• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.65-72
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• 2011

Extensive computer simulations to account for the randomness in the process of seismic demand estimation have been a serious obstacle to the adoption of probabilistic performance assessments for the decision of applying seismic intervention schemes. In this study, a method for rapid fragility assessments based on a response database and the fragility contour method are presented. By the comparison of response contours in different formats, it is shown that representing maximum responses in ductility demand is better for the investigation of the effect of structural parameter changes on seismic demands than representations in absolute values. The presented fragility contour enables designers to practically investigate the probabilistic performance level of every possible retrofit option in a convenient manner using visualized data sets. This example demonstrates the extreme efficiency of the proposed approach in performing fragility assessments and successful application to the seismic retrofit strategies based on limit state probabilities.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.28-39
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• 2013

The most common housing type in Korea is low-rise buildings with unreinforced masonry walls (UMWs) that have been known as a vulnerable seismic-force-resisting system (SFRS) due to the lack of ductility capacities compared to high lateral stiffness of an UMW. However, there are still a little experimental investigation on the shear strength and stiffness of UMWs and on the seismic performance of buildings using UMWs as a SFRS. In Korea, the shear strength and stiffness of UMWs have been evaluated with the equations suggested in FEMA 356 which can not reflect the structural and material characteristics, and workmanship of domestic UMW construction. First of all, this study demonstrates the differences in shear strength and stiffness of UMWs obtained from between FEMA 356 and test results. The influence of these differences on the seismic performance of UMW buildings is then discussed with incremental dynamic analyses results of a prototype UMW building that were selected by the site survey of more than 200 UMW buildings and existing test results of UMWs. The seismic performance assessment of the prototype UMW building are analyzed based on collapse margin ratios and beta values repesenting uncertainty of seismic capacity. Analysis results show that the seismic performance of the UMW building estimated using the equations in FEMA 356 underestimates both a collapse margin ratio and a beta value compared to that estimated by test results. Whatever the estimation is carried out two cases, the seismic performance of the prototype building does not meet the criteria prescribed in a current Korean seismic code and about 90% collapse probability presents for more than 30-year-old UMW buildings under earthquakes with 2400 return years.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 2016

This study is the sequel of a companion paper (I. Algorithm) for assessment of the seismic performance evaluation of structure using ground motions selected by the proposed algorithm. To evaluate the effect of the correlation structures of selected ground motions on the seismic responses of a structure, three sets of ground motions are selected with and without consideration of the correlation structure. Nonlinear response history analyses of a 20-story reinforced concrete frame are conducted using the three sets of ground motions. This study shows that the seismic responses of the frames vary according to ground motion selection and correlation structures.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.137-150
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• 2017

This paper focuses on the post-earthquake serviceability of steel arch bridges installed with three types of seismic dampers suffered mainshock-aftershock sequences. Two post-earthquake serviceability verification methods for the steel arch bridges are compared. The energy-absorbing properties of three types of seismic dampers, including the buckling restrained brace, the shear panel damper and the shape memory alloy damper, are investigated under major earthquakes. Repeated earthquakes are applied to the steel arch bridges to examine the influence of the aftershocks to the structures with and without dampers. The relative displacement is proposed for the horizontal transverse components in such complicated structures. Results indicate that the strain-based verification method is more conservative than the displacement-base verification method in evaluating the post-earthquake serviceability of structures and the seismic performance of the retrofitted structure is significantly improved.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.233-251
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• 2011

