• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.175-188
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• 2020

The Hengda Group super high-rise building in Jinan City uses the frame-core tube structural system. With a height of 238.3 m, it is above the B-level height limit of 150 m for buildings within 7-magnitude seismic fortification zones. Therefore, it is necessary to apply performance-based seismic design to this super high-rise building. In this study, response spectrum analysis and comparative analysis of the structure are conducted using two software applications. Moreover, elastic time-history analysis, seismic analysis under an intermediate earthquake, and elastic-plastic time-history analysis under rare earthquakes are performed. Based on the analysis results, corresponding strengthening measures are implemented at weaker structural locations, such as corners, wall ends connected to framed girders, and coupling beams connected to framed girders. The failure mode and failure zone of major stress components of the structure under rare earthquakes are analysed. The conclusions to this research demonstrate that weaker locations and important parts of the structure satisfy the requirements for elastic-plastic deformation in the event of rare earthquakes.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제49권2호
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• pp.373-379
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• 2017

Seismic probabilistic safety assessments are used to help understand the impact potential seismic events can have on the operation of a nuclear power plant. An important component to seismic probabilistic safety assessment is the seismic hazard curve which shows the frequency of seismic events. However, these hazard curves are estimated assuming a normal distribution of the seismic events. This may not be a strong assumption given the number of recorded events at each source-to-site distance. The use of a normal distribution makes the calculations significantly easier but may underestimate or overestimate the more rare events, which is of concern to nuclear power plants. This paper shows a preliminary exploration into the effect of using a distribution that perhaps more represents the distribution of events, such as the t-distribution to describe data. The integration of a probability distribution with potentially larger tails basically pushes the hazard curves outward, suggesting a different range of frequencies for use in seismic probabilistic safety assessments. Therefore the use of a more realistic distribution results in an increase in the frequency calculations suggesting rare events are less rare than thought in terms of seismic probabilistic safety assessment. However, the opposite was observed with the ground motion prediction equation considered.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제13권4호
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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.

• 한국지진공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국지진공학회 2000년도 춘계 학술발표회 논문집 Proceedings of EESK Conference-Spring
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• pp.63-69
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• 2000

Korea Institute of Geology Mining and Materials(KIGAM) cooperating with Southern Methodist University(SMU) has been operating seismo-acoustic array in Chul-Won area to discriminate man-made explosions from natural earthquakes since at the end of July 1999. In order to characterize propagation parameters of detected seismo-acoustic signal and to associate these signals as a blast event accompanying seismic and acoustic signals simultaneously it is necessary to understand infrasound wave propagation in the atmosphere. Two comparable Effective Sound Velocity Structures(ESVS) in atmosphere were constructed by using empirical model (MSISE90 and HWM93) and by aerological observation data of Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) at O-San area. Infrasound propagation path computed by empirical model resulted in rare arival of refracted waves on ground less than 200km from source region. On the other hand Propagation paths by KMA more realistic data had various arrivals at near source region and well agreement with analyzed seismo-acoustic signals from Chul-Won data. And infrasound propagation in specific direction was very influenced by horizontal wind component in that direction. Linear travel time curve drawn up by 9 days data of the KMA in autumn season showed 335.6m/s apparent sound velocity in near source region. The propagation characteristics will be used to associate seismo-acoustic signals and to calculate propagation parameters of infrasound wave front.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제13권5호
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• pp.443-454
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• 2017

When eccentrically braced steel frames (EBFs) are in the desired failure mode, links yield at each layer and column bases appear plastically hinged. Traditional design methods cannot accurately predict the inelastic behavior of structures owing to the use of capacity-based design theory. This paper proposes the use of performance-based seismic design (PBSD) method for planning eccentrically braced frames. PBSD can predict and control inelastic deformation of structures by target drift and failure mode. In buildings designed via this process, all links dissipate energy in the rare event of an earthquake, while other members remain in elastic state, and as the story drift is uniform along the structure height, weak layers will be avoided. In this condition, eccentrically braced frames may be more easily rehabilitated after the effects of an earthquake. The effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated through a sample case study of ten-story K-type EBFs and Y- type EBFs buildings, and is validated by pushover analysis and dynamic analysis. The ultimate state of frames designed by the proposed method will fail in the desired failure mode. That is, inelastic deformation of structure mainly occurs in links; each layer of links involved dissipates energy, and weak layers do not exist in the structure. The PBSD method can provide a reference for structural design of eccentrically braced steel frames.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.37-52
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• 2017

To quantitatively assess the safety against seismic collapse of eccentrically braced steel frame (EBSF) system, 24 typical EBSFs with K-shape and V-shape braces with seismic precautionary intensities 8 and 9 were designed complying with China seismic design code and relative codes to constitute archetype space of this structure system. In the archetype space, the collapse probability of the structural system under maximum considered earthquakes (MCE) was researched. The results show that the structures possess necessary safety against seismic collapse when they respectively encounter the maximum considered earthquakes corresponding to their seismic precautionary levels, and their collapse probabilities increase with increasing seismic precautionary intensities. Moreover, the EBSFs with V-shape braces have smaller collapse probability, thus greater capacity against seismic collapse than those with K-shape braces.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제41권10호
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• pp.1235-1242
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• 2009

Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) is routinely conducted in the US for nuclear plants, for the determination of appropriate seismic design levels. These analyses incorporate uncertainties in earthquake characteristics in stable continental regions (where direct observations of large earthquakes are rare), in estimates of rock motions, in site effects on strong shaking, and in the damage potential of seismic shaking for engineered facilities. Performance goals related to the inelastic deformation of individual components, and related to overall seismic core damage frequency, are used to determine design levels. PSHA has the ability to quantify and document the important uncertainties that affect seismic design levels, and future work can be guided toward reducing those uncertainties.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제12권6호
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• pp.573-594
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• 2001

A two-level displacement-based design procedure is developed. To obtain the displacement demands, elastic spectra for occasional earthquakes and inelastic spectra for rare earthquakes are used. Minimum global stiffness and strength to be supplied to the structure are based on specified maximum permissible drift limits and on the condition that the structure responds within the elastic range for occasional earthquakes. The performance of the structure may be assessed by an inelastic push-over analysis to the required displacement and the evaluation of damage indices. The approach is applied to the design of a five-story reinforced concrete coupled wall structure located in the most hazardous seismic region of Argentina. The inelastic dynamic response of the structure subjected to real and artificially generated acceleration time histories is also analyzed. Finally, advantages and limitations of the proposed procedure from the conceptual point of view and practical application are discussed.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제15권6호
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• pp.667-685
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• 2018

In eccentrically braced steel frames (EBFs), the links are fuse members which enter inelastic phase before other structure members and dissipate the seismic energy. Based on the force-based seismic design method, damages and plastic deformations are limited to the links, and the main structure members are required tremendous sizes to ensure elastic with limited or no damage. Force-based seismic design method is very common and is found in most design codes, it is unable to determine the inelastic response of the structure and the damages of the members. Nowadays, methods of seismic design are emphasizing more on performance-based seismic design concept to have a more realistic assessment of the inelastic response of the structure. Links use ordinary steel Q345 (the nominal yielding strength $f_y{\geq}345MPa$) while other members use high strength steel (Q460 $f_y{\geq}460MPa$ or Q690 $f_y{\geq}690MPa$) in eccentrically braced frames with high strength steel combination (HSS-EBFs). The application of high strength steels brings out many advantages, including higher safety ensured by higher strength in elastic state, better economy which results from the smaller member size and structural weight as well as the corresponding welding work, and most importantly, the application of high strength steel in seismic fortification zone, which is helpful to popularize the extensive use of high strength steel. In order to comparison seismic behavior between HSS-EBFs and ordinary EBFs, on the basis of experimental study, four structures with 5, 10, 15 and 20 stories were designed by PBSD method for HSS-EBFs and ordinary EBFs. Nonlinear static and dynamic analysis is applied to all designs. The loading capacity, lateral stiffness, ductility and story drifts and failure mode under rare earthquake of the designs are compared. Analyses results indicated that HSS-EBFs have similar loading capacity with ordinary EBFs while the lateral stiffness and ductility of HSS-EBFs is lower than that of EBFs. HSS-EBFs and ordinary EBFs designed by PBSD method have the similar failure mode and story drift distribution under rare earthquake, the steel weight of HSS-EBFs is 10%-15% lower than ordinary EBFs resulting in good economic efficiency.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제15권6호
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• pp.595-603
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• 2018

Shake table testing has been regarded as one of the most effective experimental approaches to evaluate seismic response of structural systems subjected to earthquakes. However, reproducing a prescribed acceleration time history precisely over the frequency of interest is challenging because shake table test systems are eventually nonlinear by nature. In addition, interaction between the table and specimen could affect the control accuracy of shake table testing significantly. Various novel control algorithms have been proposed to improve the control accuracy of shake table testing; however, reference values for control performance assessment remain rare. In this study, reference values for control performance assessment of shake table testing are specified based on the statistical analyses of 1,209 experimental data provided by the Seismic Simulator Laboratory of National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering in Taiwan. Three individual reference values are considered for the assessment including the root-mean-square error of the achieved acceleration time history; the percentage of the spectral acceleration that exceeds the determined tolerance range over the frequency of interest; and the error-ratio of the achieved peak ground acceleration. Quartiles of the real experimental data in terms of the three objective variables are obtained, providing users with solid and simple references to evaluate the control performance of shake table testing. Finally, a set of experimental data of a newly developed control framework implementation for uni-axial shake tables are used as an application example to demonstrate the significant improvement of control accuracy according to the reference values provided in this study.