• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.501-516
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• 2017

Numerical simulations are prevalently used to evaluate the seismic behaviour of structures. The accuracy of the simulation results depends directly on the accuracy of the modelling techniques employed to simulate the behaviour of individual structural members. An empirical modelling technique is employed in this paper to simulate the behaviour of column members under cyclic and seismic loading. Despite the common modelling techniques, this technique is capable of simulating two important aspects of the cyclic and seismic behaviour of columns simultaneously. The proposed fiber-based modelling technique captures explicitly the interaction between the bending moment and the axial force in columns, and the cyclic deterioration of the hysteretic behaviour of these members is implicitly taken into account. The fiber-based model is calibrated based on the cyclic behaviour of square hollow steel sections. The behaviour of several column archetypes is investigated under a dual cyclic loading protocol to develop a benchmark database before the calibration procedure. The dual loading protocol used in this study consists of both axial and lateral loading cycles with varying amplitudes. After the calibration procedure, a regression analysis is conducted to derive an equation for predicting a varying calibrated modelling parameter. Finally, several nonlinear time-history analyses are conducted on a 6-story steel special moment frame in order to investigate how the results of numerical simulations can be affected by employing the intended modelling technique for columns instead of other common modelling techniques.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.120-121
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• 2001

The purpose of this study is to investigate concrete flaw using seismic first arrival and various inversion method. Seismic wave propagation was calculated using finite element method in theoretical modelling and tomogram was made using various inversion methods in theoretical and experimental modelling. Five steps of seismic first arrival were selected from FEM results and these data were used to calculate seismic velocity section. According to the results, exact seismic first arrival picking method was proposed and experimental modelling was conducted.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.541-561
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• 2011

The Finite Element Method (FEM) was employed to demonstrate that accurate simulations of seismically repaired and retrofitted reinforced concrete shear walls can be achieved provided a good analysis program with comprehensive models for material and structural behaviour is used. Furthermore, the analysis tool should have the capability to retain residual damage experienced by the original structure and carry it forward in the repaired and retrofitted structure. The focus herein is to provide quick, simple, but reliable modelling procedures for repair and retrofitting strategies such as concrete replacement, addition of diagonal reinforcing bars, bolting of external steel plates, and bonding of external steel plates and fibre reinforced polymer sheets, thus illustrating versatility in the modelling. Slender, squat, and slender-squat shear walls were investigated. The modelling utilized simple rectangular membrane elements for the concrete, truss bar elements for the steel and FRP retrofitting materials, and bond-link elements for the bonding interface between steel or FRP to concrete. The analyses satisfactorily simulated seismic behaviour, including lateral load capacity, displacement capacity, energy dissipation, hysteretic response, and failure mode.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.55-65
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• 2017

Earthquake resilience of substations is essential for reliable and sustainable service of electrical grids. The majority of substation equipment consists of cylindrical porcelain components, which are vulnerable to earthquake shakings due to the brittleness of porcelain material. Failure of porcelain equipment has been repeatedly observed in recent earthquakes. Hence, proper seismic modelling of porcelain equipment is important for various limit state checks in both product manufacturing stage and detailed substation design stage. Sheds on porcelain core and cemented joint between porcelain component and metal cap have significant effects on the dynamic properties of the equipment, however, such effects have not been adequately parameterized in existing design guidelines. This paper addresses this critical issue by developing a method for taking these two effects into account in seismic modelling based on numerical and analytical approaches. Equations for estimating the effects of sheds and cemented joint on flexural stiffness are derived, respectively, by regression analyses based on the results of 12 pieces of full-scale equipment in 500kV class or higher. The proposed modelling technique has further been validated by shaking table tests.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.359-374
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• 2017

The seismic events in Northern Italy, May 2012, have revealed the seismic vulnerability of typical Italian precast industrial buildings. The aim of this paper is to present a seismic fragility model for Italian RC precast buildings, to be used in earthquake loss estimation and seismic risk assessment by comparing two building typologies and three different codes: D.M. 3-03-1975, D.M. 16-01-1996 and current Italian building code that has been released in 2008. Based on geometric characteristics and design procedure applied, ten different building classes were identified. A Monte Carlo simulation was performed for each building class in order to generate the building stock used for the development of fragility curves trough analytical method. The probabilistic distributions of geometry were mainly obtained from data collected from 650 field surveys, while the material properties were deduced from the code in place at the time of construction or from expert opinion. The structures were modelled in 2D frameworks; since the past seismic events have identified the beam-column connection as the weakest element of precast buildings, two different modelling solutions were adopted to develop fragility curves: a simple model with post processing required to detect connection collapse and an innovative modelling solution able to reproduce the real behaviour of the connection during the analysis. Fragility curves were derived using both nonlinear static and dynamic analysis.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.67-79
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• 2018

