• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.699-706
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• 2014

The probabilistic seismic performance of a standard Korean nuclear power plant (NPP) with an idealized isolation is investigated in the present work. A probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) of the Wolsong site on the Korean peninsula is performed by considering peak ground acceleration (PGA) as an earthquake intensity measure. A procedure is reported on the categorization and selection of two sets of ground motions of the Tohoku earthquake, i.e. long-period and common as Set A and Set B respectively, for the nonlinear time history response analysis of the base-isolated NPP. Limit state values as multiples of the displacement responses of the NPP base isolation are considered for the fragility estimation. The seismic risk of the NPP is further assessed by incorporation of the rate of frequency exceedance and conditional failure probability curves. Furthermore, this framework attempts to show the unacceptable performance of the isolated NPP in terms of the probabilistic distribution and annual probability of limit states. The comparative results for long and common ground motions are discussed to contribute to the future safety of nuclear facilities against drastic events like Tohoku.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.599-608
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• 2011

FPS(friction pendulum system) is an isolation system which is possible to isolate structures from earthquake by pendulum characteristic. Natural frequencies of the structures could be determined by designing the radius of curvature of FPS. Thus, response vibration could be reduced by changing natural frequency of structures from FPS. But effective periods of recorded seismic wave were various and estimation of earthquake characteristic could be difficult. If effective periods of seismic wave correspond to natural frequency of structures with FPS, resonance can be occurred. Therefore, CFPBS(cone-type friction pendulum bearing system) was developed for controlling the acceleration and displacement of structure by the slope of friction surfaces. Structural natural frequency with CFPBS can be changed according to position of ball on the friction surface which was designed cone-type. Therefore, superstructures on CFPBS could be isolated from earthquake. In this study, seismic performance of CFPBS was evaluated by numerical analysis and shaking table test.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.743-755
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• 2019

In this paper, a new system of seismic isolation for buildings - called suspended columns - is introduced. In this method, the building columns are placed on the hinged cradle seats instead of direct connection to the foundation. In this system, each of the columns is put on a seat hung from its surrounding area by a number of cables, for which cavities are created inside the foundation around the columns. Inside these cavities, the tensile cables are hung. Because of the flexibility of the cables, the suspended seats vibrate during an earthquake and as a result, there is less acceleration in the structure than the foundation. A Matlab code was written to analyze and investigate the response of the system against the earthquake excitations. The findings showed that if this system is used in a building, it results in a significant reduction in the acceleration applied to the structure. A shear key system was used to control the structure for service and lateral weak loads. Moreover, the effect of vertical acceleration on the seismic behavior of the system was also investigated. Effect of the earthquake characteristic period on the system performance was studied and the optimum length of the suspension cables for a variety of the period ranges was suggested. In addition, measures have been taken for long-term functioning of the system and some practical feasibility features were also discussed. Finally, the advantages and limitations of the system were discussed and compared with the other common methods of seismic isolation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.03a
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• pp.620-625
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• 2009

The seismic slope stability is most often evaluated by the pseudo-static limit analysis, in which the earthquake loading is simplified as static inertial loads acting in horizontal and/or vertical directions. The transient loading is represented by constant acceleration via the pseudostatic coefficients. The result of a pseudostatic analysis is governed by the selection of the value of the pseudostatic coefficient. However, selection of the value is very difficult and often done in an ad hoc manner without a sound physical reasoning. In addition, the maximum acceleration is commonly estimated from the design guideline, which cannot accurately estimate the dynamic response of a slope. There is a need to perform a 2D dynamic analysis to properly define the dynamic response characteristics. This paper develops the modified one-dimensional seismic site response analysis. The modified site response analysis adjusts the density of the layers to simulate the change in mass and weight of the layers of the slope with depth. Multiple analyses are performed at various locations within the slope to estimate the change in seismic response of the slope. The calculated peak acceleration profiles with depth from the developed procedure are compared to those by the two-dimensional analyses. Comparisons show that the two methods result in remarkable match.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.105-115
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• 2014

This paper is the sequel of a companion paper (I. Performance Evaluation) evaluating the relation between the seismic performance of steel intermediate moment frames (IMFs) and the rotation capacity of connections. The evaluation revealed that the seismic performance of IMFs having the required minimum rotation capacity suggested in the current standards did not meet the seismic performance criteria presented in FEMA 695. Therefore, thepresent study evaluates the causes of the vulnerable seismic performance for steel IMFs and proposes alternatives to satisfy the seismic performance suggested in FEMA 695. To that goal, the results of nonlinear analysis, which are the pushover analysis and the incremental dynamic analysis, are examined and evaluated. As a result, high-rise IMF systems are seen to have the lower collapse margin ratio after connection fracture than row-rise IMF systems and, the actual response isfound to compared tothedesign drift ratio acting on design load design. Finally, the minimum design load values are proposed to meet the seismic performance suggested in FEMA 695 for IMF systems having vulnerable seismic performance.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.93-101
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• 2024

