• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.563-588
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• 2016

In this study, solution models are proposed to obtain code-compatible ground motion record sets which can be used for both uni-directional and bi-directional dynamic analyses. Besides scaled, unscaled ground motion record sets are obtained to show the utility and efficiency of the solution models. For scaled ground motion sets the proposed model is based on hybrid HS-Solver which integrates heuristic harmony search (HS) algorithm with the spreadsheet Solver add-in. For unscaled ground motion sets HS based solution model is proposed. Design spectra defined in Eurocode-8 for different soil types are selected as target spectra. The European Strong Motion Database is used to get ground motion record sets. Also, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to evaluate the effect of different HS solution parameters on the solution accuracy. Results show that the proposed solution models can be regarded as efficient ways to develop scaled and unscaled ground motion sets compatible with code-based design spectra.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.505-516
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• 2016

This paper evaluates the scaling of ground motions recorded from nine intermediate-depth earthquakes produced in the Vrancea seismic zone in Romania. The considered ground motion database consists of 363 horizontal recordings obtained on soil classes B and C (according to Eurocode 8). An analysis of the inter- and intra-event spectral accelerations is performed in order to gain information regarding the magnitude and distance scaling of the Vrancea ground motions. The analyses reveal a significant influence of the earthquake magnitude and focal depth on the distance scaling and different magnitude and distance scaling for the two soil classes. A linear magnitude and distance scaling is inferred from the results for the range of magnitudes $5.2{\leq}M_W{\leq}7.1$. The results obtained are checked through stochastic simulations and the influence of the stress drop and kappa values on the ground motion levels is assessed. In addition, five ground motion models which were tested in other studies using recordings from Vrancea earthquakes are analyzed in order to evaluate their corresponding host stress drop and kappa. The results show generally a direct connection between the host kappa values and the host stress drop values. Moreover, all the ground motion models depict magnitude dependent host kappa and stress drop levels.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.1001-1018
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• 2016

The purpose of this paper is to compare the structural responses obtained from the stochastic analysis of a suspension bridge subjected to uniform and partially correlated seismic ground motions, using different spatial correlation functions commonly used in the earthquake engineering. The spatial correlation function employed in this study consists of a term that characterizes the loss of coherency. To account for the spatial variability of ground motions, the widely used four loss of coherency models in the literature has been taken into account in this study. Because each of these models has its own characteristics, it is intended to determine the sensitivity of a suspension bridge due to these losses of coherency models which represent the spatial variability of ground motions. Bosporus Suspension Bridge connects Europe to Asia in Istanbul is selected as a numerical example. The bridge has steel towers that are flexible, inclined hangers and a steel box-deck of 1074 m main span, with side spans of 231 and 255 m on the European and Asian sides, respectively. For the ground motion the filtered white noise model is considered and applied in the vertical direction, the intensity parameter of this model is obtained by using the S16E component of Pacoima Dam record of 1971 San Fernando earthquake. An analytically simple model called as filtered white noise ground motion model is chosen to represent the earthquake ground motion. When compared with the uniform ground motion case, the results obtained from the spatial variability models with partial correlation outline the necessity to include the spatial variability of ground motions in the stochastic dynamic analysis of suspension bridges. It is observed that while the largest response values are obtained for the model proposed by Harichandran and Vanmarcke, the model proposed by Uscinski produces the smallest responses among the considered partially correlated ground motion models. The response values obtained from the uniform ground motion case are usually smaller than those of the responses obtained from the partially correlated ground motion cases. While the response values at the flexible parts of the bridge are totally dominated by the dynamic component, the pseudo-static component also has significant contributions for the response values at the rigid parts of the bridge. The results also show the consistency of the spatial variability models, which have different characteristics, considered in this study.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.141-161
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• 2014

This article presents a new generation of empirical ground motion models for the prediction of response spectral accelerations in soil conditions, specifically developed for the Vrancea intermediate-depth seismic source. The strong ground motion database from which the ground motion prediction model is derived consists of over 800 horizontal components of acceleration recorded from nine Vrancea intermediate-depth seismic events as well as from other seventeen intermediate-depth earthquakes produced in other seismically active regions in the world. Among the main features of the new ground motion model are the prediction of spectral ordinates values (besides the prediction of the peak ground acceleration), the extension of the magnitudes range applicability, the use of consistent metrics (epicentral distance) for this type of seismic source, the extension of the distance range applicability to 300 km, the partition of total standard deviation in intra- and inter-event standard deviations and the use of a national strong ground motion database more than two times larger than in the previous studies. The results suggest that this model is an improvement of the previous generation of ground motion prediction models and can be properly employed in the analysis of the seismic hazard of Romania.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2014

The main focus of this paper is the analysis of the different components of the variability for strong ground motions recorded from earthquakes produced by the Vrancea subcrustal seismic source. The analysis is performed for two ground motion prediction equations: Youngs et al. (1997) and Zhao et al. (2006), recommended within the SHARE project for the Vrancea subcrustal seismic source and which are proposed in the work of Delavaud et al. (2012) and graded best in Vacareanu et al. (2013c). The first phase of the analysis procedure consists of a grading procedure. In the second phase, the single station sigma procedure is applied for both attenuation models in order to reduce some parts of ground motion models' variability produced by the ergodic assumption. The strong ground motion database which is used throughout the study consists of over 400 accelerograms recorded from 9 Vrancea intermediate-depth seismic events. The results of the single station sigma analysis show significant reduction of the standard deviations, especially in the case of the Youngs et al. (1997) attenuation model, which is also graded better than the other selected GMPE.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.221-230
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• 2017

