• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.211-223
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• 2017

This research presented a numerical and experimental study on the seismic performance of first-generation base-isolated and fixed-base nuclear power plants (NPP). Three types of the base isolation system were applied to rehabilitate the first-generation nuclear power plants: frictional pendulum (FP), high-damping rubber (HDR) and lead-rubber (LR) base isolation. Also, an Excel program was proposed for the design of the abovementioned base isolators in accordance with UBC 97 and the Japan Society of Base Isolation Regulation. The seismic assessment was performed using the pushover and nonlinear time history analysis methods in accordance with the FEMA 356 regulation. To validate the adequacy of the proposed design procedure, two small-scale NPPs were constructed at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's structural laboratory and subjected to a pushover test for two different base conditions, fixed and HDR-isolated base. The results showed that base-isolated structures achieved adequate seismic performance compared with the fixed-base one, and all three isolators led to a significant reduction in the containment's tension, overturning moment and base shear.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2022

Seismic ground response evaluation is one of the main issues in geotechnical earthquake engineering. These analyses are subsequently divided into one-, two- and three-dimensional methods, and each of which can perform in time or frequency domain. In this study, a novel approach is proposed to assess the seismic site response using two-dimensional transfer functions in frequency domain analysis. Using the proposed formulation, a program is written in MATLAB environment and then promoted utilizing the equivalent linear approach. The accuracy of the written program is evaluated by comparing the obtained results with those of actual recorded data in the Gilroy region during Loma Prieta (1989) and Coyote Lake (1979) earthquakes. In order to precise comparison, acceleration time histories, Fourier amplitude spectra and acceleration response spectra diagrams of calculated and recorded data are presented. The proposed 2D transfer function diagrams are also obtained using mentioned earthquakes which show the amount of amplification or attenuation of the input motion at different frequencies while passing through the soil layer. The results of the proposed method confirm its accuracy and efficiency to evaluate ground motion during earthquakes using two-dimensional model. Then, studies on irregular topographies are carried out, and diagrams of amplification factors are shown.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.277-295
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• 2023

Unsymmetrical high-rise buildings (HRBs) subjected to earthquake represent a difficult challenge to structural engineering, especially taking into consideration the effect of soil-structure interaction (SSI). L-shape in plan HRBs suffer from big straining actions when are subjected to an earthquake (in x- or y-direction, or both x- and y- directions). Additionally, the disastrous effect of seismic pounding may appear between two adjacent unsymmetrical HRBs. For two unsymmetrical L-shape in plan HRBs subjected to earthquake in three different direction cases (x, y, or both), including the SSI effect, different methods are investigated to mitigate the seismic pounding and thus protect these types of structures under the earthquake effect. The most effective technique to mitigate the seismic pounding and help in seismically protecting these adjacent HRBs is found herein to be the use of a combination of pounding tuned mass dampers (PTMDs) all over the height (at the connection points) together with tuned mass dampers (TMDs) on the top of both buildings.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.90 no.2
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• pp.189-208
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• 2024

Artificial intelligence is one of the efficient methods that can be developed to simulate nonlinear behavior and predict the response of building structures. In this regard, an adaptive method based on optimization algorithms is used to train the TSK model of the fuzzy inference system to estimate the seismic behavior of building structures based on analytical data. The optimization algorithm is implemented to determine the parameters of the TSK model based on the minimization of prediction error for the training data set. The adaptive training is designed on the feedback of the results of previous time steps, in which three training cases of 2, 5, and 10 previous time steps were used. The training data is collected from the results of nonlinear time history analysis under 100 ground motion records with different seismic properties. Also, 10 records were used to test the inference system. The performance of the proposed inference system is evaluated on two 3 and 20-story models of nonlinear steel moment frame. The results show that the inference system of the TSK model by combining the optimization method is an efficient computational method for predicting the response of nonlinear structures. Meanwhile, the multi-vers optimization (MVO) algorithm is more accurate in determining the optimal parameters of the TSK model. Also, the accuracy of the results increases significantly with increasing the number of previous steps.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.85-98
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• 2009

The tau-p inversion algorithm is widely employed to generate starting models with most computer programs, which implement refraction tomography. This algorithm emphasises the vertical resolution of many layers, and as a result, it frequently fails to detect even large lateral variations in seismic velocities, such as the decreases which are indicative of shear zones. This study demonstrates the failure of the tau-p inversion algorithm to detect or define a major shear zone which is 50m or 10 stations wide. Furthermore, the majority of refraction tomography programs parameterise the seismic velocities within each layer with vertical velocity gradients. By contrast, the Generalized Reciprocal Method (GRM) inversion algorithms emphasise the lateral resolution of individual layers. This study demonstrates the successful detection and definition of the 50m wide shear zone with the GRM inversion algorithms. The existence of the shear zone is confirmed by a 2D analysis of the head wave amplitudes and by numerous closely spaced orthogonal seismic profiles carried out as part of a later 3D refraction investigation. Furthermore, an analysis of the shot record amplitudes indicates that a reversal in the seismic velocities, rather than vertical velocity gradients, occurs in the weathered layers. The major conclusion reached in this study is that while all seismic refraction operations should aim to provide as accurate depth estimates as is practical, those which emphasise the lateral resolution of individual layers generate more useful results for geotechnical and environmental applications. The advantages of the improved lateral resolution are obtained with 2D traverses in which the structural features can be recognised from the magnitudes of the variations in the seismic velocities. Furthermore, the spatial patterns obtained with 3D investigations facilitate the recognition of structural features such as faults which do not display any intrinsic variation or 'signature' in seismic velocities.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 1999.04a
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• pp.135-142
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• 1999

