• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.1369-1389
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• 2016

The soil-structure interaction effect significantly influences the design of multi-storey buildings subjected to lateral seismic loads. The shear walls are often provided in such buildings to increase the lateral stability to resist seismic loads. In the present work, the nonlinear soil-structure analysis of a G+5 storey RC shear wall building frame having isolated column footings and founded on deformable soil is presented. The nonlinear seismic FE analysis is carried out using ANSYS software for the building with and without shear walls to investigate the effect of inclusion of shear wall on the moments in the footings due to differential settlement of soil mass. The frame is considered to behave in linear elastic manner, whereas, soil mass to behave in nonlinear manner. It is found that the interaction effect causes significant variation in the moments in the footings. The comparison of non-interaction and interaction analyses suggests that the presence of shear wall causes significant decrease in bending moments in most of the footings but the interaction effect causes restoration of the bending moments to a great extent. A comparison is made between linear and nonlinear analyses to draw some important conclusions.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.271-281
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• 2012

Tianjin Goldin Finance 117 tower has an architectural height of 597 m, total of 117 stories, and the coronation of having the highest structural roof of all the buildings under construction in China. Structural height-width ratio is approximately 9.5, exceeding the existing regulation code significantly. In order to satisfy earthquake and wind-resisting requirements, a structure consisting of a perimeter frame composed of mega composite columns, mega braces and transfer trusses and reinforced concrete core containing composite steel plate wall is adopted. Complemented by some of the new requirements from the latest Chinese building seismic design codes, design of the super high-rise building in high-intensity seismic area exhibits a number of new features and solutions to professional requirements in response spectrum selection, overall stiffness control, material and component type selection, seismic performance based design, mega-column design, anti-collapse and stability analysis as well as elastic-plastic time-history analysis. Furthermore, under the prerequisite of economic viability and a series of technical requirements prescribed by the expert review panel for high-rise buildings exceeding code limits, the design manages to overcome various structural challenges and realizes the intentions of the architect and the client.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.227-242
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• 2019

Seismic isolation systems employ structural control that protect both buildings and vibration-sensitive contents from destructive effects of earthquakes. Structural control is divided into three main groups: passive, active, and semi-active. Among them, semi-active isolation systems, which can reduce floor displacements and accelerations concurrently, has gained importance in recent years since they don't require large power or pose stability problems like active ones. However, their seismic performance may vary depending on the variations that may be observed in the mechanical properties of semi-active devices and/or seismic isolators. Uncertainties relating to isolators can arise from variations in geometry, boundary conditions, material behavior, or temperature, or aging whereas those relating to semi-active control devices can be due to thermal changes, inefficiencies in calibrations, manufacturing errors, etc. For a more realistic evaluation of the seismic behavior of semi-active isolated buildings, such uncertainties must be taken into account. Here, the probabilistic behavior of semi-active isolated buildings under historical pulse-like near-fault earthquakes is evaluated in terms of their performance in preserving structural integrity and protecting vibration-sensitive contents considering aforementioned uncertainties via Monte-Carlo simulations of 3-story and 9-story semi-active isolated benchmark buildings. The results are presented in the form of fragility curves and probability of failure profiles.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.68 no.5
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• pp.621-632
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• 2018

Soft-story buildings have bottom stories much less rigid than the top stories and are susceptible to earthquake damage. Therefore, the seismic design specifications need strict design considerations in such cases. In this paper, a four-story building was investigated as a case study and the effects of X-braces elimination in its lower stories studied. In addition, the possibility of replacement of the X-braces in soft-stories with equivalent moment resisting frame inspected in two different phases. In first phase, the stiffness of X-braces and equivalent moment-resisting frames evaluated using classic equations. In final phase, diagonals removed from the lowest story to develop a soft-story and replaced with moment resisting frames. Then, the seismic stiffness variation of moment-resisting frame evaluated using nonlinear static and dynamic analyses. The results show that substitution of braced frames with an equivalent moment-resisting frame of the same stiffness increases story drift and reduces energy absorption capacity. However, it is enough to consider the needs of building codes, even using equivalent moment resisting frame instead of X-Braces, to avoid soft-story stiffness irregularity in seismic design of buildings. Besides, soft-story development in the second story may be more critical under strong ground excitations, because of interaction of adjacent stories.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.111-121
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• 2007

The paper presents a reliability-based method that can capture the impact of uncertainty of seismic loadings. The proposed method incorporates probabilistic concepts into the classical limit equilibrium and the Newmark-type deformation techniques. The risk of damage is then computed by Monte Carlo simulation. Random process and RMS hazard method are introduced to produce seismic motions and also to use them in the seismic slope analyses. The geotechnical variability and sampling errors are also considered. The results of reliability analyses indicate that in a highly seismically active region, characterization of earthquake hazard is the more critical factor, and characterization of soil properties has a relatively small effect on the computed risk of slope failure and excessive slope deformations. The results can be applicable to both circular and non-circular slip surface failure modes.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.319-328
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• 2022