The seismic provisions of the current edition (2005) of the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) differ significantly from the earlier edition. The current seismic provisions are based on the uniform hazard spectra corresponding to 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years, as opposed to the seismic hazard level with 10% probablity of exeedance in 50 years used in the earlier edition. Moreover, the current code is presented in an objective-based format where the design is performed based on an acceptable solution. In the light of these changes, an assessment of the expected performance of the buildings designed according to the requirements of the current edition of NBCC would be very useful. In this paper, the seismic performance of a set of six, twelve, and eighteen story buildings of regular geometry and with concrete moment resisting frames, designed for Vancouver western Canada, has been evaluated. Although the effects of non-structural elements are not considered in the design, the non-structural elements connected to the lateral load resisting systems affect the seismic performance of a building. To simulate the non-structural elements, infill panels are included in some frame models. Spectrum compatible artificial ground motion records and scaled actual accelerograms have been used for evaluating the dynamic response. The performance has been evaluated for each building under various levels of seismic hazard with different probabilities of exceedance. From the study it has been observed that, although all the buildings achieved the life-safety performance as assumed in the design provisions of the building code, their performance characteristics are found to be non-uniform.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.2A
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• pp.339-349
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to investigate the seismic behavior of circular reinforced concrete bridge piers with confinement steel and to provide the data for developing improved seismic design criteria. Fourteen circular reinforced concrete bridge piers were tested under a constant axial load and a cyclically reversed horizontal load. The accuracy and objectivity of the assessment process may be enhanced by the use of sophisticated nonlinear finite element analysis program. A computer program, named RCAHEST (Reinforced Concrete Analysis in Higher Evaluation System Technology), for the analysis of reinforced concrete structures was used. In the companion paper, the proposed numerical method for the seismic performance assessment of circular reinforced concrete bridge piers with confinement steel is verified by comparison with experimental results.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.369-374
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• 2000

This study was conducted to investigate the seismic behavior assessment of circlular-tied bridge piers, particularly with regard to assessing the displacement ductility. The experimental variables of bridge piers test consisted of transverse steel details, amount and spacing different axial load levels etc. The test results indicated that reinforcement concrete bridge piers with confinement steel by the code specification exhibited sufficient ductile behavior and seismic performance. Aldo, it is found that current seismic design code specification of confinement steel requirements may be revised.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.57-82
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• 2014

The heritage value of the mixed wood-masonry 18th century Pombalino buildings of downtown Lisbon is recognized both nationally and internationally. The present paper focuses on the seismic assessment of global response and retrofitting of a typical Pombalino building by nonlinear static analyses, performed by the research software Tremuri, which is able to model 3D configurations. The structure is modelled using nonlinear beams for masonry panels, while in case of the internal walls (frontal walls) an original formulation has been developed in order to take into account their specific seismic behaviour. Floors are modelled as orthotropic membrane finite elements: this feature allows to simulate the presence of both flexible and rigid diaphragms, being the first ones more representative of the original state while the second ones of retrofitted configurations. Seismic assessment has been evaluated by applying nonlinear static procedure and comparing the performance of different configurations (by considering various retrofitting strategies). Finally, assuming a lognormal cumulative distribution, fragility curves are obtained to be representative of Pombalino buildings: the most important application of such curves is for seismic risk and loss estimation analyses.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.109-118
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• 2017

A novel post-tensioned self-centering (SC) concrete beam-column connection with web friction devices has been proposed for concrete moment-resisting frames. This paper presents a probabilistic performance evaluation procedure to evaluate the performance of the self-centering concrete frame with the proposed post-tensioned beam-column connections. Two performance limit states, i.e., immediate occupancy (IO) and repairable (RE) limit states, are defined based on peak and residual story drift ratios. Statistical analyses of seismic demands revealed that the dispersion of residual drifts is larger than that of peak drifts. Due to self-centering feature of post-tensioning connections, the SC frame was found to have high probabilities to be recentered under the design basis earthquake (DBE) and maximum considered earthquake (MCE) ground motions. Seismic risk analysis was performed to determine the annual (50-year) probability of exceedance for IO and RE performance limit states, and the results revealed that the design objectives of the SC frame would be met under the proposed performance-based design approach.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.11 no.3 s.55
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• pp.11-21
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• 2007

Potential damage and losses associated with structural systems caused by earthquake can be reduced by application of seismic design to the structures. Because the building cost required for seismic design is generally higher than the cost for non-seismic design, the application of seismic design must be justified considering both seismic performance and cost. This paper presents a risk-based fiamework for evaluation and comparison of seismic performance of structures such that necessary data can be supplied for decision making on seismic design. Seismic fragility curve is utilized for seismic risk assessment of structures, and the process for decision analysis on adaptation of seismic design is presented based on the equivalent cost model.