• Computers and Concrete
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.643-658
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• 2024

To date, shell-solid and fibre element model analysis are the most commonly used methods to investigate the seismic performance of concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) bridge piers. However, most existing research does not consider the loss of bearing capacity caused by the fracture of the outer steel tube. To fill this knowledge gap, a refined finite element (FE) model considering the ductile damage of steel tubes and the behaviour of infilled concrete with cracks is established and verified against experimental results of unidirectional, bidirectional cyclic loading tests and pseudo-dynamic loading tests. In addition, a parametric study is conducted to investigate the seismic performance of CFST bridge piers with different concrete strength, steel strength, axial compression ratio, slenderness ratio and infilled concrete height using the proposed model. The validation shows that the proposed refined FE model can effectively simulate the residual displacement of CFST bridge piers subjected to highintensity earthquakes. The parametric analysis indicates that CFST piers hold sufficient strength reserves and sound deformation capacity and, thus, possess excellent application prospects for bridge construction in high-intensity areas.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.221-232
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• 2024

As a supplemental energy dissipation device, friction dampers are widely employed to augment the behaviour of buildings under seismic forces. In the current work, a methodology for the design of the friction damping system of RC frame buildings is offered using performance-based plastic design (PBPD) method. Here 2% of maximum interstorey drift ratio for life safety (LS) level is taken into account as a target drift to estimate the design base shear. In this approach, the distribution of friction damper is determined based on the hysteretic energy demand of that storey. Two frames, five storey three bay (5S3B) and eight storey three bay (8S3B) RC frame building with and without friction damping systems are also taken up for the investigation. The suggested design approach is validated by the nonlinear time history analysis (NLTHA) procedure. Inter story drift ratio (ISDR) and storey displacement, which are the more closely related to structural damage during seismic excitation are evaluated. The results show that the friction damping system on a retrofitted RC frame building performs effectively under seismic excitations and that storey displacement and ISDR are within the limit at moderate and high seismic intensities.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.125-134
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• 2023

In the present work, a new global damage index is proposed for the seismic performance and failure analysis of concrete gravity dams. Unlike the existing indices of concrete structures, this index doesn't need scaling with an ultimate or an upper value. For this purpose, the Beni-Haroun dam in north-eastern Algeria, is considered as a case study, for which an average seismic capacity curve is first evaluated by performing several incremental dynamic analyses. The seismic performance point of the dam is then determined using the N2 method, considering multiple modes and taking into account the stiffness degradation. The seismic demand is obtained from the design spectrum of the Algerian seismic regulations. A series of recorded and artificial accelerograms are used as dynamic loads to evaluate the nonlinear responses of the dam. The nonlinear behaviour of the concrete mass is modelled by using continuum damage mechanics, where material damage is represented by a scalar field damage variable. This modelling, which is suitable for cyclic loading, uses only a single damage parameter to describe the stiffness degradation of the concrete. The hydrodynamic and the sediment pressures are included in the analyses. The obtained results show that the proposed damage index faithfully describes the successive brittle failures of the dam which increase with increasing applied ground accelerations. It is found that minor damage can occur for ground accelerations less than 0.3 g, and complete failure can be caused by accelerations greater than 0.45 g.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.131-154
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• 2012

In this paper, it is aimed to determine the seismic behaviour of highway bridges by nondestructive testing using ambient vibration measurements. Eynel Highway Bridge which has arch type structural system with a total length of 216 m and located in the Ayvaclk county of Samsun, Turkey is selected as an application. The bridge connects the villages which are separated with Suat U$\breve{g}$urlu Dam Lake. A three dimensional finite element model is first established for a highway bridge using project drawings and an analytical modal analysis is then performed to generate natural frequencies and mode shapes in the three orthogonal directions. The ambient vibration measurements are carried out on the bridge deck under natural excitation such as traffic, human walking and wind loads using Operational Modal Analysis. Sensitive seismic accelerometers are used to collect signals obtained from the experimental tests. To obtain experimental dynamic characteristics, two output-only system identification techniques are employed namely, Enhanced Frequency Domain Decomposition technique in the frequency domain and Stochastic Subspace Identification technique in time domain. Analytical and experimental dynamic characteristic are compared with each other and finite element model of the bridge is updated by changing of boundary conditions to reduce the differences between the results. It is demonstrated that the ambient vibration measurements are enough to identify the most significant modes of highway bridges. After finite element model updating, maximum differences between the natural frequencies are reduced averagely from 23% to 3%. The updated finite element model reflects the dynamic characteristics of the bridge better, and it can be used to predict the dynamic response under complex external forces. It is also helpful for further damage identification and health condition monitoring. Analytical model of the bridge before and after model updating is analyzed using 1992 Erzincan earthquake record to determine the seismic behaviour. It can be seen from the analysis results that displacements increase by the height of bridge columns and along to middle point of the deck and main arches. Bending moments have an increasing trend along to first and last 50 m and have a decreasing trend long to the middle of the main arches.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.121-129
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• 2017

