• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.251-269
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• 2014

To investigate the seismic performance and to obtain quantitative parameters for the requirement of performance-based bridge seismic design approach, 12 reinforced concrete (RC) hollow rectangular bridge column specimens were tested under constant axial load and cyclic bending. Parametric study is carried out on axial load ratio, aspect ratio, longitudinal reinforcement ratio and transverse reinforcement ratio. The damage states of these column specimens were related to engineering limit states to determine the quantitative criteria of performance-based bridge seismic design. The hysteretic behavior of bridge column specimens was simulated based on the fiber model in OpenSees program and the results of the force-displacement hysteretic curves were well agreed with the experimental results. The damage states of residual cracking, cover spalling, and core crushing could be well related to engineering limit states, such as longitudinal tensile strains of reinforcement or compressive strains of concrete, etc. using cumulative probability curves. The ductility coefficient varying from 3.71 to 8.29, and the equivalent viscous damping ratio varying from 0.19 to 0.31 could meet the requirements of seismic design.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.345-352
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• 2001

Recent destructive seismic events demonstrated the importance of mitigating human casualties and serious property damages in design and construction of structures. The Korean Bridge Design Specifications (1992) adopted seismic design requirements based on the AASHTO specification, and minor modification was made in 2000. The longitudinal steel connection of reinforced concrete bridge column is sometimes practically unavoidable. The longitudinal reinforcement details affect seisimc performance such as flexural failure and shear failure. This research aims to develop longitudinal steel connection details with confinement steel by experimental study for seismic performance of reinforced concrete bridge columns. Quasi-static test under three different axial load levels was conducted for 12 spiral column specimens. All the column specimens had the same aspect ratio of 3.5. The column specimens were transversely reinforced with spiral and with five different longitudinal steel connection. The final objective of this study is to suggest appropriate longitudinal reinforcement connection details for the limited ductility design concept and improve construction quality.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2023

Reinforced concrete (RC) moment frames are used as lateral seismic load resisting systems in mid- and high-rise buildings in different regions of the world. Based on the seismic design provisions and construction details presented in design codes, RC frames with different levels of ductility (ordinary, intermediate, and special) can be designed and constructed. In Iran, there are RC buildings with various uses which have been constructed based on different editions of design codes. The seismic performance of RC structures (particularly moment frames) in real seismic events is of great importance. In this paper, the observations made on damaged RC moment frames after the destructive Sarpol-e Zahab earthquake with a moment magnitude of 7.3 are reported. Different levels of damage from the development of cracks in the structural and non-structural elements to the total collapse of buildings were observed. Furthermore, undesirable failure modes which are not expected in ductile seismic-resistant buildings were frequently observed in the damaged buildings. The RC moment frames built based on the previous editions of the design codes showed partial or total collapse in this seismic event. The extensive destruction of RC moment frames compared with the other structural systems (such as braced steel frames and confined masonry buildings) was attributed not only to the deficiencies in the construction practice of these buildings but also to the design procedure. In addition, the failure and collapse of masonry infills in RC moment frames were frequent modes of failure in this seismic event. In this paper, the main reasons related to design practice which led to extensive damage in the RC moment frames and their collapse are addressed.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.69 no.6
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• pp.591-605
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• 2019

Investigations on seismic performance of eccentrically braced frames equipped with dual vertical links have received little attention. Therefore, the main goal of this paper is to describe design steps for such frames and evaluate nonlinear performance of this system according to the reliability analysis. In this study, four and eight story frame structures are analyzed and the response modification factors for different intensity and damage levels are derived in a matrix form based on a new approach. According to the obtained results, the system has high ductility and acceptable seismic performance. Moreover, it is concluded that using response modification factor equal to 8 in the design of system provides desirable seismic reliability under the design and maximum probable hazard levels. Due to desirable performance and significant advantages of the dual vertical links, this system can be used as a main lateral load bearing system, in addition to its application for rehabilitation of damaged structures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.285-302
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• 2017

Buckling-restrained braced frames (BRBFs) are commonly used as the lateral force-resisting systems in building structures in the seismic regions. The nearly-symmetric hysteretic response and the delayed brace core fracture of buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) under the axial cyclic loading provide the adequate lateral force and deformation capacity to BRBFs under the earthquake excitation. However, the smaller axial stiffness of BRBs result in the undesirable higher residual drift response of BRBFs in the post-earthquake scenario. Two alternative approaches are investigated in this study to improve the elastic axial stiffness of BRBs, namely, (i) by shortening the yielding cores of BRBs; and (ii) by reducing the BRB assemblies and adding the elastic brace segments in series. In order to obtain the limiting yielding core lengths of BRBs, a modified approach based on Coffin-Manson relationship and the higher mode compression buckling criteria has been proposed in this study. Both non-linear static and dynamic analyses are carried out to analytically evaluate the seismic response of BRBFs fitted with short-core BRBs of two medium-rise building frames. Analysis results showed that the proposed brace systems are effective in reducing the inter-story and residual drift response of braced frames without any significant change in the story shear and the displacement ductility demands.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.599-621
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• 2016

