility of concrete spalling and reinforcement buckling and fracture under the maximum considered earthquake (MCE) in Korea appears to be very low when compared with the case of the 2010 Concepcion, Chile earthquake.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.603-623
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• 2015

The scale and nature of the recent earthquakes in the world and the related earthquake disaster index coerce the concerned community to become anxious about it. Therefore, it is crucial that seismic lateral load effect will be appropriately considered in structural design. Application of seismic isolation system stands as a consistent alternative against this hazard. The objective of the study is to evaluate the structural and economic feasibility of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings with base isolation located in medium risk seismic region. Linear and nonlinear dynamic analyses as well as linear static analysis under site-specific bi-directional seismic excitation have been carried out for both fixed based (FB) and base isolated (BI) buildings in the present study. The superstructure and base of buildings are modeled in a 3D finite element model by consistent mass approach having six degrees of freedom at each node. The floor slabs are simulated as rigid diaphragms. Lead rubber bearing (LRB) and High damping rubber bearing (HDRB) are used as isolation device. Change of structural behaviors and savings in construction costing are evaluated. The study shows that for low to medium rise buildings, isolators can reduce muscular amount of base shears, base moments and floor accelerations for building at soft to medium stiff soil. Allowable higher horizontal displacement induces structural flexibility. Though incorporating isolator increases the outlay, overall structural cost may be reduced. The application of base isolation system confirms a potential to be used as a viable solution in economic building design.