• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.399-415
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• 2020

Responses of semi-rigid frames having different degrees of semi-rigidity obtained by the nonlinear static analysis (NSA) are evaluated at specific target displacements by comparing them with those obtained by the nonlinear time-history analysis (NTHA) for scaled earthquakes. The peak ground accelerations (PGA) of the earthquakes are scaled such that the obtained peak top story displacements match with the target displacements. Three different types of earthquakes are considered, namely, far-field and near-field earthquakes with directivity and fling-step effects. In order to make the study a comprehensive one, three degrees of semi-rigidity (one fully rigid and the other two semi-rigid), and two frames having different heights are considered. An ensemble of five-time histories of ground motion is included in each type of earthquake. A large number of responses are considered in the study. They include the peak top-story displacement, maximum inter-story drift ratio, peak base shear, total number of plastic hinges, and square root of sum of the squares (SRSS) of the maximum plastic hinge rotations. Results of the study indicate that the nonlinear static analysis provides a fairly good estimate of the peak values of top-story displacements, inter-story drift ratio (for shorter frame), peak base shear and number of plastic hinges; however, the SRSS of maximum plastic hinge rotations in semi-rigid frames are considerably more in the nonlinear static analysis as compared to the nonlinear time history analysis.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.453-462
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• 2018

Damages to buildings affected by a near-fault strong ground motion are largely attributed to the vertical component of the earthquake resulting in column failures, which could lead to disproportionate building catastrophic collapse in a progressive fashion. Recently, considerable interests are awakening to study effects of earthquake vertical components on structural responses. In this study, detailed modeling and time-history analyses of a 12-story code-conforming reinforced concrete moment frame building carrying the gravity loads, and exposed to once only the horizontal component of, and second time simultaneously the horizontal and vertical components of an ensemble of far-field and near-field earthquakes are conducted. Structural responses inclusive of tension, compression and its fluctuations in columns, the ratio of shear demand to capacity in columns and peak mid-span moment demand in beams are compared with and without the presence of the vertical component of earthquake records. The influences of the existence of earthquake vertical component in both exterior and interior spans are separately studied. Thereafter, the correlation between the increase of demands induced by the vertical component of the earthquake and the ratio of a set of earthquake record characteristic parameters is investigated. It is shown that uplift initiation and the magnitude of tensile forces developed in corner columns are relatively more critical. Presence of vertical component of earthquake leads to a drop in minimum compressive force and initiation of tension in columns. The magnitude of this reduction in the most critical case is recorded on average 84% under near-fault ground motions. Besides, the presence of earthquake vertical components increases the shear capacity required in columns, which is at most 31%. In the best case, a direct correlation of 95% between the increase of the maximum compressive force and the ratio of vertical to horizontal 'effective peak acceleration (EPA)' is observed.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.119-130
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• 2017

This paper presents a numerical investigation on the seismic behavior of isolated bridges with supplemental viscous damping. Usually very large displacements make seismic isolation an unfeasible solution due to boundary conditions, especially in case of existing bridges or high risk seismic regions. First, a suggested optimal design procedure is introduced, then seismic performance of three real bridges with different isolation systems and damping levels is investigated. Each bridge is studied in four different configurations: simply supported (SSB), isolated with 10% damping (IB), isolated with 30% damping (LRB) and isolated with optimal supplemental damping ratio (IDB). Two of the case studies are investigated under spectrum compatible far-field ground motions, while the third one is subjected to near-fault strong motions. With respect to different design strategies proposed by other authors, results of the analysis demonstrated that an isolated bridge equipped with HDLRBs and a total equivalent damping ratio of 70% represents a very effective design solution. Thanks to confirmed effective performance in terms of base shear mitigation and displacement reduction under both far field and near fault ground motions, as well as for both simply supported and continuous bridges, the suggested control system provides robustness and reliability in terms of seismic performance also resulting cost effective.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.757-768
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• 2016

In the past decades, effect of near field earthquake on the historical monuments has attracted the attention of researchers. So, many analyses in this regard have been presented. Tunnels as vital arteries play an important role in management after the earthquake crisis. However, digging tunnels and seismic effects of earthquake on the historical monuments have always been a challenge between engineers and historical supporters. So, in a case study, effect of near field earthquake on the historical monument was investigated. For this research, Finite Element Analysis (FEM) in soil environment and soil-structure interaction was used. In Plaxis 2D software, different accelerograms of near field earthquake were applied to the geometric definition. Analysis validations were performed based on the previous numerical studies. Creating a nonlinear relationship with space parameter, time, angular and numerical model outputs was of practical and critical importance. Hence, artificial Neural Network (ANN) was used and two linear layers and Tansig function were considered. Accuracy of the results was approved by the appropriate statistical test. Results of the study showed that buildings near and far from the tunnel had a special seismic behavior. Scattering of seismic waves on the underground tunnels on the adjacent buildings was influenced by their distance from the tunnel. Finally, a static test expressed optimal convergence of neural network and Plaxis.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.725-742
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• 2015

