• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.149-162
• /
• 2024

Aiming at the current research on the dynamic response analysis of the vehicle-bridge system under earthquake, which fails to comprehensively consider the impact of seismic wave incidence angles, terrain effects and soil-structure dynamic interaction on the bridge structure, this paper proposes a multi-point excitation input method that can consider the oblique incidence seismic P Waves based on the viscous-spring artificial boundary theory, and verifies the accuracy and feasibility of the input method. An overall numerical model of vehicle-bridge-soil foundation system in valley terrain during oblique incidence of seismic P-wave is established, and the effects of seismic wave incidence characteristics, terrain effects, soil-structure dynamic interactions, and vehicle speeds on the dynamic response of the bridge are analyzed. The research results indicate that with an increase in P wave incident angle, the vertical dynamic response of the bridge structure decreased while the horizontal dynamic response increased significantly. Traditional design methods which neglect multi-point excitation would lead to an unsafe structure. The dynamic response of the bridge structure significantly increases at the ridge while weakening at the valley. The dynamic response of bridge structures under earthquake action does not always increase with increasing train speed, but reaches a maximum value at a certain speed. Ignoring soil-structure dynamic interaction would reduce the vertical dynamic response of the bridge piers. The research results can provide a theoretical basis for the seismic design of vehicle-bridge systems in complex mountainous terrain under earthquake excitation.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.971-983
• /
• 2015

To promote greater acceptance and use of composite RCS systems, a two-bay two-story frame specimen with improved composite RCS joint details was tested in the laboratory under reversed cyclic loading. The test revealed superior seismic performance with stable load versus story drift response and excellent deformation capacity for an inter-story drift ratio up to 1/25. It was found that the failure process of the frame meets the strong-column weak-beam criterion. Furthermore, cracking inter-story drift ratio and ultimate inter-story drift ratio both satisfy the limitation prescribed by the design code. Additionally, inter-story drift ratios at yielding and peak load stage provide reference data for Performance-Based Seismic Design (PBSD) approaches for composite RCS frames. An advantage over conventional reinforced concrete and steel moment frame systems is that the displacement ductility coefficient of the RCS frame system is much larger. To conclude, the test results prove that composite RCS frame systems perform satisfactorily under simulated earthquake action, which further validates the reliability of this innovative system. Based on the test result, some suggestions are presented for the design of composite RCS frame systems.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.427-445
• /
• 2015

By means of finite element numerical simulation and pseudo-static method, the shallow-buried bilateral bias twin-tube tunnel subject to horizontal and vertical seismic forces are researched. The research includes rupture angles, the failure mode of the tunnel and the distribution of surrounding rock relaxation pressure. And the analytical solution for surrounding rock relaxation pressure is derived. For such tunnels, their surrounding rock has sliding rupture planes that generally follow a "W" shape. The failure area is determined by the rupture angles. Research shows that for shallow-buried bilateral bias twin-tube tunnel under the action of seismic force, the load effect on the tunnel structure shall be studied based on the relaxation pressure induced by surrounding rock failure. The rupture angles between the left tube and the right tube are independent of the surface slope. For tunnels with surrounding rock of Grade IV, V and VI, which is of poor quality, the recommended reinforcement range for the rupture angles is provided when the seismic fortification intensity is VI, VII, VIII and IX respectively. This study is expected to provide theoretical support regarding the ground reinforcement range for the shallow-buried bilateral bias twin-tube tunnel under seismic force.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.375-390
• /
• 2015

Staircase is a vertical transportation element commonly used in every multistoried structure. Inclined flights of staircase are usually casted monolithically with RC frame. The structural configuration of stairs generally introduces discontinuities into the typical regular reinforced concrete frame composed of beams and columns. Inclined position of flight transfers both vertical as well as horizontal forces in the frame. Under lateral loading, staircase in a multistory RC frame building develops truss action creating a local stiffening effect. In case of seismic event the stiff area around staircase attracts larger force. Therefore, special attention is required while modeling and analyzing the building with staircase. However, in general design practice, designers usually ignore the staircase while modeling either due to ignorance or to avoid complexity. A numerical study has been conducted to examine the effect of ignoring staircase in modeling and design of RC frame buildings while they are really present in structure, may be at different locations. Linear dynamic analysis is performed on nine separate building models to evaluate influence of staircase on dynamic characteristics of building, followed by nonlinear static analysis on the same models to access their seismic performance. It is observed that effect of ignoring staircase in modeling is severe and leads to unsafe structure. Effect of location and orientation of staircase is also important in determining seismic performance of RC frame buildings.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.86 no.3
• /
• pp.417-430
• /
• 2023