This paper presents an experimental and analytical study on a steel slit damper designed as an energy dissipative device for earthquake protection of structures considering soil-structure interaction. The steel slit damper is made of a steel plate with a number of slits cut out of it. The slit damper has an advantage as a seismic energy dissipation device in that the stiffness and the yield force of the damper can be easily controlled by changing the number and size of the vertical strips. Cyclic loading tests of the slit damper are carried out to verify its energy dissipation capability, and an analytical model is developed validated based on the test results. The seismic performance of a case study building is then assessed using nonlinear dynamic analysis with and without soil-structure interaction. The soil-structure system turns out to show larger seismic responses and thus seismic retrofit is required to satisfy a predefined performance limit state. The developed slit dampers are employed as a seismic energy dissipation device for retrofitting the case study structure taking into account the soil-structure interaction. The seismic performance evaluation of the model structure shows that the device works stably and dissipates significant amount of seismic energy during earthquake excitations, and is effective in lowering the seismic response of structures standing on soft soil.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.307-319
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• 2023

Ground fissures have a huge effect on the integrity of surface structures. In high-intensity ground fissure regions, however, land resource would be wasted and city building and economic development would be limited if the area avoiding principle was used. In view of this challenge, to reveal the seismic response and seismic failure characteristics of ground fissure sites, a shaking table test on model soil based on a 1:15 scale experiment was carried out. In the test, the spatial distribution characteristics of acceleration response and Arias intensity were obtained for a site exposed to earthquakes with different characteristics. Furthermore, the failure characteristics and damage evolution of the model soil were analyzed. The test results indicated that, with the increase in the earthquake acceleration magnitude, the crack width of the ground fissure enlarged from 0 to 5 mm. The soil of the hanging wall was characterized by earlier cracking and a higher abundance of secondary fissures at 45°. Under strong earthquakes, the model soil, especially the soil near the ground fissure, was severely damaged and exhibited reduced stiffness. As a result, its natural frequency also decreased from 11.41 Hz to 8.05 Hz, whereas the damping ratio increased from 4.8% to 9.1%. Due to the existence of ground fissure, the acceleration was amplified to nearly 0.476 m/s², as high as 2.38 times of the input acceleration magnitude. The maximum of acceleration and Arias intensity appeared at the fissure zone, which decreased from the main fissure toward both sides, showing hanging wall effects. The seismic intensity, duration and frequency spectrum all had certain effects on the seismic response of the ground fissure site, but their influence degrees were different. The seismic response of the site induced by the seismic wave that had richer low-frequency components and longer duration was larger. The discrepancies of seismic response between the hanging wall and the footwall declined obviously when the magnitude of the earthquake acceleration increased. The research results will be propitious to enhancing the utilizing ratio of the limited landing resource, alleviation of property damages and casualties, and provide a good engineering application foreground.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.23-32
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• 2004

The local geologic and dynamic site characteristics, which include soil profiles, shear wave velocity profiles and depths to the bed rock were gathered from 148 sites all over the Korean peninsula and those values are compared to those in the western USA. Site response analyses were performed based on equivalent linear scheme using design rock-outcrop acceleration of 0.154g which corresponds to the collapse level of earthquake for seismic category I structure. The results show that the amplification factor based on Korean seismic design guideline underestimates the motion in short-period range and overestimates the motion in mid-period range. It is suggested that the existing Korean seismic guideline based on UBC is required to be modified considering dynamic site characteristics in Korea for the reliable estimation of site amplification.

• 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.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.1265-1271
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• 2011

In this study, the safety of a rack structure was evaluated through seismic analysis considering fluid-structure interactions using a finite-element model. The rack structure was immersed under water, so it was influenced by the water. The fluid-structure interaction can be specified in terms of the hydrodynamic effect, which is defined as the added mass per unit length. Modal analysis and seismic analysis using the Floor Response Spectrum (FRS) were carried out under Operating Basis Earthquake (OBE) and Safe Shutdown Earthquake (SSE) conditions. The analytical maximum displacements of the rack structure were 0.29 and 0.36 mm under OBE and SSE conditions, respectively. The maximum stresses were 17.9 MPa under OBE conditions and 19.6 MPa under SSE conditions; these results corresponded to 23 % and 14% of the yield strength of the applied material, respectively.