One of the important phases of probabilistic performance-based methodology is establishing appropriate probabilistic seismic demand models (PSDMs). These demand models relate ground motion intensity measures (IMs) to demand measures (DMs). The objective of this paper is selection of the optimal IMs in probabilistic seismic demand analysis (PSDA) of the RC high-rise buildings. In selection process features such as: efficiency, practically, proficiency and sufficiency are considered. RC high-rise buildings with core wall structural system are selected as a case study building class with the three characteristic heights: 20-storey, 30-storey and 40-storey. In order to determine the most optimal IMs, 720 nonlinear time-history analyses are conducted for 60 ground motion records with a wide range of magnitudes and distances to source, and for various soil types, thus taking into account uncertainties during ground motion selection. The non-linear 3D models of the case study buildings are constructed. A detailed regression analysis and statistical processing of results are performed and appropriate PSDMs for the RC high-rise building are derived. Analyzing a large number of results it are adopted conclusions on the optimality of individual ground motion IMs for the RC high-rise building.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.11-20
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• 2008

In probabilistic seismic analysis of nonlinear structural system, dynamic analysis is performed to obtain the distribution of the response estimate using input ground motion time histories which correspond to a given seismic hazard level. This study investigates the differences in the distribution of the responses and the failure probability according to input ground motion models. Two types of input ground motion models are considered: real earthquake records scaled to specified intensity level and artificial input ground motion fitted to design response spectrum. Simulation results fir a nonlinear SDOF system demonstrate that the spectrum matched input ground motion produces larger failure probability than those of scaled input ground motion due to biased responses. Such tendency is more remarkable in the site of soft soil conditions. Analysis results show that such difference of failure probability is due to the conservative estimation of design response spectrum in the range of long period of ground motion.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.957-976
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• 2015

Recently, two energy-based response parameters, i.e., the absolute and the relative elastic input energy equivalent velocity, have been receiving a lot of research attention. Several studies, in fact, have demonstrated the potential of these intensity measures in the prediction of the seismic structural response. Although some ground motion prediction equations have been developed for these parameters, they only provide marginal distributions without information about the joint occurrence of the spectral values at different periods. In order to build new prediction models for the two equivalent velocities, a large set of ground motion records is used to calculate the correlation coefficients between the response spectral values corresponding to different periods and components of the ground motion. Then, functional forms adopted in models from the literature are calibrated to fit the obtained data. A new functional form is proposed to improve the predictions of the considered models from the literature. The components of the ground motion considered in this study are the two horizontal ones only. Potential uses of the proposed equations in addition to the prediction of the correlation coefficients of the equivalent velocity spectral values are shown, such as the prediction of derived intensity measures and the development of conditional mean spectra.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.407-428
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• 2009

The effects of the uniform and spatially varying ground motions on the stochastic response of fluid-structure interaction system during an earthquake are investigated by using the displacement based fluid finite elements in this paper. For this purpose, variable-number-nodes two-dimensional fluid finite elements based on the Lagrangian approach is programmed in FORTRAN language and incorporated into a general-purpose computer program SVEM, which is used for stochastic dynamic analysis of solid systems under spatially varying earthquake ground motion. The spatially varying earthquake ground motion model includes wave-passage, incoherence and site-response effects. The effect of the wave-passage is considered by using various wave velocities. The incoherence effect is examined by considering the Harichandran-Vanmarcke and Luco-Wong coherency models. Homogeneous medium and firm soil types are selected for considering the site-response effect where the foundation supports are constructed. A concrete gravity dam is selected for numerical example. The S16E component recorded at Pacoima dam during the San Fernando Earthquake in 1971 is used as a ground motion. Three different analysis cases are considered for spatially varying ground motion. Displacements, stresses and hydrodynamic pressures occurring on the upstream face of the dam are calculated for each case and compare with those of uniform ground motion. It is concluded that spatially varying earthquake ground motions have important effects on the stochastic response of fluid-structure interaction systems.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.249-261
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• 2020

Seismic loss estimation studies require fragility curves which are usually derived using ground motion datasets. Ground motion records can be either in the form of recorded or simulated time histories compatible with regional seismicity. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the use of alternative ground motion datasets (simulated and real) on the fragility curves. Simulated dataset is prepared considering regional seismicity parameters corresponding to Erzincan using the stochastic finite-fault technique. In addition, regionally compatible records are chosen from the NGA-West2 ground motion database to form the real dataset. The paper additionally studies the effects of hazard variability and two different fragility curve derivation approaches on the generated fragility curves. As the final step for verification purposes, damage states estimated for the fragility curves derived using alternative approaches are compared with the observed damage levels from the 1992 Erzincan (Turkey) earthquake (Mw=6.6). In order to accomplish all these steps, a set of representative masonry buildings from Erzincan region are analyzed using simplified structural models. The results reveal that regionally simulated ground motions can be used alternatively in fragility analyses and damage estimation studies.