• Computers and Concrete
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.503-529
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• 2015

Traditionally, multi-story buildings are designed to provide stiffer structural support to withstand lateral earthquake loading. Introducing flexible elements at the base of a structure and providing sufficient damping is an alternative way to mitigate seismic hazards. These features can be achieved with a device known as an isolator. This paper covers the design of base isolators for multi-story buildings in medium-risk seismicity regions and evaluates the structural responses of such isolators. The well-known tower building for police personnel built in Dhaka, Bangladesh by the Public Works Department (PWD) has been used as a case study to justify the viability of incorporating base isolators. The objective of this research was to establish a simplified model of the building that can be effectively used for dynamic analysis, to evaluate the structural status, and to suggest an alternative option to handle the lateral seismic load. A finite element model was incorporated to understand the structural responses. Rubber-steel bearing (RSB) isolators such as Lead rubber bearing (LRB) and high damping rubber bearing (HDRB) were used in the model to insert an isolator link element in the structural base. The nonlinearities of rubber-steel bearings were considered in detail. Linear static, linear dynamic, and nonlinear dynamic analyses were performed for both fixed-based (FB) and base isolated (BI) buildings considering the earthquake accelerograms, histories, and response spectra of the geological sites. Both the time-domain and frequency-domain approaches were used for dynamic solutions. The results indicated that for existing multi-story buildings, RSB diminishes the muscular amount of structural response compared to conventional non-isolated structures. The device also allows for higher horizontal displacement and greater structural flexibility. The suggested isolation technique is able to mitigate the structural hazard under even strong earthquake vulnerability.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.437-447
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• 2023

Inclined piles are commonly used in civil engineering constructions where significant lateral resistance is required. Many researchers proved their positive performance on the seismic behavior of the supported structure and the piles themselves. However, most of these numerical studies were done within the framework of linear elastic or elastoplastic soil behavior, neglecting therefore the soil non-linearity at low and moderate soil strains which is questionable and could be misleading in dynamic analysis. The main objective of this study is to examine the influence of the pile inclination on the seismic performance of the soil-pile-structure system when both the linear elastic and the nonlinear soil models are employed. Based on the comparative responses, the adequacy of the soil's linear elastic behavior will be therefore evaluated. The analysis is conducted by generating a three-dimensional finite difference model, where a full interaction between the soil, structure, and inclined piles is considered. The numerical survey proved that the pile inclination can have a significant impact on the internal forces generated by seismic activity, specifically on the bending moment and shear forces. The main disadvantages of using inclined piles in this system are the bending forces at the head and pile-to-head connection. It is crucial to account for soil nonlinearity to accurately assess the seismic response of the soil-pile-structure system.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.465-479
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• 2021

One of the important causes of building and infrastructure failure, such as bridges on pile foundations, is the placement of the piles in liquefiable soil that can become unstable under seismic loads. Therefore, the overarching aim of this study is to investigate the seismic behavior of a soil-pile system in liquefiable soil using three-dimensional numerical FEM analysis, including soil-pile interaction. Effective parameters on concrete pile response, involving the pile diameter, pile length, soil type, and base acceleration, were considered in the framework of finite element non-linear dynamic analysis. The constitutive model of soil was considered as elasto-plastic kinematic-isotropic hardening. First, the finite element model was verified by comparing the variations on the pile response with the measured data from the centrifuge tests, and there was a strong agreement between the numerical and experimental results. Totally 64 non-linear time-history analyses were conducted, and the responses were investigated in terms of the lateral displacement of the pile, the effect of the base acceleration in the pile behavior, the bending moment distribution in the pile body, and the pore pressure. The numerical analysis results demonstrated that the relationship between the pile lateral displacement and the maximum base acceleration is non-linear. Furthermore, increasing the pile diameter results in an increase in the passive pressure of the soil. Also, piles with small and big diameters are subjected to yielding under bending and shear states, respectively. It is concluded that an effective stress-based ground response analysis should be conducted when there is a liquefaction condition in order to determine the maximum bending moment and shear force generated within the pile.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.52-60
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• 2005

The CFD coupled aeroelastic analyses have significant advantages over linear panel methods in their accuracy and usefulness for the simulation of actual aeroelastic motion after specific initial disturbance. However, in spite of their advantages, a heavy computation time is required. In this paper, a method is discussed to save a computational cost in the time domain aeroelastic analysis based on the system identification technique. The coefficients of system identification model are fit to the computed time response obtained from a previously developed aeroelastic analysis code. Because the non-dimensionalized data is only used to construct the model structure, the resulting model of the unsteady CFD solution is independent of dynamic pressure and this independency makes it possible to find the flutter dynamic pressure without the unsteady aerodynamic computation. To confirm the accuracy of the system identification methodology, the system model responses are compared with those of the CFD coupled aeroelastic analysis at the same dynamic pressure.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.106-115
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• 2011