As the key part in the reinforced concrete column-steel beam (RCS) frame, the beam-column joints are usually subjected the axial force, shear force and bending moment under seismic actions. With the aim to study the seismic behavior of RCS joints with and without RC slab, the quasi-static cyclic tests results, including hysteretic curves, slab crack development, failure mode, strain distributions, etc. were discussed in detail. It is shown that the composite action between steel beam and RC slab can significantly enhance the initial stiffness and loading capacity, but lead to a changing of the failure mode from beam flexural failure to the joint shear failure. Based on the analysis of shear failure mechanism, the calculation formula accounting for the influence of RC slab was proposed to estimate shear strength of RCS joint. In addition, the finite element model (FEM) was developed by ABAQUS and a series of parametric analysis model with RC slab was conducted to investigate the influence of the face plates thickness, slab reinforcement diameter, beam web strength and inner concrete strength on the shear strength of joints. Finally, the proposed formula in this paper is verified by the experiment and FEM parametric analysis results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.139-152
• /
• 2022

Steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) L-shaped column is the vertical load-bearing member with high spatial adaptability. The seismic behavior of SRC L-shaped column is complex because of their irregular cross sections. In this study, the hysteretic performance of six steel truss reinforced concrete L-shaped columns specimens under the combined loading of compression, bending, shear, and torsion was tested. There were two parameters, i.e., the moment ratio of torsion to bending (γ) and the aspect ratio (column length-to-depth ratio (φ)). The failure process, torsion-displacement hysteresis curves, and bending-displacement hysteresis curves of specimens were obtained, and the failure patterns, hysteresis curves, rigidity degradation, ductility, and energy dissipation were analyzed. The experimental research indicates that the failure mode of the specimen changes from bending failure to bending-shear failure and finally bending-torsion failure with the increase of γ. The torsion-displacement hysteresis curves were pinched in the middle, formed a slip platform, and the phenomenon of "load drop" occurred after the peak load. The bending-displacement hysteresis curves were plump, which shows that the bending capacity of the specimen is better than torsion capacity. The results show that the steel truss reinforced concrete L-shaped columns have good collapse resistance, and the ultimate interstory drift ratio more than that of the Chinese Code of Seismic Design of Building (GB50011-2014), which is sufficient. The average value of displacement ductility coefficient is larger than rotation angle ductility coefficient, indicating that the specimen has a better bending deformation resistance. The specimen that has a more regular section with a small φ has better potential to bear bending moment and torsion evenly and consume more energy under a combined action.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.53 no.4
• /
• pp.791-818
• /
• 2015

RC buildings constitute the prevailing type of construction in earthquake-prone region like Kathmandu Valley. Most of these building constructions were based on conventional methods. In this context, the present paper studied the seismic behaviour of existing RC buildings in Kathmandu Valley. For this, four representative building structures with different design and construction, namely a building: (a) representing the non-engineered construction (RC1 and RC2) and (b) engineered construction (RC3 and RC4) has been selected for analysis. The dynamic properties of the case study building models are analyzed and the corresponding interaction with seismic action is studied by means of non-linear analyses. The structural response measures such as capacity curve, inter-storey drift and the effect of geometric non-linearities are evaluated for the two orthogonal directions. The effect of plan and vertical irregularity on the performance of the structures was studied by comparing the results of two engineered buildings. This was achieved through non-linear dynamic analysis with a synthetic earthquake subjected to X, Y and $45^{\circ}$ loading directions. The nature of the capacity curve represents the strong impact of the P-delta effect, leading to a reduction of the global lateral stiffness and reducing the strength of the structure. The non-engineered structures experience inter-storey drift demands higher than the engineered building models. Moreover, these buildings have very low lateral resistant, lesser the stiffness and limited ductility. Finally, a seismic safety assessment is performed based on the proposed drift limits. Result indicates that most of the existing buildings in Nepal exhibit inadequate seismic performance.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.629-648
• /
• 2016

