• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.621-642
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• 2011

Passive tuned mass dampers (TMDs) efficiently suppress vibrations induced by quasi-stationary dynamic inputs, such as winds, sea waves or traffic loads, but may prove of little use against pulse-like excitations, such as near-field (NF) ground motions. The extent of such impairment is however controversial, partly due to the different evaluation criteria adopted within the literature, partly to the limited number of seismic records used in most investigations. In this study, three classical techniques and two new variants for designing a TMD on an SDOF structure are tested under 338 NF records from the PEER NGA database, including 156 records with forward-directivity features. Percentile response reduction spectra are introduced to statistically assess TMD performance, and TMD robustness is verified through Monte Carlo simulations. The methodology is extended to a variety of MDOF bending-type and shear-type frames, and simulated on a case study building structure recently constructed in Central Italy.Results offer an interesting insight into the performance of TMDs against NF earthquakes, ultimately showing that, if properly designed and sufficiently massive, TMDs are effective and robust even in the face of pulse-like ground motions. The two newly proposed design techniques are shown to generally outperform the classical ones.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.147-168
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• 2011

To ensure safety and long term performance, structural control has rapidly matured over the past decade into a viable means of limiting structural responses to strong winds and earthquakes. Nonlinear response history analysis requires rigorous procedure to compute seismic demands. Therefore the simplified nonlinear analysis procedures are useful to determine performance of the structure. In this investigation, application of improved capacity demand diagram method in the control of structural system is presented for the first time. Developed pole assignment method (DPAM) in structural systems control is introduced. Genetic algorithm (GA) is employed as an optimization tool for minimizing a target function that defines values of coefficient matrices providing the placement of actuators and optimal control forces. The ground acceleration is modified under induced control forces. Due to this, performance of structure based on improved nonlinear demand diagram is selected to threshold of nonlinear behavior of structure. With small energy consumption characteristics, semi-active devices are especially attractive solutions for limiting earthquake effects. To illustrate the efficiency of DPAM, a 30-story steel moment frame structure employing the semi-active control devices is applied. In comparison to the widely used linear quadratic regulation (LQR), the DPAM controller was shown to be just as effective and better in the reduction of structural responses during large earthquakes.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.239-260
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• 2016

Tuned mass dampers (TMDs) have been frequently proposed to mitigate the detrimental effects of dynamic loadings in structural systems. The effectiveness of this protection strategy has been demonstrated for wind-induced vibrations and, to some extent, for seismic loadings. Within this framework, recent numerical studies have shown that beneficial effects can be achieved by placing a linear TMD on the roof of linear elastic structural systems subjected to pulse-like ground motions. Motivated by these positive outcomes, closed-form design formulations have been also proposed to optimize the device's parameters. For structural systems that undergo a near-fault pulse-like ground motion, however, it is unlikely that their dynamic response be linear elastic. Hence, it is very important to understand whether such strategy is effective for inelastic structural systems. In order to provide new useful insights about this issue, the paper presents statistical results obtained from a numerical study conducted for three shear-type hysteretic (softening-type) systems having 4, 8 and 16 stories equipped with a linear elastic TMD. The effectiveness of two design procedures is discussed by examining the performances of the protected systems subjected to 124 natural pulse-like earthquakes.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2023

A model for calculating structure interacted mechanics is proposed. A structural interaction model and controller design based on tuned mass damping (TMD) was developed to control the induced vibration. A key point is to introduce a new analytical model to evaluate the properties of the TMD that recognizes the motion-dependent nonlinear response observed in the simulations. Aiming at the problem of increased current harmonics and low efficiency of permanent magnet synchronous motors for electric vehicles due to dead time effect, a dead time compensation method based on neural network filter and current polarity detection is proposed. Firstly, the DC components and the higher harmonic components of the motor currents are obtained by virtue of what the neural network filters and the extracted harmonic currents are adjusted to the required compensation voltages by virtue of what the neural network filters. Then, the extracted DC components are used for current polarity dead time compensation control to avert the false compensation when currents approach zero. The neural network filter method extracts the required compensation voltages from the speed component and the current polarity detection compensation method obtains the required compensation voltages by discriminating the current polarity. The combination of the two methods can more precisely compensate the dead time effect of the control system to improve the control performance. Furthermore, based on the relaxed method, the intelligent approach of stability criterion can be regulated appropriately and the artificial TMD was found to be effective in reducing cross-wind vibrations.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.86 no.1
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• pp.29-48
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• 2023

Pounding happens when contiguous structures with differing heights vibrate out of line caused by a seismic activity. The situation is aggravated due to the insufficient separation gap between the structures which can lead to the crashing of the buildings or total collapse of an edifice. Countries around the world have compiled building standards to address the pounding issue. One of the strategies recommended is the introduction of the separation gap between structures. AS1170.4-2007 is an Australian standard that requires 1% of the building height as a minimum separation gap between buildings to preclude pounding. This article presents experimental and numerical tests to determine the adequacy of this specification to prevent the occurrence of seismic pounding between steel frame structures under near-field and far-field earthquakes. The results indicated that the recommended minimum separation gap based on the Australian Standard is inaccurate if low-rise structure in a coupled case is utilised under both near and far field earthquakes. The standard is adequate if a tall building is involved but only when a far-field earthquake happens. The research likewise presents results derived by using the ABS and SRSS methods.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.2_spc
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• pp.261-273
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• 2020

North Korea conducted the sixth underground nuclear test on September 3, 2017 at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site (NTS). In contrast to the previous five nuclear tests, several induced earthquakes occurred around the NTS after the sixth nuclear test and this may have caused radioxenon leakages at the site. Considering these reported earthquakes, we performed atmospheric dispersion simulations on some radioxenon emission scenarios for this event using our Lagrangian Atmospheric Dose Assessment System (LADAS) model by employing the Unified Model (UM) based numerical weather prediction data produced by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). To find out possible detection locations and times, we combined not only daily and weekly based delayed releases but also leakages after the reported earthquakes around the NTS to create emission scenarios. Our simulation results were generally in good agreement with the measured data of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission and International Monitoring System (IMS) stations operated by the Comprehensive nuclear Test-Ban-Treaty Organization (CTBTO).

