• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.721-730
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• 2018

This paper aims to inspect the effectiveness of the Simple Adaptive Control Method (SACM) to control the response of asymmetric buildings with rotationally non-linear behavior under seismic loads. SACM is a direct control method and was previously used to improve the performance of linear and non-linear structures. In most of these studies, the modeled structures were two-dimensional shear buildings. In reality, the building plans might be asymmetric, which cause the buildings to experience torsional motions under earthquake excitation. In this study, SACM is used to improve the performance of asymmetric buildings, and unlike conventional linear models, the non-linear inertial coupling terms are considered in the equations of motion. SACM performance is compared with the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) algorithm. Moreover, the LQR algorithm is modified, so that it is appropriate for rotationally non-linear buildings. Active tuned mass dampers are used to improve the performance of the modeled buildings. The results show that SACM is successful in reducing the response of asymmetric buildings with rotationally non-linear behavior under earthquake excitation. Furthermore, the results of the SACM were very close to those of the LQR algorithm.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.249-256
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• 2000

The visco-elastic dampers were used to improve the torsional responses of an asymmetric buildings. The modal characteristic equation of an asymmetric structure with added viscoelastic dampers were derived using the complex modal analysis method. Parametric study has been performed based on the modal characteristics, and the appropriate condition for compensating the stiffness eccentricity was investigated. According to the results the torsional response of the asymmetric buildings could be improved significantly once the dampers were properly placed

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.377-386
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• 2017

Earthquake-induced pounding damages to building structures were repeatedly observed in many previous major earthquakes. Extensive researches have been carried out in this field. Previous studies mainly focused on the regular shaped buildings and each building was normally simplified as a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system or a multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) system by assuming the masses of the building lumped at the floor levels. The researches on the pounding responses between irregular asymmetric buildings are rare. For the asymmetric buildings subjected to earthquake loading, torsional vibration modes of the structures are excited, which in turn may significantly change the structural responses. Moreover, contact element was normally used to consider the pounding phenomenon in previous studies, which may result in inaccurate estimations of the structural responses since this method is based on the point-to-point pounding assumption with the predetermined pounding locations. In reality, poundings may take place between any locations. In other words, the pounding locations cannot be predefined. To more realistically consider the arbitrary poundings between asymmetric structures, detailed three-dimensional (3D) finite element models (FEM) and arbitrary pounding algorithm are necessary. This paper carries out numerical simulations on the pounding responses between a symmetric rectangular-shaped building and an asymmetric L-shaped building by using the explicit finite element code LS-DYNA. The detailed 3D FEMs are developed and arbitrary 3D pounding locations between these two buildings under bi-directional earthquake ground motions are investigated. Special attention is paid to the relative locations of two adjacent buildings. The influences of the left-and-right, fore-and-aft relative locations and separation gap between the two buildings on the pounding responses are systematically investigated.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.183-200
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• 2020

Connection of adjacent buildings with stiff links is an efficient approach for seismic pounding mitigation. However, use of highly rigid links might alter the torsional response in asymmetric plans and although this was mentioned in the literature, no quantitative study has been done before to investigate the condition numerically. In this paper, the effect of rigid coupling on the elastic lateral-torsional response of two adjacent one-story column-type buildings has been studied by comparison to uncoupled structures. Three cases are considered, including two similar asymmetric structures, two adjacent asymmetric structures with different dynamic properties and a symmetric system adjacent to an adjacent asymmetric one. After an acceptable validation against the actual earthquake, the traditional random vibration method has been utilized for dynamic analysis under Ideal white noise input. Results demonstrate that rigid coupling may increase or decrease the rotational response, depending on eccentricities, torsional-to-lateral stiffness ratios and relative uncoupled lateral stiffness of adjacent buildings. Results are also discussed for the case of using identical cross section for all columns supporting eachplan. In contrast to symmetric systems, base shear increase in the stiffer building may be avoided when the buildings lateral stiffness ratio is less than 2. However, the eccentricity increases the rotation of the plans for high rotational stiffness of the buildings.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.296-303
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• 2001

In the evaluation of asymmetric buildings, torsional effects should be considered by three-dimensional analysis. However, this analysis is time-consuming and requires great efforts. The goal of this study is to give a comprehensible and simple procedure in the seismic evaluation by using two-dimensional analysis of asymmetric buildings so that practicing engineers can easily adapt it to their work.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.277-296
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• 2013

Margin of safety against potential of progressive collapse is among important features of a structural system. Often eccentricity in plan of a building causes concentration of damage, thus adversely affects its progressive collapse safety margin. In this paper the progressive collapse of symmetric and asymmetric 3-story reinforced concrete ordinary moment resisting frame buildings subjected to the earthquake ground motions are studied. The asymmetric buildings have 5%, 15% and 25% mass eccentricity. The distribution of the damage and spread of the collapse is investigated using nonlinear time history analyses. Results show that potential of the progressive collapse at both stiff and flexible edges of the buildings increases with increase in the level of asymmetry in buildings. It is also demonstrated that "drift" as a more easily available global response parameter is a good measure of the potential of progressive collapse rather than much difficult-to-calculate local response parameter of "number of collapse plastic hinges".