In order to study the working mechanism of rectangular steel-concrete composite columns subjected to compression-bending load and further determine the seismic performance index, a bottom strengthened rectangular steel reinforced concrete (SRC) column with concealed steel plates and a bottom strengthened rectangular concrete filled steel tube (CFST) columns were proposed. Six column models with different configurations were tested under horizontal low cyclic loading. Based on the experiments, the load-bearing capacity, stiffness and degradation process, ductility, hysteretic energy dissipation capacity, and failure characteristics of the models were analyzed. The load-bearing capacity calculation formulas for a normal section and an oblique section of bottom strengthened rectangular steel-concrete composite columns were pesented and a finite element (FE) numerical simulation of the classical specimens was performed. The study shows that the load-bearing capacity, ductility, and seismic energy dissipation capacity of the bottom strengthened rectangular steel-concrete composite columns are significantly improved compared to the conventional rectangular steel-concrete composite columns and the results obtained from the calculation and the FE numerical simulation are in good agreement with those from the experiments. The rectangular steel-concrete composite column with bottom strengthened shows better seismic behavior and higher energy dissipation capacity under suitable constructional requirements and it can be applied to the structure design of high-rise buildings.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.59-81
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• 2012

A ductility inverse-mapping method for SDOF systems including passive dampers is proposed which enables one to find the maximum acceleration of ground motion for the prescribed maximum response deformation. In the conventional capacity spectrum method, the maximum response deformation is computed through iterative procedures for the prescribed maximum acceleration of ground motion. This is because the equivalent linear model for response evaluation is described in terms of unknown maximum deformation. While successive calculations are needed, no numerically unstable iterative procedure is required in the proposed method. This ductility inverse-mapping method is applied to an SDOF model of bilinear hysteresis. The SDOF models without and with passive dampers (viscous, viscoelastic and hysteretic dampers) are taken into account to investigate the effectiveness of passive dampers for seismic retrofitting of building structures. Since the maximum response deformation is the principal parameter and specified sequentially, the proposed ductility inverse-mapping method is suitable for the implementation of the performance-based design.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.1337-1353
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• 2015

Seismic upgrading of existing structures is a technical and social issue aimed at risk reduction. Sustainable design is one of the most important challenges in any structural project. Nowadays, many retrofit strategies are feasible and several traditional and innovative options are available to engineers. Basically, the design strategy can lead to increase structural ductility, strength, or both of them, but also stiffness regulation and supplemental damping are possible strategies to reduce seismic vulnerability. Each design solution has different technical and economical performances. In this paper, four different design solutions are presented for the retrofit of an existing RC frame with poor concrete quality and inadequate reinforcement detailing. The considered solutions are based on FRP wrapping of the existing structural elements or alternatively on new RC shear walls introduction. This paper shows the comparison among the considered design strategies in order to select the suitable solution, which reaches the compromise between the obtained safety level and costs during the life-cycle of the building. Each solution is worked out by considering three different levels of seismic demand. The structural capacity of the considered retrofit solutions is assessed with nonlinear static analysis and the seismic performance is evaluated with the capacity spectrum method.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.440-447
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• 2000

In order to evaluate the cost effectiveness of seismic isolation for bridges in low and moderate seismic region, a method of calculation minimum life-cycle cost of seismic-isolated bridges under specific acceleration level and soil condition is developed. Input ground motion is modeled as spectral density function compatible with response spectrum for combination of acceleration coefficient and site coefficient. Failure probability is calculated by spectrum analysis based on random vibration theories to simplify repetitive calculations in the minimization procedure. Ductility of piers and its effects on cost effectiveness are considered by stochastic linearization method. Cost function and cost effectiveness index are defined by taking into consideration the characteristics of seismic isolated bridges. Limit states for calculation of failure probability are defined on superstructure, isolator and pier, respectively. The results of example design and analysis show that seismic isolation is more cost-effective in low and moderate seismic region than in high seismic region.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.195-212
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• 2006

In seismic areas, ductility is an important factor in design of high strength concrete (HSC) members under flexure. A number of twelve HSC beams with different percentage of ${\rho}$ & ${\rho}^{\prime}$ were cast and incrementally loaded under bending. The effect of ${\rho}^{\prime}$ on ductility of members were investigated both qualitatively and quantitatively. During the test, the strain on the concrete middle faces, on the tension and compression bars, and also the deflection at different points of the span length were measured up to failure. Based on the obtained results, the serviceability and ultimate behavior, and especially the ductility of the HSC members are more deeply reviewed. Also a comparison between theoretical and experimental results are reported here.