In this paper, the shake table test for the masonry infilled reinforced concrete frame with non-seismic details was carried out in order to evaluate its dynamic behaviour and damage under seismic condition. The tested specimens were the RC frame and the masonry infilled RC frame and the dynamic characteristics, such as a resonant period, acceleration response, displacement response and base shear force response, were compared between them. As a result of the shake table test, RC frame specimen had flexural cracks at the top and bottom of the column and shear cracks at the joints. In the case of masonry infilled RC frame, the damage of the frame was relatively minor but the sliding cracks and diagonal shear cracks on the masonry wall were severe at the final excitation. The resonant period of infilled RC frame specimen was shorter than that of the RC frame specimen because the masonry infill contributed to increase the stiffness. The maximum displacement response of the infilled RC frame specimen was decreased by about 20% than the RC frame specimen. It was analyzed that the masonry infill wall applied in this study contributed to increase the lateral strength of the RC frame with non - seismic detail by about 2.2 times and the stiffness by about 1.6 times.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.445-460
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• 2021

This study experimentally explored the behaviour of 12 concrete filled steel tube (CFST) and steel tube columns subjected to lateral cyclic loading. The L/D ratio was 12.3 while D/t ratios were 45.4, 37.8 and 32.4, classifying these 12 specimens into 3 groups. Each group included 3 CFST and 1 steel tube columns and were tested to failure. The experimental results indicated that CFST specimens reached the state of 'collapse prevention' (drift 4%) prior to the occurrence of local buckling. Strength degradation of CFST specimens did not occur up to the failure by buckling. This showed the favourable characteristic of CFST columns in preventing collapse of structures subjected to earthquakes. The high energy absorption capability in the post collapse limit state was appropriate for dissipating energy in structures. Compared to steel tube columns, CFST columns delayed local buckling and prevented inward buckling. Consequently, CFST columns exhibited their outstanding seismic performance in terms of the increased ultimate resistance, capacity to sustain 2-3 additional load cycles and significantly higher drift. A simple and reasonably accurate model was proposed to predict the ultimate strength of CFST columns under lateral cyclic loading.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.87 no.5
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• pp.487-498
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• 2023

Unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings are extensively adopted in many of the growing nations, particularly in India. Window or door openings are required for architectural or functional reasons, which pose a threat to the building's safety. The past earthquakes have shown that the seismic capability of these structures was very weak. Strengthening these unreinforced masonry walls using welded wire mesh (WWM) is one of the most commonly and economical methods. The present experimental study investigates the impact of openings on the shear behaviour of URM walls and the effectiveness of WWM in enhancing the shear performance of masonry wall. In the experimental program 16 specimens were cast, 8 unstrengthen and 8 strengthened specimens, under 8 unstrengthen and strengthened specimens, every 2 specimens had 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% openings and all these walls were tested under diagonal compression. The results show that the shear carrying capacity reduces as the opening percentage increases. However, strengthening the URM specimens using WWM significantly improves the peak load, shear strength, ductility, stiffness, and energy dissipation. Furthermore, the strengthening of the URM walls using WWM compensated the loss of wall capacity caused by the presence of the openings.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.293-310
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• 2006

In seismic prone areas it is possible to meet very different objects (equipment components, on shelf artefacts, simple architectural elements) that can be modelled as a rigid body rocking on a rigid foundation. The interest in their behaviour can have different reasons: seismological, in order to estimate the ground motion intensity, or more strictly mechanical, in order to limit the response severity and to avoid overturning. The behaviour of many rigid bodies subjected to twenty wide ranging acceleration recordings is studied here. The response of the blocks is described using kinematic and energy parameters. A condition under which a so called scale effect is tangible is highlighted. The capacity of the signals to produce overturning is compared to different ground motion parameters, and a good correlation with the Peak Ground Velocity is unveiled.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.627-650
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• 2013

This paper deals with application of a non-linear continuum model for reinforced concrete affected by alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) to analysis of some nuclear structures. The macroscopic behaviour of the material affected by AAR is described by incorporating a homogenization/averaging procedure. The formulation addresses the main stages of the deformation process, i.e., a homogeneous deformation mode as well as that involving localized deformation, associated with formation of macrocracks. The formulation is applied to examine the mechanical behaviour of some reinforced concrete structures in nuclear power facilities located in Quebec (Canada). First, a containment structure is analyzed subjected to 45 years of continuing AAR. Later, an inelastic analysis is carried out for the spent fuel pool taking into account the interaction with the adjacent jointed rock mass foundation. In the latter case, the structure is said to be subjected to continuing AAR that is followed by a seismic event.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.215-238
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• 2005

This work is based on a nonlinear finite-element model with proven capacity for yielding realistic predictions of the response of reinforced-concrete structures under static monotonically-increasing loading. In it, the material description relies essentially on the two key properties of triaxiality and brittleness and, thus, is simpler than those of most other material models in use. In this article, the finite-element program is successfully used in investigating the behaviour of a series of RC walls under static cyclic loading. This type of loading offers a more strenuous test of the validity of the proposed program since cracks continuously form and close during each load cycle. Such a test is considered to be essential before attempting to use the program for the analysis of concrete structures under seismic excitation in order to ensure that the solution procedure adopted is numerically stable and can accurately predict the behaviour of RC structures under such earthquake-loading conditions. This is achieved through a comparative study between the numerical predictions obtained presently from the program and available experimental data.