• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제69권3호
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• pp.293-306
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• 2019

In current seismic design codes, various elastic design acceleration spectra are defined considering different seismological and soil characteristics and are widely used tool for calculation of seismic loads acting on structures. Response spectrum analyses directly use the elastic design acceleration spectra whereas time history analyses use acceleration records of earthquakes whose acceleration spectra fit the design spectra of seismic codes. Due to the fact that obtaining coherent structural response quantities with the seismic design code considerations is a desired circumstance in dynamic analyses, the response spectra of earthquake records used in time history analyses had better fit to the design acceleration spectra of seismic codes. This paper evaluates structural response distributions of multi-story reinforced concrete frames obtained from nonlinear time history analyses which are performed by using the scaled earthquake records compatible with various elastic design spectra. Time domain scaling procedure is used while processing the response spectrum of real accelerograms to fit the design acceleration spectra. The elastic acceleration design spectra of Turkish Seismic Design Code 2007, Uniform Building Code 1997 and Eurocode 8 are considered as target spectra in the scaling procedure. Soil classes in different seismic codes are appropriately matched up with each other according to $V_{S30}$ values. The maximum roof displacements and the total base shears of considered frame structures are determined from nonlinear time history analyses using the scaled earthquake records and the results are presented by graphs and tables. Coherent structural response quantities reflecting the influence of elastic design spectra of various seismic codes are obtained.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.389-398
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• 2018

The seismic isolation system makes a structure isolated from ground motions to protect the structure from seismic events. Seismic isolation techniques have been implemented in full-scale buildings and bridges because of their simplicity, economic effectiveness, inherent stability and reliability. As for the responses of an isolated structure due to seismic events, it is well known that the most uncertain aspects are the seismic loading itself and structural properties. Due to the randomness of earthquakes and uncertainty of structures, seismic response distributions of an isolated structure are needed when evaluating the seismic fragility assessment (or probabilistic seismic safety assessment) of an isolated structure. Seismic response time histories are useful and often essential elements in its design or evaluation stage. Thus, a large number of non-linear dynamic analyses should be performed to evaluate the seismic performance of an isolated structure. However, it is a monumental task to gather the design or evaluation information of the isolated structure from too many seismic analyses, which is impractical. In this paper, a new methodology that can evaluate the seismic fragility assessment of an isolated structure is proposed by using stochastic response database, which is a device that can estimate the seismic response distributions of an isolated structure without any seismic response analyses. The seismic fragility assessment of the isolated nuclear power plant is performed using the proposed methodology. The proposed methodology is able to evaluate the seismic performance of isolated structures effectively and reduce the computational efforts tremendously.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제51권2호
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• pp.600-606
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• 2019

Studies on the application of the lead rubber bearing (LRB) isolation system to nuclear power plants are being carried out as one of the measures to improve seismic performance. Nuclear power plants with isolation systems require seismic probabilistic safety assessments, for which the seismic fragility of the structures, systems, and components needs be calculated, including for beyond design basis earthquakes. To this end, seismic response analyses are required, where it can be seen that the behaviors of the isolation system components govern the overall seismic response of an isolated plant. The numerical model of the LRB used in these seismic response analyses plays an important role, but in most cases, the extreme performance of the LRB has not been well studied. The current work therefore develops an extreme nonlinear numerical model that can express the seismic response of the LRB for beyond design basis earthquakes. A full-scale LRB was fabricated and dynamically tested with various input conditions, and test results confirmed that the developed numerical model better represents the behavior of the LRB over previous models. Subsequent seismic response analyses of isolated nuclear power plants using the model developed here are expected to provide more accurate results for seismic probabilistic safety assessments.

• 한국지진공학회논문집
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.69-76
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• 2017

Seismic analyses of a pile under a large rigid basement foundation embedded in the homogeneous soil layer were performed practically by a response displacement method assuming a sinusoidal wave form. However, it is hard to take into account the characteristics of a large mat foundation and a heterogeneous soil layer with the response displacement method. The response displacement method is relevant to the 2D problems for longitudinal structures such as tunnel, underground cave structure, etc., but might not be relevant with isolated foundations for building structures. In this study, seismic pile analysis by a pseudo 3D finite element method was carried out to compare numerical results with results of the response displacement method considering 3D characteristics of a foundation-soil system which is important for the building foundation analyses. Study results show that seismic analyses results of a response displacement method are similar to those of a pseudo 3D numerical method for stiff and dense soil layers, but they are too conservative for a soft soil layer inducing large soil pressures on the foundation wall and large pile displacements due to ignored foundation rigidity and resistance.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제10권6호
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• pp.1347-1367
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• 2016

The purpose of this work is to investigate the seismic behavior of St. Titus Church in Heraklion, Crete, Greece as well as the need of its seismic retrofitting. A numerical model of the Church is constructed using shell finite elements and it is then seismically examined using response spectrum and linear time-history analyses. Effects of soil-structure interaction have been also taken into account. The Church without retrofit is expected to exhibit extensive tensile failures and many compressive ones. Aiming to maintain the architectural character of the structure as well as to increase its seismic resistance, a retrofitting procedure involving injection of cement grout in conjunction with reinforced concrete jacketing to the internal side of the masonry walls is proposed. A numerical implementation of the proposed seismic retrofitting is performed and its effect is evaluated by response spectrum and linear time-history analyses. From the results of these analyses, it is shown that compressive failures are eliminated while only few tensile failures of local character take place.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제87권5호
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• pp.405-418
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• 2023