This paper deals with 111 buildings built between 1962 and 1987, from various parts of the city of Osijek, for which, through the collection of documentation, a database is created. The aim of this paper is to provide the first steps in assessing seismic risk in Osijek applying method based on vulnerability index. This index uses collected information of parameters of the building: the structural system, the construction year, plan, the height, i.e., the number of stories, the type of foundation, the structural and non-structural elements, the type and the quality of main construction material, the position in the block and built-up area. According to this method defining five damage states, the action is expressed in terms of the macroseismic intensity and the seismic quality of the buildings by means of a vulnerability index. The value of the vulnerability index can be changed depending on the structural systems, quality of construction, etc., by introducing behavior and regional modifiers based on expert judgments. Since there is no available data of damaged buildings under earthquake loading in our country, we will propose behavior modifiers based on values suggested by earlier works and on judgment based on available project documentation of the considered buildings. Depending on the proposed modifiers, the seismic vulnerability of existing buildings in the city of Osijek will be assessed. The resulting vulnerability of the considered residential buildings provides necessary insight for emergency planning and for identification of critical objects vulnerable to seismic loading.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
• /
• v.14 no.6
• /
• pp.755-763
• /
• 2002

Multispan simply supported bridges and multispan continuous bridges take a large portion of bridges in Central and Southeastern United Sates. The superstructure of the bridges are supported by steel rocker bearings. In general, the rocker bearings are modeled with ideal rollers or Coulomb fricition in seismic analysis. However, the rocker bearings have rocking action on pintles after rolling some distance. This rocking action may have considerable effect on the seismic performance of bridges. This study compares the effect of expansion rocker bearings models on a multispan simply supported and a multispan continuous bridge. Since the ideal roller model produces larger responses than the rocking model, its use is undesirable. However, the fricition and hardening model does not have much difference from the responses of the rocking model. In addition, the use of the tow models is convenient in seismic analyses of bridges. Although the rocking model can obtain more exact responses, its behavior is complicated and it may induce the conversion problem in time history analysis because it includes the abrupt changing of stiffiness. The friction and hardening model of expansion rocker bearings is therefore recommended in sesismic analysis.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.445-462
• /
• 2022

To investigate and evaluate the seismic damage behaviors of steel reinforced recycled concrete (SRRC) filled circular steel tube composite columns, in this study, the cyclic loading tests of 11 composite columns was carried out by using the load-displacement joint control method. The seismic damage process, hysteretic curves and performance indexes of composite columns were observed and obtained. The effects of replacement rates of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA), diameter thickness ratio, axial compression ratio, profile steel ratio and section form of profile steel on the seismic damage behaviors of composite columns were also analyzed in detail. The results show that the failure model of columns is a typical bending failure under the combined action of horizontal loads and vertical loads, and the columns have good energy dissipation capacity and ductility. In addition, the replacement rates of RCA have a certain adverse effect on the seismic bearing capacity, energy consumption and ductility of columns. The seismic damage characteristics of composite columns are revealed according to the failure modes and hysteretic curves. A modified Park-Ang seismic damage model based on the maximum displacement and cumulative energy consumption was proposed, which can consider the adverse effect of RAC on the seismic damage of columns. On this basis, the performance levels of composite columns are divided into five categories, The interlayer displacement angle and damage index are used as the damage quantitative indicators of composite columns, and the displacement angle limits of composite columns at different performance levels under 80% assurance rate are calculated as 1/105, 1/85, 1/65, 1/28, and 1/25 respectively. On this basis, the damage index limits corresponding to each performance level are calculated as 0.045, 0.1, 0.48, 0.8, and 1.0 respectively. Finally, the corresponding relations among the performance levels, damage degrees, interlayer displacement angles and damage indexes of composite columns are established. The conclusions can provide reference for the seismic design of SRRC filled circular steel tube composite columns, it fills the vacancy in the research on seismic damage of steel reinforced recycled concrete (SRRC) filled circular steel tube composite columns.