Malaysia and Singapore have adopted Eurocode 8 (EC8) for the seismic design of building structures. The authors studied the seismic hazard modelling of the region surrounding Malaysia and Singapore for a long time and have been key contributors to the drafting of the Malaysia National Annex (NA). The purpose of this paper is to explain the principles underlying the derivation of the elastic response spectrum model for Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah). The current EC8 NA for Singapore is primarily intended to address the distant hazards from Sumatra and is not intended to provide coverage for potential local intraplate hazards. Hence, this paper recommends a reconciled elastic response spectrum for Singapore, aiming to achieve a more robust level of safety. The topics covered include the modelling of distant interplate earthquakes generated offshore and local earthquakes in an intraplate tectonic setting, decisions on zoning, modelling of earthquake recurrences, ground motion and response spectrum. Alternative expression for response spectrum on rock, strictly based on the rigid framework of EC8 is discussed.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.539-566
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• 2013

This paper summarises the results of a numerical study on the non linear response of steel concentric braced frames under monotonic and cyclic loads, using force-based finite elements with section fibre discretisation. The first part of the study is addressed to analyse the single brace response. A parametric analysis was carried out and discussed to evaluate the accuracy of the model, examining the influence of the initial camber, the material modelling, the type of force-based element, the number of integration points and the number of fibers. The second part of the paper is concerned with the modelling issues of whole braced structures. The effectiveness of the modelling approach is verified against the nonlinear static and dynamic behaviour of different type of bracing configurations. The model sensitivity to brace-to-brace interaction and the capability of the model to mimic the response of complex bracing systems is analyzed. The influence of different approaches for modelling the inertia, the equivalent viscous damping and the brace hysteretic response on the overall structural response are also investigated. Finally, on the basis of the performed numerical study general modelling recommendations are proposed.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.627-646
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• 2014

Adobe is one of the oldest construction materials that is still used in many seismic countries, and different construction techniques are found around the world. The adobe material is characterized as a brittle material; it has acceptable compression strength but it has poor performance under tensile and shear loading conditions. Numerical modelling is an alternative approach for studying the nonlinear behaviour of masonry structures such as adobe. The lack of a comprehensive experimental database on the adobe material properties motivated the study developed here. A set of a reference material parameters for the adobe were obtained from a calibration of numerical models based on a quasi-static cyclic in-plane test on full-scale adobe wall representative of the typical Peruvian adobe constructions. The numerical modelling, within the micro and macro modelling approach, lead to a good prediction of the in-plane seismic capacity and of the damage evolution in the adobe wall considered.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.372-380
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• 2000

Seismic forces for member design of bridges may be determined by modifying elastic member forces induced by design earthquakes using appropriate response modification factors according to national design code of bridges. Modeling of soil/foundation system is one of the critical parameter in the process of elastic seismic analysis of bridge system which greatly affects on the analysis results. In this paper, a simplified modelling procedure of soil/foundation system which gives practically reasonable results is presented and its applicability has been validated through example bridge. Based on the results, it has been shown that the procedure is acceptable in modelling soil/foundation system for practical seismic analysis of bridges.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.409-436
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• 2014

Although it is widely accepted that the interaction -between masonry infill and structural members significantly affects the seismic response of reinforced concrete (RC) frames, this interaction is generally neglected in current design-oriented seismic analyses of structures. Moreover, the role of masonry infill is expected to be even more relevant in the case of existing frames designed only for gravitational loads, as infill walls can significantly modify both lateral strength and stiffness. However, the additional contribution to both strength and stiffness is often coupled to a modification of the global collapse mechanisms possibly resulting in brittle failure modes, generally related to irregular distributions of masonry walls throughout the frame. As a matter of principle, accurate modelling of masonry infill should be at least carried out by adopting nonlinear 2D elements. However, several practice-oriented proposals are currently available for modelling masonry infill through equivalent (nonlinear) strut elements. The present paper firstly outlines some of the well-established models currently available in the scientific literature for modelling infill panels in seismic analyses of RC frames. Then, a parametric analysis is carried out in order to demonstrate the consequences of considering such models in nonlinear static and dynamic analyses of existing RC structures. Two bay-frames with two-, three- and four-storeys are considered for performing nonlinear analyses aimed at investigating some critical aspects of modelling masonry infill and their effects on the structural response. Particularly, sensitivity analyses about specific parameters involved in the definition of the equivalent strut models, such as the constitutive force-displacement law of the panel, are proposed.