Although the vibration control effects of viscoelastic dampers in building structures have been well proved by numerous theoretical and practical examples it is difficult to find an outstanding method for analysis of viscoelastically damped structures satisfying both exactness and efficiency. Thus in this study four analysis methods for viscoelastically damped structures that are currently used or can be applied for the those system are speculated and compared to provide bass for developing a better method for analysis of viscoelastically damped structures. The seismic response time history inter-story drfts and analysis time recorded by computer simulation of four different methods are compared. Among these methods complex modal superposition approach turns out to be ecomomic and accurate procedure.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.443-454
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• 2017

When eccentrically braced steel frames (EBFs) are in the desired failure mode, links yield at each layer and column bases appear plastically hinged. Traditional design methods cannot accurately predict the inelastic behavior of structures owing to the use of capacity-based design theory. This paper proposes the use of performance-based seismic design (PBSD) method for planning eccentrically braced frames. PBSD can predict and control inelastic deformation of structures by target drift and failure mode. In buildings designed via this process, all links dissipate energy in the rare event of an earthquake, while other members remain in elastic state, and as the story drift is uniform along the structure height, weak layers will be avoided. In this condition, eccentrically braced frames may be more easily rehabilitated after the effects of an earthquake. The effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated through a sample case study of ten-story K-type EBFs and Y- type EBFs buildings, and is validated by pushover analysis and dynamic analysis. The ultimate state of frames designed by the proposed method will fail in the desired failure mode. That is, inelastic deformation of structure mainly occurs in links; each layer of links involved dissipates energy, and weak layers do not exist in the structure. The PBSD method can provide a reference for structural design of eccentrically braced steel frames.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.671-682
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• 2017

In this research, seismic response of pipes is examined by applying nanotechnology and piezoelectric materials. For this purpose, a pipe is considered which is reinforced by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and covered with a piezoelectric layer. The structure is subjected to the dynamic loads caused by earthquake and the governing equations of the system are derived using mathematical model via cylindrical shell element and Mindlin theory. Navier-Stokes equation is employed to calculate the force due to the fluid in the pipe. Mori-Tanaka approach is used to estimate the equivalent material properties of the nanocomposite and to consider the effect of the CNTs agglomeration on the scismic response of the structure. Moreover, the dynamic displacement of the structure is extracted using harmonic differential quadrature method (HDQM) and Newmark method. The main goal of this research is the analysis of the seismic response using piezoelectric layer and nanotechnology. The results indicate that reinforcing the pipeline by CNTs leads to a reduction in the displacement of the structure during an earthquake. Also the negative voltage applied to the piezoelectric layer reduces the dynamic displacement.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.487-499
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• 2019

Energy-based seismic design of structures has gradually become prominent in today's structural engineering investigations because of being more rational and reliable when it is compared to traditional force-based and displacement-based methods. Energy-based approaches have widely taken place in many previous studies and investigations and undoubtedly, they are going to play more important role in future seismic design codes, too. This paper aims to compute the maximum earthquake energy input to elastic single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems for selected real ground motion records. A data set containing 100 real ground motion records which have the same site soil profiles has been selected from Pacific Earthquake Research (PEER) database. Response time history (RTH) analyses have been conducted for elastic SDOF systems having a constant damping ratio and natural periods of 0.1 s to 3.0 s. Totally 3000 RTH analyses have been performed and the maximum mass normalized earthquake input energy values for all records have been computed. Previous researchers' approaches have been compared to the results of RTH analyses and an approach which considers the pseudo-spectral velocity with Arias Intensity has been proposed. Graphs of the maximum earthquake input energy versus the maximum pseudo-spectral velocity have been obtained. The results show that there is a good agreement between the maximum input energy demands of RTH analysis and the other approaches and the maximum earthquake input energy is a relatively stable response parameter to be used for further seismic design and evaluations.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.192-207
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• 2020

We acquire seismic data with regularly or irregularly missing traces, due to economic, environmental, and mechanical problems. Since these missing data adversely affect the results of seismic data processing and analysis, we need to reconstruct the missing data before subsequent processing. However, there are economic and temporal burdens to conducting further exploration and reconstructing missing parts. Many researchers have been studying interpolation methods to accurately reconstruct missing data. Recently, various machine learning technologies such as support vector regression, autoencoder, U-Net, ResNet, and generative adversarial network (GAN) have been applied in seismic data interpolation. In this study, by reviewing these studies, we found that not only neural network models, but also support vector regression models that have relatively simple structures can interpolate missing parts of seismic data effectively. We expect that future research can improve the interpolation performance of these machine learning models by using open-source field data, data augmentation, transfer learning, and regularization based on conventional interpolation technologies.