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.171-184
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• 2020

The potential of using the roof water tanks as a mitigation measure to minimize the required separation gap and induced pounding forces due to collisions is investigated. The investigation is carried out using nonlinear dynamic analysis for two adjacent 3-story buildings with different dynamic characteristics under two real earthquake motions. For such analysis, nonlinear viscoelastic model is used to simulate forces due to impact. The sloshing force due to water movement is modelled in terms of width of the water tank and the instantaneous wave heights at the end wall. The effect of roof water tanks on the story's responses, separation gap, and magnitude and number of induced pounding forces are investigated. The influence of structural stiffness and storey mass are investigated as well. It is found that pounding causes instantaneous acceleration pulses in the colliding buildings, but the existence of roof water tanks eliminates such acceleration pulses. At the same time the water tanks effectively reduce the number of collisions as well as the magnitude of the induced impact forces. Moreover, buildings without constructed water tanks require wider separation gap to prevent pounding as compared to those with water tanks attached to top floor under seismic excitations.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.613-631
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• 2014

To complement the method of field-scale seismic ground motion simulations by buried blast techniques, the application and evaluation of the capability of a numerical modeling platform to simulate buried explosion-induced ground motion at a real soil site is presented in this paper. Upon a layout of the experimental setup at a level site wherein multiple charges that were buried over a large-diameter circle and detonated in a planned sequence, the formulation of a numerical model of the soil and the explosives using the finite element code LS-DYNA is developed for the evaluation of the resulting ground motion and surface subsidence. With a compact elastoplastic cap model calibrated for the loess soils on the basis of the site and laboratory test program, numerical solutions are obtained by explicit time integration for various dynamic aspects and their relation with the field blast experiment. Quantitative comparison of the computed ground acceleration time histories at different locations and induced spatial subsidence on the surface afterwards is given for further engineering insights in regard to the capabilities and limitations of both the numerical and experimental approaches.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.323-335
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• 2017

A simplified framework for the probabilistic estimation of economic losses induced by the structural vulnerability in single-story and single-bay precast industrial buildings is presented. The simplifications introduced in the framework are oriented to the definition of an expeditious procedure adoptable by government agencies and insurance companies for preliminary risk assessment. The economic losses are evaluated considering seismic hazard, structural response, damage resulting from the structural vulnerability and only structural-vulnerability-induced e]conomic losses, i.e., structural repair or reconstruction costs (stock and flow costs) and content losses induced by structural collapse. The uncertainties associated with each step are accounted for via Monte Carlo simulations. The estimation results in a probabilistic description of the seismic risk of portal-like industrial buildings, expressed in terms of economic losses for each occurrence (i.e., seismic event) that owners (i.e., insured) and stakeholders can use to make risk management decisions. The outcome may also be useful for the definition of the insurance premiums and the evaluation of the risks and costs for the owner corresponding to the insurance industrial costs. A prototype of a precast concrete industrial building located in Mirandola, Italy, hit by the 2012 Emilia earthquake, is used as an example of the application of the procedure.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.253-266
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• 2020

The extended slip-weakening model was investigated by using a compiled set of source-spectrum-related parameters, i.e. seismic moment M_o, S-wave velocity V_s, corner-frequency f_c, and source-controlled high-cut frequency fmax, for 113 shallow crustal earthquakes (focal depth less than 25 km, M_W 3.0~7.5) that occurred in Japan from 1987 to 2016. The investigation was focused on the characteristics of stress drop, radiation energy-to-seismic moment ratio, radiation efficiency, and fracture energy release rate, G_c. The scaling relationships of those source parameters were also investigated and compared with those in previous studies, which were based on generally used singular models with the dimensionless numbers corresponding to f_c given by Brune and Madariaga. The results showed that the stress drop from the singular model with Madariaga's dimensionless number was equivalent to the breakdown stress drop, as well as Brune's effective stress, rather than to static stress drop as has been usually assumed. The scale dependence of stress drop showed a different tendency in accordance with the size category of the earthquakes, which may be divided into small-moderate earthquakes and moderate-large earthquakes by comparing to M_o = 10¹⁷~10¹⁸ Nm. The scale dependence was quite similar to that shown by Kanamori and Rivera. The scale dependence was not because of a poor dynamic range of recorded signals or missing data as asserted by Ide and Beroza, but rather it was because of the scale dependent V_r-induced local similarity of spectrum as shown in a previous study by the authors. The energy release rate G_c with respect to breakdown distance D_c from the extended slip-weakening model coincided with that given by Ellsworth and Beroza in a study on the rupture nucleation phase; and the empirical relationship given by Abercrombie and Rice can represent the results from the extended slip-weakening model, the results from laboratory stick-slip experiments by Ohnaka, and the results given by Ellsworth and Beroza simultaneously. Also the energy flux into the breakdown zone was well correlated with the breakdown stress drop, ${\tilde{e}}$ and peak slip velocity of the fault faces. Consequently, the investigation results indicate the appropriateness of the extended slip-weakening model.