Tuned mass dampers (TMD) are devices employed in vibration control since the beginning of the twentieth century. However, their implementation for controlling the seismic response in civil structures is more recent. While the efficiency of TMD on structures under far-field earthquakes has been demonstrated, the convenience of its employment against near-fault earthquakes is still under discussion. In this context, the study of this type of device is raised, not as an alternative to the seismic isolation, which is clearly a better choice for new buildings, but rather as an improvement in the structural safety of existing buildings. Seismic records with an impulsive character have been registered in the vicinity of faults that cause seismic events. In this paper, the ability of TMD to control the response of structures that experience inelastic deformations and eventually reach collapse subject to the action of such earthquakes is studied. The results of a series of nonlinear dynamic analyses are presented. These analyses are performed on a numerical model of a structure under the action of near-fault earthquakes. The structure analyzed in this study is a steel frame which behaves as a single degree of freedom (SDOF) system. TMD with different mass values are added on the numerical model of the structure, and the TMD performance is evaluated by comparing the response of the structure with and without the control device.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.447-457
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• 2019

The use of Tuned mass dampers (TMD) has proved to be effective in reducing the effects of vibrations caused by wind loads and far-field seismic action. However, its effectiveness in controlling the dynamic response of structures under near-fault earthquakes is still under discussion. In this case, the uncertainty about the TMD performance arises from the short significant duration of near-fault ground motions. In this work, the TMD effectiveness for increasing the safety margin against collapse of structures subjected to near-fault earthquakes is investigated. In order to evaluate the TMD performance in the proposed scenario, the nonlinear dynamic response of two reinforced concrete (RC) frames was analyzed. TMDs with different mass values were added to these structures, and a set of near-fault records with frequency content close to the fundamental frequency of the structure was employed. Through a series of nonlinear dynamic analysis, the minimum amplitude of each seismic record that causes the structural collapse was found. By comparing this value, called collapse acceleration, for the case of the structures with and without TMD, the benefit produced by the addition of the control device was established.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.285-297
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• 2013

The effect of soil structure interaction (SSI) on seismic response of a multi-degree-of-freedom structure isolated with a friction pendulum system (FPS) is studied. In the analysis, the soil is considered as an elastic continuum and is modeled using the finite element method. The effect of SSI on response of the structure is evaluated for twenty far-field and twenty near-fault earthquake ground motions. The effect of friction coefficient of sliding material of FPS on SSI is also studied. The results of the study show that the seismic response of the structure increases for majority of the earthquake ground motions due to SSI. The sliding displacement and base shear are underestimated if SSI effects are ignored in the seismic analysis of structures isolated with FPS.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.49-65
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• 2013

This article presents the statistical characteristics of elastic floor acceleration spectra that represent the peak response demand of non-structural components attached to a nonlinear supporting frame. For this purpose, a set of stiff and flexible general moment resisting frames with periods of 0.3-3.6 sec. are analyzed using forty-nine near-field strong ground motion records. Peak accelerations are derived for each single degree of freedom non-structural component, supported by the above mentioned frames, through a direct-integration time-history analysis. These accelerations are obtained by Floor Acceleration Response Spectrum (FARS) method. They are statistically analyzed in the next step to achieve a better understanding of their height-wise distributions. The factors that affect FARS values are found in the relevant state of the art. Here, they are summarized to evaluate the amplification and/or reduction of FARS values especially when the supporting structures undergo inelastic behavior. The properties of FARS values are studied in three regions: long-period, fundamental-period and short-period. Maximum elastic acceleration response of non-structural component, mounted on inelastic frames, depends on the following factors: inelasticity intensity and modal periods of supporting structure; natural period, damping ratio and location of non-structural component. The FARS values, corresponded to the modal periods of supporting structure, are strongly reduced beyond elastic domain. However, they could be amplified in the transferring period domain between the mentioned modal periods. In the next step, the amplification and/or reduction of FARS values, caused by inelastic behavior of supporting structure, are calculated. A parameter called the response acceleration reduction factor ($R_{acc}$), has been previously used for far-field earthquakes. The feasibility of extending this parameter for near-field motions is focused here, suggested repeatedly in the relevant sources. The nonlinearity of supporting structure is included in ($R_{acc}$) for better estimation of maximum non-structural component absolute acceleration demand, which is ordinarily neglected in the seismic design provisions.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.82-89
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• 2003

Near-field ground motions exhibit special characteristics that are different from ordinary far-field ground motions. In this study the shaking table tests were conducted to evaluate the effect of earthquake ground motions with different characteristics on the response of the structure. The ground motions used in this study were the scenario earthquake, design earthquake, and Chi-Chi earthquake measured in TCU052 station. These earthquakes have different frequency contents. The test results show that the frequency content of ground motion is very important to the response of structures. The floor responses of structure were greatly affected by the higher modal frequencies, as well as the fundamental frequency. The responses of third floor were significantly reduced due to the interaction between the structure and the base isolated mass installed at the third floor.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.53-64
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• 2022

This study proposes an intelligent semi-active isolation system combining a variable-stiffness control device and ground motion characteristic prediction. To determine the optimal control parameter in real-time, a genetic algorithm (GA)-fuzzy control law was developed in this study. Data on various types of ground motions were collected, and the ground motion characteristics were quantified to derive a near-fault (NF) characteristic ratio by employing an on-site earthquake early warning system. On the basis of the peak ground acceleration (PGA) and the derived NF ratio, a fuzzy inference system (FIS) was developed. The control parameters were optimized using a GA. To support continuity under near-fault and far-field ground motions, the optimal control parameter was linked with the predicted PGA and NF ratio through the FIS. The GA-fuzzy law was then compared with other control laws to verify its effectiveness. The results revealed that the GA-fuzzy control law could reliably predict different ground motion characteristics for real-time control because of the high sensitivity of its control parameter to the ground motion characteristics. Even under near-fault and far-field ground motions, the GA-fuzzy control law outperformed the FPEEA control law in terms of controlling the isolation layer displacement and the superstructure acceleration.