This study focused on the effectiveness of seismic isolation technique in case of a reinforced concrete structure with soft story defined as the stiffness irregularity between adjacent stories. In this context, a seismically isolated 3-story reinforced concrete structure was analyzed by gradually increasing the first story height (3.0, 4.5, and 6.0 m). The seismic isolation system of the structure is assumed to be composed of lead rubber bearings (LRB). In the analyses, isolators were modeled by both deteriorating (temperature-dependent analyses) and non-deteriorating (bounding analyses) hysteretic representations. The deterioration in strength of isolator is due to temperature rise in the lead core during cyclic motion. The ground motion pairs used in bi-directional nonlinear dynamic analyses were selected and scaled according to codified procedures. In the analyses, different isolation periods (Tiso) and characteristic strength to weight ratios (Q/W) were considered in order to determine the sensitivity of structural response to the isolator properties. Response quantities under consideration are floor accelerations, and interstory drift ratios. Analyses results are compared for both hysteretic representations of LRBs. Results are also used to assess the significance of the ratio between the horizontal stiffnesses of soft story and isolation system. It is revealed that seismic isolation is a viable method to reduce structural damage in structures with soft story.

• 한국지진공학회논문집
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.235-243
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• 2016

Korea is part of a region of low to moderate seismicity located inside the Eurasian plate with bedrock located at depths less than 30 m. However, the spectral acceleration obtained from site response analyses based on the geologic conditions of inland areas of the Korean peninsula are significantly different from the current Korean seismic code. Therefore, suitable site classification scheme and design response spectra based on local site conditions in the Korean peninsula are required to produce reliable estimates of earthquake ground motion. In this study, site-specific response analyses were performed at more than 300 sites with at least 100 sites at each site categories of $S_C$, $S_D$, and $S_E$ as defined in the current seismic code in Korea. The process of creating a huge database of input parameters - such as shear wave velocity profiles, normalized shear modulus reduction curves, damping curves, and input earthquake motions - for site response analyses were described. The response spectra and site coefficients obtained from site response analyses were compared with those proposed for the site categories in the current code. Problems with the current seismic design code were subsequently discussed, and the development and verifications of new site classification system and corresponding design response spectra are detailed in companion papers (II-development of new site categories and design response spectra and III-Verifications)

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제9권5호
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• pp.937-956
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• 2015

Seismic isolation systems decouple structures from ground motions to protect them from seismic events. Seismic isolation devices have been implemented in many full-scale buildings and bridges because of their simplicity, economic effectiveness, inherent stability, and reliability. It is well known that the most uncertain aspect for obtaining the accurate responses of an isolated structure from seismic events is the seismic loading itself. It is needed to know the seismic response distributions of the isolated structure resulting from the randomness of earthquakes when probabilistic designing or probabilistic evaluating an isolated structure. Earthquake time histories are useful and often an essential element for designing or evaluating isolated structures. However, it is very challenging to gather the design and evaluation information for an isolated structure from many seismic analyses. In order to evaluate the seismic performance of an isolated structure, numerous nonlinear dynamic analyses need to be performed, but this is impractical. In this paper, the concept of the stochastic response database (SRD) is defined to obtain the seismic response distributions of an isolated structure instantaneously, thereby significantly reducing the computational efforts. An equivalent model of the isolated structure is also developed to improve the applicability and practicality of the SRD. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is numerically verified.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.269-283
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• 2018

This study presents the effects of geometrical dimensions of concrete gravity dams on the seismic response considering different base width/dam height (L/H) ratios. In the study, a concrete gravity dam with the height of 200 m is selected and finite element models of the dam are constituted including five different L/H ratios such as 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25. All dams are modeled in ANSYS software considering dam-reservoir-foundation interaction. 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake records are applied to models in upstream-downstream direction and linear time history analyses are performed. Dynamic equilibrium equations of motions obtained from the finite element models of the coupled systems are solved by using Newmark time integration algorithm. The seismic response of the models is evaluated from analyses presenting natural frequencies, mode shapes, displacements and principal stresses. The results show that the L/H ratios considerably affect the seismic response of gravity dams. Also, the model where L/H ratio is 1.00 has more desirable results and most appropriate representation of the seismic response of gravity dams.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.103-118
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• 2017

In vertical seismic isolation (VSI), a building is partitioned intentionally by vertical layers into two dynamically different substructures for seismic response reduction. Initially, a 1-story frame was partitioned into two substructures, interconnected by viscous and visco-elastic links, and seismic responses of the original and the vertically isolated structures (VIS) were obtained, considering a large number of stiffness and mass ratios of substructures with respect to the original structure. Color contour graphs were defined for presentation and investigation of large amounts of output results. Dynamic characteristics of the isolated structures were studied by considering the non-classical damping of the system, and then the effects of viscous and visco-elastic link parameters on the modal damping ratios were discussed. On this basis, three states of mass isolation, interactional state, and control mass were differentiated. Response history analyses were performed by Runge-Kutta numerical method. In these analyses, interaction of isolation ratios and link parameters, on response control of VIS was studied and the appropriate ranges for link parameters as well as the optimal ranges for isolation ratios were suggested. Results show that by using the VSI technique, seismic response reduction up to 50% in flexible substructure and even more in stiff substructure is achievable.