Ensuring the integrity of a country's infrastructure is necessary to protect surrounding communities in case of disaster. Embankment dam systems across the US are an essential component of infrastructure, referred to as lifeline structures. Embankment dams are crucial to the survival of life and if these structures were to fail, it is imperative that states be prepared. Southern California is particularly concerned with the stability of embankment dams due to the frequent seismic activity that occurs in the state. The purpose of this study was to create a numerical model of an existing embankment dam simulated under seismic loads using previously recorded data. The embankment dam that was studied in Los Angeles, California was outfitted with accelerometers provided by the California Strong Motion Instrumentation Program that have recorded strong motion data for decades and was processed by the Center for Engineering Strong Motion Data to be used in future engineering applications. The accelerometer data was then used to verify the numerical model that was created using finite element modeling software RS2. The results from this study showed Puddingstone Dam's simulated response was consistent with that experienced during previous earthquakes and therefore validated the predicted behavior from the numerical model. The study also identified areas of weakness and instability on the dam that posed the greatest risk for its failure. Following this study, the numerical model can now be used to predict the dam's response to future earthquakes, develop plans for its remediation, and for emergency response in case of disaster.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.71-83
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• 2014

Busan is located at the mouth of Nakdong River and if an earthquake occurs, it is very likely that the damage by the earthquake will be worse as liquefaction can happen in the sand layer, builtup soil, and landfill ground due to amplification in the lower sedimentary layer that is well developed in the river mouth. Therefore, this study first examined the possibility of liquefaction in the replaced sand layer under breakwater using 14 earthquakes in 5.6-7.9 scale and artificial earthquakes including the seismic wave suggested in the standard specifications for seismic design of ports and fishing port facilities to evaluate the stability of breakwater which is the primary protective structure for port facilities against earthquakes. Second, analysis on characteristics of the seismic energy and acceleration response spectrum by size of earthquake was performed to suggest the most appropriate size of seismic wave for the condition in Korea. Third, finite element analysis was performed using the suggested seismic wave to study the characteristics of earthquake by finding the dynamic lateral displacement of breakwater and verifying the stability of structure and the displacement and forces occurring at geotextile. Results of the study showed that the possibility of liquefaction in the landfill and replaced sand layer, the dynamic lateral displacement of breakwater, and changes of geotextile are greatly affected by the subsurface ground (replaced sand layer).

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.337-346
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• 2020

Traffic jam and congestion in urban areas has caused the need to improve the utility of underground space. In response, research on underground structures is increasingly being conducted. Notably, a double-deck tunnel is one of the most widely used of all those underground structures. This double-deck tunnel is separated by the middle slab into the upper and lower roadways. Both vehicle load and earthquake load cause the middle slab to exhibit dynamic behavior. Earthquake-related response characteristics, in particular, are highly complex and difficult to interpret in a theoretical context, and thus experimental research is required. The aim of the present study is to assess the stability of a double-deck tunnel's middle slab of the Collapse Prevention Level and Seismic Category 1 with regard to the presence of vibration-damping Rubber Bearings. In vibration table tests, the ratio of similitude was set to 1/4. Linings and vibrating platforms were fixed during scaled model tests to represent the integrated behavior of the ground and the applied models. In doing so, it was possible to minimize relative behavior. The standard TBM cross-section for the virtual double-deck tunnel was selected as a test subject. The level of ground motion exerted on the bedrock was set to 0.154 g (artificial seismic wave, Collapse Prevention Level and Seismic Category 1). A seismic wave with the maximum acceleration of 0.154 g was applied to the vibration table input (bedrock) to analyze resultant amplification in the models. As a result, the seismic stability of the middle slab was evaluated and analyzed with respect to the presence of vibration-damping rubber bearings. It was confirmed that the presence of vibration-damping rubber bearings improved its earthquake acceleration damping performance by up to 40%.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.15-26
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• 2019

The stability of the gravity quay wall against earthquakes is evaluated on the basis of the allowable displacement of the wall. To estimate the displacement caused by external forces, empirical equations based on the Newmark sliding block method or numerical analysis are widely used. In numerical analysis, it is possible to analyze precisely a complicated site and structure, but difficult to set the appropriate parameters and environments; there are limitations in obtaining reliable results, depending on one's level of expertise. The Newmark method, with only seismic motions, is widely used because it is simpler than numerical simulations when estimating permanent displacement. However, the empirical equations do not have any parameters for the response characteristics and sliding block of the structure, and sliding blocks being assumed as rigid bodies does not consider the nonlinear behavior of the soil and interaction with the structure. Therefore, in order to evaluate the seismic stability of the gravity quay wall, a newly-developed empirical equation is needed to overcome the above-mentioned limitations. In this study, numerical simulations are performed to analyze the response characteristics of the backfill of the structure, and to propose an optimal method of calculating the active area. For this purpose, finite element analyses were performed to analyze the response characteristics, and stress-strain relationships for various seismic motions. As a result, the response characteristics, sliding block, and failure surface of the backfill vary depending on the input seismic motions.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.20
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• pp.43-54
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• 2007

The Muryangsa temple five-storied stone pagoda (Treasure No. 185) was geographically located in the area of the Baekje Kingdom. The architectural style of the Muryangsa temple five-storied stone pagoda is the pagoda at the early Goryeo Dynasty that was succeeded technique of the Baekje Kingdom and form of the Shilla Kingdom. Because this pagoda is located outside during old time that it received serious petrological and biological weathering in rock blocks and occurred the center subsidence in the upper capstone. This study executed ground stability interpretation in order to know what central subsidence in the upper capstone occurred for soft ground. The ground stability interpretation used seismic survey, electrical resistivity survey and GPR survey by non-destructive method. As the result, the ground appeared in the condition which is good. Specially, high resistance zone appeared from electric resistivity survey which come to seem with ground reinforcement harden. Consequently, central subsidence condition in the upper capstone is not by the instability of ground, and is judged with the thing by the structure instability in rock blocks over the upper capstone. This will be applied basic data with the long-term monitoring or preservation countermeasure of the pagoda.