• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.21-32
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• 2024

This study performed the seismic response analysis of an LNG storage tank supported by a disconnected piled raft foundation (DPRF) with a load transfer platform (LTP). For this purpose, a precise analytical model with simultaneous consideration of Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) and Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) was used. The effect of the LTP characteristics (thickness, stiffness) of the DPRF system on the seismic response of the superstructure (inner and outer tanks) and piles was analyzed. The analytical results were compared with the response of the piled raft foundation (PRF) system. The following conclusions can be drawn from the numerical results: (1) The DPRF system has a smaller bending moment and axial force at the head of the pile than the PRF system, even if the thickness and stiffness of the LTP change; (2) The DPRF system has a slight stiffness of the LTP and the superstructure member force can increase with increasing thickness. This is because as the stiffness of the LTP decreases and the thickness increases, the natural frequency of the LTP becomes closer to the natural frequency of the superstructure, which may affect the response of the superstructure. Therefore, when applying the DPRF system, it is recommended that the sensitivity analysis of the seismic response to the thickness and stiffness of the LTP must be performed.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.763-782
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• 2011

Results from nonlinear time-history analyses of wall-frame structural models indicate that the condition of vulnerable foundations -for which uplifting and reaching the bearing capacity of the supporting soil can occur before yielding at the base of the shear walls- may not be necessarily detrimental to the drift response of buildings under strong ground motions. Analyses also show that a soil-foundation system can inherently have deformation capacity well in excess of the demand and thus act as a source of energy dissipation that protects the structural integrity of the shear walls.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.461-479
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• 2023

The paper deals with the finite element modelling of the free vibration and structural behavior of a particular four-floor reinforced concrete structure subjected to static equivalent seismic loads and supported by a shallow foundation system called SNSF (Spider Net System Footing). The two FE models are a simple 2D Matlab model and a detailed 3D model based on solid elastic elements using Altairworks (Hypermesh and Optistruct). Both models can simulate the soil structure interaction. We concentrate on the behavior of a representative cell involving two columns on five levels. The influence of the boundary conditions on the external vertical planes of the domain are duly studied. The Matlab model appears relevant for a primary estimation of frequencies and stiffness of the whole structure under vertical and lateral loads.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.497-507
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• 2017

Flooding induced scour has been long recognized as a major hazard to river-crossing bridges. Many studies in recent years have attempted to evaluate the effects of scour on the seismic performance of bridges, and probabilistic frameworks are usually adopted. However, direct and straightforward insight about how foundation scour affects bridges as a type of soil-foundation-structure system is usually understated. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of applied methods centering around seismic assessment of scoured bridges considering soil-foundation-structure interaction. When introducing these applied analysis and modeling methods, a simple bridge model is provided to demonstrate the use of these methods as a case study. Particularly, we propose the use of nonlinear modal pushover analysis as a rapid technique to model scoured bridge systems, and numerical validation and application of this procedure are given using the simple bridge model. All methods reviewed in this paper can serve as baseline components for performing probabilistic vulnerability or risk assessment for any river-crossing bridge system subject to flood-induced scour and earthquakes.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.637-655
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• 2012

In this study, stochastic responses of a cable-stayed bridge subjected to the spatially varying earthquake ground motion are investigated by the finite element method taking into account soil-structure interaction (SSI) effects. The considered bridge in the analysis is Quincy Bay-view Bridge built on the Mississippi River in between 1983-1987 in Illinois, USA. The bridge is composed of two H-shaped concrete towers, double plane fan type cables and a composite concrete-steel girder deck. In order to determine the stochastic response of the bridge, a two-dimensional lumped masses model is considered. Incoherence, wave-passage and site response effects are taken into account for the spatially varying earthquake ground motion. Depending on variation in the earthquake motion, the response values of the cable-stayed bridge supported on firm, medium and soft foundation soil are obtained, separately. The effects of SSI on the stochastic response of the cable-stayed bridge are also investigated including foundation as a rigidly capped vertical pile groups. In this approach, piles closely grouped together beneath the towers are viewed as a single equivalent upright beam. The soil-pile interaction is linearly idealized as an upright beam on Winkler foundation model which is commonly used to study the response of single piles. A sufficient number of springs on the beam should be used along the length of the piles. The springs near the surface are usually the most important to characterize the response of the piles surrounded by the soil; thus a closer spacing may be used in that region. However, in generally springs are evenly spaced at about half the diameter of the pile. The results of the stochastic analysis with and without the SSI are compared each other while the bridge is under the sway of the spatially varying earthquake ground motion. Specifically, in case of rigid towers and soft soil condition, it is pointed out that the SSI should be significantly taken into account for the design of such bridges.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.421-434
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• 2005