This study proposed a new methodology for seismic capacity evaluation of low-rise reinforced concrete (RC) buildings based on non-linear required spectrum. In order to verify the reliability of the proposed method, relationships between results obtained using the proposed method and the non-linear dynamic analyses were investigated. Compared with the seismic protection index (Es=0.6) defined in the Japanese Standard, the applicability of the method was also estimated. Research results indicate that the method proposed in this study compares reasonably well with the detailed evaluation methods. Using the seismic evaluation method developed in this study, the seismic capacity category and earthquake damage degree of low-rise RC buildings corresponding to a specific earthquake level can be effectively estimated.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.599-609
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• 2020

The tension-only braced frames (TOBFs) are widely used as a lateral force resisting system (LFRS) in low-rise steel buildings due to their simplicity and economic advantage. However, the system has poor seismic energy dissipation capacity and pinched hysteresis behavior caused by early buckling of slender bracing members. The main concern in utilizing the TOBF system is the determination of appropriate performance factors for seismic design. A formalized approach to quantify the seismic performance factor (SPF) based on determining an acceptable margin of safety against collapse is introduced by FEMA P695. The methodology is applied in this paper to assess the SPFs of the TOBF systems. For this purpose, a trial value of the R factor was first employed to design and model a set of TOBF archetype structures. Afterwards, the level of safety against collapse provided by the assumed R factor was investigated by using the non-linear analysis procedure of FEMA P695 comprising incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) under a set of prescribed ground motions. It was found that the R factor of 3.0 is appropriate for safe design of TOBFs. Also, the system overstrength factor (Ω₀) was estimated as 2.0 by performing non-linear static analyses.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.119-139
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• 2014

A new method is proposed for random vibration anaylsis of hysteretic systems subjected to non-stationary random excitations. With the Bouc-Wen model, motion equations of hysteretic systems are first transformed into quasi-linear equations by applying the concept of equivalent excitations and decoupling of the real and hysteretic displacements, and the derived equation system can be solved by either the precise time integration or the Newmark-${\beta}$ integration method. Combining the numerical solution of the auxiliary differential equation for hysteretic displacements, an explicit iteration algorithm is then developed for the dynamic response analysis of hysteretic systems. Because the computational cost for a large number of deterministic analyses of hysteretic systems can be significantly reduced, Monte-Carlo simulation using the explicit iteration algorithm is now viable, and statistical characteristics of the non-stationary random responses of a hysteretic system can be obtained. Numerical examples are presented to show the accuracy and efficiency of the present approach.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.181-201
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• 2012

The benchmark on the ASCE cable-stayed bridge has gathered since its proposal the interest of many specialists in the field of the structural control and the dynamic response of long span bridges. Starting from the original benchmark statement in the MATLAB framework, a refined version of the bridge model is developed in the ANSYS commercial finite element environment. A passive structural control system is studied through non linear numerical analyses carried out in time domain for several seismic realizations in a multiple support framework. An innovative electro-inductive device is considered. Its positive performance is compared with an alternative version considering traditional metallic dampers.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.689-698
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• 2018

This study focuses on a novel procedure for the robustness assessment of reinforced concrete (RC) framed structures under threat-independent damage scenarios. The procedure is derived from coupled dynamic and non-linear static analyses. Two robustness indicators are defined and the method is applied to two RC frame buildings. The first building was designed for gravity load and earthquake resistance in accordance with Eurocode 8. The second was designed according to the tie force (TF) method, one of the design quantitative procedures for enhancing resistance to progressive collapse. In addition, in order to demonstrate the suitability and applicability of the TF method, the structural robustness and resistance to progressive collapse of the two designs is compared.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.411-425
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• 2011

This paper illustrates the results of a seismic vulnerability study aimed to derive the fragility curves for typical Algerian reinforced concrete bridge piers using an analytical approach. Fragility curves express the probability of exceeding a certain damage state for a given ground motion intensity (e.g., PGA). In this respect, a set of 41 worldwide accelerometer records from which, 21 Algerian strong motion records are included, have been used in a non-linear dynamic response analyses to assess the damage indices expressed in terms of the bridge displacement ductility, the ultimate ductility, the cyclic loading factor and the cumulative energy ductility. Combining the damage indices defined for 5 damage rank with the ground motion indices, the fragility curves for the bridge piers were derived assuming a lognormal distribution.