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.421-443
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• 2016

When conducting seismic assessment of an asymmetric building, it is essential to carry out three-dimensional analysis considering all the possible directions of seismic input. For this purpose, the author proposed a simplified procedure is to predict the largest peak seismic response of an asymmetric building subjected to horizontal bidirectional ground motion acting in an arbitrary angle of incidence in previous study. This simplified procedure has been applied to torsionally stiff (TS) asymmetric buildings with regular elevation. However, the suitability of this procedure to estimate the peak response of an asymmetric building with vertical irregularity, such as an asymmetric building with setback, has not been assessed. In this article, the pushover-based simplified procedure is applied to estimate the peak response of asymmetric buildings with bidirectional setback. Nonlinear dynamic (time-history) analysis of two six-storey asymmetric buildings with bidirectional setback and designed according to strong-column weak beam concept is carried out considering various directions of seismic input, and the results compared with those estimated by the proposed method. The largest peak displacement estimated by the simplified method agrees well with the envelope of the dynamic analysis response. The suitability assessment of the simplified procedure to analysed building models is made as well based on pushover analysis results.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.281-292
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• 2017

Architecture constraints in buildings may typically cause irregularities in the distribution of stiffness and mass and consequently causes non-compliance of centers of mass, stiffness and strength. Such buildings are known as asymmetric buildings the distribution of strength and stiffness is one of whose main challenges. This distribution is more complicated for concrete buildings with RC shear walls in which stiffness and strength are interdependent parameters. The flexibility under the foundation is another subject that can affect this distribution due to the variation of dynamic properties of the structure and its constituting elements. In this paper, it is attempted to achieve an appropriate distribution pattern by expressing the effects of foundation flexibility on the seismic demand of concrete shear walls and also evaluate the effects of this issue on strength and stiffness distribution among lateral force resistant elements. In order to understand the importance of flexibility in strength and stiffness distribution for an asymmetric building in different conditions of under-foundation flexibility, the assigned value to each of the walls is numerically calculated and eventually a procedure for strength and stiffness distribution dependencies on flexibility is provided.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.61-67
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• 2018

This study proposes a new vibration control approach for adjacent twin structures, which is termed as viscous damper asymmetric coupling system in this paper. The proposed system takes a concept that the diagonal bracing viscous dampers are asymmetrically distributed in two buildings to break the behavior symmetry of the twin buildings and then the coupling viscous damper is additionally installed at the top floor of the two buildings to couple both buildings and interactively transfer the asymmetric behavior-caused damping forces into both buildings. These asymmetric damping distributions and interacting damping forces of the connection damper efficiently suppress the overall vibration of the damper-coupled adjacent twin buildings efficiently. Genetic algorithm (GA) based multi-objective optimization technique is adopted for optimal design of the proposed system. In the numerical example of adjacent twin 10-story building structures, the conventional control approach, that is, uniform damping distribution system (UDS) is also taken into account for comparison purpose. The optimization results verify that the proposed system either can improve the control performance over the UDS with the same damping capacity, or can save the damping capacity significantly while maintaining the similar level of control performance to the UDS.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.473-494
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• 2014

Progressive collapse, which is referred to as the collapse of the entire building under local damages, is a common failure mode happened by earthquakes. The collapse process highly depends on the whole structural system. Since, asymmetry of the building plan leads to the local damage concentration; it may intensify the progressive collapse mechanism of asymmetric buildings. In this research the progressive collapse of regular and irregular 6-story RC ordinary moment resisting frame buildings are studied in the presence of the earthquake loads. Collapse process and collapse propagation are investigated using nonlinear time history analyses (NLTHA) in buildings with 5%, 15% and 25% mass asymmetry with respect to the number of collapsed hinges and story drifts criteria. Results show that increasing the value of mass eccentricity makes the asymmetric buildings become unstable earlier and in the early stages with lower number of the collapsed hinges. So, with increasing the mass eccentricity in building, instability and collapse of the entire building occurs earlier, with lower potential of the progressive collapse. It is also demonstrated that with increasing the mass asymmetry the decreasing trend of the number of collapsed beam and column hinges is approximately similar to the decreasing trend in the average story drifts of the mass centers and stiff edges. So, as an alternative to a much difficult-to-calculate local response parameter of the number of collapsed hinges, the story drift, as a global response parameter, measures the potential of progressive collapse more easily.