In this paper, the finite element method is applied to investigate the effect of the lateral boundary in homogenous soil on the seismic response of a superstructure. Some influencing factors are presented and discussed, and several parameters are identified to be important for conducting soil-structure interaction experiments on shaking tables. Numerical results show that the cross-section width L, thickness H, wave propagation velocity and lateral boundaries of soil layer have certain influences on the computational accuracy. The dimensionless parameter L/H is the most significant one among the influencing factors. In other words, a greater depth of soil layer near the foundation should be considered in shaking table tests as the thickness of the soil layer increases, which can be regarded as a linear relationship approximately. It is also found that the wave propagation velocity in soil layer affects the numerical accuracy and it is suggested to consider a greater depth of the soil layer as the wave propagation velocity increases. A numerical study on a soil-structure experimental model with a rubber ring surrounding the soil on a shaking table is also conducted. It is found the rubber ring has great effect on the soil-structure interaction experiments on shaking table. The experimental precision can be improved by reasonably choosing the elastic parameter and width of the rubber ring.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.331-344
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• 2024

The performance of reinforced concrete buildings subjected to earthquake excitations depends on the structural behaviour of the superstructure as well as the type of foundation and the properties of soil on which the structure is founded. The consideration of the effects due to the interaction between the structure and soil- foundation alters the seismic response of reinforced concrete buildings subjected to earthquake motion. Evaluation of the structural response of buildings for quantitative assessment of the seismic fragility has been a demanding problem for the engineers. Present research deals with development of fragility curve for building specific vulnerability assessment based on different damage parameters considering the effect of soil-structure interaction. Incremental Dynamic Analysis of fixed base and flexible base RC building models founded on different soil conditions was conducted using finite element software. Three sets of fragility curves were developed with maximum roof displacement, inter storey drift and plastic energy dissipated as engineering demand parameters. The results indicated an increase in the likelihood of exceeding various damage limits by 10-40% for flexible base condition with soft soil profiles. Fragility curve based on energy dissipated showed a higher probability of exceedance for collapse prevention damage limit whereas for lower damage states, conventional methods showed higher probability of exceedance. With plastic energy dissipated as engineering demand parameter, it is possible to track down the intensity of earthquake at which the plastic deformation starts, thereby providing an accurate vulnerability assessment of the structure. Fragility modification factors that enable the transformation of existing fragility curves to account for Soil-Structure Interaction effects based on different damage measures are proposed for different soil conditions to facilitate a congenial vulnerability assessment for buildings with flexible base conditions.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.285-293
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• 2016

Soil-foundation-structure interaction (SFSI) is one of the important issues in the seismic design for evaluating the exact behavior of the system. A seismic design of a structure can be more precise and economical, provided that the effect of SFSI is properly taken into account. In this study, a series of the dynamic centrifuge tests were performed to compare the seismic response of the single degree of freedom(SDOF) structure on the various types of the foundation. The shallow and pile foundations were made up of diverse mass and different conjunctive condition, respectively. The test specimen consisted of dry sand deposit, foundation, and SDOF structure in a centrifuge box. Several types of earthquake motions were sequentially applied to the test specimen from weak to strong intensity of them, which is known as a stage test. Results from the centrifuge tests showed that the seismic responses of the SDOF structure on the shallow foundation and disconnected pile foundation decreased by the foundation rocking. On the other hand, those on the connected pile foundation gradually increased with intensity of input motion. The allowable displacement of the foundation under the strong earthquake, the shallow and the disconnected pile foundation, have an advantage in dissipating the earthquake energy for the seismic design.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.339-353
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• 2023

The primary objective of the current study is to optimize and evaluate the seismic performance of steel momentresisting frame (MRF) structures considering soil-structure interaction (SSI) effects. The structural optimization is implemented in the context of performance-based design in accordance with FEMA-350 at different confidence levels from 50% to 90% by taking into account fixed- and flexible-base conditions using an efficient metaheuristic algorithm. Nonlinear response-history analysis (NRHA) is conducted to evaluate the seismic response of structures, and the beam-on-nonlinear Winkler foundation (BNWF) model is used to simulate the soil-foundation interaction under the MRFs. The seismic performance of optimally designed fixed- and flexible-base steel MRFs are compared in terms of overall damage index, seismic collapse safety, and interstory drift ratios at different performance levels. Two illustrative examples of 6- and 12-story steel MRFs are presented. The results show that the consideration of SSI in the optimization process of 6- and 12-story steel MRFs results in an increase of 1.0 to 9.0 % and 0.5 to 5.0 % in structural weight and a slight decrease in structural seismic safety at different confidence levels.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.168-178
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• 2008

The hybrid simulation test method is a versatile technique for evaluating the seismic performance of structures by seamlessly integrating both physical and numerical simulations of substructures into a single test mode. In this paper, a software framework that integrates computational and experimental simulation has been developed to simulate and test a bridge structural system under earthquake loading. Using hybrid simulation, the seismic response of complex bridge structural systems partitioned into multiple large-scale experimental and computational substructures at networked distributed experimental and computational facilities can be evaluated. In this paper, the examples of application are presented in terms of a bridge model with soil-foundation-structure interaction.